Visiting the City by the Bay

This last weekend, my husband and I went on a little road trip 8 hours up the coast to one of my favorite places in the world, San Francisco, California.  

Visiting S.F. doesn't mean you actually have to stay in the city. There are countless surrounding towns that are interesting and so much fun to visit. We actually ended up staying right at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge on the Sausalito side of the Bay in a hotel called Cavallo Point. The hotel sits inside of Fort Baker, where rooms are adorably refurbished military barracks. The morning fog rolls away to reveal a serene scene where birds are all you hear and dear are visible munching away at the grassy meadow that the rooms encircle. 

We spent a day across the bridge walking, eating and enjoying the beauty of the city. This amazing dessert of creme filled donuts with vanilla bean ice cream was a foodie highlight that we enjoyed at the Four Seasons Hotel restaurant on Market Street in S.F.  Can you tell I like donuts?

If you're in Sausalito, eat at the Lighthouse Diner. This breakfast was so delicious and kept me full for hours, as if thats hard to believe! The huge raspberry filled, chewy, bubbly pancake was one of the best I've ever eaten. Somehow I will figure out a way to duplicate this treat. 

On our last day in the city, we headed over to the de Young museum in Golden Gate Park to view the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit, which was fantastic. Afterwards, we visited the Japanese Tea Garden, a tranquil collection of trees, flowers, koi ponds and pagodas. You can also have an authentic cup of tea inside a traditional tea house within the gardens. 

After a busy weekend in the city, we decided to stop off in Monterey on the drive down south. We had just enough time left on Sunday evening to make our way to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. My favorite part was the Jellyfish exhibit, with multiple species to gawk at. I highly suggest going to the Aquarium late on a Sunday like we did, when there is hardly anyone left and you have most of the exhibits to yourself. 

The nighttime view from Cavallo Point. Could it get any better??