All posts in: Bay Area

Life
30 Apr 2016

Bay Area Eats: Leo’s Oyster Bar

photo cred | SF Eater

A few weeks ago, my gal pal Andie and I decided to try out Leo’s Oyster Bar which has only been open for just a couple of months. It had been showing up on my Instagram feed more than usual, got a solid review from Mandi, anddd I just love oysters. Having been disappointed by the other oyster places in the city, I was really hoping that this one would not disappoint. And it didn’t! Andie I showed up without a reservation and were seated in under 30 minutes. We had the option of sitting in the main area or the lounge in the back – the only downside was that we wouldn’t have access to three of the menu items (which was fine by us!)

Here’s what we ordered and what we recommend:

  • a selection of raw oysters
  • Oyster Carbonara w/ crispy pancetta
  • Rock Shrimp Toast, Bacon and Lemon Aioli
  • Seafood Bisque w/ Lobster, King Crab and Rock Shrimp
  • Dessert: Lemon Mousse w/ Brown Butter Streusel

Andie let me know that she’s never been a huge fan of oysters so I shared with her the menu beforehand and after our evening together, I think she was a converted fan. The two of us have had our girl dinners for the past few months now, but Leo’s was definitely the most fun for us! You’ll love the decor, but you’ll love the food even more.

Style
20 Aug 2015

How Do We Get These Walls

Black sleeveless blouse – Madewell / Back pants – Uniqlo / Booties – Munro via Nordstrom / Purse – Vince Camuto

My friend Sandeep just returned from an extravagant European vacation so after her and I caught up over a Thai dinner a couple of weeks ago, we decided to venture out over to the nearby Santana Row. I didn’t think that we were going to be able to find a nice backdrop for a photo, but this was a hidden gem. Doesn’t it look like we travel really really far away to some place amazing instead of an outdoor shopping mall?! I’m donning my usual uniform this summer – mostly all black and that wavy hair that I just can’t stop spending an extra 15-20 minutes on every morning.

Uncategorized
16 Aug 2015

We Went to Taylor Swift!

Sometime last year, my co-workers had bought 24 tickets to Taylor Swift. At the time, I was like “Oh, nah I don’t want to go. I hadn’t even listened to 1989 really.” Then the week before the concert was actually happening, a serious wave of FOMO fell over me. I needed a ticket. I wanted to go, but I didn’t want to say anything because I had turned it down so hard before! Luckily, someone pulled out in that final week and a spot had opened up to which I quickly accepted. Even in the time since the album was released, I still hadn’t listened to it that much other than the songs that had gotten radio play, but I was still really excited. I’ve heard such good things about Taylor as a performer and I really wanted to see it for myself!

As a group, we held a “Taylor Tailgate” prior to going into Levi’s Stadium. The demographics around us? Young girls and their parents, as expected! This was still one of the most fun things that I’ve been a part of this summer though 🙂

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Read more “We Went to Taylor Swift!”

Life
24 Aug 2014

The Bay Area Rattled

I experienced my first California earthquake in the middle of the night! When I lived in Seattle, I remembered how those earthquakes felt and none were ever at the level of this one. Going through it, it felt a lot more powerful than I had realized. The earthquake affected all of the Bay Area hitting Napa and Sonoma the hardest and registering at a 6.1 magnitude level. This was the strongest earthquake to shake the Bay Area in the last 25 years.

We’re all safe here in the South Bay and I hope everyone else is doing the same!

[Source]

Life
23 Aug 2014

Previous Weekend Snap

Moshi Moshi

My friends’ pick for a snack might be a mid-day coffee, a cookie, or a muffin, but mine? Sushi. I could probably eat California Rolls every other day as a snack if that option were available to me. And yes, I know that California Rolls are the most basic aspect of sushi, but what – you think I can afford to have nigiri as a snack that often?! Last weekend, my friends and I had a dinner reservation at Flour + Water in San Francisco at 8:00 PM. I had had brunch earlier that day around 1 and considering the enormous meal I had at Outerlands, I thought I would be all set. I must’ve been kidding myself though because on Sundays I’m always used to eating dinner early around 5 – which is where this snack came into play. I walked myself over to Moshi Moshi in Dogpatch and after scarfing down this roll, I considered getting another one until he suggested that I better not.

I want to live above a sushi restaurant.

Life
09 Jul 2014

Blog Roundup

– J.K. Rowling gives us a summer read by continuing Harry Potter’s story [Source] / I can’t see it because I refuse to make an account

– 70 of the most useful websites on the internet / oh man all in one place!

– The best music of 2014 so far / really not a bad list to be listening to right now

– The 12 best monthly deliveries / for guys I guess

– A running of the bulls is coming to the Bay Area / wut

– Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes are apparently expecting a child together / so…no hope for Ryan and Rachel then?

Uncategorized
12 Sep 2013

Garden Party Going Away Preview

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As someone who has been planning events since I was 16, I really couldn’t leave this city without throwing one last party. Since I’m never looking forward to fall all that much, I was trying to drag out summer for as long as I could with a garden-themed going away party! At the end of the evening, I think I attempted to give one last closing speech – but geez we all know what happens after I have one mimosa!

