san francisco


Places to eat in Chinatown

wearing: statement earrings / sweater (sold out, similar here) / black handbag / bracelets (local designer) / summer nail polish / black belt / jeans (sold out, also love these) / sneakers /

It is always a fun day in Chinatown with our family. We tend to gravitate towards the same restaurants when we visit, but this time we decided to try a new place, and we are so glad we did!

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company

We started our day by visiting the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company. While an obvious tourist destination, us locals love going there too! They have really yummy chocolate dipped fortune cookies. If you visit the city, be sure to pop in and pick up some cookies!

Far East Cafe

On KTVU Amber Lee filmed a segment where she highlighted her favorite places to go in Chinatown. She mentioned Far East Cafe and how it has been in the city for over one hundred years. How did I not know about this restaurant? So, of course, we had to try it!

Far East Cafe has a large menu and we ordered just enough for the five us to enjoy for lunch. The decor inside the restaurant is traditional and the overall vibe is old school San Francisco. Love that! We will definitely go back in the future!

Another recommendation by Amber Lee was to try the mango cake and mango desserts at AA Bakery. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap pictures, but take my word, it is delicious! We tried mango pudding as well as other breads and pastries which we took home. We will be back there too! The food is delicious and next time we want to pick up a full mango cake. Yum!

Hi Sweetie Tea and Treats

What day is complete without boba? We found the cutest boba place with squishies for sale, and games you can play while enjoying your afternoon boba. Hi Sweetie Tea and Treats was a fun place to pop into for tea and few games. The Creme Brulee boba is my favorite. yum!

Our family also loves the moon cakes at Eastern Bakery. So, we picked up a box to bring home, as well as an order of their sesame balls. Seriously, they have the best sesame balls; and they are huge! I highly recommend enjoying one while they are warm. So yummy!

Locations:

Far East Cafe is located at 631 Grant Ave., San Francisco.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory is located at 56 Ross Alley in San Francisco.

AA Bakery is located at 1068 Stockton Street in San Francisco.

Hi Sweetie Tea and Treats is located at 775 Jackson Street in San Francisco.

Eastern Bakery is located at 720 Grant Ave., in San Francisco.

I hope you have a chance to try at least one of these yummy locations!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy


Alcatraz Island and a Cable Car

alcatraz federal prison tour san francisco

You don’t always have to get on a plane to play tourist. Sometimes, enjoying the tourist attractions in your own hometown can be just as much fun! Plus, you don’t have to pay for a hotel. Love that!

We decided to take the kids to San Francisco for the day and play tourist. As most locals will attest, we had never taken our kids on a cable car or to see Alcatraz. Usually these are things we locals do when we have out of town guests, or on a field trip as kids. The first time I went on a cable car was when I was in college, and there were kids who weren’t from here who wanted to go on one. Those of us who were from here, had never ridden one! Us locals are missing out!

Riding on a cable car is fun, plus, if you have a fast pass, it works on the cable car! Why not give it a whirl?! I know, I know, as locals we see that awful, daunting line for the cable car filled with tourists. Who wants to stand in that? Well, let me tell you, you can avoid the line! If you go at 9am when cable car service starts, you can avoid standing in a long line filled with tourists, plus, you are more likely to get a coveted outside seat! Love that!

We rode on the cable car twice. I sat outside the first time, and then inside the second time to give the tourists a whirl. Either location is fun. Why not use your fast pass for a little fun? Might as well!

After we took a joyride on the cable car, we took the F Market up the Embarcadero and walked over to Hillstone for lunch. Now, if you are local, you may remember this place as Houston’s. It’s the same restaurant with a new name. I highly recommend getting something with French Fries or getting the French Fries on the side. They are so good! Out of everything we ordered, the focaccia and the crispy chicken sandwich were the best. Highly recommend!

hillstone san francisco

pictured: green handbag / sunglasses /

After lunch, we walked across the street to Pier 33 where you can catch the boat to Alcatraz. I recommend making reservations ahead of time just in case the time slot you want is popular and gets sold out.

