SF, I love you.

Meet Annalynn

She's a teacher, a bruncher, and a wonderlust seeking for adventure at any given moment. 

She's passionate about Jesus + children  and can't get enough of matcha green tea lattes. SF, has her heart, get to know her and adore her as much as I do. 

What brought you to SF? 

Honestly, I'm in amazement of how I ended up in a city like San Francisco. Really, the only explanation is God. I was a small town girl dreaming of something bigger than myself. God simply presented opportunities at the most perfect time and here I am sitting in my apartment in San Francisco answering questions of why I love this city. Seriously, its insane and I couldn't be more grateful for it. 

What do you love most about the city? 

The people, the creativity, and the oh so delicious food.

The people because you literally meet people from all over the world. There's nothing more beautiful than hearing different types of languages being spoken in the 7x7 square miles. And simply the stories of each person and what brought them here is something that makes this city extra special. 

The creativity of this city continually inspires me everyday and I couldn't be happier to be part of it. 

Do I need to say more about food? Whatever I'm craving from a hamburger to a korean taco. There's a spot here for it.

Favorite spot in SF? 

San Francisco has just too many amazing spots to choose from, but if I had to narrow it down, I have to say my cute little roof top. One side overlooks the pacific ocean, and the other side overlooks the colorful Inner Sunset homes with a glorious backdrop of Mt Sutro. Most days, Karl the Fog slowly rolls in and covers everything up and its simply just breath taking to witness. 

Favorite coffee + tea? 

Blue bottle, the iced new orleans. Savmovar Tea Lounge at Yerba Buena Park, tea and a gorgeous view...what more can you ask for? 

Typical day in the city? 

Weekday: I'm lucky enough to live 12 blocks away from work. So I get up, have a little breakfast and then enjoy my little stroll to work. 8 hours later of hanging out with 2 year olds and paint all over my clothes, I'm either off to check out a local Sunset restaurant or home to hang out with my awesome roomies.

Weekend: Sleeping in! Brunch, at home or trying a new place. And then off roaming the city.

Where do you brunch? 

Griddle Fresh! It's a hidden gem in Noe Valley. The lemon ricotta soufflé pancakes are seriously the most fluffiest pancakes I have ever had in my life. It's like eating little delicious clouds. And the hash browns, oh the crispy hash browns are just to die for. Check them out, and I promise your brunch game will never be the same. 

How does the city influence & inspire you as a person? 

It's a city of dreamers. It continually inspires me to dream big because go GIANTS (!) or go home. 

Favorite San Francisco memory? 

A dear friend came to visit and we went to Twin Peaks at night and just watched the twinkling lights of the city and talked about all the crazy things God had done in our life. 

SF in three words: Charming. Inspiring. Foggy.

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

10 Things I've learned this week...

1.  SF is never prepared for the heat it gets ever summer aka...every September. SO HOT!
2. Pour over technique #toomuchwork why I pay people to do it for me.
3. Apparently...already grounded coffee just isn't okay. 
4. Fall is here, even though it isn't even close to feeling like fall...it's still HERE. 
5. I've missed this blogging thing
6. sometimes you just have to eat dessert first 
7. Go with the gut, say yes to fun!
8. Guys, Monster Squad is up on Netflix now. Excited would be an understatement. 
9. TJ's...{trader joes } never a good idea in the city on Sunday's or Mondays or even sometimes Tuesday's... 
10. Jesus is everything.

SF, I love you...

