Jenni goes Stateside: I lost my heart in san francisco

 

 

No my title doesn't refer to some doomed and not to mention tacky holiday romance, the city itself is what I and most other people fell in love with. I can't say I enjoyed the weather too much - it was mega windy and actually quite cold (it was only 20-25 degrees celcius) but the city is so beautiful and there's so much to do! Of corse one of the things I indulged in was shopping (I had to stay true to myself), but I also did quite a lot of cultured things and loads of touristy things. I don't think I could've looked more like a tourist than I did on my first day, outfit complete with a camera round my neck (the first photo is from my second day and the second photo is from my first day which I now realise is confusing but never mind). I wore my denim shorts again, while all the locals seemed to be in jeans, and my tropical print bardot top (£16 from river island) with my white gladiators from Schuh. Atleast I was wearing long-ish sleeves so I didn't look completely indecent. Everyone seems mega healthy in San Francisco - not many McDonalds around - but it's hardly surprising seeing as there's so many hills! Just walking one block is exhausting and hardly anyone drives; it's either a cable car or your own two legs. I have to say I do like the road systems better in America though than at home. The block system is so much easier to follow than our winding and never-ending roads and it's easier to get where you want to if you make a wrong turn. At home you have to pull out your phone, tut loudly as if someone is making you change your plans and then turn around and walk back the other way. Because I'm a daydreamer and forever not watching where I'm going, this is pretty much a daily routine for me.
 
 

 

 
Then after viewing the city skyline from the twin-peak viewpoint, we went down to the famous Fisherman's Wharf for lunch. Everything was so pretty and picturesque, especially the boats in the harbour and the seafood was amazing (although it was impossible to decide where to eat given that it's just row upon row of restaurants). There was also old-fashioned amusement arcades with fortune tellers like in the movie Big, racing horses and penny pressers. It made me think of the old Victorian promenade so then I felt like I was really in the wrong clothes and should swap them for a floor length gown instead.
 

 

 

 

 
Then we went down to the famous Pier 39 (why is it that everything in San Francisco is famous?!) to see all the sea lions. They were so cute and oblivious - we actually saw one roll off the wooden platform while it was sleeping because it had positioned itself right on the edge of the heavy side. They're really funny to watch too - one would go for a swim and then try to jump back up, only to be pushed back off by another sea lion that had taken it's spot while it was in the water. We were lucky to see them though because they're breeding season had only just ended; between May and July they travel south to other islands to raise they babies (in a similar way I guess to humans who move from the city to the suburbs when they have kids).
 

 

 

 
Then in the evening, we went into Union Square for dinner where we ate at the Cheesecake factory (we're all fans of the big bang theory and of cheesecake so it was the perfect choice). We got so lost trying to find it because it ended up being on the top floor of Macy's and then when we finally got there, the cheesecake options were endless it was so hard to choose! I went with Banana cream in the end and it was amazing although I couldn't finish it. I actually haven't managed to finish a meal in the whole time we were in America because the portion sizes are just ridiculous! I don't know how anyone could eat that much! For the night, I tried to wear warmer clothes but failed miserably because I still ended up getting back to the hotel freezing. I wore this 3/4 sleeve skater dress from Topshop (featured in my first ever blogpost - I think it was around £20) which I just love the colour of! I added my pastel kimono although it's not exactly designed for warmth and then my white la moda sandals and this gorgeous statement necklace I got while I've been on holiday for only $10, roughly £6! I think when I do eventually move Stateside, my shopping addiction will get even worse because things are so much cheaper!

