Santa Cruz

Being able to escape the normal every day scenery for a week was more than needed. We love being able to visit NorCal, and even more so with family. Our first stop, Santa Cruz. My brother has lived there for 8 years now, and I can't believe that it took us this long to pay a thorough visit. We spent time walking through the redwoods, hitting the local coffee shops and wineries, and tasting our way through the farmers market in the downtown area. The produce was not only beautiful, but absolutely delicious as well! Antonio and I shared a BLTA sandwich, and let me tell you those tomatoes were at the peak of ripeness, and probably my favorite part of the sandwich.

Another favorite of ours, was picking up some bread from the Manresa Bread Project in downtown Santa Cruz's HEY POPUP space. Savory ham and cheese brioche, a sweet brown butter hazelnut cake, and of course we had to take home a loaf of their levain. It was sliced, heated up, and then smeared it with butter. I could easily eat that every day.

My birthday dinner at Bantam was unforgettable. An evening filled with lovely local wines, an amazing meal, even better company. It was a happy birthday indeed!

Giovanni had the time of his life cruising the boardwalk, hopping on and off rides, and eating cotton candy until his hearts content. We also had to make a quintessential stop for funnel cake, I mean who can resist that?

Wine tasting at Hallcrest Winery | Santa Cruz, CA

Verve Coffee Roasters |Santa Cruz, CA

Manresa Bread Broject | HEYPOPUP, Downtwon Santa Cruz

Birthday dinner at Bantam | Santa Cruz, CA

San Francisco

San Francisco is absolutely one of our favorite cities in the world! We do not get the chance to visit often enough. We only had 24 hours this trip, in which we tried to fit as much in as we possibly could. We always make lists of spots to visit, wherever our destination may be. We hit a couple of new spots, as well as old favorites. Giovanni and Camila had their first run at using the underground transportation.

A lasting memory of mine, was the McEroy Olive oil ice cream from Humphry Slocombe. The Ferry Building never gets old. Our Saturday morning was spent visiting the Farmers market, which we are completely envious of.

Dearest San Francisco, we will try our hardest to visit you more often. Until next time!