Say Hello to Dia.  She's a Kindergarten teacher who inspires kids that it's okay to get messy, take risks and explore the impossible. She's a lover of plants, hot coffee, outdoor beauty and prefers dark chocolate over milk.
She also, loves the city and all of its quaintness. 
What brought you to San Francisco?  A fresh start. A new beginning, a risk to find happiness on my own, living here I've found a piece of myself that at one moment in time was lost. This is my second time living in the city as an adult and it took leaving to realize that this is where I belong. 
What do you love most about the city?  I love that at one moment you are walking down a street alone reliving your past, thinking of your future and living in the beautiful moment of the present. Then you turn the corner and you realize your not alone but instead submerged with people, friends and iconic cityesque life.  
What is your favorite spot?  At the top of any SF hill when the fog has just set and it feels a bit erie...thats the perfect spot in the city for me. 
Favorite coffee + latte?  Hands down blue bottle in the Embarcadero...specifically on a Saturday morning during the Farmer's Market. 
Where do you brunch?  Savor in Noe Valley right on 24th Street. It's quaint and it has the best oatmeal pancakes in the city. I ask to sit outside you won't regret it. 
How does SF influence or inspire you?  It inspires me so much, every single day.  Professionally - it inspires me to be a better teacher. Everyday I'm surrounded by under privileged children in the inner city school I teach at, these children's love for life, their home, their heart for their favorite places in this city...inspires me to be the best teacher I can be for them.  
Personally- it inspires me to be creative, to be me. I am inspired to love people, love my surroundings. Inspired to eat healthy, be fit, this city challenges you everyday, it's a pusher for sure. 
Favorite San Francisco memory?  Driving across Golden Gate Bridge. There is something so invigorating about driving across, until you experience it... there are truly no words to express that moment.  
SF in three words? Lovely, lovely, lovely. 

SF, I love you.

SF is my heart. there is no other city I love more or could imagine living in.  This new series will feature my dear friends who love SF as much as I do and fellow SF lovers to get their perspective on this beautiful darling city we all call home. So lets begin...

Say Hello to Angelique.

She's a passionate 21 year old who is always up for adventure, loves Jesus, who's heart breaks for people and is a world changer. Oh, and happens to be my sister too.  

What brought you to San Francisco?
God brought me here! Jesus called me to move here 3 years ago to start a church called Canvas(canvas-sf.org). My parents are true San Franciscans (yes, the rare "born and raised" kind), and my heart always yearned to move here, but when God actually told me to "go and make disciples" I was more excited about coming to the city than ever before and I knew then why my heart was so fond of SF. I'm so happy to be here!

What do you love most about  the city?

I love the culture here. The walking, the decedent foods, the artistic and soulful coffee/tea houses, the music that surrounds you everywhere (on the streets, in the subway stations, in restaurants and coffee shops, etc.) I love it all. Once you come to SF you never want to be anywhere else, it's home to me.

What is your favorite spot?

I would have to say the view from the top of Dolores Park. It takes my breath away. You can see the whole city in all its glory. I know you can't view the bridge, or the water, or whatever, but I can see the city I love lit up and smiling back at me. It's an experience.

Favorite coffee + latte?

That is SO hard, but as far as latte's go I love Sight Glass. As far as coffee goes, I love Blue Bottle. And as far as tea goes... I love the Grove. (sorry I didn't exactly choose one...)

Where do you brunch?

Definitely Mission Beach Cafe. I judge brunch spots based off their mexican inspired dishes(I guess it's the latina in me lol) and MBC's Huevos' is BOMB.  Beware you may be tempted to run across the street and get a haircut at Population Salon. 

How does SF influence or inspire you?

San Francisco influences me to strive for what I am most passionate about and drives me to to the highest potential of happiness that is possible. It inspires me to explore new things and allows me to discover more of myself each day. 

Favorite San Francisco memory?

Walking through the Tenderloin district (the most impoverish, substance abuse stricken district) with my father as a little girl. Growing up, I was never sheltered from the evils of this world and getting to see such pain at such a young age definitely shaped me as an individual. Walking through the Tenderloin is truly one of the most humbling experiences to see people enslaved to drugs, alcohol, poverty, etc. and realize just how beautiful your life is. I have been empowered and inspired in my life to help the people in the Tenderloin through my church, Canvas. (canvas-sf.org) and have been intervening on behalf of the Tenderloin through the organization, City Impact, for the last three years. 

SF in three words:

Live Laugh Love... Ha, I'm totally kidding. I'd have to say "Beautifully, Wonderfully Made"