Phoenix Day 1: Sunshine, Culinary Dropout, Shopping

Fairly lazy day, catching up on much needed rest and relaxation after all the outings of the past few weeks! I slept in and lounged by the pool drinking sangria and napping for the vast majority of the day.

Only new experience that crossed my path was dinner at Culinary Dropout, a cool restaurant near the mall in Scottsdale. Their oversized chairs with tall curved backs at the marble tables reminded me of Alice in Wonderland in its whimsical feel. The server brought such a positive attitude, asking us "do you love it?" in regards to my mother's drink or the caramel popcorn custard we all shared (Yum!). Everything was great from the pretzel fondue and artichoke appetizers to my rainbow trout.

Now home for an early night after way too much shopping. (Thanks, Mom)

Cafe Bellini, Union Square, Walks & Talks

After a non-exciting day at work, I am glad to be off to enjoy the rest of another sunny day in San Francisco. With a small amount of time to kill before meeting up with R, I grabbed a small snack at Cafe Bellini on Powel. I'd walked by here several times without giving it a second look. Today, with my stomach on the prowl, their display cases full of pastas and goodies caught my eye. In attempts to be healthy, I ordered a quinoa salad and mango smoothie. Sitting here in Union Square I am satisfied and ready to meet up with R!

R volunteers walking someone's dog a few times a week, and today I'm going to walk with her to catch up. This post might be a little premature, but I can already tell you how the rest of the night will go: city walk and catching up on the latest events in each other's lives, go for a quick run with R's own adorable dog, and make a healthy dinner together.

Art for sale in Union Square! Nice view while snacking :)

If we do something new and fun,  I will share, but for now, enjoy the rest of your day!  If you're in SF - take advantage of this GORGEOUS sunshine!!

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks

A warm, bright, sunny day in the city combined with a Monday off work provides numerous choices of how to best utilize it. Today I decided to go to Twin Peaks - standing on one while overlooking the other in the picture above. This city continually amazes me in the amount of nature it has. A short bus ride, semi-steep climb up city streets, and slightly steeper hike up the peak rewards you with beautiful views of the city on days like today. All of the city icons are visible: Golden Gate & Bay Bridges, City Hall, Golden Gate Park, downtown/Market Street, the Mission.

After taking several minutes to appreciate the beauty of San Francisco and identify the different neighborhoods as if I was looking at a map, I wandered away from the tourists to the other side. There, you can climb up and over each peak to get a view of the other side of the city, and a small work out. A couple took in the sights romantically together. The only thing that may have made it better would be wine and a picnic.

The neighborhood surrounding Twin Peaks is beautiful. The homes are large and colorful and obviously have floor to ceiling windows to take in the scenery. They make for a nice walk after leaving the hike.

I’d like to return with friends/my boyfriend. It would fun to bring lunch along and just enjoy the sunshine. Surprisingly, I didn’t see anyone with a dog, which if you are familiar with the city, they are usually everywhere. I’ll have to check if dogs are allowed and borrow a friends’ pet for a day.