I Run Like A Girl

It’s currently Pride month in San Francisco, so our weekend was centered around Pride festivities, seeing friends, and doing our favorite things around the city. We also whipped out Joe’s old DSLR camera over the weekend – Joe used to have some side hustles involving videography, and he thought it would be fun to start using his camera again to capture our day-to-day lives. Of course, this was music to my ears as I’m always looking for quality photos for this blog. So get ready for a hefty weekend recap and a large photo haul. 🙂

Friday: a chill evening in

I had a relaxing evening on Friday as I knew the weekend would be packed with activities. I cooked a meal from HelloFresh as I recently got a discount for one week of meals. I’ve used these meal prep kits in the past and like them for trying new recipes, but I usually cancel my membership quickly.

I was due to paint my nails since I wanted to wear open-toed shoes for the summer. Prices at SF nail salons have gone up (basically everything is more expensive now), so I bought a manicure kit and watched Youtube tutorials, and now I’m hooked! Mani-pedis have been a fun and relaxing activity, and I’m glad I learned a new skill. 🙂

Saturday: MoMa free museum day + Sutro Baths hike

The next day, we whipped out Joe’s DSLR for our adventure around the city. First, a walk through the Sunset. The morning was gloomy, but we didn’t let that stop us. We wore layers and kept an open mind to where the day would go.

We got lunch at Crepevine – we discovered this brunch spot last week, and I was waiting all week to go back again. I’m amazed at the many great food finds in the Sunset – most have been repeat spots for us. 🙂

Then, we took the subway from the Sunset to downtown. Joe snapped this photo of me emerging from the subway, and it’s one of my favorite shots. 🙂

I saw online that SF’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) was hosting a free museum day in honor of Pride weekend. Joe and I have been on a museum kick lately – over the last 2 months, we’ve done the California Academy of Science, De Young Museum, and Asian Art Museum. Frankly, museums are one of the remaining things I haven’t done in the Bay Area after living here for 6 years. Nevertheless, we’ve really enjoyed our museum adventures, and free admission at the MoMa was our cue to finally visit.

Joe and I agreed the MoMa was the best art museum yet! We both love contemporary art as we find it the most interesting and provocative. The museum was huge with 6 floors, and we checked out all but one floor as we tired out from all the walking. Just another reason to go back.

Joe was excited for the MoMa because of the Frank Bowling exhibit. This exhibit was filled with abstract art capturing New York in the 60s and 70s. The pieces were large and colorful with nods to his family roots in Guyana and London. So impressive.

There was a tunnel bridge on the top floor that looked like a kaleidoscope. I think this is a must do if visiting the MoMa.

After a fun and stimulating time, we headed home for a quick break. The sun came out, so we went right back outside for an outdoor activity. Joe wanted to see the coast, so we drove out to Lands End and did a short, steep hike to Sutro Baths. We’ve done this hike many times, and I think it’s one of the best hikes in the city with some of the best views.

We saw lots of wildflowers on the hike.

At the bottom were the Sutro Baths ruins. While the “ruins” are quite recent (built in 1896), they had a historical feel as the structures were chipped away and covered in graffiti.

Joe brought me to a cave near the ruins. I’ve hiked here so many times and never saw the cave until now! It was very neat, and at this point, I get giddy discovering anything new in San Francisco.

Sunday: SF Pride Parade and festivities

Sunday was dedicated to Pride! The annual Pride Parade was happening, and our group of friends marched with the University of San Francisco. Matilda works at USF and helped run this program which is how we all got spots. 🙂 I’ve marched two times in the past with USF, and it’s always a fun time and honestly one of the highlights of the summer. I hadn’t marched since before COVID, so I was super excited to march again this year. Plus, I’ll take any excuse to hang with this friend group as we always have a fun time together.

The march took place on Market Street, from the Embarcadero to Civic Center. The walk flew by as we cheered with the crowd, handed out free stuff, and enjoyed everyone’s colorful costumes. People travel from all over the world to experience Pride in SF. San Franciscans are very proud of our rich LGBT history, and every year during Pride, I feel so proud to live here.

At the end of the march, we made it to City Hall. There was a huge, free festival going on for Pride. They were strict about banning backpacks, and not wanting to hold the group up, Joe hid his backpack under his coat and pretended to have a hunchback. Somehow, he got through! So proud of him.

The festival was a highlight of the day. There were food trucks, drinks, and two stages of music and performances. It felt like the entire Bay area was at this one spot, and the vibe was bumping. We picnicked on the grass, listened to music, and enjoyed each other’s company over food and drinks.

After the festival, we walked to Hayes Valley and got a few more drinks at a bar. It was such a fun, lively day and one of my favorite Pride weekends yet! Hanging out with this group also got me excited for the rest of the summer as we have several others events to look forward to.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you here next week!