save the date

This just in: weddings are expensive.  

Ryan and I simply can't wrap our heads around spending the equivalent of a house down payment on one night of merriment.  As a result, we are looking at areas where we can do-it-ourselves, and cut costs.  

Next month we will be sending out our save the dates.  We've opted to use paperless post to notify loved ones of our upcoming nuptials.   

Not only is it free, but it's also green.  It's a win/win.

Is this the way of the future?

urban hike

Who says you have to leave the city to go on a fantastic hike?

The other day was unusually hot in San Francisco.  To take advantage of the weather, we embarked on an urban hike.  The plan: walk from the Castro, up to Fillmore, through Nob Hill, and down into North Beach.  It was ambitious, but we were up for the challenge.  

Walking is such a great way to see the neighborhoods.  I'm so preoccupied with safety when on my bike, I hardly have time to see what's around me.  

With no bikes you are free to give pounds to ornamental lions.

We started off up through Hayes Valley, and made our way to the Fillmore.  We wanted to treat ourselves to Fraiche, a natural yogurt cafe, owned by a close friend.  After walking up hills, this treat, hit the spot.  I ordered the frozen yogurt, topped with blueberries, strawberries, and graham crackers.  Delicious!

Feeling recharged by the cooling effects of our yogurt, we continued on to China Town.  I hardly spend anytime here.  It feels like another country.  There is so much activity, and so many new and exotic sights to captivate the eye.  

On a whim, we decided to continue on to Coit Tower.  After seven years in San Francisco, we were both appalled that neither had been.  While the Diego Rivera murals were outstanding, I was disappointed on a whole with the experience.  After a long wait, you are treated to a crowded observation deck with tiny windows.  There are so many places to get a great view of the city, there is no reason to spend $7.  

View from Coit Tower

All that dodging of tourists at Coit Tower left us famished.  It's no easy feat to get to North Beach from our neighborhood, so I definitely wanted to take advantage of this trip and get some Golden Boy Pizza.   Ryan and I split a piece.  We were also in the middle of "No-drink-November," so no beers.  

 Bellies full of pizza, tired legs, and suddenly cool temperatures, all led to the decision to take MUNI home.  All-in-all, a great urban hike, and a fun tour of seldom visited neighborhoods.

Walking: free

Fraiche: $12

Coit Tower for two: $14

Pizza: $4

Roundtrip Muni for two: $8

Total:  $38

brunch, bikes, bowling, and sensory deprivation

On Saturday, Ryan planned a surprise urban date.

We began the adventure by biking to Mission Beach Café.  Great food, great coffee, great breakfast cocktails, all equate to a great big line.  Although Ryan urged me to be ready to head out the door for a 9am arrival, I just couldn’t manage to get out of my snuggly bed.  We strolled up to the café at 9:30, only to be greeted by a massive cluster of early risers.  Our hour wait allowed us to catch up, enjoy a latte, and do some Mission people watching. 

Lesson learned: get to Mission Beach Café right at opening, or make online reservations.

Following our brunch of granola and baked eggs, we jumped back on our bikes for stop #2: Presidio Bowling.

Although the Mission Bowling Club is fancy bowling, Presidio Bowl is cheaper bowling.  It’s the kind of bowling alley that you used to do bumper bowling at when you were a kid.  Nothing fancy, just lanes, cheesy bowling animation, and a bad juke box.  Two rounds of bowling and shoe rental set us back $34.  I also had the added pleasure of buying a new pair of $2 bowling socks.

It’s kind of amazing how terrible I am at bowling.  My original goal, to break 100, seemed ludicrously high reaching after my first final score of 50.  Ryan, on the other hand, was quite successful.  There isn’t a sport that he doesn’t excel at.

Bowling complete, and we were on our way to the Exploritorium to hit up the Tactile Dome.  A friend of Ryan’s was able to get us entry to the Exploritorium, as well as tickets to the Tactile Dome.  So a $75 excursion became free. 

I’ve been dying to go to the Tactile Dome for years, but it is always sold out.  You really have to plan in advance, something I’m not always the best at.  We pushed our way to the back of the Exploritorium and queued up for our turn.  The Tactile Dome is essentially a maze in complete darkness.  Your eyes do not adjust, you must squeeze through small spaces, crawl, slide down unseen slides, and muddle through pits filled with rocks.  It sounded amazingly terrifying.  And amazingly, I was terrified.  I crawled into the deep dark hole, and I immediately felt claustrophobic and panicky.  Ryan, however, stuck right by me and talked me through the whole dome.  The Tactile Dome, moving to the new Fisherman’s Wharf location, is a must do for any San Franciscan or visitor. 

Kudos to Ryan for planning a fabulous city date, he really knows how I would want to spend my day. 

Bikes: Free

Brunch: $45

Bowling: $34

Exploritorium and Tactile Dome: Free

Total: $79 for two

us

I’m such an urbanite.  I love to be in the city.  I love the hustle, the flow, the hubbub, the noise.  I love to spend the weekends in the city, walking the streets, watching the people, eating the food, sipping the coffee; taking advantage of all it has to offer. 

My husband could not be more different.  Although he enjoys living in the city, there is nothing he enjoys more than leaving the city.  He loves open spaces, green vistas, stretching blue water, single track trails, and soaring raptors.  He loves the serenity of nature, the absence of people and noise, and the simplicity of being outside. 

We seem like an unlikely couple, but it works.  He encourages me to explore the green spaces of the Bay Area, and I encourage him to slow down and explore the city in which we live.  It sometimes amazes me that after seven years, he becomes lost in San Francisco, or doesn’t know about popular restaurants and destinations.  I’m sure that my ignorance on running trails and local parks likewise baffles him.  We educate each other and make each other more well-rounded.  

Ryan works for a local environmental non-profit.  He tries to live a green life.  He reuses, refuses, recycles, composts, and above all, bikes. 

Before meeting Ryan, I also lived a green life, but rather than biking, I drove.  This has been the biggest change for me.  After dating Ryan for one year, I sold my car.  Biking in the city scared me, but here I was relying on my green Public bike to get me from point A to point B.  I work in Tiburon, and never thought not having a car was an option.  It’s incredible how easy it is to get all the way to Tiburon without four wheels.  Muni/ferry/walk or bike/ferry/bike.  Easy.  One year later, and I’m still enjoying my new way of life. 

Ryan and I are still figuring out how to successfully blend our lives, and live large in an expensive city on a small budget, all without a car.  It’s tricky, but it can be done.