Point Reyes

Hello Folks!!!!!

My mom came to visit me this weekend and we took a drive up to Point Reyes, which neither of us had ever been to. 

It was fabulous!!!! 

Urban State of Mind | Jeremy's Journeys

San Francisco

I've had a blast this past year putting together features for all of you fine folks to enjoy! They've given me the opportunity to meet new people + to get to know those I do know a little better. The later is the case with today's feature!

Allow me to introduce to you....Jeremy! He is in fact Nelli's boo, but Nelli wanted me to be the one who interviewed him because:
1) She wanted us to get to know each other more intimately
2) I'm the 'feature lady' at BSOM. 
So, Jer + I came together to bring you this lovely Urban Feature all about his worldwide travels!

Meet Jeremy!

Street Life

Here are just a few highlights of my time in San Francisco!

Enjoy!

Nelli + Noonie's Downtown Sac Adventures

#SacramentoStreetArt

Nelli + I got to hang the other day for the first time since she's been back in Cali Cali! First stop on our venture around Downtown Sacramento? A coffee shop of course! We met at the ever bustling coffee shop Weatherstone. It's literally always busy + crowded with people + for good reason! The coffee is top notch, it's nestled in a cozy part of town, the atmosphere+ space are lovely; the walls filled with art created by local artists, there's plenty of nice outdoor seating on their back patio, + how could I forget to mention the building itself?! I forgot to take a picture of it, but found this one online.

#TBT

I rarely ever post a #TBT (that's Throwback Thursday for those of you who have been living under a rock lol)  but I do enjoy doing it from time to time. Hell maybe I'll start doing it more regularly. We'll see. It's just kinda fun to look back + reminisce sometimes. Anywho here's my #tbt for ya, a photo I took a few Summers back when my mother + I took a trip to the city (SF). We had such a good day hitting up all the 'usual spots', but we also headed to Golden Gate Park, a place we don't usually venture to when we go to the city together. I personally love GGP. Certain parts of it just make you feel like you're in the middle of the forest, when really you're in the middle of a huge city. That feeling always trips me out. Anyways after we hit up the park we decided to go to the beach to soak up some sun + ocean time. This particular beach we went to has a huge wall that runs alongside the beach area + it's COVERED with graffiti. If you're a regular here on BSOM you know I LOVE graffiti, so this huge wall of pieces was right up my alley! Of course I snapped some photos! One being the photo pictured above :) 

So there ya have it my #tbt. 

I'd love to see your #tbt! Comment below with a link so I can check it out! 

Until next time friends...Cheers!!!

<3 Noonie

Portals + Stairs

Please enjoy a few images from my recent Urban Excursions around San Francisco!

-Nelli

San Francisco Housing

Just a few shots from my recent adventures around my new City :)

Enjoy!

-Nelli

Welcome Home!

As you may have figured out by now, my new home is..... SAN FRANCISCO!
I am so excited for all of my new adventures here!

Urban State of Mind | Nathan's San Diego

Putting together Feature 'Blogorations' has been so much fun for me! 
I've gotten to meet new people + I've had the opportunity to get to know those I do know a little better. The later is the case with today feature.

Meet Nathan (+ San Diego)! 
He is a friend of Nelli's who I have met a handful of times + you may recall Nelli + he collaborated on a post earlier this year: Caramelized Leek, Basil, + Black Pepper Biscuits. 
Nelli wanted me to be the one who interviewed Nathan because:
1) She wanted us to get to know each other more intimately
2) I'm the 'feature lady' at BSOM. 
So, Nathan + I came together to bring you this lovely Urban Feature on what his life was like when he lived in San Diego, CA.

"I'm 26, born and raised in Sacramento, graduated from NewSchool of Architecture + Design in San Diego + work as a Designer at the architecture firm Lionakis in Newport Beach,CA I love traveling, photography, cooking, wine, + great cocktails." - Nathan

Current City: Irvine, CA

BSOM: Where are you originally from + why did you move to San Diego?

Nathan: I was born in Sacramento, and moved to San Diego in 2010 to complete my Bachelor's of Architecture degree.

BSOM: What's the biggest difference between Sacramento + San Diego?

Nathan: San Diego reminds me a lot of a 'Sacramento by the beach,' with the city sprawling out with lots of suburban areas, but a really exciting and lively urban core downtown.

BSOM: How long did you live there + why did you move away?

Nathan: I lived in San Diego for 3 years, from July 2010 - August 2013. I moved because of a job opportunity in Newport Beach. I think that if I didn't have that opportunity, I would have stayed in San Diego.

