there and back again

 back on the juicing bandwagon. my first foray into KALE smoothies...still a recipe-in-progress / mmmm impromptu holiday mimosa brunches (we may have finished that entire pitcher between us...woops) / bidding adieu to my intern at work before he jets off to france for a semester abroad. je suis jalouse! / more coffee dates and terrarium dreamin / oh thats maggie. shes our second unofficial roommate. and adorable. obviously. / curing my wet weather blues with plenty of tea, lattes and new books from the library

*did you get the LOTR reference?? SO EXCITED for the hobbit to come out!

i'm in major crafting/decorating mode. currently working on pimping out my living room in holiday swag. this is the first year i've lived in an apartment big enough to have an actual christmas tree, so it's ON. charlie brown christmas tree : check. dancing santa : check. apple cinnamon scented candles : check. obnoxious twinkle lights : check. now i've gotta figure out how to work in a star of david or two...

on the room front, it's slowly but surely coming together. after a 30 minute conversation with the walgreens photo technician, i finally got some of my instagrams printed (4x4, pre cut! so much cheaper than going through any of the instagram product sites) and put up in my room. i'm still getting used to seeing 101 faces, feet and food items every morning when i wake up (but secretly loving it)

more progress to come!!

*technically my senior year apartment was big enough for a tree, but we were too poor/lazy/shambles to have one

slowly reentering the real world after the thanksgiving break. some mellower tunes to help the transition

this thanksgiving was pretty special for me - the first time in 7 years that i spent the holiday with my family...at my childhood home...ate my mom's LE-GEN-DAR-Y turkey...slept in my own bed that night
(i'm still wrapping my head around the fact that i live within driving distance!!)
this year i'm more than thankful to have my family close by
and all the friends-become-family i wasnt able to celebrate with this year and dearly miss
and all the soon-to-be-discovered friends and adventures in store for me here
and a very special shout out to my east coast armitage family! thinking of you all today

PS how picture perfect does that pecan-chocolate-torte look?!?! and it tasted even BETTER than it looked! excuse me while i go gorge on leftovers...

some leftover gems from the week-long (thats right WEEK LONG) bday celebrations...nothing says one year older like brunchin & munchin

serpentine dinner with the fam / outerlands brunch with the ladies / trouble coffee / the oh-so-fabulous general store with a backyard i fell hard for / roomy cake celebrations chez nous

zoe day dos

SUCH an epic conclusion to zoe's trip! after carbo loading with some homemade white chocolate blueberry pancakes, we set out for another unexpectedly sunny and crisp day. another day spent traipsing around the city, surviving multiple food comas, and reminiscing about shambles nights and shitty apartments (the good ol' days!). i said it once and ill say it again : zoe, come back SOON! andthendecideyouwanttomovehere

adventure day 2 : breakfasting / wandering around haight st / walking through golden gate park / the one and only el farolito burrito / mission / a friend's art show

zoe comes to visit!

*risked the wrath of the noodle nazi to snap this covert shot of yummo my curry beef

Zoe came to visit last weekend!!! it was a whirlwind of catching up, busing, walking, eating and full on laugh attacks. it was her FIRST EVER time in sf (say whaaaaaat?!?!), so i had quite the ambitious agenda planned for us. trekking across the bay area in search of sights and food, with a few major destinations in mind and seeing what adventures pop up along the way. we managed to get some of the big touristy things mixed in with more of a local scene, including some spots that have been on MY to do list for a while (you KNOW i can't resist a good list crossoff)! we had a few timing 'snaffus' - like getting to the pizzeria i INSISTED we go to across the bay literally 5 minutes after it had closed for its midday hour break. (totally worth the wait).

i absolutely looooove playing host - showing people around, seeing my city from different perspectives, getting to different neighborhoods i might not usually go to...and of course getting to pull out some of my east coast/dc references. so if you're thinking of where to take your next vacay, let me just put in a good word for sf now. i know this really good pizza place in berkeley....

Zoe, you are MISSED over here (gotta get on that magnet shwooping idea...)

zoe & simone take sf tour day 1 : tartine + valencia + four barrel + golden gate bridge + marina walk + chesnut st +berkeley + cheese board + downtown + brief stint in chinatown + yamo + bourbon & branch

adventures in eating

fooding. big time. very few things can top an amazingly good meal in my book. UNLESS it also happens to be with some of the best people you know. or involve late night mimosas, sweatpants and SATC. i could do without the shooting stomach pains and vomitting (im looking at you dim sum! no more! i guess im allergic or something?)

i consider myself pretty lucky to live in one of the best cities for eating. definitely a strategic move on my part. AND to have some fellow food loving friends! i'm no stranger to solo dining after all of my travels, but theres something pretty special about sharing a truly good meal with someone

market and rye / patxi's takeout chez nous / pop up dim sum at queen malika