Perhaps I do like the west coast: my week in California recap
Hello lovely angels, below is a detailed recap of my California trip. However, if you’re not in a reading mood and would rather watch my super fun trip, you’re in luck! I posted a vlog of the whole thing, now available on YouTube, and I have to say it’s my best vlog yet. I’m starting to get pretty good at this editing thing, not gonna lie. Enjoy!!!
I liked San Francisco a lot more than I thought I would. I was there for a day trip in May when my mom and I were getting my brother set up in San Jose for his summer internship. It was way busier in May, and my mom and I had similar sentiments but couldn’t necessarily articulate them. We didn’t like SF, not because it was unlikeable, but because we just didn’t get the vibe- it was difficult to place. It wasn’t like LA or NYC or DC or even Austin and Atlanta that each have a distinctive energy that you can place almost immediately. However, this time around, I was able to do more exploring in my four days in the city and found many aspects I really loved. I loved the bakery culture, which was reminiscent of Paris. Speaking of which, I heard so much French while I was in SF, and it brought me so much joy. Anyways, I digress. There’s great bakery culture, a pretty diverse food selection (although Houston still reigns supreme in that area), great shopping, a lot of parks and a lot more walkable than I thought! I specifically fell in love with The Mission, a neighborhood south of Dolores Mission Park. It felt like a mix of San Diego, Chicago and Austin? There were a ton of cute shops, restaurants and bars on Valencia Street, and it felt like a youthful, vibrant area. Will and I loved it so much that we started looking at apartments on Zillow, as any normal person does, and found the cutest places with insane views of the city. One major downside of SF is the fog, which was not only horrible for my natural hair, but also relatively depressing. It also just made me feel damp constantly which I didn’t love. But I don’t know, I think I could live in San Francisco for a little bit! I say the same with LA and Chicago and Austin, alongside my impending few years in NYC. Maybe in between my years in NYC and moving to Paris, I’ll spend a year or two bouncing around those four cities: LA, Chicago, SF and Austin. I think it could be fun!
Some other moments from the trip I want to touch on:
Sydney and I watched season 1 of Girls. That show is so unhinged, and no one is likable, except Shoshanna who Sydney and I found so endearing and eclectic and sweet. It’s in the category of shows where everyone sucks, but you can’t stop watching. Now that I think about it, I’ve actually consumed a lot of those shows recently, most prominently Industry and Tell Me Lies. I don’t think I’ll continue watching Girls now that I’m home, not because it isn’t entertaining, but because I need someone to hate-watch it with and share commentary alongside me.
Will and I made shrimp scampi which was the last dinner party meal I had in St. Louis before graduating, so it was especially sentimental. We also had a white people taco night (his words, not mine) complete with crunchy ground beef tacos, a wide range of delicious toppings, and Will’s signature guac that I only partially partook in because avocado does dangerous things to my stomach. I played half sous-chef, half vibe coordinator and queued music for both evenings and I have to say, I think my vibe curation skills are pretty good.
On October 10th while Will was working, I went to Haigh Street for a full afternoon of vintage shopping. I went to Protocol, Everdaze, Wasteland, Indigo, Held Over, Blue Bin, Haight Street Vintage and 2nd Street. Of those eight stores, I would say Protocol and 2nd Street were easily my favorites. They each had a great, reasonably priced selection and a ton of unique pieces that felt quality, whereas in Indigo and Blue Bin, it was vintage items that were wildly overpriced. I think most people don’t know brands very well so they’re willing to pay more for an item they like but are unaware that for the brand, the item should be $10-20 cheaper. Shopping this day kind of confirmed my feelings on vintage shopping that I already explored in my Austin shopping recap, but there’s definitely a better selection in SF.
The two days I spent in Inverness at Sydney’s beautiful mountain beach home tucked away in the trees felt like a magical, relaxing little dream. It confirmed that I couldn’t live out in beautiful farmland that is far from a quicker-paced city life. However, I’m grateful to have a friend like Sydney who is destined for a coastal farm girl stint at some point, which means I can visit and enjoy the lifestyle in bite size pieces. We went to the beach, which was foggy and cold but also really peaceful, got oysters, saw the cutest cows, read in her sunny living room with her dog Bear laying nearby, and walked through Point Reyes, buffalo milk soft serve in hand.
Okay, I saw so much content on Tiktok of people shitting on the SWEAT tour LA night 1 crowd, specifically the pit, because people were saying it was mostly influencers who were just there for content and clout. I have no idea if that’s the case, because I was in the “nosebleeds” in section 204 and let me tell you, we were jumping. Screaming. Singing. Dancing. Sweating, as the gods intended. I also saw multiple videos of the pit that looked very active, but hey what do I know. I just had to defend my section, because we were having a blast. I’ve simply told everyone I know, at this point, but I would be remiss to not mention it here- I met Dom Dolla. I saw him in Paris at Rex Club in April of 2023 and tickets were maybe 15 euros. I was directly in front of the DJ booth and my friend Lu and I had the time of our lives. I’ve been obsessed with him since, not only because of his talent but also, he has a great mustache and is Australian, so running into him after the SWEAT tour concert was insane to me. I was coming down from the concert energy high, still a little drunk and overall frazzled, so I think what I said to him came out a lot less cohesive than I would have liked. However, he was so sweet and literally stopped walking to speak with me for a second and ask for my name. We shook hands?! It was great. Anyways, that interaction has amplified my desire to see a DJ set of his, and soon, while my face is still partially fresh in his head. Let the plotting begin…
Go watch my vlog! Okay, love ya bye!
