The Best Day Ever

There are certain people out there who have a spontaneity about them, that every time you're around them you're bound to have a great time. That is my best friend from high school, Suzanne Cox, in a nut shell. She is one of the only people I know who just does whatever she wants, and I love it. Some of the best times of my life have been with her. No matter how long we go without seeing each other, we pick right back up where we started. Well, Suzanne moved to San Francisco from San Diego recently so I decided to visit her for a weekend while I was home on winter break. And what do you know, I had one of the best nights I've had in a long time. I've always loved the city, but I fell even more in love after this weekend. While I was growing up, I'd go to the city with my parents for some pretty incredible dinners or to see the typical tourist side of San Francisco. However, I got to see a different side of the city this past week, and now I'm actually thinking of applying to a few companies in San Francisco after I graduate. Who would have thought? If you want to have one of the best days of your life, read below:

Saturday we woke up and went to a great restaurant in the mission called Lolo's. If you want a mean sangria and uniquely authentic Mexican food with a flare, check it out. The waiters even comped our dessert. Which made their mini ice cream sandwiches drizzled with warm chocolate even more worth it.

One of the things I love most about San Francisco is how many amazing "hole in the walls" you can discover. After lunch we were driving and saw the cutest coffee shop I have ever seen called Stable Cafe. It just so happened they had a "pie pop up" going on outside the cafe where they had fresh baked pies for sale. We got the BEST slice of key lime pie i've ever had in my life.

After stuffing myself with sangria, tacos, and key lime pie we decided to walk it off and get a little culture. We went to the San Francisco Modern Art Museum, which was unbelievable. We saw artists from Picasso to Matisse to Warhol. It was quite humbling. There are so many different museums in the city, but if you must chose one, SFMOMA should be at the top of your list.

Suzanne posing with a Picasso 

 After the museum, we weren't quite ready to go back yet so we went to the Top Of The Mark at the Mark Hopkins hotel for cocktails. The Mark Hopkins is one of the finest historic San Francisco luxury hotels. It was built in 1926, and when you go inside you feel as if you've teleported back to the 20's. That is another great thing about the city of San Francisco, the history. You turn a corner or walk into a building, and you feel as if you've gone back in time. Whether it is the late 60's on Haight street, or a glamorous evening in the 20's at the Mark Hopkins, San Francisco can give you a taste of history. Top Of The Mark has one of the best views in the city. We got a glass of champagne, soaked in the beauty of the city, and pretended we were Bette Davis for a few moments.

And the night hadn't even started. Later that night Suzanne took me to one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. Not to brag, but I've been to some pretty damn good restaurants. I grew up with a father who loves fine food and the art of a tasting menu, so I know good food when I have it. If you're ever in San Francisco, go to Nopa. Their usually booked out a month or two for reservations but they have community seating and a large bar with phenomenal cocktails, which makes the wait very enjoyable. We started out with warm goat cheese with kiwi and asian pear on crostinis, next we got poached farm egg, tasso spiced ham, and sherry onions with frisée and celery root, we then got
flatbread of spicy fennel sausage, romesco, arugula and crescenz. Throw in a few fresh squeezed cucumber lime cocktails, an IPA, and some veggies for good health and you have yourself a meal. Top 5 meals and cocktails of my life without a doubt. I would recommend it to anyone. 

After our amazing dinner, we made our way over to The Independent to see the band Imagine Dragons. Along with my expertise in food, I've also seen a lot of live shows. Maybe it was thoughs cucumber lime cocktails that got me, but Imagine Dragons was not only one of the best bands I've seen perform live, but the most fun. The Independent is the perfect size venue, to where you don't have any wannabee punk rock preteens stepping on your feet or getting hit in the face in a mosh pit. I danced for over 2 hours straight, looked like an idiot, and had an amazing time. Check out my upcoming blog post on some of my favorite songs by Imagine Dragons. 

We met some people from Cornell University at the venue who were really great, and continued our fun at Madrone Art Bar. It was Michael Jackson and Prince remix night, so things got pretty crazy. Suzanne told me that Madrone often has a "Smiths Remix" night where a DJ comes who remixes a bunch of songs from The Smiths. I'd die to see this.

Us and MJ

 I had a pretty bad hangover the next morning, but memories that were well worth it. If you haven't been to San Francisco yet, go. It can change your life, and you may just have the best day ever.