it's christmastime in the city

 

i have been planning an epic christmassy (i just really like that word!) day in the city all december. the boy blocked monday the 22 off – declined phone calls and set aside interview prep – and i schemed up the perfect plan to see all my favourite holiday things around the city without leaving us feeling super rushed (there’s too many things to fit into the 8 or so hours we had!). it turned out to be an absolutely glorious sunny day, and my itinerary ran almost perfectly :)

we started at the ferry building, which i always adore, but especially with some garlands and twinkle lights. we got some miette macaons and did some people watching.



then we walked down pier 14 for amazing bright views of the city and the bridge.

 

our next stop was city hall. i’ve been wanting to go inside this beautiful building (isn’t it just so grand and pretty?!) since i moved to the bay area, but it is only open workweek hours! the gorgeous interior left me gawking, especially at all the super lovely details, and it was all made magic by the big, glittery christmas tree. 

    

next, we went to pier 39. we strolled around the harbor and the sea lions and the shops, ate a milkshake (it was that warm outside!), and waited for the tree lights to turn on. and waited, and waited a little longer. we had timed tickets for ice skating in union square, so eventually we had to give up – oh, well! {i do love the pier 39 tree because it sparkles like the eiffel tower!}



union square at christmastime … it’s just so exciting. we went ice skating, with about 100 other people on the rink. avoiding collisions and the challenge of holding hands while gliding along the not-so-smooth ice made the experience quite fun and memorable :) the boy is amazingly talented at implementing some sweet dance moves to techno christmas music while ice skating – who knew?! we also walked around a few blocks to see the neiman marcus tree, the sugar castle in the sir francis drake hotel, the macy’s windows, and all kinds of crowds and street performers. the holiday spirit in that little city square is so electric!

  
^^ this was an attempt to recreate the picture we took in this exact spot two years ago. blurry attempt! ^^

our last stop was to take a quick look at the life-size gingerbread house in the farimont hotel at the top of nob hill. it was worth the climb up those steep streets!

 

merry christmas from san francisco!