If you haven’t noticed already, I’m very fair skinned. No, seriously, verrrry fair. Living in San Francisco hasn’t helped the situation either. It’s always warm enough to be nice out but almost never warm enough to wear a tank top, let alone a bathing suit. Most of my skin hasn’t seen the sun since we moved here over two years ago.

In North Carolina there are what Xan and I like to call “natural attractions” all around. When we lived there we were just 3 hours away from North Carolina’s beautiful beaches with warm water nearly all year round. Taking a dip there is almost never out of the question unlike the chilly waters and rocky coastlines of the Pacific. Then there are the mountains. Xan and I both went to a college nestled in the Appalachians where you were never more than 10 minutes away from hiking, camping, swimming holes, and waterfalls. Fresh air and green leaves were a part of every day life. And that’s one of the things I miss the most about living in NC. San Francisco has so many amazing qualities, but without a car the natural attractions can be harder to get to. Nine times out of ten not owning a car isn’t a problem. About the only time I truly wish we had one is for quick trips out of the city to get into nature. That’s why I was so excited to discover Mount Sutro! It’s a small mountain in the middle of the city mostly known for it’s huge TV tower. But, it’s also this amazing forest with a slew of hiking trails. It’s lush and green and quiet. It’s a hidden gem I can hardly believe is actually in the city. When you’re there you feel like there’s nobody else around, even though just steps away San Francisco is bustling along as usual.

A couple weeks ago Xan and I met a friend at Al’s Place. It was named America’s best new restaurant in 2015 by Bon Appétit. So, of course there’s been a lot of buzz. Usually, when a restaurant or something else is name best “whatever” we try and stay away. The crowds and wait times over shadow whatever to-die-for thing you’re going for in the first place. The plan started innocently enough. All 3 of us are part of a larger dinner party group who scheduled an event for that evening, but then it was re-scheduled for a later date. We all had that evening free, what could we do with it? Sit at the bar and eat French fries at Al’s Place, right?? For weeks we claimed all we would do is get fries at the bar and move along. Ha, yeah right! By the time we were in line to get in we had all agreed that if we could get a table we would stay for a full meal. “We’ll probably never come back – we might as well go for it” we said to ourselves. And that’s exactly what we did.

This year’s Super Bowl has several layers. You’ve probably already heard (or if you’re completely sports-unaware like me, maybe you haven’t) the super bowl is being held at Levi’s Stadium where the San Francisco 49’ers play. San Francisco is hosting a whole week of free events in what they call “Super Bowl City.” Super Bowl City is just steps from my office and is a swath of the city that has been barricaded off and can only be entered through metal detectors, long lines, and security checks. It’s a really big event and causing a lot of disruption to most of the locals. However, it is kind of cool to be apart of something so big. It’s got that buzzy team spirit you feel at a live sporting event.