No Hate in Haight

9:50 AM Kristina 0 Comments

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

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Ciao

11:23 PM Kristina 0 Comments

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

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Roman Holiday

9:44 PM Kristina 0 Comments

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

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Pastries and Prosecco

9:36 PM Kristina 0 Comments

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...
Riccardo Taliani Banqueting at its best
A figgy treat
Pizza for lunch & dinner
Ice Club, Roma

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The Prettiest Place

5:44 PM Kristina 0 Comments

Scroll 2 the bottom of this post 2 see pics🌟

This is a Positano post!! I'm going back to an Italy post because I'm not quite done talking about this trip (this is a long one but pls keep scrolling because it's a good one)

Train Mix Up
On our 6th day in Italy, we woke up, went to the train station, and boarded a train to Naples, only to find out that we had mixed up the days for our train tickets. We were supposed to leave the next day for Naples, not that day. We found this out when a family of tourists came up to me and Jocelyn and demanded that we get out of their seats. By the time we realized our tickets were for the wrong day and made our way for the exit, the doors of the train closed and the train started moving. Soooo, we were freaking out, a lot...

What we ended up doing was finding empty seats next to random people and basically hiding in the bathroom for the rest of the trip. We probably could have just tried to explain our story to the person checking tickets, but I wasn't sure that they would understand our English, and I wasn't trying to get arrested, or thrown out of a train, in a foreign country. Thankfully though, we arrived in Naples without handcuffs.

Getting to Positano
To get to Positano from Rome, you basically have two options (from what I know), you can, 1) take a 4-6 hour bus ride, or 2) take a high-speed train from Rome to Naples, from Naples take the metro to Sorrento, from Sorrento take a bus to Positano. Apparently there is also options to take boats from Naples or Sorrento directly to Positano as well. We chose the latter of the two options, which was a bit of a hassle because of all the transfers, but because we were only spending the day in Positano, we had to choose the quickest option. The train to Naples was about an hour and a half, the metro to Sorrento was another 45 minutes, and the bus to Positano took about an hour. So, in total, our travel time from Rome to Positano was around 3 hours (seems long, but trust me it is SO worth it, all you have to do is time it correctly).

Our Day on the Amalfi Coast
The bus drops you off at the top of Positano, which is amazing because you get the perfect view of the entire town and of Spiaggia Grande (the main beach in Positano). From there, we walked down to the bottom of Positano, passing fruit stands, villas, and little churches along the way. Once we got to the bottom, we ate lunch. I had gnocchi with creamy tomato sauce and a glass of peach juice, while Jocelyn ordered a chicken salad and one of the restaurant's specialty smoothies. Best. Gnocchi. Of. My. Life.

Afterwards, we went to the beach and swam in the ocean. The water was perfect, and you get an amazing view of Positano's cliffs from the water. We also spent some time shopping in Positano. I am in love with the style of the Amalfi Coast. Everything is brightly colored and patterned, with lots of yellow accents.

Positano is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life. If you're reading this, put this place on your bucket list right now. Next time I go I want to take the boat from Sorrento to Positano instead of the bus and spend some more time in Sorrento because the shops there looked adorable. Also, Capri is really close to both Sorrento and Positano, so I hope to plan a trip there and visit some of the coastal restaurants in Positano and Capri!