I have only been to Alcatraz one other time, and it was when my dear friend from the mid-west visited me. I couldn’t believe I had never been there before! So, this was only my second time going! Isn’t that crazy?! My kids had never been, so they had fun touring the prison grounds and learning the history of the prison and the island itself. Wear your walking shoes and allow yourself time to not only tour the prison and the island, but to enjoy the museum. There are also some great areas where you can see the Golden Gate Bridge, downtown San Francisco and the east bay. If you are lucky, and the fog burns off, it is very pretty!

wearing: sunglasses / statement earrings / navy tie sleeve tee / gemstone bracelet (under $50, local designer) / summer nail polish / green handbag / G buckle belt / dark wash skinny jeans / sneakers /

We were definitely tired and hungry after spending time touring around Alcatraz Island. So, to complete our staycation San Francisco day, we decided to take our kids to Tadich Grill. After all, it is the oldest restaurant in the city, and it survived the 1906 earthquake! Yup, it has been in business since 1849. It has survived two pandemics too! Love!

Everything we ordered was delicious. You cannot go wrong at Tadich! Be sure to make a reservation, especially if you plan to go at peak times.

If you are local, or from out of town, I hope you enjoy these sights San Francisco has to offer. You will have a lot of fun and learn some history too! Love that!

Thanks for stopping by,

XOXO
Cathy


A.L.C. Pop-Up shop in San Francisco

ALC pop-up shop sample sale

A.L.C. has a pop-up shop in San Francisco! This happens to be one of my favorite brands when shopping for fashion week outfits. So, when I found out there was a pop-up shop in the city, I had to go!

A.L.C. always has fashionable clothing which reflect current trends in an understated way. Thier clothing is high quality, and fits really well. I can pull my size off the rack and know it will fit every time. I have never needed alterations, A.L.C. just fits!

The pop-up shop in San Francisco is really exciting because they are offering pieces from recent collections in 2018 and 2019 at 75% off retail prices. Wh-aaaaaat??? Yes, you read that correctly. This means the floral silk blouse I picked up, which retails at $345, was $86.25 at the pop-up shop. I also snapped up an on-trend stripe dress with fabulous puff sleeves which normally retails at $195 and is $48.75 at the pop-up shop. Those are amazing deals!

Outfit details: blouse c/o A.L.C. avl at the A.L.C. pop-up shop SF / earrings / jeans / handbag / nail polish / cuff / bracelet / boots /

This is the beautiful silk floral blouse I picked up at the A.L.C pop-up shop in San Francisco. It looks great with jeans, or for a dressier look, a black skirt or black pants.

Outfit details: stripe dress c/o A.L.C. avl at the A.L.C. pop-up shop SF / earrings / cuff / bracelet / nail polish / handbag / shoes /

This is the stripe dress I picked up at the pop-up shop. It’s a fabulous summer dress which can still be worn in the fall season. It will look cute in the spring/summer with sandals or espadrilles; while in the fall, I like how it looks with loafer slides.

Although the collections for sale are from 2018 and 2019, they are still reflecting current trends for 2020 and into next year. A.L.C. creates fashionable clothing with longevity, so you don’t have to worry about investing in a piece which reflects a fleeting trend, the clothing is fashion-forward; meaning it will last for several years.

Shopping at the A.L.C. pop-up shop in San Francisco is safe and easy. It feels really luxurious when you’re inside since they limit the number of customers shopping at a time. This means you have the store almost to yourself! It’s like a private shopping experience. They also require masks and offer hand sanitizer to keep us all safe. Love it!

You can visit the A.L.C. pop-up shop in San Francisco at 2011 Fillmore Street. For more information, please see details online here.

See more on sale from A.L.C. online:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*thank you to A.L.C. for partnering on this post. all thoughts and opinions are my own