I’m back from San Francisco, and unfortunately, as of today, back to the daily grind. But, I will live vicariously through my blog posts this week, as I recount my field trip to Artizia, and purchases at Saks and Bottega Veneta!
I will try my hand at doing one of those cute posts where the blogger shares a recent trip she made, with witty stories and beautiful pictorials…but…I realized on this trip that I am a bad photo journalist. I brought my clunky DSLR camera on this trip with grand ideas of photo documenting my trip so I could share it with everyone…and…I failed. I forgot to take my camera most places, or felt awkward whipping it out in the middle of dinners or drinks…and ended up coming home with nothing much more than a few sad attempts at being “artistic”, and photos I took at the Museum of Modern Art. Oh well.
Anyways…here we go:
 |
| View from Union Square |
I really wanted to take photos of the great architecture in SF, but this is the only decent one I got. A near encounter with a handbag thief made me a bit weary to whip out an expensive camera on the street, so this is the only shot I got, in a very safe and open area of Union Square. We went to dinner a few places in other parts of the city and all I kept thinking about was how beautiful the buildings were and how much I wished I had my camera. Darn.
We spent an afternoon at the MoMA, which was really cool. I got to see some pretty famous works of art, and some art students, who were so inspired by the art they saw, decided to create their own, which consisted of one girl posing awkwardly in the striped stairwell while the second girl took pictures from “creative” angles. Hmmm.
 |
| I liked this one because it’s fashiony =) |
A good college friend who now lives in Oakland met me for lunch, and took me on the BART out of sheer principle. As a Los Angeles native, I learned a long time ago that public transportation is only taken by people who smell like pee, or intend to mug you. The SF BART system pleasantly surprised me. Only a few people smelled like pee, and most looked completely normal. I also learned that if you’re on an escalator, you stand to the right, and walk to the left…fascinating!
And now…let me present my new wallet!
This beauty is from Bottega Veneta, which is probably my favorite luxury accessories brand. I love the signature thatched leather, and logo free design. The color is so bright and cheery, I love pulling out my wallet just so I can look at it! I’ve wanted a BV wallet for a while now, and I had a few hundred dollars in gift cards to spend (company rewards for completing a few projects at work…whoohoo!), and decided to finally just do it. I’m so glad I did. My last wallet was dirty, old, clunky, and a bit embarrassing to pull out. Now I’m proud to whip out my little red wallet, but it just makes me want a Montaigne handbag all the more now!
In my next post…I’ll show you what I picked up at Saks Fifth Avenue!
Definitely understand the feeling of, OOH IS THIS GOING TO BE TOO AWKWARD TO TAKE PHOTOS OF? But then when I look at the too few photos I take, I go, "Eh, I must have been having too good of a time to take photos!"
Sounds like you had a great time in SF, though!
(PS. As an Orange County native who had never taken the bus prior to coming to LA, I've actually found that the bus is not as terrible as I think it is – but then again, I'm mostly in West LA.)
Haha, due to work and college internships, I've had to spend a good amount of time on subways in LA, SF, NYC, and of course home in Boston. Sadly I think LA is the grossest, which is probably what propels your image of public transit. I don't really care for the other 3 either (bf and I got assaulted on NYC subway last month!), but I hear the subways in Tokyo and bullet trains in China are nice : )
Love the new wallet. I'm a fan of BV woven goods as well.
Wallet is beautiful! Plus, bright wallets are easier to locate at the bottom of a dark purse.
I think the "stand on the right, walk on the left rule" is universal w/ public transportation escalators. . . Here in DC, the impatient, type-a gov't workers get really annoyed if you stand on the left side of the Metro escalators!
J. – West LA buses look much more normal than anywhere else in LA. Lots of students take buses in West LA, so I think that helps. My mom takes the bus into Downtown sometimes…and THAT is scary!
PAG – Assaulted in NYC? Oh geez…now I'm terrified of that subway too! LOL. I love my car.
Anonymous – So right! I didn't think about the brightness making it easier to find, but now that you mention it, it completely is!
I remember the "walk on the left" rule from an airport I was in with a long people mover escalator thing…Atlanta maybe?? It jogged my memory to get hassled aside in SF…lol. It's amazing how LA car culture can cripple us LA natives when it comes to the etiquette the rest of the nation abides by. I felt so lost & confused taking public transit. =P
I am a scare-dy cat when it comes to public transit or even walking around downtown. But then again, probably for good reason- my brother was robbed at gunpoint last year when walking to his car from a restaurant. Sometimes I just want to get far, far away from the big city. sigh.
Love, love your cute red wallet!
Hope you had fun! I'm from SF Bay Area. I had only used public transportation here when I was in school. From what I remember, it was a pain in the a$$. Bus drivers in SF are allowed to not show up to work once in a while. If you miss your bus, you'd have to wait 30 minutes for the next one! We have the most inefficient public transport system in the world. My hubby and I use subways, trains and buses when we travel. NYC, Chicago, and Paris subways are the dirtiest. Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore subways are the cleanest!
I've taken the LA bus a time or two back in college… and like most LA residents, I try to avoid it if I can. For such a large, spread-out city, I don't know why we don't have a better public transportation system. No wonder our freeways are always congested.
I love your new wallet! I have a slim dark red patent leather wallet that I totally love but unfortunately scratched a few weeks ago… I still use it because I refuse to buy anything else (for now), but it makes me so sad every time I see it :\
BV. OMG. LOVE BV SO MUCH.
I definitely know what you mean about taking your camera out for photos. I don't know how other bloggers do it without feeling awkward. I hate the weird stares I get from people around me when I whip my camera out, or when my boyfriend whips his camera out to start snapping away.
BART is definitely a step up from regular public transportation. It surprised me the first time I took it too a few years ago.
ANYWAY, back to your BV. I am in loveeee. The intreccatio weaving is so gorgeous, and the leather is so soft, and the color is beautiful. CONGRATS!!!
Does this mean bigger BVs are in the works for you? :)
Paulina – There is a blog I read where the blogger actually takes her pictures, outside in the middle of the city, by setting up a tripod and using a remote on her camera. I don't know how she does it! I'd be so embarrassed!
Thanks for the BV love. Soooo glad I bought her… definitely a good purchase. A bigger BV is hopefully in my future, but not for a while. I've wanted a Montaigne satchel for years…someday…*sigh*