Bay Area Fashionista

China Camp State Park camping and beach

China Camp State Park is a Bay Area jewel. It’s a beautiful state park which features camping, hiking, biking, water activities, and a beach on the bay. In addition to outdoor activities, China Camp State Park offers local Bay Area history which isn’t typically taught in schools. Love!

We recently took a weekend camping trip to China Camp State Park, and it was both beautiful and fun. The campsites are flat, and well maintained. There are plenty of hiking trails, biking trails, and fabulous views of the bay. The campsite is a quick drive from the beach, which also features a museum, and several buildings that are original to the historical fishing village.

You can drive, hike, or bike to the beach from the campgrounds. Then, you can relax on the beach with your own picnic, or you can buy snacks from the shop on-site. We drove to the beach from the campgrounds, and we brought our own sandwiches. It was relaxing and fun!

China Camp State Park campgrounds are easily accessible from 101 in San Rafael. I recommend making your campsite reservations six months in advance so you can pick the site you want, and ensure you actually get a site. October was a great month to camp since it wasn’t too hot, and the campground wasn’t crowded.

The campgrounds offer bathrooms and showers. For the showers, make sure you bring quarters as they require payment with quarters. Also, prepare to store your food at night in your car, or the bear box. The racoons are very smart, and not afraid to go after your food. We kept our cooler in the car after dark, and it worked perfectly.

There is a lot of wildlife at China Camp State Park. If you need quiet while you sleep, bring earplugs. There are plenty of coyote sounds, and bird sounds, in the middle of the night.

You can learn more at FriendsOfChinaCamp.org. If camping isn’t your thing, and you are local, you can always day trip to China Camp and enjoy the hiking trails, beach, and museum!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Designer or Deal structured hobo

structured hobo it bags fall 2021 affordable hobo

Designer or Deal structured hobos from top: hot designer IT bag / moderate priced, also a hot IT bag / affordable version under $100 /

The structured hobo is one of the hottest handbag silhouettes of the year. This IT bag style is being spotted on the streets, runways, and pretty much everywhere! The structured hobo was a huge handbag trend back in the mid to late 1990s, and it has returned with a vengeance! So, move over pouch clutch, the structured hobo is here!

The hottest structured hobo bag is priced well over $1000, and it sells out almost as quickly as it is placed on a store shelf. This makes it both pricey, and hard to get! Thankfully, there is an IT bag brand which offers equally hot-on-the-street bags for well under $1000. Mansur Gavriel has debuted their own version of the structured hobo, and it is already proving to be a hot IT bag. You can read my review here.

Of course, even a moderate priced bag can be pricey. This version for under $100 offers the same IT silhouette of the structured hobo for an affordable price. Love that!

Shop designer or deal structured hobos online:

Which style is your favorite? Are you rocking the structured hobo this season?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

Twirling back into life

wearing: sunglasses / large gold hoops / black cut out top / G buckle belt / bracelets (local designer!) / green pleated skirt / fall nail polish / pouch clutch / chain boots /

Twirling back into life, and it feels so good! I wore this outfit a couple weeks ago to the preview party for Beyond Van Gogh. It was absolutely amazing dressing up, and going out to an event with my husband; without the kids. We haven’t had this opportunity since before the shut down. We felt so free!

If you are from another state besides California, you might be wondering why we are just getting out now. Here in California, we have had a lot of events and businesses shut down during the pandemic. It is just in the last few months that things have really begun to reopen. It took us awhile to acclimate to getting our schedule back to normal, and then adding fun events!

We loved dressing up, and going out. It was definitely a lot of fun. Not only did we love the event, it felt good to go out dressed up, without the kids. I was definitely twirling for joy!

This skirt is great for dressing up. It is easy to pair with a top on warmer fall days. It will also be easy to pair with a long sleeve top, or sweater, when the weather cools down.

Of course, when I know I will be walking, or on my feet, I love opting for boots instead of high heels. They are really comfortable and wearing socks adds some cushioning. Love that!

Shop my fall outfit online:

I hope you are getting out there, and in the mood to twirl!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Cookie Notice