Dress: Preen; Shoes: Manolo Blahnik; Clutch: Charlotte Olympia

While I visited San Francisco pretty often with my family when I was growing up (it's only about a 3-4 hour drive from Reno), I'd have to say some of my most vivid memories of the city came much later when I would trek back with friends in college for different concerts. We would make big weekends out of it, leaving early on a Friday afternoon after our last class and pile into a car, armed with lots of iPod playlists (ah, remember those?!), ready for far too many pit stops at In N Out (animal style, please!). Outside Lands. Kings of Leon. Cat Power. Smashing Pumpkins. Feist. The list goes on and on. 

My favorite concert from this part of my life would have to be when Devendra Banhart played at the Palace of Fine Arts (the amazing building you see above here). My boyfriend at the time surprised me with tickets and true to form, we probably missed a class or two to make it out for a long weekend in San Francisco. We booked a small bed and breakfast just off Lombard Street (The Edward II!) and spent most of the evening just strolling around the Marina, getting lost in (and tumbling down) San Francisco's  many hills.

As for the concert itself, if you ever get the chance to see anyone perform at the Palace, I highly recommend you go! Naturally the acoustics inside the building are nothing short of amazing, but walking around the Palace grounds and surrounding park are actually what made me fall in love with it that very night. Simply put, it's beautiful. The sheer height and scale of the columns and overhead dome are humbling -- we actually were some of the last concert goers that evening milling around, mainly because we couldn't stop looking up while we were strolling. And we did just that. For hours, well into the night after the concert ended. The city grew still and quiet, the fog coming in like a blanket overhead, and yet there we were, roaming around this beautiful building like our own private playground. I may not quite remember the songs that were played that night and that boyfriend is no longer in my life, but something about it has stuck with me -- a very tangible memory of an evening that felt so alive and full of possibility. 

And to this day, I can't help but think of that night whenever I visit the Palace. 

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

You can see the rest of my farewell San Francisco series right this way...

Dress: Suno via The RealReal (available in white here!); Sunglasses: Celine

Over the past few weeks, I've gotten a lot of questions about whether or not I'm excited to move (a million times yes!), what I'm looking forward to the most about New York (wandering around Central Park in the spring) and if I'll be able to handle the brutal winters out there (unfortunately, the jury is still out on that one).  

But the most frequently asked question? 

What will I miss most about San Francisco? 

This one usually makes me pause. There's so much I'm going to miss, it's hard to distill my answer into just one reason. We're spoiled with great weather. There's never a shortage of amazing, new restaurants to try out. We're at the heart of Silicon Valley, where crazy, big, outside-the-box ideas are born (and encouraged!). Heck, we're home to these guys. 

Over the past five years, my list has gotten pretty long with reasons as to why I love living in this city. And ultimately, I think I'll end up returning (someday) for a lot of those reasons. But at the end of the day, I'd have to say it's not necessarily the city I'll miss most (although I will miss it dearly), but the ease to which you can escape the city at a moment's notice. Wine country to the north. Highway 1 stretching along it's side, running the great coastline of California. Big Sur. Monterey. Carmel. Tahoe. Yosemite. Muir Woods. All tangibly within reach, tempting you to hit the road on a late Friday afternoon with nothing but a weekender bag and an improperly folded map and get lost for a few days. 

I've confessed my love for Jack Kerouak here on the blog before, and I'll do it again now, because I think this quote of his sums up San Francisco and her wild, beckoning call much better than I ever could:

"It seemed like a matter of minutes when we began rolling in the foothills before Oakland and suddenly reached a height and saw stretched out ahead of us the fabulous white city of San Francisco on her eleven mystic hills with the blue Pacific and its advancing wall of potato-patch fog beyond, and smoke and goldenness of the late afternoon of time."

San Francisco, thanks for letting me enjoy you in all your smoke and goldenness. I'm forever grateful. 

