Hey guys! It’s been a hot minute – between the monsoon in San Diego and uprooting my life to move 500 miles away, starting a new job and getting used to a new city (plus the gnarliest Costco experience of my life), I haven’t even had a minute to catch my breath.

 Here are a few highlights and learnings from my first few days (not even a week yet!) in San Francisco…

FIRST CRUFFIN: ACQUIRED

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is one of my favorite little treasures in the area. Yes, it’s trendy, and yes, it’s expensive (SO IS EVERYTHING ELSE HERE), but it’s so, SO worth it. I’ve had the donuts here, and let me just say, they aren’t your typical donut. They’re a soft, sugar-coated brioche, bursting with a pastry creme filling – a different set of flavors daily. A typical creme or jelly donut usually has a little strip of filling in the center, so one half is just cakey donut and then there’s a morsel of filling, often misaligned. Not the case with these. It is FILLED with cream or pudding or jelly, depending on your flavor. To prove it, I took a picture of a half-eaten donut. This past weekend I was able to try passion fruit, which was essentially miracle-flavored.

Then came the cruffin, which was Pear Cobbler flavored. I was apprehensive and angry at first, thinking “WHY ISN’T IT COCONUT CARAMEL TODAY?!” Alas, my frustration was misplaced.  The thing was phenomenal… a cruffin is truly a precious gift from the heavens, or at least from Polk Gulch, which is certainly not the poshest of areas to house such an exquisite patisserie.

DIM SUM: CONSUMED EN MASSE

I’ve mentioned before how much I love King of Noodles in the Sunset. And.. I’ve been more than once since I’ve become a resident. Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) have secured a top spot among my favorite foods, and their handmade fresh noodle soup is to die for.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: USED

I was a bit nervous to rely on the train as my sole means of transportation to and from work, but it’s surprisingly inexpensive and efficient. San Diego set the bar particularly low for me in terms of expectations, so SFMTA is looking like a limousine service at this point. I’m just thrilled that I no longer have to bring a car to work or sit in traffic.

DOWNTOWN LIFE: ENJOYED

I’m working in a historical high-rise building, with a fancy lobby attendant and everything! It’s surreal. We walked to this cool little place called The Plant for lunch on my first day; really great sandwiches, salads, and healthy food. My office is amidst tons of high-end shopping, a billion restaurants, and skyscraping office buildings. I’m in awe of this place, and I still feel like I’m in a movie.

OYSTERS: SHOT

Never thought I’d do an oyster shooter, but when you’re with a dozen or two strangers who are your new coworkers at a fancy French cocktail lounge and restaurant in the Financial District of San Francisco and there are oysters being offered you just shoot them back like they’re telling you to. They taste like sea water, and I was okay with that. I chased it with a french fry though. And a French 75. And a champagne cocktail.

COSTCO: LOATHED

My first and last time at the South San Francisco Costco was an experience I will unfortunately never forget, rife with fire hazard levels of crowds, little to no personal space respected nor observed, and a hefty helping of PTSD to take home with me alongside my bulk jars of coconut oil and family-sized CT crunch. I shall never return, and accept the premiums that come with delivery services.

NORDSTROMS: COMPARED

The Stonestown Nordstrom is definitely older and in need of renovations, but the staff is remarkably friendly. The SF Centre Nordstrom downtown is fancy and chic, but the staff is abysmal (save one awesome girl named Tasha in the handbag department, she coo). You just have to pick your battles, I suppose.

Aside from the touristy things, I’ve been setting up my room. I have a lot of modifications to make, furniture and decor to buy, and pieces to refinish, but I’m really enjoying the process. I’ve been working with the amazing design company Laurel & Wolf (s/o to Olivia for setting me up!), and I’ll be documenting the before, after, and everything in between! I’m turning a 1930s home into my little oasis.

I haven’t quite unpacked, and many of my belongings are still in San Diego, but it’s really only day 5 at this point, so I’m feeling okay about it. For now, I’m focusing on getting started at work, and finishing the next week or so of training. I promise I’ll keep posting here! Don’t you even worry.  I have some more fun things coming from some cool brands I’ve discovered, so stay tuned!

xx,
Dominique