I Run Like A Girl

Aloha blog! I’m a bit off my usual blogging schedule since I’ve had my little sister (Tina) here with me in SF the past 7 days. It was her first time in the Bay and she and I had SUCH a blast playing tourists, eating yummy food, meeting my friends, being lazy, having soul-healing conversations, and doing lots of our favorite things. It was so nice having her around this past week, as sissy’s fresh excitement for SF made me re-appreciate this wonderful city myself. I just sent her off yesterday (*tear*) and now I’m left with loads of pictures on my phone to recap.

Given that we had a full week together, we covered a LOT of ground. At one point after being on-the-go for a few days, I mentioned how I’ve been feeling stretched thin lately (see my latest post), Tina was super kind and understanding and mentioned how she didn’t mind slowing things down together. After that, we had just as much fun with lazy movie nights in my apartment as we did hitting the town. It really helped me feel recharged while giving Tina a real taste of what adulting in SF looks like :P.

Thursday: Downtown exploring + improve night

On Thursday, Tina met me after work for some downtown exploring. We shopped in Chinatown and had yummy authentic Chinese food.

In the evening, we went to an improv show which totally hit the spot. Sissy and I are both really into comedy and improv, and we had a blast analyzing the little nuances to the performance and laughing away.

Friday: Fancy dinner + night out with the girls

Friday was a long day for me since I organized a team event in Napa for work. Afterwards I channeled that drinking energy and we kept the party going. Sissy and I got dressed up and hit the town!

Friday night was our “fancy” night. I treated us to Spanish tapas including an amazing meat paella. It took 30 minutes to prepare which felt like no time at all between our endless chatter. Afterwards, we met the girlfriends at a huge karaoke gathering for Anna’s birthday. All the girls met Tina for the first time and they all adored her – it was such a treat for me to see all my favorite girls in one place. ❤

Saturday: All the SF classics 

Saturday morning started on the early side since we had a full itinerary of exploring ahead. We started off with a quintessential SF activity and one I was very excited for: renting bikes and riding across the Golden Gate bridge.

The ride to the bridge was absolutely gorgeous. We made several stops to take pictures and enjoy the sunny water-front views, beach scene, and Palace of Fine Arts.

When we got to the Golden Gate bridge, it was CRAZY foggy (thank you micro-climate). You couldn’t even see the bridge! Womp. We snapped some photos and figured it wasn’t worth it to trek through the cold fog up-and-across the bridge, and so we turned right around and headed for the sun. 🙂

Sissy is MUCH more photogenic than me 😛

After our biking adventure, we took a short break at the apartment and then headed down to the Mission for part two of our day. We started off with Mexican food for lunch (because the Mission has the yummiest!), and then bubble tea afterwards. The Mission had so much energy and it felt like the whole city was out-and-about. Afterwards, we took our food comas straight to Dolores Park and chilled on a picnic blanket in the sun…it was so nice to share this with sissy. She commented “it smells like a frat party here…I love it.” So classic SF. 😉

Following Dolores Park, we took a stroll through the neighborhood, stopping to take pictures on the colorful streets and exploring the Castro District.

After the entire day in the sun, we were POOPED and opted for a lazy movie night in, featuring our childhood favorite, The Parent Trap.

Sunday: Lazy beach day

After a restful night of sleep, we were up and ready for a whole day of lazy beach bummin’! Sissy and I were particularly excited for this day since California to her meant THE BEACH.

We started off with a delicious dim sum brunch. We have the exact same taste in food which made sharing easy. 🙂

After a very satisfying lunch, we rented a Getaround car and roadtripped to Stinson Beach. Stinson Beach is my absolute favorite local beach since it’s surrounded by the beautiful Mount Tam, and has killer ocean waves and strong sun-rays at least 15 degrees warmer than SF!

This was probably my favorite activity of the whole trip. We had such a blast chilling together, snacking on our milkshakes, taking photos, and enjoying the gorgeous beach. I feel like after living in California for 2 years I’ve been somewhat desensitized to how amazing beaches are, but this beautiful day along with Sissy’s youthful excitement reaffirmed my love for California’s gorgeous beaches. ❤

The night ended the same way as yesterday: a low-key movie night in our pajamas, and snacking and chilling together. 🙂

Monday: Alamo Draft House + final moments

Mondays are usually a drag, but knowing Tina and I had an activity to look forward to made this one way nicer. After work, we met in the Mission again at Alamo Draft House, a small movie theater (only 20 seats!) that served dinner right at your seat. We opted to watch The Farewell which I cannot recommend enough…it was hilarious and sentimental, with an all Asian cast (holla!). Get ready to cry!

After the movie, Sissy and I spent our last evening sitting on my front steps at sunset, having one of our soul-connecting conversations again. It really warmed my heart that we could be so real with each other like friends…something that took a while to achieve given our 6-year age difference! Living on opposite coasts, I wish we got to see each other more than just the holidays, but I’m grateful for the times we do have with each other. ❤

Thank you for a visiting, for keeping my perspective fresh and showering me with love. I love you, Sissy!