tonight’s date night will be a 7 hour road trip to palm springs. and the best way to have a successful road trip is to prepare!
here are some of my road trip must haves:
1. as much as road trips are for rolling the windows down and blasting music, that can only happen for so long. and sometimes your travel buddy does not want to hear your podcast talking about bravo shows for 2 hours (a huge guilty pleasure). b listens to many audio books that i would prefer to be left out of. comfortable headphones are the key to keeping you both sane.
2. snacks, snacks, snacks. everyone knows during a road trip you have to stock up on some good healthy snacks so you don’t have to succomb to whatever is available in the middle of nowhere (mainly mcdonalds. yes, their fries are good but i can’t live off of fries). i usually head over to trader joe’s before our road trips to load up on almonds, granola, fruit (mainly apples and grapes which are easy to eat and store), vegetables (carrots, celery) and chocolate covered pomegranate seeds.
3. water! yes, you may have to stop more for bathroom breaks, but it is so important to keep hydrated while you travel. i saw this water bottle on laurenconrad.com and loved how it was made of glass and available in a variety of colors. somehow if the bottle is more pleasing to the eye i am likely to drink more of it.
4. this portable phone charger has saved me when traveling. i use my phone for entertainment, maps, camera and calendar a lot more while traveling and am constantly running low on battery. does anyone else have a battery problem with their iphone 5? Anyways this baby is a lifesaver and will charge your phone 7 times before needing a little recharge itself.
5. b and i love beginning our road trip around 8pm and driving through the night. it is great road tripping through the night because then you don’t waste a day traveling and you miss most of the traffic. b is trooper for doing most of the driving during our road trips because i am a liability when behind the wheel after 10pm. i don’t drink caffeine, but b needs it if we drive through the night. he prefers to dump a 5 hour energy into his mountain dew for an energy kick. you gotta do what you gotta do i guess.
friday evening we will be driving all night to palm springs. it is about a 7 hour trip and i am surprisingly excited to drive vs. fly because we save money and i get more alone time with my b.
b and i have done many roadtrips to and from utah and even though i am usually not looking forward to being in a car for 10+ hours it always turns out to be a fun and memorable time. b is the perfect travel buddy.
as i day dream about our long weekend in palm springs, all i can think about now is what on earth i should pack. i never fail to over pack for any occasion, but with us driving and not being restricted by the 50 pound limit it may get a little crazy. i don’t have to hold back and the options of what to bring are endless.
here is what is on my packing list.
1. of course i have to bring this swan floatie for the countless hours i will be poolside. i mean who doesn’t want to float the day away on a giant swan? it also allows me to stay cool in the pool and read my book at the same time. win win.
2. i seriously need a good kimono to act as a bathing suit cover up. i have been eyeing this one from forever 21, but they don’t have my size online and it is not available in stores. guess i will have to head to the mall tonight and see what i can find. where have you found your favorite kimono? maybe i am jumping on the bandwagon too late in the game…
3. is it weird if i bring my own birthday candles? i mean the flamingos definitely go with the palm springs vibe and how adorable would these candles look atop a perfectly white cake? but really is it vain? i love celebrating others’ birthdays and think little details like this make it all the more magical. maybe these candles will help me remember to embrace my age.
4. the sun will be a blazing in palm springs so i will need to make sure to not only protect my skin from the harmful rays but also my hair! This perfect light weight spray from aveda is water resistant and should last for up to 16 hours. yes, please!
5. i do not usually shop at american eagle, but instantly fell in love with these tan gladiator sandals. and for that price point, why not? gladiators are the perfect shoe to transition from pool to around town to an evening out.
6. this is the book i just started and plan to read a lot while lounging. i am 2 chapters in and am getting hooked. what book are you reading this summer?
7. playing cards are the perfect travel size game. my family loves to play board games, card games, lawn games, you name it we play it. we all are pretty competitive so it is always a roller coaster ride of emotions as one team is winning and the other losing. i am thinking we should pick up some palm springs inspired playing cards as a souvenir.
8. you bet i will be packing my fujifilm camera to document the trip in instax. i loving taking photos with it.
this week, emily and i wanted to stray a little from food and hop on over to the best neighborhoods to live in silicon valley and dc. so for those of you looking to move to either area, this post will give you a little insight as to where to dwell. also note, that i am focusing more heavily on the peninsula and south bay when making these recommendations. i am sure east bay has some lovely neighborhoods to settle in but, that is not my expertise.
what makes a great neighborhood to you? for me it is location, restaurant/shopping access, parks, school districts (even though we are not in that stage it is always nice to know), and proximity to beautiful cities to explore.
