Dawson and I flew up to San Francisco for a mini-vacation slash work trip for me. I can definitely say that I love San Francisco! The whole feeling/vibe of the city is so different from LA, I love that you can actually get around the city easily on foot, and the people are great too!
On Friday we flew into SFO, then met up with my mentor, who happened to be in the city visiting family. We went on a walk past Union Square, through Chinatown to the Ferry Building.
I love the juxtaposition of the traditional lanterns with the district's architecture.
Deep in thought
Beautiful architecture
The Ferry Building, where we enjoyed wine and (delicious) chocolate croissants
After wandering around the city, Dawson and I stopped in a little restaurant called Little Delhi for dinner, which was fantastic. I love Indian food (working with Indian colleagues at Cisco meant we regularly had some of the best Indian food ever), and we haven’t been able to find a good place in the Beach Cities yet.
Saturday Dawson and I took a long walk to the Maritime Museum.
Windy and cold, but happy.
We also went to Ghiradeli Square, which (sadly) did not smell of chocolate. The only thing to do there was eat sweets, which we decided would defeat the purpose of walking there. So we headed over to Fisherman’s Warf and at lunch time we grabbed the most amazing bowl of clam chowder I’ve ever had (so so good).
I also saw the biggest seagull I’ve ever seen, who was definitely not scared of people at all. I'd like to give a shout out to the couple from England who were sitting next to us for feeding him, drawing him closer and closer and terrifying me while doing so.
After that, we took a cable car back down to Union Square and then took the Bart (I feel like such a local!) down to the Mission, where we went to Photobooth SF.
Image courtsey of PhotoboothSF
Dawson and I had decided to gift ourselves with the couples package, and we are so glad we did. Our wedding photographer hasn't been returning any messages (that's a story for later), so we decided that we were due some good photos of us. And we are so, so, so beyond thrilled with them. I'm going to take a minute to gush now: seriously, Michael and his team went above and beyond to make us feel at home and they got amazing results. If you're ever in the Bay area, make an appointment to get your tintype made! (Thank you Michael!)
Afterwards met up with my internet-friend Helena and Ben for dinner at a little restaurant called Katana-Ya, which served amazing ramen. After dinner Dawson and I ventured out to a speakeasy (!!) called Bourbon and Branch, which we instantly fell in love with. They serve amazing bourbon-ginger cocktails (my favorite) and Dawson was very happy with their large selection of scotch - a win-win for both of us!
Sunday was Dawson’s last day in SF, so we took it fairly slow and wandered around the hotel.
We had brunch at Dotties True Blue Cafe, which was worth the hour wait...I know. We almost left, but the crowd of locals assured us that it was worth it (and it was). The french toast is to die for, and the coffee was piping hot and yummy. I ended up walking around Union Square after he left, and grabbing dinner with one of my best friends from Cisco, David.
The rest of my week was taken up with attending the PeP Conference. This year, PePCon had great speakers, really informative sessions, and lots of networking and learning. (Sidenote: Next year PeP Con will be in Austin, TX!) My favorite session (if I can pick one) was a design talk with John McWade, the creator of Before&After. He reviewed basic design principles, and listening to him talk was like a dive right back into the first year of design school (in the good inspired-way, not the bad sleep-deprived-hating-life way). I also discovered the newest love of my life, Blue Bottle Coffee.
So that, in a nutshell, was my whirlwind trip to San Francisco. I didn't think this was possible, but I missed the city when I got back to LA. I can't wait to go back!
Jessica Bruckman | 
