Hello my loves!

It has been just over a year since I moved back to sunny Southern California.. Which really hasn’t been all that sunny at the moment (winter, have you finally arrived?!). In case you didn’t know, I spent a year living in San Francisco.

  
 The city is where I feel like I really got to know myself better and grow tremendous amounts, and for this very reason it will always hold a piece of my heart. I have not been back ever since I moved, but in one short month I will be reunited with my coffee shops that I have so dearly missed!   

Living in Orange County, I can safely say that I have been to just about every coffee shop worth going to — but none compare to the ones in SF. They seem to be on just about every corner there, and there’s just something so great about them all.

I thought that as I anticipate going back, I would compile a list of what I enjoyed doing in the city and how to make the most of a move to a new place. Maybe you’ll get inspired!

1. Do tourist things. Moving to a new city is overwhelming, so most likely you’ll try to get into a routine quickly. Make sure to take the time to see the sights that make your city what it is, there’s a reason why those places are so popular! I would bring my friends to all the popular spots everything they would visit.

2. E-x-p-l-o-r-e!!!!! On my days off, I would hop on a bus and see a new part of the city that I had never seen before. That was something that I would have been terrified to do by myself previously, but there was something special about spending time by yourself. You get to know yourself better and learn valuable skills in independence. Not to mention, I definitely learned how to navigate around town! The app “Rover” was a lifesaver for me; it’s like a gps for public transportation. You gotta do as the locals do, and I learned to love not having to drive myself places.

  
3. Yelp. Yes, I am a huge advocate of this app. Without it, my tastebuds would not have been NEARLY as happy the last few years. I like to filter my searches by places with the most reviews, that way I know for sure that they are popular. The city had such amazing food and so many good places to try, that I really did not like going to the same place twice. I can officially label myself a foodie now. HINT: become Yelp Elite, and you’ll be able to have events to go to, meet people, AND make your tastebuds very, very happy.  

4. Free events. So many cities have websites that will actually post what the free events are. These actually end up being tons of fun, and in big cities like SF, it seemed like there were always multiple events and festivals every weekend!

I hope this helps!

Xoxo,

Lena