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

Dress: Lovers + Friends (the black is sold out, but the striped version is adorable!); Boots: Stuart Weitzman; Bag: Proenza Schouler; Sunglasses: Celine; Necklace: BaubleBar X Wendy's Lookbook

If you head right up over the hill from my apartment (technically nestled between Japantown and Lower Pacific Heights), you'll find yourself in Pacific Heights proper. If you happen to end up at, oh I don't know, Broadway and Scott streets, you'll find yourself smack dab in the middle of what has affectionately become known as Billionaire's Row. Pretentious, yes. But when Danielle Steele, David Sacks and Larry Ellison all call this small several block radius their stomping grounds, it's rather fitting. 

While I'd love to say my apartment is practically a stone's throw from here, I'll fully admit, we're worlds apart. Yet that doesn't stop me from heading up here regardless. Why? First of all, the panoramic views of the city and the Bay are not to be missed. In fact, traffic gets pretty annoying in these parts because both cars and pedestrians are snapping the city hills from the top of this very hill. It's worth it though. Secondly, a lot of folks head over to the Lyon Street Steps (myself included) for a great Saturday workout but really, Elvis and I are all about Baker Street Steps, a steep stairway connecting Vallejo and Broadway. It's beautifully (and intentionally) overgrown with tall trees, brimming with flowers and, my favorite part, it's almost always deserted. I love heading here for early dusk walks with Elvis and letting him roam around on the steps, while I perch on the lone bench right off the stairway. If you peer through at just the right spots between the branch cover, San Francisco peeks through down below, with quiet little boats bustling about on the bay. 

I'm a firm believer that everyone needs a great go-to thinking spot -- one that instantly clears your mind when you get there. And Baker Street Steps are going to be hard to replace.

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

Dress: Urban Outfitters; Jeans: DL1961; Boots: Stuart Weitzman; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban; Wallet: Emerson Fry; Watch: Daniel Wellington; Bracelet: Bauble Bar

Truth be told, the first time I visited Grace Cathedral was when my mom was in town visiting and we had ridden the California line cable car that runs right past the church square. It's a breathtaking building, situated at the top of Nob Hill, surrounded by some of San Francisco's finest: The Mark Hopkins Hotel, The Fairmont and of course, Huntington Park. And up until that point, I had always admired this pocket of the city, often coming up here at sunset to watch the city glow on all sides of the hill. 

But, for some reason, I hadn't ventured inside the church, until that evening my mom begged me to go. As we rode past the cathedral, gripping to the cable car railing as we chugged along, she led the charge, bolting off (as soon as we stopped) and made her way straight to the church steps. I had no choice but to follow. It was late. Probably around 8pm and an evening service had long since finished, with just a few members of the staff milling about at that point, on their way out. They were nice enough to just let us in though and we grabbed two seats toward the middle. And just sat. And just listened. It's amazing how quiet and yet at the same time, how much you can hear in a church like that. The high ceiling acoustics carrying and amplifying the soft hum of the church, almost as if it's breathing along with you.

For those in the area, I highly recommend you stop by -- they have a whole lineup of non-denominational activities scheduled each month, including yoga classes and a silent movie night, where the church organ player accompanies the film.

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

I'm bidding adieu to San Francisco! See part 1 HERE, part 2 HERE, part 3 HERE and part 4 HERE. And stay tuned for next week, where I'll be sharing some of my favorite San Francisco haunts, including restaurants, coffee shops, bars and boutiques! Happy weekend!

Jacket: Zara (old, similar style here); Sweater: MiH Jeans (from last year, similar style here); Jeans: Parker Smith; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban; Necklace: Alexis Bittar; Watch: Daniel Wellington; Boots: Isabel Marant

Like good members of any big metropolitan city, us San Franciscans take our coffee pretty seriously. Almost to the point where you could liken it to a West Side Story rivalry -- we literally choose sides. Friendships can be forged because of it. Relationships can be ruined because of it. And while I'll save my roundup of favorite roasts and coffee shops for a later post (coming next week), I wanted to share this gem of mine, Cafe de la Presse, a little bistro + cafe nestled in the Union Square/downtown area. 

