San Francisco, here I come! | Las Vegas Boudoir
“No city invites the heart to come to life as San Francisco does. Arrival in San Francisco is an experience in living.” ~William Saroyan
I will be away from the office from Saturday until next Wednesday because I am heading for San Francisco!!! Sooo thrilled to be going back to this lovely city! Joe will be attending a conference there that will keep him occupied from around 7am – 7pm everyday. I pretty much begged him to bring me with him even though I will be spending most of my time there alone. I honestly don’t usually do so well in situations on my own like that but I am actually welcoming the adventure this time! I experienced Milan, Italy under the exact same circumstances many years ago, and found it to be one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. When you are exploring a new city alone, you get to know it a bit more in depth on your own terms…kinda nice! I have already plotted out some of the things I can do in or around the Union Square area that are all accessible by foot. Really excited!
Some of the things I am hoping to do:
MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) – this is an absolute must for me! If I chicken out on doing anything else by myself I am still going to make sure I do this one for sure.
Lunch or dinner at a few French style cafes such as Cafe Claude or Chez Papa
Sushi at Sanraku and maybe Akiko’s
Of course I have to stop at the local LUSH to stock up on a couple of goodies for my time there!
It would be great if we can see Cat on a Hot Tin Roof while we are there!
Sunday’s a Drag Brunch at Harry Denton’s Starlight Room sounds pretty interesting too!
Happy Hour at Fifth Floor Restaurant perhaps?
A Thai massage at Suchada would be pretty fantastic!
Or maybe a Parafango Treatment from the Burke Williams Spa?
But, alas I will most likely pay a visit to the local Border’s book shop when I first arrive to get some books I haven’t had the time to read while I am in Vegas working on other things. Yes, sadly, I will probably be spending the majority of my time in the hotel room (hope it has a great view!) reading & working on business ideas and using the hotel gym while I am in this fair city this time.
I’ve already seen a lot of the typical San Fran attractions – walked the Golden Gate Bridge, went to the Fisherman’s Wharf, went down the zigzagy road, etc. So my idea of exploring only a few blocks should really be a breeze, if I muster up the courage to do it!
What are some of your favorite San Francisco attractions? Are there any other things in the Union Square area that I shouldn’t miss out on seeing or doing?
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Back from Vacation and Ready to Rock More Shoots | Vegas Boudoir
Wow, what an amazing vacation in Kauai! If you are looking for an incredibly beautiful destination ripe with adventures, Kauai is the place to go! Some of the highlights:
Seeing the Napali Coastline via the Holo Holo Charters catamaran.
This was by far the greatest adventure of our trip to Kauai!
We decided to do the Sunset Cruise to see the beautiful Napali Coastline and were not disappointed with it’s beauty….totally awe-inspiring.
I actually had envisioned that this would be a mellow boat ride, and even contemplated wearing a dress. I am so glad I decided to go more casual, because the ride was actually pretty rough and everyone was blasted with the sea salt spray….especially those who opted to sit outside.
This was one heck of an amazing experience. The crew was really friendly and incredibly knowledgeable, the food was good, the drinks were plentiful, the view spectacular and the ride that terrified me at first ended up being a LOT of fun!
Thanks Holo Holo guys for such an amazing time!
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The Beautiful McBride Botanical Gardens:
This (McBryde Garden) was not what I expected at all! But, I am happy to say, that I very much enjoyed it anyway.
I had imagined we would be in a smallish garden of well-organized flowers and trees, like other botanical gardens I have been to. But my first inkling that this was going to be different was when we had to board a tram to get to it. But then I had a slight panic attack when we rounded a corner on the tram and I noticed we were on a very narrow trail with a cliff on one side of us…only to be quickly followed by a cliff on both sides! Gasp! I just tried to focus on the beauty surrounding me and it worked thankfully.
Once we were dropped off we quickly tried to make our way around the massive garden, which felt more like a forest to me. My favorite part was on the way back in the tram when our guide pointed out where they filmed a scene for Pirates of the Caribbean 4 just two weeks prior. Dang it, I missed seeing Johnny Depp?!
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Of course the beaches were incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time there reading and taking in the beauty surrounding me. I brought a few business related books but couldn’t put ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ down long enough to entertain the others. Oh my goodness, have you read Eat, Pray, Love? It’s such a fantastic read for any woman. If you haven’t read it yet, hurry and pick up a copy before the movie comes out on August 13th!
Another favorite activity was running along the trails next to the beach in the mornings with Joe’s daughter Brittany. Hoping to make that a habit on the pretty trails near where I live.
And, if you go to Kauai be sure to visit one of the Farmer’s Markets! We found lots of locally grown goodies there.
As for restaurants, my favorite was Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill and also Roy’s. The markets have some pretty incredible Poké too! Yumm!
Are you taking a vaction this summer or have you already had a get-away? If so, where are you going?
Here are some random pics from the trip (click thumbnails twice for full sized images):
And, now that I am rested and recharged, I am ready to start rocking out those boudoir shoots and orders again! If you are thinking of doing a boudoir session as a holiday gift in December, please consider booking your shoot early. August would be a great month to beat the holiday rush!
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Back from Vacation
What an amazing vacation in Aruba we had. I am back though…refreshed and renewed, excited to start shooting again. Thank you to everyone who contacted me with inquiries while I was away. I am especially appreciative for your patience in waiting for me to get back to you. I had limited access to phone and email while away.
Here are a few shots from my vacation.
The beach we spent most of our time on. Turquoise water and white sand beaches..beautiful!
The view from our room. We were able to watch people on the lazy river from our balcony.
Iguanas were EVERWHERE! We even spotted one in the top of a tall tree on our last morning there.
I’ll post more images and details from the trip soon. Just wanted to let you all know that I am back now!
Leaving for Aruba!
We are heading for Aruba today! I may be unable to tend to emails or phone calls while away, so please expect to hear back from me on or around August 3rd.
Can’t wait to share my experiences with all of you from the trip, which is my first real (big) vacation since Milan, Italy in 1999…yes, I was badly in need of a get-away.
Looking forward to lots of fun photo sessions in August. If you are contemplating a shot that month, please start thinking of reserving your appointment so that I can be sure to get you in.