I Run Like A Girl

I look back on last week fondly, and a big reason was the non-stop sun in San Francisco. We were in a foggy spell for (what felt like) an eternity, so a sunny week plus the longer days definitely contributed to my mood boost last week. According to my Apple Health app, my daily steps doubled last week as I found every excuse to be outside. 🙂

The weekend was no different as it was filled with plenty of outdoors time doing our favorite activities: gardens, parks, and exploring the city – it was just what we wanted and left me feeling refreshed for a new week.

Friday: after-work walk and donuts in the Sunset

After work on Friday, I took a walk to clear my head and transition to the weekend. I decided to stroll through the Sunset, the neighborhood next to ours and only a 20-minute walk. I mentioned in my last post that Joe and I are thrilled our new apartment is near the charming Sunset, and I found myself walking through here a few times last week.

I made a stop at Donut World – we discovered this spot the prior weekend, and it was very memorable (especially the cake donuts). I think they had the best donuts in town, but I know that’s not a popular opinion as San Franciscans love the iconic Bob’s. 😉 I’m just happy we found a donut place near our apartment as it will certainly become our go-to.

It turned out it was National Donut Day – coincidence. 🙂

Saturday: yoga class + garden trio at Golden Gate Park

Over the last few months, I have been drinking two cups of coffee in the morning, but I am trying to cut down to one cup. Joe makes fun of me because I always choose the biggest coffee cup and fill it to the very top, often spilling it around the apartment. 😛 It’s still technically one cup, isn’t it?

After breakfast, I visited a new yoga studio in NoPa for a power yoga class. I recently rejoined Class Pass, which I was using for years previously. I love how Class Pass provides variety and I don’t have to commit to any one gym or studio. I’m now trying different workouts near the apartment, and it’s been a fun addition to my routine. The yoga class plus the 30-minute walk each way was the perfect, energizing workout.

I got home, freshened up, and got right back outside for our day’s activity. Joe and I walked to the Sunset for lunch at Perilla – we went here last weekend, and Joe absolutely loved it. He said he was thinking about their chicken garlic noodles all week, so we had to go back. 😉

Some ice cream for dessert.

Then, we walked to Golden Gate Park for a long stroll. First, we stopped by the Botanical Garden. We found a private field that was a pocket of warmth, and we put out our picnic blanket. The Botanical Garden is Joe’s second home, and he knows all the secret pockets away from the crowds. 🙂 It was the perfect resting spot before continuing our stroll.

Next up, we walked through the Japanese Tea Garden. This garden was more smaller and more manicured. We enjoyed a different style garden and got excited talking about what our future garden will look like.

Lastly, we visited the Conservatory of Flowers, an indoor garden in Golden Gate Park. We stopped by their plant store and picked up two more plants for the apartment – they had some of the best selections & prices in the city! Our plant collection is quickly growing as its hard to resist buying more plants when we see them.

And that wrapped up our triple-garden extravaganza in Golden Gate Park. I’m so glad the city made these gardens free for SF residents – we got ~$50 value for free! Budget-Char was very happy about that.

Sunday: Buena Vista Park + Union Street Festival

The next morning was a relaxing one – I played some piano and got organized around the apartment. The piano has been such a wonderful addition to our lives.

Then, Joe and I took a walk to Buena Vista Park – a smaller, hilly park in the neighborhood with sweeping views of SF. I used to come here a lot when I lived in my old studio in the Haight. This was the first time we visited since moving into our new place since it’s slightly farther away. Even though this is my second time living in the Haight, I feel like I’m getting a totally different experience which has been a nice change.

Afterwards, we went home and got ready for our day’s activity: the Union Street Festival.

The Union Street Festival was a street market filled with food trucks, live music, art, and different vendors. It felt like the entire city came out for this as it was poppin’! We walked up and down the festival and made several stops.

We met up with our group of friends for the festival. It was my first time seeing a few of these guys since returning which was a nice reunion. A very festive and local activity to end the weekend.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this, and I hope you have a wonderful week!