Over the last 2 weeks, I was once again on the road for work. This time, my travels took me from the West coast to the East. I visited places I have seen before, but in each city, I experienced new things for the first time.
San Francisco
San Francisco was my first stop and I used my one free evening to head towards the water. I was dying for some fresh seafood and my colleague recommended Scoma’s. As I was staying near the airport, my ride was quite long. However, my Uber driver was awesome. Knowing I was a tourist, he made sure to take the scenic route into town. I got to see proper trolley cars and twist and turn down the famous snake road, Lombard Street!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/srd7oCm8YjQ
Once I got down to the pier, I walked over to Scoma’s. It was a gorgeous, sunny day. It had been so long since I was last in San Fran that I took it all in. The salt water air was glorious and so revitalizing! Then, on my way to the restaurant entrance, an adorable sea lion popped his head out of the water to say hello. 🙂
Once inside, I sat at a table facing the water and order fresh halibut. I was also recommended a glass of the most delicious chardonnay I’ve ever had! Typically I prefer wines from outside the USA, but I couldn’t resist this Napa Valley gem. I was so in awe of it that I immediately shipped a box home!
After my early dinner, I walked around the pier for a bit. My final stop before going back to the hotel was to the Golden Gate Bridge. For all the times I was in San Francisco in my 20s, I never got around to visiting this magnificent structure. Now that I’ve seen it myself, I understand why it is so photographed. It is truly a masterpiece. Rising out of the waters of the bay, it seems almost regal. On this particular day, it was covered with bits of fog, making it even more photogenic.
New York
The next week I was off to New York for a conference. New York is honestly one of my favorite cities to visit in the USA. It fits my preferences of traveling, which includes fashion and food! There is always a new restaurant or store to try. I was also staying in Times Square. While touristy as hell, there is something about those lights. What does Alicia Keys sing? “Big lights will inspire you.” Yes.
The conference I attended was great. However, our nights were free, which meant my colleagues and I made sure to try a variety of yummy new restaurants. Our first evening found us at Olio e Piu, an Italian place in Greenwich Village. While Italian, the inside felt very Parisian. The tables were on top of each other and there were live plants stuffed in between any open spots. The food was delicious, but I was quickly reminded how expensive everything is in New York!
Given where we were in Greenwich Village, we also made a pit stop to Carrie Bradshaw’s house! Talk about a Fan Girl moment!
The next evening, we ate at French restaurant called Chez Josephine located in Midtown West. This restaurant is dedicated to Josephine Baker, the American-born French singer, actress and dancer. She is also known to be the first African-American woman to star in a motion picture. We enjoyed delicious French food and live piano music. It was so New York, I was smitten!
We ended the night at an extremely unique bar called “The Woo Woo“. My favorite part was honestly the pictures we took together. 🙂
I was supposed to fly back to Chicago the next day, but Mother Nature had other plans. It rained so much in a 24 hour period that New York experienced flash flooding and parts of La Guardia airport were closed down. My flight went from rescheduled to canceled within the span of an hour, and there were no alternatives home. I was stuck.
While I hated being away from my family for another evening, I was trapped in one of the world’s greatest cities. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, right? And let’s be honest – the best place to see Chicago is in New York!
After finishing up with my work for the day, I managed to book myself a last minute ticket to see Chicago at the Ambassador Theater on Broadway. I had fantastic seats. I had never seen this musical before, either, and I was blown away! It was the most entertained I had been in quite some time. New York did me good!
From West Coast to East Coast, the last two weeks were pretty great!
In closing, my awesome friend Nicole also showed me this fantastic new feature that allows you to save and share items to your Google Maps. I will make sure to do this moving forward to share out and save all things I’ve seen, experienced, and most importantly, eaten. 🙂
Enjoy! My next adventure awaits!
Leave a Reply