california dreaming. [pt.1]



California was the ultimate whirlwind of surprise, excitement with a blend of relaxation. This trip was planned by Mr. Davis and was intended to be a late birthday surprise. I had no idea what he was planning - just that we were flying into San Francisco and flying out of Los Angeles. And if you know me, I need to know every detail, every minute of a trip. You either would enjoy traveling with me or hate it, there is no middle ground. But I digress...

After a flight from Cincinnati to San Fran that consisted of The Fantastic Mr. Fox and a Spotify mix - we arrived in time to catch the sun set from our fantastic hotel room. The inside of the hotel glistened with the twinkling lights.



Inside our room, we were perfectly aligned with the The Bay Lights that illuminated the night sky. The following day was our time to explore San Francisco. It comprised of:

a bomb breakfast at The Hollywood Cafe,




a tour of Fisherman's Wharf,



Kevin had to climb things...

This is as far as I got.


and ended having lunch with two of Kevin's friends, John and Sabina. Side note: Kevin had arranged for Alyson and I to meet some of his friend's in Zurich when we were on our tour 3 months ago. John was one of the friends that was kind enough to show us around (see photo, John is the far right) (another side note, the guy in blue is from Richmond, KY - SMALL WORLD! But I digress...):


It's pretty fascinating to meet him and his girlfriend in a city that isn't your own. I also can't believe this is the only shot we got of us, and as you see, it isn't all of us. Or even a real shot at all. How did I suck so badly at capturing friend time?

Worst friend shot ever.
After a nice lunch of pizza with squash blossoms (YUM!), we meandered about the local shops, tasted wine and cheese (in preps of our Napa adventure to come), and enjoyed the lovely weather. After wonderful discussions of travels that ending in us parting ways and promises to meet in different cities, the funniest adventure was about to happen - A TANDEM BIKE! Yes. A bike for two people. And it was awesome. Once you get used to the pedals - you can get going! I highly recommend anyone to try it. Especially with Kevin in the front because he probably was doing most of the peddling and steering while I fiddled with my hair, then my purse, then my phone...



Ta-dah! We made it!


After I declared that a tandem bike wasn't too difficult, Kevin decided that we could get it up the hills of San Fran then drive down the most crooked street in America - Lombard Street. If you've been there, you know this couldn't be possible, and I insisted in such but Kevin loves a challenge. After breaking a sweat and my loud panting from behind just trying to go up the hill - we decided to push the bike onward to Lombard and view from the top. And by we, I mean Kevin.


Of course, we weren't the only ones wanting to check out the street on a holiday weekend. After returning the bike and going to the hotel to change, we enjoyed a Thai dinner before my ultimate surprise to start the weekend - Kevin and purchased tickets for us to take a boat into the Bay and watch the fireworks!


Talk about pulling all the stops! Kevin killed day 1. I was in awe, blessed for my wonderful boyfriend, and thankful for my country.



- A