My Heart Belongs to San Francisco

I visited San Francisco for the first time about 15 years ago.  Within a few hours, I declared that I would live there someday.  The closest I've come (at least by the standards of a Midwesterner) was the year that I spent living in Oregon, but I've still done my best to make it out for visits as often as possible.  Many of my best friends live in the area, and it's just a really incredible city.  I love the people, the vibe, the architecture, the culture, and the overall progressiveness.  The food is phenomenal, the design is impeccable, the shopping is fantastic, the music scene rocks...  I could go on and on.  Traveling is a huge part of my life, and I've been lucky to visit a lot of cities.  I am also proud to be a Chicago girl - I moved all around the country in the years following college, and still ended up back here, right where I started.  But the quick trip I got to take this weekend as part of the Adobe Photoshop Elements project I'm working on reminded me that deep down, my heart really does belong to San Francisco.

I could go on and on about the trip and all the adventures we piled into two days, but I figured I'd spare you  guys and just share a few pictures I took along the way.  I wish I could say I'd taken more shots with my "real" camera instead of just my iPhone, but it was a very action packed 48 hours, and let's face it - whipping your phone out of your purse is infinitely more convenient than awkwardly attempting to change lenses and adjust DSLR settings.  I did take some more invested shots though, and I'll absolutely be sharing them later this week.

1. best coffee I've ever had  //  2. Pier 2, across from our hotel  // 3. cherries at the farmer's market 
 4. brunch at Market Bar with Kaelah  //  5. prettiest hotel room number sign ever 
  6. Bay Bridge  //  7. beet salad at RN74  //  8. beignets at RN74

I was admittedly a little nervous heading out for this trip, but any worries I had quickly faded upon my arrival.  The people at Adobe are beyond cool, and they made our Photoshop Elements training so much fun.  And can I just say that the San Francisco Adobe headquarters building is freaking amazing?  Seriously.  I want to work in that space everyday.  Talk about well-executed, chic design.  Nothing about it felt corporate.  It was gorgeous.  I got to squeeze in a little shopping and hang time with the other bloggers, which was also such a great experience, as was the Gaultier exhibit at the DeYoung Museum.  Wow.  I mean it - if you live in the Bay area and can check it out, please do.  It was mind blowing. 

9. Adobe HQ  //  10. Adobe visitor's pass (which I will keep forever, because I am a huge dork) 
11. heading into the DeYoung Museum  //  12. I was just a little excited about the Gaultier exhibit
13+14. a few of my favorites at the exhibit  //  15. even the sign was gorgeous

I've been playing catch-up with work stuff (and sleep) yesterday and today, but am looking forward to sharing more Adobe Elements Ambassador posts over the upcoming months!  I hope your weekend was especially fun (and that your Monday is as enjoyable as Mondays can be!).

Top image: flowers at the Ferry Building farmer's market