Palo Alto (peninsula) – i have worked in downtown palo alto since april and fall more in love with it everyday. palo alto is home to stanford, venture capital firms and a bustling yet relaxed downtown. the public schools in the area are rated a perfect 10. are you now understanding why this is one of the most expensive places to live in the country? the neighborhoods along Embarcadero Rd are completely swoon worthy. Each house is unique and has a perfectly well kept garden. i can’t get over how many gorgeous trees line the streets of practically every sub neighborhood in palo alto.
i always tell b this is where i need to live when we settle down. every corner is another stunning home/view. you will be paying high prices to live in this picture perfect city. according to the sf business times, average rent for an apartment in palo alto is $3,000+. b and i are pinching our pennies to one day live in a dream land like this.
Marina (San Francisco) – i have not lived in the city (b is not much of a city person), but i do have many friends that live there and call the marina their home. I thought SF gate described the marina district perfectly by saying “the apartment buildings, shops and restaurants seem to be bursting at their seams with beautiful, young and fit 20- and 30-somethings. The singles scene is hopping on Friday and Saturday nights, with lots of fresh-faced postgrads with cocktails in one hand and cell phones in the other. Union is arguably the best street in the city to window-shop the hours away on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and, a few blocks down, Chestnut has an incredible variety of high-quality restaurants catering to every palate.”
Sunnyvale (south bay) – this is where we have lived for the past year and a half. we originally picked this location because it a little less pricey and is in great proximity to san jose, mountain view and palo alto where we have worked. the more north you live on the peninsula, the less traffic you usually face when commuting to your job. b works in san jose so he is driving a reverse commute and can get to work in less than 10 min. score! i used to have the same reverse commute when working in santa clara, but now head north to palo alto where i am in the thick of it. thank goodness i am only 10 miles away.
living in sunnyvale has also made it easy to go on day trips in the city and santa cruz / monterey (we are less than a hour away from both). i love how easy it is to explore all that is around me. i love the quaint downtown area that host farmer’s markets on Saturdays and live music on Wednesdays. i love the local restaurants and family oriented atmosphere. sunnyvale schools on average are rated a 7/10, which is pretty good in the school districts around here. i love how it always seems to be a little sunnier than the neighboring cites (hence the name maybe). we love this city and think it is a perfect place to begin your bay area adventure whether you are newly married or have a large family.
Woodside (peninsula) – woodside is located less than 10 miles north of palo alto. it is technically a sub area of redwood city. this is a great neighborhood to live in if you feel like you need just a little more space in this jam packed bay area. woodside residents consist mostly of established professionals with large, plantation like homes. this is where larry ellison has come to dwell so you know it must be something good and with property taxes that big of course the schools are top notch. b and i enjoy walking around this neighborhood and taking in the plush scenery. you would have to travel a bit more for restaurants and shopping because it is a tad secluded. but, by travel i mean 15 min and driving through the rolling hills is the prettiest drive to town i have ever seen. this woodsy area is also just a hop, skip and a jump away from beautiful half moon bay. oh a girl can dream.
Willow Glen(south bay) – i have had friends and coworkers live in the willow glen area and swear that it is the place to be. i would have to agree that is indeed one of the places to be. their charming downtown with an array of boutiques and restaurants make you want to roam the streets aimlessly. i love the small town and friendly feel of willow glen. yet, you are only 5 miles away from downtown san jose. willow glen also knows how to celebrate the holidays and come together as a community. during the holidays it is known for its yearly christmas tree lights decoration tradition. many residents participate by decorating christmas trees in their front yards, decorating them in multicolored lights which, when done completely, can be a fun place to drive through. my coworkers actually told me about this tradition and i couldn’t help but day dream about living in this perfect town. there are also other annual street festivals and farmers markets which draw hundreds if not thousands to the neighborhoods streets. It is far more affordable than palo alto, woodside and the marina. score! the one downfall for me is that it may be located too far south for my liking. it is not as accessible to the peninsula and the city. in the end it may be worth it.
my birthday has always been an exciting yet dreadful day for me.
you see, i don’t do well with anticipating change and turning another year older. although one birthday doesn’t really change anything physically or day to day it does change in my heart. i have peter pan syndrome i suppose. not the part where i don’t take on responsibility and don’t act my age, but the thought of growing up really scares me. i have always been this way.