BSOM: What did you enjoy most about life in SD?

Nathan: Living in downtown San Diego was always exciting, there was always something going on and you could just walk out your door and be within walking distance to restaurants, the nightlife, basic amenities. I liked how relaxed the atmosphere is, the weather was always nice (even when it wasn't it was great), and there's a scene/neighborhood for everyone.

BSOM: Best experience you had living there?

Nathan: It's hard to pinpoint one particular experience that I had, I think that it was a great place for me to transition from living at home to being on my own.

BSOM: What negatives (if any) were there to living in SD?

Nathan: Relative to the whole of San Diego, the downtown is very small; while this created some interesting pockets within the sprawling neighborhoods, the vast suburban neighborhoods were also a major detractor in creating a vibrant urban environment outside the downtown area, and walking between the neighborhoods didn't really happen. 

BSOM: One piece of advice you'd give someone who is considering moving there?

Nathan: Spend some time in San Diego exploring the neighborhoods before you commit to moving to any area, and realize that most of San Diego isn't at "the beach".

BSOM: What was the biggest change you've had to make in order to adapt to life in SD?

Nathan: I had a pretty smooth transition, I moved down with a lot of friends from home and knew a lot of people in San Diego prior to moving down. I think just finding a place to live was my biggest obstacle. 

BSOM: Transportation: How did you get around?

Nathan: For getting around most of the time downtown, I would drive just because my daily schedule of activities was very unpredictable, but I more often than not walked to class because parking enforcement was terrible.

BSOM: Favorite "locals only know about it" hang out spot?

Nathan: The funny thing about San Diego is that so much of the population are from elsewhere, and not many people are actually "locals". And San Diego is also a huge tourist town, so even the "local" non-Gaslamp places will often have plenty of out-of-towners. My favorite place in the East Village (the "artist/up and coming part" of downtown SD east of the Gaslamp) is called Neighborhood and the attached Noble Experiment speakeasy with their amazing mixologists.

BSOM: Any local artists/street art you recommend we check out? 

Nathan: A classmate of mine started to make a name for himself doing live art pieces at venues and in the San Diego art scene, his name is Max Mcilwee. He specialized in urban art work with spray paint as his medium. 

BSOM: Favorite restaurant + coffee shop in SD?

Nathan: My favorite restaurant is Underbelly in Little Italy, a hipsterized/trendy ramen restaurant in a converted wine bar. Local beers, great food, and windows that fold down into communal tables. Caffe Calabria in North Park is a great cafe with cold brewed iced coffee.

BSOM: Favorite "day trip spot" in SD?

Nathan: I have two favorite spots to just walk around and enjoy the city, both different but equally the epitome of San Diego. The first place is The Prado in Balboa Park - what started off as the stage for the Panama-California Exposition is now a concentration of museums, art and culture, and gardens with great views of downtown sitting above the city. The second place is the Cabrillo Point tide pools, natural unobstructed, non-tourist overcrowded waterfront with incredible views of the setting sun.

BSOM: If someone only had one day to experience your city, what would you recommend they see/do?

Nathan: Eat and drink you way through San Diego, avoid the Gaslamp unless you're going clubbing, and stroll along the wind sandy beach front of the Hotel Del Coronado.

BIG thanks and shout out to Nathan for his contribution to this blog!!

Until next time friends...Cheers!!! 
<3 Noonie

P.S. Would you like to be featured right here on BSOM?! Email us! We'd love to hear from you! 

Check out our Contact page for more info! :)

The Prado in Balboa Park

Hotel Del Coronado

Urbanized

Getting myself into the 'planning spirit' this morning by watching this documentary I found online: Urbanized.
If you are interested in urban planning, care about your community, live in a city, or just want to learn something I highly recommend this documentary. Its basically everything I've learned throughout my Masters Degree program.

Which gets me thinking, what is the best way to plan a community? and is there only one 'best outcome'? I don't think that we have an answer for either of these questions, but they are a good place to start the brainstorm. I am personally in favor of planning through community involvement + self organized urbanism.
Planning with community is definitely taking off across the USA, this mode of re-designing a city involves talking to the community and understanding what they need, want, and desire to make their spaces better. The first step in any planning process should be to understand the community, we start by looking at demographics, understanding the street grids, knowing where the parks are, what economic activities occur, what leisure activities take place, and what the built environment consists of. The next step is almost always walking the area, surveying to understand if all of the statistics you just found are indeed correct or if the demographics are wrong, if the stores have all closed, maybe you find out that the kids play kickball in the street and the cars stop for them... These are the details that create each community and give it its personality. These are the things you could never find through statistics and research. Surveying, or people watching, is a major part of our profession; not to mention the most fun! Hopefully through your surveying you get to know community members, talk to them, and start holding referendums where they can convene and discuss as a whole their desires. After awhile, the planners start drawing up plans and proposing changes. These changes would ideally be proposed to the community so they might give input.