I’m just kidding. I think I was really flustered at the time and I didn’t get to say all that I wanted to say so if I had a chance to do it over again it would look like this:

It’s been a year. When you’re a senior in college and you catch up with the friends that have graduated before you, they speak to you as if they have a little secret. It’s cause they do. The year after you graduate has been the biggest strugglebus I have ever endured – moreso than any womp womp breakfast I have had to go through in all of my four years of college. Your friends don’t tell you this because everyone’s experience is different and also they don’t want to shatter the glass. It is inevitable that we will all go through it, but we have to learn the hard way. Your good friends know that this will be coming and when you struggle they will be present for you.

Through everything, the most important lesson that I have learned this year is how lucky I am to have such supportive friends and family in my life. I’ve thought that I could try a lot of things in life, but I haven’t always succeeded at all of them. In fact, I can give you one general subject that I don’t succeed in at all – athleticism. Regardless, – no matter how ridiculous the idea is, the people in my life always seem to think that i can do anything  and it’s the most humorous part of my life. Shoutout to Dom who reminded me of how winded I got when I took hip hop classes in college.

If I could summarize the most important lessons that I’ve learned from this year in this post – these would be it. Let’s go back to the basics.

  • Everything happens for a reason
  • What goes around comes around (yeah, we see you JT!)
  • You are the company you keep…so that’s why I keep Kathleen (pictured above) around!

Friends and family, thank you for being here to celebrate my accomplishments in Seattle. I will do my best to continue to make you proud in the Bay!

Uncategorized
29 Aug 2013

Where Does This Yow Yow Go?

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Since I’ve announced my relocation, friends, family, and businesses that we have been collaborating with have been directing a very specific question towards me.

Where does Yow Yow! go from here? 

I’ve been thinking about this for a very long time, long before I even received my job offer  and I have considered multiple options on how to make a very smooth transition for the blog. I HOBviously am not ready to let this go. This summer, we’ve been working harder than ever on our collaborations, on original content, and even creating more personal posts to give you a better idea of who I am outside of the blog. All of these things have been so important to me. For four years, Yow Yow! has very much been a huge part of my life bringing my relationships closer to me through content and expression. As readers, you have seen me go through four years of college, graduate college, start my professional career, and now relocate to a different city! That kind of thing in the blogging world is just unheard of. Regardless, I am so proud of how far we have come. With that said, I would like to let you all know that Yow Yow! is not going anywhere!

There will be several changes made to the blog, but for the most part things will be the same. The varied content that you’ve been seeing for years will still be just as random and tailored to all things I still like and enjoy writing about. Yow Yow! will also now be based in BOTH Seattle and the Bay Area , which means yes – I will start over again and begin reaching out to and working with Bay Area and San Francisco businesses. It won’t be easy, but it’s a challenge that I am ready to accept (right now.) Additionally, since I will have my hands full becoming well acquainted with the Bay Area, I am leaving Yow Yow! in the hands of two people that will keep the blog running in Seattle. As you all know Veronica Lim has been my partner in working with Yow Yow! for quite some time  but moreso officially announced this past summer. The girl knows this blog like the back of her hand and can give you the most accurate description of what Yow Yow! does and what it stands for to anyone that asks. Seriously, I make her do this every time we meet with someone new that we want to work with and it blows me away. Another contributor that you will be seeing on the blog is Cameron Deuel who made his debut on Yow Yow! just yesterday with his pre-Bumbershoot review post. Together they will both cover Seattle related-news and expand on our music section with original content.

I am so excited to finally be having contributors on Yow Yow! especially during this important transition time for me. Thank you all so much for your continued support and we can’t wait to share with you what ideas we have for the blog in the future.

Uncategorized
22 Aug 2013

From SEA to the BAY

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Seattle is the best home I could have asked for! I feel really lucky to have had the opportunities that I have had working in the Seattle music scene as a booker at 16 and building up a Seattle lifestyle blog  just four years ago. I’ve met the most incredible individuals that have helped shape who I am today and I have the best support system in the world – my family and friends. I’ve been able to pursue every dream growing up here and I hope I can take that same drive  with me as I relocate to the Bay.

If you’ve been reading Yow Yow! for the past year, you may have noticed a pattern with some of my posts lately. Over the past several months, I started developing a slight crush on San Francisco and the Bay Area. This led me to asking myself a serious question of where I saw Yow Yow! going and when I decided that I couldn’t see my life without it, I realized a change had to be made. I’m thrilled to announce to you all that I am taking up a new opportunity in the Bay that merges my professional career with my passion for fostering a community in the online space. Could there be a more perfect match? We got really lucky with this one!

There is no other university like Seattle University and there is no other neighborhood like Capitol Hill. I will miss them very much! As I reflect back on what has been my norm for the past several years, I recognize that this move is necessary and is so much bigger in the grand scheme of things. I will miss this pretty city, but I am excited to be working alongside an innovative team that promotes sharing and growing the world’s knowledge. As I say goodbye to the city that helped raised me (along with my parents) I hope that I am fortunate to come across genuine and friendly individuals that will impact my life just as much as it did here.

I’ve lived here my entire life (and what a great place to live in, right?) but now I am ready to take on a new city and a new adventure.

Thank you all so much for your continuous support and kind words!