San Francisco 50 "Girlcation"

For my bff's 50th birthday, she planned the perfect "girlcation" and asked me to join her.  With a lot of arm twisting (haha), I managed to free up my weekend to spend with her.

Leg #1: Temecula to Santa Barbara

Our #1 "must do" in Santa Barbara was a trip to Backyard Bowls.  That place is AMAZING!!!! It's probably a good thing we don't have one closer.

Since it was Linda's actual birthday, Rachel hooked us up with reservations at Toma.  She knows the owners and was able to get us a last minute table (you usually need to book a few weeks in advance).  

Linda said this is the best dessert she's ever had!

 Leg #2: Santa Barbara to San Francisco

Rachel and I made sure that we were covered in the snack department.  Trader Joe's was a big help since they have the best snack foods.  As we drove, we stopped a few times for food and potty breaks.....it's not about getting there fast, it's about the journey (or so we told Rachel each time we stopped).

We drove straight to the flea market on Treasure Island where we met up with Linda's sister, Stephanie.  We spent the next few hours looking for old, yet cool stuff.  

For lunch, we picnicked on the lawn behind the food trucks - so fun!

Our amazing Rachel also hooked us up with a stay at the Four Seasons in Palo Alto where I slept on the most comfortable roll away bed imaginable.

After checking in, we got dolled up for a night in downtown Palo Alto.  Rachel is such a good daughter and offered to do Linda's hair.

The next morning we had breakfast at Stephanie's and then went into San Francisco.  We couldn't leave before going to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Stephanie recommended another yummy restaurant, Fish, that we just had to have for lunch.  The fish and chips were amazing!

The view from our lunch table - not bad! 

Leg #3: San Francisco back to Santa Barbara

We left San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge which was beautiful with the clouds coming in.

As we searched for a McDonald's diet coke, we got routed through the beautiful streets of San Francisco.  While it took us longer than we planned to get our drinks, we sure were glad to enjoy the scenery.

We got to Santa Barbara pretty late and so we slept in a little the next morning (or, as Linda put it, we woke up "natural").  The most important part of the day was a return trip to Backyard Bowls - YUM!!

After eating our favorite food, we spent time exploring Santa Barbara before heading back home.

Leg #4: Santa Barbara back to Temecula

We almost drove all the way back without stopping, but then realized that Volcano Burger wasn't too far out of the way and we were a little hungry.  Their fried zucchini was a great end to a fabulous trip!