“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”- The Great Gatsby

Substitute “hot” for “crisp” and you have October in San Francisco. But new beginnings and adventures, nonetheless!

Summer is finally here in San Francisco, rolling in just a month after East Coasters packed away their swimsuits and white jeans. While it’s always terribly sad to wear a winter coat to a Giant’s game in July, there’s something lovely about wearing a sundress while drinking a pumpkin spice latte.

A few weeks ago my friend Andrew and I decided to explore a new part of the city in celebration of his last day of freedom before beginning a new job. We headed over to the Legion of Honor, an art museum that looks and feels like you've just driven up the hill from San Francisco and straight into Europe. At the base of the  museum are several hikes, most famously, Land's End. While we didn't have time for the hike that day, this past weekend my friend Jaci was visiting from New York, and we decided to take advantage of a beautiful 65-degree Friday to do the hike (more like a nature walk). Land's End has some of the most stunning vantage points I've seen in San Francisco, which is saying a lot considering almost every neighborhood has an ocean view and some place to see the downtown skyline (perk of so many hills!). Once you get to the bottom of the trail, you can see Sutro Baths, the ruins of a bath house built in the 19th century. Going to the museum and hiking Land's End makes for a perfect San Francisco day trip -- culture, exercise, and breathtaking views all in the same spot.

The whole purpose of "Live like you're abroad"is deviating from routine. While I have been hearing about yoga at Grace Cathedral for over a year now, it's just so much more convenient to walk two blocks down my street to my local yoga studio -- where I can leave my house five minutes before class starts. With my new mantra as my motivation, I went on a two mile run (it's so sad how easy and close it looks when you type it) to Nob Hill, where I spent Tuesday evening enjoying peaceful yoga with live music and the sunset seeping through the stained glass windows, followed by a delicious Italian dinner  with my friend Alysse. My old boss recommended Nob Hill Cafe months ago, but again, it's much easier to take a right turn out of my house where I find myself in Little Italy with zero effort. His claim that it boasts the best Italian food in San Francisco did not disappoint -- we shared a ceasar salad and gnocchi bolognese and it was absolutely delicious.
 

How great are these San Francisco-themed postcards? I bought them at Park and Pond, a San Francisco gift shop where all products are produced within 100 miles of the city. It's the perfect place to go for non-kitschy SF souvenirs, and it's located right down the hill from me on Grant Street in North Beach. I sent one of these postcards to each of the people that hosted me in New York/New Jersey a couple of weeks ago -- I thought they were the perfect "sending love from San Francisco" note, especially with the little red balloon :).