Major Tips to Know Before You Go
1. Book your train tickets through italiarail.com to ensure a spot on a clean and fast train. If you buy your tickets at the train station last minute you will most likely end up on one of the dingier, slower trains that make more stops along the way.
2. Double check the dates and times for your train tickets!!
3. Bring snacks for your trip.
4. Go to the Tourist Information booth at the Napoli train station if you have questions about where to go or how to get to your desired destination (the workers speak English).
5. Keep track of time!! If you booked your tickets for the train ride back to Rome, you must allow yourself enough time to get to the Napoli train station. Remember that buses run late (like ours did), and the metro from Sorrento does not come often (probably once or twice an hour, but don't quote me on that).
6. You don't want to be stuck at the Napoli train station for too long, and definitely not at night. Plan accordingly.
7. If you are stuck at the Napoli train station for some time, I suggest finding a café inside the train station and sitting there while you wait for your train.
8. Buy your bus tickets back to Sorrento from Positano at the little market right next to the bus stop (there is also an ATM here).
9. Don't go barefoot on the "sand" on the beach in Positano. It's not sand, its black rocks, which get really really hot and burn a lot.
10. Rent a lounge chair under umbrellas on the beach, it's worth it.
11. Bring good walking shoes...or maybe I should say climbing shoes, since you're going to be hiking up tons of stairs at some point.
12. While you're walking down to the bottom of Positano from the bus stop, take pictures along the way of houses or paintings you see, this way, on your way back up, you can refer back to these pictures and use them as a guide to getting back to the bus stop. Trust me, you don't want to get lost going back up, you'll end up walking up more stairs than you need to, and it will be terrible (been there, done that).
13. Stay in Positano for the night if you can, this way you can take your time and enjoy yourself there without having to worry as much about making the bus back on time.
14. Get a window seat on the bus between Sorrento and Positano (unless you're afraid of heights).
15. Don't take a taxi to the bottom of Positano, you'll miss out on a lot of exploring and the whole Positano experience.

Some Snaps from the Prettiest Place
Sneak peak of the beach (keep scrolling 4 more)
Bus ride from Sorrento
Taken near the bus stop
On top
1 out of 100 stairways we walked
Church of Santa Maria Assunta, Positano
Amalfi Magic
Villa Magia
One way streets
Lemons of the Amalfi Coast
Lunch in Posi
Beachfront views
Spiaggia Grande
La Dolce Vita in Positano

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Plant Power

1:43 AM Kristina 0 Comments

Golden Gate Park is one of my main hangout spots in San Francisco. Most people don't realize how large Golden Gate Park is, and because of this, they miss out on a lot of unique experiences the city has to offer. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I love the area surrounding the de Young Museum (the Music Concourse, the Academy of Sciences, the Japanese Tea Garden, etc.), but this area isn't all there is to GGP. There is also Stow Lake, the Botanical Garden, the Rose Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, various playgrounds, fields, and even a carousel. If you want to get the most out of your time at GGP, I suggest you find a parking spot near the de Young Museum area, use that as your center point, and explore outward from there. There is something to explore in every direction!

One of my favorite places in Golden Gate Park is the Conservatory of Flowers. The Conservatory is basically a greenhouse that contains a variety of plant species from around the world. You have to buy tickets to enter the building, but students get a discount, so I only had to pay $6 as an entry fee. When I went, there was a special butterfly exhibit happening so I was able to sit in a room filled with fountains and plants while butterflies flew around me (would recommend).

Though the inside of the Conservatory of Flowers is beautiful in itself, I think the outside of the Conservatory is what really makes this site a unique must-go. The lawn outside the Conservatory contains dozens of flower beds; there is even a flower bed clock (go, and you'll see what I mean) on one side of the Conservatory. The area outside of the Conservatory of Flowers is the perfect summertime picnic spot. Grab a friend, or 5, a picnic blanket, sandwiches, sodas, and $6-$10, and make a day out of your visit to the Conservatory of Flowers/Golden Gate Park. I suggest going on a warm July day like I did, but, of course, bring a jacket because it's San Francisco, and that fog is always unpredictable, even during the summer months.

ALSO, every night this summer (until October 21), the Conservatory of Flowers will be illuminated with different colored lights/designs. Apparently the best viewing areas are along JFK Drive (where there is also parking), and it's FREE.

P.S. To any couples out there, pls take your s/o here. Perfect date spot, day or night, amirite? (Thank me later)

Below are some pictures I took during my visit to the Conservatory of Flowers, just in case you needed further convincing to go.

Summertime stroll through a greenhouse
Flower Power🌸🌼
Symmetry
The Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park
A shady spot





Spotted some lily pads
Tryin' 2 play Mother Earth over here

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