K.REYNA

One of my favorite places to go in San Francisco is Mission Dolores Park. It is the perfect summer picnic spot (I know I say this about a lot of places lol), and has an amazing view of the city. There is the park area for kids, the lawn surrounding the park, and then there are tennis courts located right across the street from Mission Dolores High School. The park is almost always packed with people which makes it a great place to experience the diversity and people of SF.

The area surrounding Dolores Park is definitely one of the more hipster areas in San Francisco. There are lots of cool little coffee and boba shops, and restaurants in this area that are definitely worth exploring. However, if you're planning on picnicking in DP, I suggest going to Bi-Rite Market and Bi-Rite Creamery instead. The two are across from each other on 18th Street. Bi-Rite Market is a small neighborhood market that has a variety of fresh produce, organic flowers, bread, imported cheeses, sandwiches, salads, chocolates, etc. This is a one-stop shop for all your picnic necessities!

After grabbing some snacks at Bi-Rite, find a picnic spot somewhere on the lawn. I prefer a picnic spot with a view, so I go to the hillier parts of Dolores Park to set up my picnic blanket. After enjoying fresh cherries, focaccia bread, French brie, and laying out in the sun for a while, I'll walk around the park and then make my way back to 18th to Bi-Rite Creamery to get their honey lavender ice cream on a cone. Honey lavender is my favorite flavor at Bi-Rite, but there are a bunch of other awesome, hand-crafted ice cream flavors that you can try as well, such as balsamic strawberry, peach cobbler, and blueberry buttermilk.

xo,

Kristina

Summer Lovin'

Sweet Sidewalk Treats

Bi-Rite Market

Organic Summer Blooms

Loungin' @ DP

Petite lunch

July in San Francisco

The Cherry Red Movement

The other day I went to the Haight-Ashbury district in SF for the first time. This place is best known for being the center of Hippie Counterculture in the city since the '60s. Since this year is the celebration of the 50th anniversary for the Summer of Love, which originated in the Haight, the district is really popular at the moment.

Haight-Ashbury is filled with street art, hippies, tons of smoke shops, meditation centers, and cool little antique and incense shops. I also found that the Haight has really good thrift shops. The style of the district is all about colorful bohemian clothing and jewelry, and there are tons of shops that have really cute clothing unique to the Haight district. I'm definitely going back here to shop, and will probably pick up a Halloween costume while I'm at it.

The mellow vibe and pace of Haight-Ashbury is something you're not going to find anywhere else but San Francisco. Check it out to get a taste of the hippie era in California.

Peace out,

Kristina

Wasteland

We spent our last evening in Rome at Ristorante Santa Lucia which is located near Piazza Navona. It is an outdoor upscale restaurant in a cute corner in Rome shaded by trees and umbrellas. Santa Lucia was even featured in the movie Eat Pray Love! Though it is pretty expensive, it is the perfect splurge meal when in Rome. If you are planning on eating here, I recommend ordering something out of your comfort zone, because it is pretty much guaranteed that the food is going to be excellent. I ordered pasta with lobster as my main course, a glass of champagne, and Jocelyn and I shared the melon and prosciutto appetizer. For desert, we ordered a chocolate molten cake with vanilla gelato, all drizzled with chocolate syrup, for dessert. Our last meal in Rome was the perfect send-off to our perfect girls' trip. Until next time Italia!

Ciao,

Kristina

Ristorante Santa Lucia

A bubbly goodbye🥂

Pasta con aragosta

Piazza Navona looks beautiful right at sundown. The area is shaded, and the fountains look amazing under the dimmed lighting. When we visited Piazza Navona, we ate at one of the restaurants directly facing the square. The restaurant was pricey, but we knew we were paying for the location, and not just the food. Since there is no rush to give up your table at restaurants in Italy, we sat and talked there for a while. Piazza Navona is so lively, which makes it such a great spot to hang out at, especially during summer.

The area surrounding Piazza Navona is filled with beautiful churches and trattorias. Also, Castel Sant'Angelo is just a short walk from Piazza Navona. The walk across the bridge to the castle gives you the perfect view of the Tiber River.

A little farther from Piazza Navona, near the Pantheon, is the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The interior of this church is stunning, with its high ceilings and gold details. The church is huge. The Church of Saint Ignatius was definitely my favorite church in Rome (yes, I liked it better than the Sistine Chapel).

Now for some pics of the Piazza & more...

Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola

Roman Streetscape

Piazza Navona

Una Trattoria

Castel Sant'Angelo

Just like the day after our day-trip to Florence, the day after Positano was relaxed to the maxxx. Basically all we cared about doing was eating carbs and drinking prosecco.

We had lunch at a really small restaurant near Via Nazionale. We sat outdoors and took our time with our meal. I had spinach ravioli and a mixed salad. Afterwards we went to a place that served pastries, called Riccardo Taliani Banqueting. We ordered tiramusi and a slice of their fig cake and ate in their lounge area outside. Delicious ugh.

At night, we ended up at the bar of Da Trani, the restaurant we had gone our first day in Rome, and then later at this place called Ice Club, Roma. At Ice Club you pay around $15 to get in (which includes your first drink), you put on a huge insulated poncho, and go into a temperature-controlled area where everything is made out of ice: the walls, the cups, the sculptures, the bar, the cups, you name it, it's insane. We had a really good time there, but we left after an hour and half or so because the ponchos weren't doing it for us temperature-wise.

To end our night, we ordered an Italian sausage pizza at a side street pizzeria at 2AM where we shared what was probably one of the best pizzas of my life. How about that for a late-night snack.

Now for some food for thought...