With the mild winter we had, I knew we were in for a rough summer. However with these last few weeks of 100-degree plus days, summer has worn out its welcome.
To escape a 105-degree Saturday, my boyfriend, Alex, and I decided to take a day trip to 73-degree San Francisco. We put on our best hipster outfits and headed to the Bay Area for a day filled with fashion and food.
First stop, the de Young Museum. I had never been to the de Young before but I had only heard great things! It is in the middle of the beautiful Golden Gate Park and has a fabulous view of the whole city from the observation tower. We hadn’t even made our way into an exhibit and I was sold.
I have never had a favorable relationship with art; I often walk into a museum and immediately become overwhelmed with history and dates. So for this trip we decided to stick to exhibitions that featured photographs and fashion – my favorite kind of art.
The Real to Real: Photographs from the Traina Collection was exhilarating and playful. My favorite photograph was the Martin Parr, Fashion Shoot for American, New York, 1999, which features a fashionable woman pumping gas.
The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk exhibition was beautiful and exciting. It incorporated the history of his life and his work, and delved into his deepest emotions and relationships. My favorite part of this exhibition was the room that showcased the invention of the cone bra. Did you know the first cone bra Gaultier designed was for his teddy bear?
To fulfill the food requirement of our trip, we finally took the advice of our San Francisco-native friends and went to nopa. Luckily we had reservations, as the restaurant was packed! And for good reason. The food was absolutely delicious and the Bloody Marys were spicy and flavorful. Nopa prides itself on using fresh and local ingredients and on making everything in house – right down to the maple syrup.
If this heat wave continues, I will definitely be making a few more weekend trips to the Bay Area. But for now, I impatiently await fall.
nopa
560 Divisadero
San Francisco, CA
94117