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...

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

Leave the airport and waste no time getting to where you want to be.

I barely had one weekend to explore NoCal while visiting my friend Steph in San Francisco.

I landed on Friday morning and left on Sunday night, so we made every minute count.

The Flight 

It's worth nothing that I booked this trip two weeks in advance. I was shocked to find a $445 flight with Delta Airlines.

The 5:30 AM EST flight from JFK to SFO was virtually painless since I packed everything I needed in a carry-on. There was a brief layover in Cincinnati, but the plane still arrived in time at 11:30 AM PST.

I waited for Steph on the curb of Terminal 1 while she picked up the rental car...
Steph was also waiting for me in the rental car circling Terminal 1...

After 20 minutes of confusion, it turns out that I was upstairs and she was downstairs. So. If you're having someone pick you up, make sure you cite the number of the door you're at and a parking attendant will be able to tell you if you're at Arrivals or Departures...

Drive-By the Tech Campuses

We were heading south to Monterey anyway, so we drove by Facebook and Google. It's cool to see these powerful social networks and search engines in a tangible form besides the seeing them as names of apps on your smartphone.

Silicon Valley may as well be called The Cradle of Life for the Modern World.

Break Your Diet and Order the Burger

I had In-N-Out Burger for the first time and kept it simple with a cheeseburger and fries. My arterial paths have been forever altered.

I couldn't take a picture, because I couldn't have eaten it fast enough.

Put the iPhone Away and Look Up

It's hard to ignore the amazing landscape driving through California.

For the record, the depiction of the Sunshine State's golden aura in books, movies and video games is fairly accurate. The rolling hills, the farms, the blue skies, the fog...It's hard to pinpoint exactly where the gold-colored lens comes from when there are so many details that compose the picture.

After a 90 minute drive, we made it Monterey and headed to Big Sur...

Here are the rest of the links for the complete summary of my trip...

California Central Coast | Big Sur

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

How to Spend 72 Hours in California | Part 3 (San Francisco)

A Night Out in North Beach, San Francisco

How to Spend 72 Hours in California | Part 4 (Napa Valley)

What to Pack for a Weekend in San Francisco

I'm heading to the West Coast for the first time to visit my friend Steph in San Francisco, CA!

Not only are we checking out The City by the Bay, but we're also aiming to hike Big Sur, explore Monterey and see the vineyards in Napa Valley.

I've packed a few different things in one carry-on bag to prepare for the weekend ahead.

 

Weekend Getaway Packing List

• Denim jacket
• Pair of jeans
• Pair of shorts
• Three casual tank tops
• An "athleisure" top
• Romper
• Maxi dress
• Swimsuit
• Pair of sneakers
• Pair of sandals
• Nightgown
• Underwear/socks
• Toiletries

I feel like I'm still going to throw in a few more things—a cozy sweatshirt for the wind is definitely missing from my original list—but I can probably pick up anything else I may need once I land.

Ready or not, here I come, Cali...