 

 

 

 

 



After being deprived of shopping in Vegas, I was finally let loose with a credit card on the streets of San Francisco. I never associate it with being a fashion capital - that title is given to cities such London, New York and Paris, aswell as LA due to the infamous Rodeo Drive but they actually had everything you could've wanted. We went into shops like Barney's and Saks but that was pretty much for fun, even our credit limit doesn't stretch to a pair of Manolo's for $800 or $3500 for a Valentino dress (although everything was so beautiful I'd happily own lots of expensive clothes instead of having food, hot water or electricity for the next 50 years). Also the staff are all so friendly (I don't care if it's because they get paid on commission, I choose to believe it's genuine), they greet you when you come in and they compliment your shoes and your outfit. For my day shopping I wore this burgundy and white floral print two piece from new look (it seems to be very popular among bloggers right now) and added a white cami (Topshop) and white gladiators (Schuh). I finished off the look with my new necklace and a burgundy lipstick, and the shop assistants seemed to like the look, even if it was nothing like the Prada and Chanel that surrounds them everyday. There was also a huge Macy's store that we looked round where you get 10% off just for being a tourist! I bought a new MAC lipstick in Plumful because they're £15 at home and were only $16 there (which is roughly £9) and we got the cutest macarons I've ever seen from Tout sweet (I'm pretty sure the only reason I even want to go to Paris is to shop and eat Macarons from Laduree and Pierre Herme). From left to right the flavours were Aztec bitter chocolate, pistachio, peanut butter and raspberry jelly, dulce de leche, Madagascan vanilla and cherry bourbon. I'm pretty sure I could live on a diet of macarons alone although I'd get very very fat. Then we passed shops like Tiffany's and Banana republic before entering the holy grail of all shops - Victoria's secret. We spent a lot of time (and a lot of money oopsies) in there looking at all the gorgeous underwear. I wouldn't normally be one to share my underwear on the internet but these pieces are worth showing. I got a grey and nude bra for $52, a navy and black lace bra with caged back for $65, 3 pairs of knickers for $33 (I chose colours to match my bras because I didn't like the knickers that came in the matching sets) and then a babydoll pj set that matched my grey bra perfectly for $52. Okay so $200 does sound like a lot of money to spend on underwear but when you consider that it's pretty much pounds-for-dollars to buy them in the UK it works out a lot cheaper. Atleast that's how I'm justifying it to myself and to my dad whose credit card got a brutal beating on holiday. I hope you remember my story about the Timberlands - how I bought them for £160 before I went away, only to return them (pretty much against my will) because they were too heavy for my suitcase and I wanted a camera aswell which I could buy with the money I'd get back from them. So then it felt like fate when I saw the exact pair in a shoe shop window just off Union Square. I've always thought that everything happens for a reason and this has pretty much proved it - they were only $100! Which makes them £60; £100 less than what I paid in the UK! I think someone must've sprinkled fairy dust on my head before I left because that couldn't have worked out any better. Now for the challenge of getting them home... (trust me to write the longest paragraph I've ever written in my life on shopping)

 

 

 

There are also certain clichés you have to join in with when you visit San Francisco. For example, you have to ride the cable cars - it's best to experience it both sitting inside the carriage and standing on the edge holding onto one of the bars (which is challenging when you have a bag and three shopping bags and a giant pretzel all in hand). You also have to visit the golden gate bridge, which is massively iconic. It's always shown in films, although what I don't understand is how they manage to get such clear shots of it - there was a like constant layer of fog surrounding it the whole time we were there.

 

 

 

 

Then we paid a visit to Alcatraz in the evening; the famous prison that Al Capone served time in. I wasn't really looking forward to it after a childhood of being dragged round the Crich tramway museum and the galleries of justice but it was actually really interesting. Hearing the escape stories about how inmates chiselled their way through the air vents with broken spoons and modelled fake heads out of soap so guards didn't notice they were gone was pretty genius. No one knows if they lived or died because of how cold the sea surrounding the island is and how strong the current is but I think they probably got away and started a new life in Mexico or somewhere. For the trip I changed into my jeans - I wasn't going to make the mistake of too few clothes for a second night running!

 

 

Seeing as I was only in San Francisco for 2 days, I was expecting this blogpost to be fairly short. I guess I was wrong! If you haven't already fallen asleep or died at your desk chair reading this blog series, then the next stateside post will be coming to you tomorrow - and it's all about Hollywood!