i cried on my 18th birthday because i was now legal and graduated from high school.
i cried on my 19th birthday because i was a year past being legal (very dramatic, i know).
i cried on my 20th birthday because i was no longer a teenager.
i cried on my 21st birthday because the next really big birthday after that would be 30 (yikes).
i cried on my 23rd birthday because i could no longer sing along to t swift’s song and feel in sync with her emotions. blink 182 also told me that no one likes me when i’m 23.
basically i am a huge cry baby and incredibly sentimental. you can thank my mother for these traits. she assured me she cried on all these birthdays for the very same reason. i am my mother’s daughter no doubt.
when i say i cry it is usually at the very beginning or end of my day because it hits me that i am another year older. i thoroughly enjoy my day and celebrate it to the fullest, but then when i start thinking more deeply about age that’s when the water works start happening.
i grew up with 3 sisters. give me a break. i wear my emotions on my sleeve.
this birthday (which is sunday ahh), i have decided to try and turn a new leaf. i will remember all the fond memories that this past year brought and i will also look forward to what this new year will bring. the future is exciting and bright. i need to remember to keep looking forward.
this year, we are headed down to palm springs to celebrate with my family. i have spent many birthdays in this beautiful desert and can’t wait to take a trip down memory lane. it will be a great weekend filled with game nights, brunching, pool days and niece/nephew cuddle sessions. friday can’t come soon enough.
i haven’t been to palm springs for a number of years so if you have some must eats or must see places please do send them my way! i am already planning on brunch at the iconic parker hotel and a date shake at hadley’s fruit orchard.
This weekend was filled with family and exploring.
We were so lucky to be visited by B’s sister, her husband and their darling bright eyed little girl.
Friday night was spent at the Santa Clara county fair where we indulged ourselves with bbq tri tip, corn dogs, frozen lemonade and great shows. The Santa Clara county fair is on the smaller side but, it still provided livestock competitions, a plethora of rides and deep fried everything. We watched a circus type show where a couple juggled fire, rode a unicycle and taught the crowd how to make balloon animals. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The performers really knew how to engage the audience, were very witty on their feet and pretty darn talented. It really made B want to learn the art of riding a unicycle.
Saturday we went up to the city. The Ferry Building farmers market is always a fun place to show visitors. We ended up buying scrumptious cheese at the Cowgirl Creamery, lunching at Gotts and snacking on all the juicy fruits available at the farmers market. Have you ever tasted a white peach? I think they are my new favorite thing. We also met up with some friends for dinner and dessert at Bi-Rite. I am telling you honey lavender is amazing! I also had a scoop of malted vanilla, which was equally delicious just in another sweeter way.
Sunday was spent lounging and devouring our cheese with fruits, bread and honey. Perfect Sunday if you ask me. I am so sad to see our visitors go and can’t believe we won’t see them till Christmas. But, Christmas will be all the more sweeter right?
What were you up to this weekend?
You can always follow along on our adventures through instagram and tag #weekendinpolaroids on your pictures so I can follow along as well!
Every summer while growing up, I would always make it a tradition to go to the Orange County Fair. I loved looking at all the different exhibits, sizing up the livestock, riding the crazy (and dangerous) rides and eating the delicious deep fried food. After moving to Utah for college and first year of marriage, I continued the tradition by attending Strawberry Days and Utah State Fair . I love the sense of community that is associated with fairs. I love being a kid again. I love the bright lights and people watching.
This date night we are headed (for the first time) to the Santa Clara Country fair with B’s sister, brother in law and their darling baby girl. I can’t wait to see what Santa Clara brings to the “fair” table. I am crossing my fingers for deep fried oreos, live music and hypnotists.
I just read this article about the best fairs in the country. Part of me would love to attend them all in one summer and then the other part of me thinks that may be overkill. Maybe we could visit a new one on the list each Summer? Texas, obviously, would be my first destination since there in no doubt in my mind that the Texans know how to put on a heck of a fair.
Have you been to your county or state fair this year? If so, what was your favorite thing to do or eat there?
Family is a funny thing sometimes. I grew up with three sisters and am number three of four. I have always really loved my sisters but, felt like we were all so incredibly different while we were growing up. We even look incredibly different.
