I Run Like A Girl

For this year’s Thanksgiving, Joe and I stayed in San Francisco. We have some traveling coming up for Christmas and New Years, so we thought it would be better to stay put before the holiday craziness. We had a glorious 4-day weekend, and we made the most of it by seeing friends, taking day trips, and enjoying plenty of outdoor time in San Francisco.

On Thanksgiving, we met up with friends who weren’t traveling either. We did dinner in Chinatown, since Chinese restaurants were the only place open. 😛 It was interesting driving over from our apartment: the entire city was closed down, and as we emerged into Chinatown, the entire neighborhood lit up. It was a poppin’ scene as many other stragglers had the same idea as us.

We had a family-style Szechuan meal – our mouths were numb from the signature Szechuan spice. A very tasty meal with some wonderful people. 🙂

After dinner, we went bar hopping in North Beach and Chinatown. Of course, we ended up at the iconic LiPo Lounge, where I also spent my 30th birthday. In the past, Joe and I usually spent Thanksgiving just by ourselves, so it was a festive change to see friends this year. A very memorable Thanksgiving for the books!

The rest of our weekend was filled with several outdoor activities. The weather was sunny and gorgeous over the weekend. Winter is the best time in San Francisco as it’s the one time of year we have nicer weather than everyone else — the downside is the summer when the rest of the country enjoys the warm summer.

One highlight was our day trip up to Marin – we did a hike on Mount Tamalpais (nicknamed Mount Tam), which people might know as the most iconic mountain in the Bay Area. The views are truly epic, and the hikes are a butt-kicker. One of my favorite parts of Mount Tam is the drive from San Francisco. The windy roads along the coast are a jaw-dropper

We drove to a parking spot that was a shortcut to one of the trails as we were pretty tired that day. Joe showed me this secret swing on an off-trail, and it was such a highlight! The basic Instagrammer part of me can’t resist a good swing photo.

We took it easy on this trail and enjoyed the views of the coast. So beautiful.

After the hike, we drove down to Stinson Beach which is a small, cute beach town with mountain views. The town was pretty dead given the time of year, so we enjoyed the quiet vibes and easy parking spots. In the summer, this town can get really crowded. Looking back, we visited a few beaches over the weekend so that will be a theme in this post. 🙂

We also did my #1 favorite hike in the city: the Batteries to Bluff Trail. This is a beautiful hike with epic views of the rocky coast. There’s also a stopping point at Marshall Beach where you can see the Golden Gate Bridge. I love this hike so much and feel like it’s a hidden gem in the city compared to more popular options like Lands End (which is also beautiful).

One afternoon, I took a walk from my apartment into Golden Gate Park. I felt like Forrest Gump as I kept walking with no agenda, and I made it all the way to Ocean Beach! It was about 5 miles total, and I really enjoyed my spontaneous, caffeine-fueled adventure. The ocean was sooo beautiful – there’s an epicness to Ocean Beach as it is very long and the water has a strong current. I feel like Ocean Beach is one of the best beaches in the world – but I may be biased. 🙂

Another adventure – Twin Peaks. Joe and I drove up here one morning for epic views of the city. This is a touristy thing to do, but I loved it nonetheless and definitely recommend it. The last time I was up here was 6 years ago, and it was fun coming up again and having more knowledge of the city. We pointed out different landmarks as we had a 360 view of the entire city.

Last but not least, I finished my knit hat! I mentioned in a past post that I took on knitting recently, and it’s so rewarding to finally see my project finished.

Thanks for reading along, and have a great week!