Summer 2016 in Pictures

After two difficult years, this summer has made up for time I thought I already lost. 

It was the first summer that I wasn't either living or spending an extended period of time in Rhode Island—I thought I was going to be stuck in suburbia, perhaps make the occasional trip to New York City. I was concerned that it was going to be a bore. 

I was wrong.

Caught up with friends who I haven't seen in a while. Finally went to the Westport Duck Race. Found a speakeasy in New York City while celebrating Cara's birthday. Flew to the West Coast for the first time to visit Steph in California. Read a few books. Tried new restaurants. Spent a few weekends in Rhode Island—not just in Newport and Narragansett, but also Watch Hill with my family. Went sailing. And probably tried every Pimm's Cup and prosecco cocktail between New York City, Westport and Newport.

Effy's Kitchen | Spanish Harlem, NYC (blog post)

Fashionista Hosts Garance Dore (blog post)

Bottomless Brunch in the West Village (brunch)

The Ocean House & Watch Hill Inn

California Central Coast | Big Sur

How to Spend 72 Hours in California | Part 2 (blog post)

How to Spend 72 Hours in California | Part 3

How to Spend 72 Hours in California | Part 4

Fishers Island Lemonade, the Next-Level Hard Lemonade (blog post)

Tusk and Cup Opens New Location (blog post)

Find of the Week | 40 (blog post)

Rothbard Ale + Larder (blog post)

The Starboard Sea (blog post)

BXL Zoute | Flatiron District (blog post)

Looking through these photos, I am grateful for having amazing friends and family that have made this summer—and the rest of seasons—an absolute dream. There are a lot of moments that are not captured in pictures, but I try to take snapshots of the best of them.

Time to switch from Pimm's Cups to spiked hot ciders...

How to Spend 72 Hours in California | Part 4

Once Steph and I left the foggy San Francisco Bay area, the California sunshine followed us to Napa, the final leg of our weekend trip.

We took a few back roads away from the bumper-to-bumper traffic to enjoy the scenery, since everyone else in the state of California decided to head to Napa...

I chose to go to Domaine Chandon in Yountsville—Moet & Chandon's California sister—for our only wine tasting. As much as I wanted to check out other vineyards, we had to spend our time (and money) wisely. Walking into Domaine Chandon's Tasting Room perfectly fit our schedule.

Enjoying our Prestige Wine Tasting while leisurely strolling around the beautiful terrace couldn't have been further from a hardship...

We grabbed lunch at R+D Kitchen down the road. Steph and I didn't order a glass of bubbly at Domaine Chandon, but we made up for it by ordering the brut at the outdoor bar. I loved my spinach and goat cheese omelette. 

It also happened that it was National Iced Cream Day, so I asked the bartender where I could fulfill my craving. She told me that the restaurant owned Kelly's Filling Station and Wine Shop next door and they served a good vanilla iced cream.

What the bartender refrained from sharing was that this vanilla soft-serve was also organic and locally made...

California has shown me that it really is possible to get everything you want.

It's not all about the destination—the journey is just as important.

As hokey and cliche as it sounds, every drive Steph and I took on this trip was equally as exciting as the places we visited.

Whether it was pulling off to the side of Highway 1to decide if a wave was a whale or a rock, or talking about our true life goals, we made every moment worthy of memory.

One of the things I will always remember about Steph are the random, short weekend trips we took in college—I'm happy to add this 72-hour-MontereyBigSurSanFranciscoNapaValley extravaganza to the list of memories post-undergrad.

A Night Out in North Beach, San Francisco

It doesn't matter if your body is jet-lagged and thrown off by the time difference.

If you're in San Francisco, you're going out. Here's how to do it right in North Beach.

A Night Out in North Beach

Start off at Black Magic Voodoo Lounge on Lombard Street. Ask for their specialty shot...

Keep walking down the street.

And keep walking.

A little further.

Then go to Maggie McGarry's for live music--hopefully there will be a high-energy 90s cover band for you to sing your heart out. Have a beer or two.

Once your voice is almost shot, leave, but stay on Grant Avenue. 

Go to the next bar that has a long line outside.

...

Skip the long line and head to the bar next door (Tupelo?). Get a quick drink.

Find the bar with the killer basement (KELLS). Dance your face off. Have no shame. 

...

Keep dancing in the killer basement. Get lost in the crowd.

...

Re-group with everyone and find late-night food before heading back to the apartment.

End the night at Sam's Pizza, one of Anthony Bourdain's favorites in San Francisco. Bring cash.

And always remember that if you and your friends can't drive... get an Uber.

How to Spend 72 Hours in California | Part 3

We drove from Monterey back to San Francisco before sundown to check out a few of the popular tourist sights.

We started at Dolores Park, then navigated through the urban maze to find the Painted Ladies and Lombard Street before parking in Chinatown to explore further.

We did try to locate the Victorian from Full House, but we definitely got the wrong address...
Then, by the time we figured out that we wanted to see the firehouse from The Princess Diaries, it's located further south from the city center...

Even though the Painted Ladies are one of the main attractions, I was more taken by the cluster of homes next door. Let's call them Gilded Princesses, because they look like Laduree macaron boxes.

Experiencing the city's landscape of steep hills is not unlike watching a dramatic patterns of a life-or-death situation playing out on a heart monitor. 

It's definitely a change from the more quaint suburban hills in Connecticut...

One of my goals while on the West Coast was to eat at a ramen noodle bar, so we ended up at Ramen Underground for dinner, a Zagat-rated spot also recommended by Thrillist in their Best Ramen in SF guide.

As for nightlife... Let me keep it simple with a checklist of what you should do in North Beach...

How to Spend 72 Hours in California | Part 2

After hitting up Big Sur, we made our way back to Monterey for the night.

We ate dinner at The Crown and Anchor, a perfect spot for casual pub style dining. The smaller fish and chips portion—paired with a few one pomegranate Pimms cocktails—was the perfect meal to preface an evening followed by live music, late-night games of pool...

And no sleep.

My body made the executive decision to stay very awake and aware, no matter how hard I closed my eyes and tried to chase foggy dreams. While everyone else was sleeping at 5:30 AM, I was able to out of the house early to explore downtown Monterey in daylight...

And when I say daylight, I actually mean fog.

It's worth pointing out that Monterey and Newport share several characteristics, because they are both small, historic cities situated by the sea.

Each destination has its own attractions—the well-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium attracts tourists from around the world, just as tourists also flock to the Gilded Age mansions in Newport.

With that being said, Monterey can definitely look to Newport as a thriving example for a historically preserved city.

After grabbing lunch by the wharf, Steph and I climbed in the car again to drive back to San Francisco...