SF, I love you.

 Photo Cred: Mark Andrew Gonzales

Say hello to Paulo & Regina Delacruz.
Advertiser + Teacher by day. 
Foodies by night. 
They've lived in the city for almost 5 years now and they fall more in love with it everyday. 
On the weekend you can find them basking in the Sun{set} waiting in line for brunch sipping on hot coffee + munching on cinnamon toast.

What do you love most about the city? 

Regina: I love the fact that you can get anywhere by walking and public transportation and that there is ALWAYS something to do. But the thing I love the most is how amazing the food is here. Ah, and the weather! I absolutely love the fog and watching it roll in is always fascinating to me.

Paulo: The short distances of travel needed to experience completely different vibes. Whether it be between neighborhoods or between the city and the surrounding stretches of nature like Mt. Tam.

What is your favorite spot?

Regina: The Ferry Building. Especially on Saturday mornings. 

Paulo: On a regular basis, it's the immediate surroundings of 7th Ave. and Clement. Other times (especially with visitors) it's the Ferry Building.

Favorite coffee + tea? 

Regina: Sightglass on 7th and Folsom. The space is beautiful and the almond lattes are always perfect. 

Paulo: This is tough! Coffee Cultures for flat whites, Jackson Place Cafe for cortados and Sightglass for pour-overs. Shout out to the Blue Bottle on Bush and Sansome for the affogatos and the deluge of natural light.

What's a typical day in SF for you? 

Regina: 

Weekdays, it's a walk to my bus stop on 8th and California to hop on Muni and spend the next 8 hours teaching some of the cutest kids. There's also lots of coffee involved, mostly from Jane on Fillmore, and then a bus ride back to our neighborhood (which I absolutely love and hope to not leave anytime soon). I'll usually end up on the couch watching Netflix and deciding whether I should make dinner or order take out. On Tuesdays, I head over to a ballet studio nearby to take a class (I just started and I kind of love it) until 8:30 pm, and then I'll walk back home to sit on the couch and watch Netflix. 

Weekends, it's usually sleeping in and lounging around until I'm ready to get out of bed and leave the apartment. (It's usually for coffee and food.) I love walking around the city, exploring, and being reminded of how beautiful this city is.

Paulo: 

Weekdays, it's a foggy bike ride through Golden Gate Park that quickly turns into a sunny roll down Market Street followed by 8-10 hours in an office broken up by walks to the myriad coffee shops within a one-block radius of my work building. Then an extra windy bike ride back to the Richmond which is pretty much all uphill. 

Weekends it's sleeping in until about 9:30 or 10, then an hour of convincing Regina to get out of bed to get coffee and walk around outside with me.

Where do you brunch? 

Regina: Outerlands! I remember going when they first opened/before the lines were ridiculously long and falling in love with their grilled cheese. So good. It's worth waiting in line for. Plus Trouble Coffee is on the same block, so we'll usually grab coffee and some cinnamon toast while we wait. 

Paulo: Outerlands for me too. Eggs in jail!  

Photo Cred: Brandon Wong Photography

How does the city influence + inspire you? 

Regina: I feel like, regardless of how much the city has changed, I'm still surrounded by creative people who inspire me to keep learning, to keep traveling, and to keep trying new things. 

Paulo: Through constant exploration and through the amazing people I've met here over the years, the city has inspired me to be more adventurous in thought and in action.

Favorite San Francisco memory? 

 Regina: One of my favorite memories is when I just moved up here about 4 and 1/2 years ago, and I was walking up 9th Ave with Paulo late at night, towards our new apartment. It was a feeling of excitement, nervousness, and unfamiliarity, but It was one of the best feelings I've ever experienced. I still smile whenever I walk up 9th and I think about that night. I had no idea what the future held for me then and it's led me to some of my absolute favorite memories, from being proposed to in front of our apartment in my pajamas at 5 in the morning, to marrying my best friend at Old St. Mary's Cathedral and then celebrating with all of our favorite people on Treasure Island. 

Paulo: I have two: one was my first cable car ride on California Street. It was my first week in San Francisco and literally my first ever commute to work in the FiDi. I remember seeing the Bay Bridge slowly reveal itself as we made it up and over the hill. I felt incredibly lucky to be here. 

The other was immediately after our wedding - we were on Treasure Island and I was staring at Regina as she gazed out across the bay toward the city, her wedding gown fluttering in the 15 mph wind. I felt incredibly lucky to be here with her.

SF in three words: 

Regina: Foggy. Expensive. Home. 

Paulo: Waiting in lines