My two older sisters and little sister are all extremely intelligent and musically gifted. I, on the other hand, got by in school (above average, but no where near my sisters’ level) and cared more about my social life. In high school, I lived for my friends. Every second of every day was devoted to those friends of mine. Don’t get me wrong, I would hang with my family when necessary but, never made it a true priority. And now looking back, I completely regret it. I still love my friends but, families are forever.
Now we are to that point where age doesn’t matter and we all enjoy similar things. Sure we each have our quirks, but we all love being together. Living away has made me realize how important my family is to me. I long for the days when we are all together. Each of my sisters now live in another city and I probably see them 3-4 times a year (in a good year).
B and I always talk about how when we do decide to start our family, our one desire would be to raise our children by family. I would kill to live near my sisters right now and see their little ones every day. I would kill to have girls nights with my mom and sisters. I would kill to have family dinners on Sundays.
All I can do is count down the days till we are reunited in Palm Springs (only one more week!).
I can’t forget the wonderful family I married into. They are what made me think about how much I would love to have family surrounding me. My two brothers in law and a cousin in law came to visit us this weekend. It meant the world to me that they would drive 12 hours each way to spend a weekend with us. We soaked up every minute we had with them and laughed until we cried more than once. I could tell B was in heaven being around his brothers again. My heart is full being around my family. We are so blessed to have family that takes time and money to see us..
B’s sister is even coming out this weekend with her little family to visit us. It will be another great family filled weekend. I wish it would last forever.
For now I will savor every moment we have as a couple on an adventure making a name for ourselves like we always wanted to do.
Confession… I have the biggest sweet tooth.
No matter how full I am from lunch or dinner my body still craves something sweet to end the meal. And as I mentioned before , ice cream is my treat of choice no matter the options.
I have tried most every ice cream shop I see . You never want to miss out on an opportunity to indulge in the perfect ice cream cone.
I know Emily shares this philosophy with me so we decided the next top 5 category would be ice cream shops!
1. The Ice Cream Bar (Cole Valley, SF) – This shop was, again, referred to me by my foodie of a sister. We ate here a couple hours after our amazing brunch at Zazie. It is also located in the Coal Valley area of SF and usually has a line out the door. The retro decor and set up make you feel like you are back in the 50’s sharing a milkshake in your poodle skirt. What I love about The Ice Cream Bar is they have vegan options (their chocolate almond coconut ice cream is bomb), the flavors are unique & homemade and menu is diverse with flavored sodas, ice cream style sodas & sundaes. The options are endless and never have I ever found one to be less than divine. We tried an array of floats, phosphates and ice cream cones and each thought, again, ours was truly the best (it was hard to pick between them). I would recommend trying their phosphates and floats since it is unique to their shop.
2. Smitten Ice Cream(Whole Foods, Los Altos) - I had to try Smitten Ice Cream once I heard they bought all their ingredients locally (including strawberries from Swanton Berry Farm — member B and I picked berries from there in the small town of Davenport?). Smitten Ice Cream’s first location was in San Francisco and had so much success that they have expanded down the peninsula and to the east bay. Smitten Ice Cream is made to order by way of liquid nitrogen. This method ensures the ingredients are fresh and creamy. Smitten’s offers about 5-8 flavors and then recommends what type of topping to pair your scoop with for the full experience. I personally enjoy the Hot Stuff Truly Smitten Sundae. I figure the menu already offers the most tried and true pairings so why mess with success.
3. Bi-Rite Creamery(Mission, SF) – Bi-Rite is a San Francisco classic ( you can tell by the mile long lines on the weekends). Those mile long lines are there for a reason because their ice cream is out of this world. I love when ice cream shops provide floral or spice flavors and Bi-Rite has some of the best! I recommend balsamic strawberry, honey lavender, basil and salted carmel. Do skip the popsicle options, it is not worth replacing for any scoop of the heavenly ice cream!
4. Nirvanaah(Sunnyvale) – If you are wanting to expand your ice cream horizons, Nirvanaah is the place for you! Nirvannah serves authentic Indian style ice cream. I am a lover of all things Indian whether it be food, movies, clothing, customs (I am somewhat obsessed and intrigued by this country as a whole) so I knew this would rock my world. Sure enough it did! The worker saw how interested I was in all the unique flavors and gave me a brief summary and sample of the flavors. There are about 30 flavors (including some original American flavors). There were many flavors with Indian names that I cannot pronounce nor can remember, but I do know I loved every sample I tried. The mixture of spices brings a new twist on the classic cold treat. I finally chose a creamy, buttery Indian flavor and Ferrero Roche. Both were excellent!