 Granted, it can get pretty touristy in and around this area, but what I love the most about Cafe de la Presse is its ability to make you forget all about that. Their outdoor patio has the right amount of greenery and potted bushes around it to enclose the space and the ambiance inside is unbeatable. A large wrap around, alderwood bar, a magazine news stand flanking the back (loaded with lots of foreign magazine goodness), an entire staff whose accents lilt with that certain French je ne sais quoi, and loads of little dimly lit corners, perfect for tucking away and enjoying some close conversation over wine. It's a little bit of 1930s Paris, right there in Union Square. And I'm certainly going to miss it.

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

I'm saying goodbye to San Francisco! See part 1 HERE, part 2 HERE and part 3 HERE. 

Top: Bebe (from last year, similar style here); Skirt: Express; Shoes: Manolo Blahnik; Bag: Chanel; Sunglasses: Celine; Lips: Marc Jacobs "Oh Miley"; Bracelet: Bauble Bar

Chinatown is a great example of a neighborhood that I unfortunately don't make it to often. For a slew of reasons (traffic usually makes it tricky to get there or it's just way too packed with people), I usually opt to admire it from the gate entrance at Grant and Bush. 

If I'm feeling up to the challenge though, I'll venture in on a Saturday afternoon to window shop at the many vendors that line the streets here. Knick knacks, porcelain galleries, tea shops, Chinese grocery markets, restaurants, there's a little bit of flair for everyone. And it's bustling to the brim with people! Families, tourists, moms and grandmothers shopping for dinner that evening, street performers, all pulsing in and out of the narrow alleyways and streets here, different languages heard buzzing and blending all together, with traffic at an almost standstill trying to get through the throngs -- there's an undeniable energy that immediately sweeps you up. And sometimes, that's part of the beauty of a place like that, right? Getting lost in the crowd and seeing where it takes you.

For these photos, my dear friend and (collaborator who I'm going to miss dearly!), Anna and I decided to head to Chinatown early in the morning, to capture it at it's most serene moments. Deserted and sleepy. I just love how darling the lanterns look, especially above the empty streets, almost as if we stumbled upon this scene after a big party had just ended the night before. And I, the lone party straggler, am just now deciding the evening has ended and it's time to head home.

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

Just joining my San Francisco tribute now? See part 1 and part 2. 

Dress: A.L.C. (sold out, but similar style here) via Syllabus (thanks, Alicia!); Shoes: Saint Laurent; Clutch: Charlotte Olympia; Necklace: Wendy's Lookbook X Bauble Bar, Jennifer Zeuner (from last year, but similar style here); Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Thanks for all the kind words about yesterday's post! I'm glad you guys are up for following along my memory lane of sorts through San Francisco. I'm finding it to be both a fitting tribute and also somewhat therapeutic (yep, I just admitted that), so it feels great to have you guys along for the ride.

When I first moved to the city, I was a stone's throw from the Golden Gate Park Panhandle, which is another stone's throw from the Conservatory of Flowers, nestled right at the entrance of the park. I remember one of the first times I rode my bike past the sprawling grounds here and being completely awe-struck. The rolling green hills, the thoughtfully laid out flower beds sprinkled around it and the stark elegance of a white greenhouse, nestled at the top of a hill. I've spent my fair share of weekends here, sprawled out with friends simply losing track of time, wishing the afternoon wouldn't end. And every time I go back, I find myself wanting to sprawl right back out, kick off my heels and get lost in a deliciously lazy afternoon.

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

If you're just joining now, you can see the first part of my San Francisco tribute right this way.

Dress: Amour Vert; Vest: Alexander Wang; Boots: Stuart Weitzman; Bag: Saint Laurent; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban; Necklace: Wendy's Lookbook X Bauble Bar; Cuff: Hermes