I Run Like A Girl

This past weekend was Memorial Day, so it was hellooo 3-day weekend! I was very excited for an extra day off – between moving across the country, starting my new job, and a spontaneous visit to New York, a long weekend was just what I needed.

Joe and I didn’t make travel plans for MDW as we are still settling down in our new apartment. We still have plenty of new-city-excitement after moving back to San Francisco 2 weeks ago, so we were thrilled to have a simple staycation. Our ideal weekend was exploring the neighborhood, getting organized around the apartment, and seeing some friends – and that’s just what we did. 🙂

Friday: a low-key birthday for Joe

Our weekend started with something special – it was Joe’s birthday on Friday! We had a lovely, low-key evening of ordering in, enjoying a small cake, and watching a movie – which was perfect for Joe who isn’t big on getting birthday attention. 😉

Saturday: Lunch in the Haight + De Young Museum + Golden Gate Park stroll

The next morning was a productive one. Joe deep-cleaned the apartment while I did an Amazon haul for some items for the apartment. I also sold the last of our furniture on Facebook Marketplace. Our apartment is smaller than our last one, so we sold all our old furniture and bought new pieces that will fit together like tetris. Facebook Marketplace has been a godsend – I love that our things will not end up in a landfill, and I get a high every time I make money. I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit running my side hustle on Facebook. 😉

After our productive morning, we set out for our day’s activity – a long walk through our neighborhood. We didn’t get the best weather over the weekend (welcome to SF summer – foggy and cold!), but we tried to make the most of it. First, we got bahn mi for lunch at Dragon Eats. Flashback to the last time I lived in the Haight and I ate here 3x per week. It’s so nice to live here again and have this at our disposal.

Then, we stopped by Flywheel Coffee and shared a latte and donut before starting our walk at Golden Gate Park. Flywheel + the park has become a tradition for me and Joe as we love the caffeine kick before strolling through the park.

With the gloomy weather, we opted for an indoor activity, so we headed to the De Young Museum, a fine arts museum in Golden Gate Park. Joe discovered San Francisco residents get free access to several museums in SF, and this was one of them! The free admission made the whole experience low-pressure as we didn’t feel pressure to stay a long time to get our money’s worth.

The De Young Museum showcased American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international contemporary art, and art from the Americas, the Pacific and Africa. We had a fun time walking around and enjoying the pieces. Joe and I have the same level of art appreciation which made this especially enjoyable, as we didn’t take ourselves too seriously.

The museum also had an observation deck with sweeping views of the city – plus, it’s free for everyone. This is a hidden gem in SF that took me way too long to discover. 😉

After our fun museum stroll, the sun came out briefly. Fortunately, we were already in the park, so we continued strolling and enjoyed our favorite spots. ❤ I’m very grateful Joe and I love the same, simple activities – give us some sun and a park and we can entertain ourselves all day.

The rest of the evening was chill – I cooked this vegetarian burrito bowl recipe for dinner and we enjoyed a relaxing evening in front of the tv.

Sunday: hike in Easy Bay

Sunday started off with my newest obsession – I bought a digital piano last week! I’m so excited to finally have a piano. Piano was one of my favorite hobbies growing up, but as an adult, I made excuses to never buy one. Flash forward to this year when we lived in Texas with Sam and Christina – they had an upright piano and I played it almost every day. I remember it gave me a sense of peace amidst the stressful job hunting, and I knew I would take the plunge and finally buy one once we settled down. So far, it’s been an absolute joy and I have no regrets!

In the afternoon, we met up with our friends, Guillaume and Angie, for a hike in Roberts Regional Recreation Area. It was foggy in San Francisco, and we thought we’d have better luck in Easy Bay – turns out we didn’t! We still made the most of it and I’m glad we got out for an activity. We did a 3-mile hike in the lush, shaded forest, and we chatted away the entire time.

After our hike, we found a brewery in Oakland and rewarded ourselves to a big meal. We really worked up an appetite. 🙂 It was so nice to catch up with these two and get out of the city. I’ve grown to love the space, food & activities in Oakland, and I definitely want to do more out there.

After an active afternoon, Joe and I relaxed back home. We found a new show called Jury Duty – which I highly recommend! Jury Duty is about the inner workings of a civil trial through the eyes of the jury. But here’s the catch – everyone is an actor except for one person who believes the trial is real. It’s outrageous and SO hilarious! It was so good that we got through the entire show over the long weekend.

Monday: Walk through the Sunset + SF Botanical Garden

Last day of the long weekend! I woke up early in the morning and did a yoga workout at home. I absolutely love Kaylie Daniel‘s YouTube channel as I’ve been doing her workouts for years. She has a faster-paced yoga flow with added strength moves, which I personally love as I get a little more of a workout than a Vinyasa flow.

Breakfast was oatmeal with cashew milk, chia seeds, and banana. I typically eat the same breakfast for a few months until I get sick of it, and right now, it’s oatmeal season.

Our activity for the day was similar to Saturday – a long walk around the neighborhood. This time, we ventured ~1 mile to the Inner Sunset, the neighborhood right next to the Haight. Both Joe and I didn’t know the Sunset that well, but from our walk, we agreed we needed to spend more time here! There were so many restaurant options and it had a charming, local vibe as it typically does not attract tourists.

We had lunch at Perilla, a Vietnamese restaurant with the best garlic noodles. I’ve ordered from here before, but the food tasted even better fresh from the kitchen.

After lunch, we walk to Golden Gate Park – this time, we strolled through the SF Botanical Garden. The garden is free for SF residents, and it’s one of our favorite spots to visit as it’s very large and filled with many plant varieties. This was peak season for all the plants as everything was in full bloom. Joe and I kept saying how we felt so lucky that this park is walking distance from our apartment.

An affordable, local, and (almost) carbon-free weekend. 😉 Thank you for stopping by!