5. Tin Pot (Palo Alto) – Tin Pot is located in a shopping center fairly close to Stanford University. Its’ modern chic decor make it an inviting space and instagram worthy. I love all the different flavors and toppings they offer. Do note, the flavors are not overly sweet so if you are into that it may not be your spot. I recommend cookie monster and honey lavender.
I didn’t include Penny’s Creamery because technically it is not located in the Silicon Valley, but it is one of the best I have tried! If you are ever in the Santa Cruz area do try!
Also, there are a few shops I haven’t had the opportunity to try, but they are on my list and may have to be added to the top based on reviews: Humphry Solocombe, DeLise and Fenton’s. I will let you know my thoughts once I try!
There are a plethora of food trucks in the Bay Area. So many that there are two different companies that gather the food trucks together in one area for all to enjoy through lunch and dinner. I think this is such a great concept — I mean what is better than 5+ food trucks to choose from (especially if you are in a group and all your taste buds are wanting something different).
Off the Grid and Moveable Feast bring the most popular food trucks together for lunch and dinner in a different city everyday. Their schedule can be featured online so you are able to plan when a gathering near you is taking place. I have been multiple times to both events — they really are one in the same. The slight difference is seating. Most of the events are taking place in parking lots as to have enough space for the trucks. Off the Grid offers fold up chairs to sit on while Moveable Feast throws out some buckets and calls it a day. Many food trucks participate in both events so you do see overlap when meandering through the trucks.
I usually walk through the whole lot and then decide from there. I have had my fair share of ups and downs while exploring these food trucks and wanted to share my finds:
KoJa Kitchen- My friend and I both tried the KoJa Korean BBQ Beef. The portion is on the smaller side for the price but, it was delicious. A KoJa is meat sandwiched between two crispy rice buns. The flavor of the korean bbq beef left me wanting more and the rice buns were unlike anything I have ever tried. I would definitely come back here again and try the Kamikaze fries, which everyone in line could not stop raving about!
Treatbot- I, of course, have to have something sweet to finish off any given meal so I couldn’t wait to try this cute Treatbot truck. There are about 5 flavors that are rotated daily. I opted for the classic “milk and cookies”. Although the cart is insta worthy (see pic below), I would have to say the ice cream was very ordinary. It tasted very store bought and for $5 was not worth it. I will not be returning unless anyone tells me that I had the worst flavor and there is so much more to love about Treatbot.
The Chairman- I had the steamed pork bun at The Chairman. Again, a little small for the price but, still very delicious. I probably could have eaten three. The sweet flavoring was perfect with the steamed bun. The sandwich is also topped with pickled Daikon to balance the sweet taste. I will be back!
El Sur- El Sur serves authentic empanadas. This was my first time trying an empanada and sadly it may be my last. Many people raved about this calzone style entree, but I don’t think it was my cup of tea. It was very mediocre in my mind. Maybe I am missing something?
Blendid - This was the first food truck I saw when arriving at Off the Grid in Menlo Park and so I knew it would be my dessert. Blendid serves dessert inspired organic shakes. As of now, there are 4 flavors to choose from ( Mango Sticky Rice, Banana Creme Pie, Strawberry Shortcake and S’mores). I was deciding between Mango Sticky Rice and S’mores but decided in the end on S’mores. I am a sucker for anything s’mores inspired. However, in this instance I wish I would have gone with the Mango Sticky Rice. S’mores was not as rich and flavorful as I was hoping for. It was okay though and it does make me want to come back once more to try another. The owner told me that Mango Sticky Rice is probably the most popular and Strawberry Short Cake is her favorite.
Special thanks to Matthew Leng for taking all the pretty photos while I explored Off the Grid!
This weekend we were visited by B’s brothers and cousin. It has been so much fun having them here and introducing them to our city.
On Saturday, we explored San Francisco. B’s brother and cousin had never seen it before so it was a treat to see the city from a new perspective again and do all the “touristy” things (China town, Golden Gate, Girhadeli). Then Sunday we stayed local and explored Stanford and downtown Palo Alto. Today they are headed to the boardwalk at Santa Cruz while B and I work.
I love touring the nearby cities with visitors because it makes me remember why I love living where we do. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I love the Bay Area so.
What did you do this weekend?
Hope you were able to explore!