You can understand how after this lengthy process each community might need something different. One community might need a new grocery store, while another wants a park, and another needs the city to repair damaged roads, etc. Which brings me back to my question 'What is the best way to plan a community?' and the answer is: that there is none.
This is a unique process where the possibilities are endless and the changes can be infinite.
It is a process none-the-less that will always be needed for societies across the earth, so long as humans inhabit the earth; and at the rate we are going, cities are growing exponentially and by 2050 we are expected to have 75% of the human population living in cities. While this impact will not likely be felt within North America or Europe, across Asia, Africa, and South America this will be drastic! The 'developing cities' are growing at a rate previously unseen, what are these cities to do? They definitely should not be following the old model that was set up by the west, but what type of new models should they introduce? How should they organize? What functions do they need? What resources?

I am both excited and frightened at the world we are creating, and I am sure many critiques will be made, yet the possibilities are so great that I don't know if it really matters. At the end of the day, if you can improve the lives of your citizens, even just one person, then isn't that what we are here for?

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**Now that I have re-read what I just wrote, I'm not really sure I got us anywhere more than a simple rant.... But hopefully I can make just one person think a little bit more about the process

Celebration | Westward Bound

Seventh Stop: CELEBRATION

My last destination on the East Coast was Tampa, Florida. One of my best friend's lives here with her family so it seemed only fitting as my final (and longest) destination spot.
As a City Planner I have spent time researching cities across this great country, big + small, urban + rural, particular + typical; so when I realized that Celebration, Florida was right outside of Tampa I decided that I just had to go!
Celebration is a Disney Designed Community, created to replicate different types of American houses as well as create a walkable community with sidewalks, water features, and small clustered shopping areas. Upon arriving in Celebration I could not overcome my excitement when I saw the little downtown strip. The 'downtown' has brick streets, a lake at the end, little shops to buy trinkets, banks, a movie theater, restaurants, and a surprising number of real estate agencies. We walked around for a little while before stopping at the corner diner for a quick lunch. The food was nothing special, but large portions for the price, and the kiddos got balloon lightsabers (how cool is that?!). After lunch we departed, but not before driving around and checking out a few more homes.

My two-cents:
From the outside Celebration seems like a typical suburb, nothing that would particularly stand out to the laymen. However, the fact that these shopping centers and walkability were worked into the community is particularly unique. While they are not my 'preferred' restaurant quality, stores, or style I do appreciate that Disney took the time to try something new + different, not to mention that the development is basically sold out which shows me that people want to live in communities with easily accessible shopping + activities. So cudos to them!

** I refrained from writing about Tampa, FL as I wrote an in depth blog about it last year.

Previous Posts:
Nelli is Moving
Baltimore
Virginia
Asheville
Greenville
Columbia
Charleston
Tybee Island

Tybee Island | Westward Bound

Sixth Stop: TYBEE ISLAND

Oh Tybee, Oh Tybee...
I could drift away and live the life on this little island.
I regret to say that I was having too much fun to take many photos, which is indicative of this place. Not to mention the sites are not anything particularly outstanding, however, the lifestyle and experience was incredible.
I arrived in the evening and was greeted by my buddy I met while in Savannah a few months ago. We immediately got to 'doing what the locals do,' drinking at Sand Bar. This little bar is located on the main drive, offers cheap drinks, jello shots, a fantastic owner, and a good lot of locals to converse with. Tonight was 'Open mic night' (which also happens to be the busiest weeknight and full of local talent). We spent the evening doing jello shots, whiskey-gingers, and countless numbers of beer while chatting up almost anyone who would listen to me (this is a common problem of mine), and staying up way past my bed-time.

Day 2 was begun at the local hot spot Breakfast Club. Where I indulged in pecan waffles (or as I was corrected 'pea-kahn'), my buddy got a more traditional chicken fried steak, hash-browns, toast, and grits. Breakfast was cheap + huge! I only ate half of my $6 waffle. Here we ran into some of the friends from day 1, also enjoying breakfast; so of course and impromptu day of drinking and laying on the beach was scheduled. We scurried off to collect some whiskey, beer, and snacks and rendezvoused at the beach (it is legal to drink in public + on the beach in Tybee). The next 6 hours were filled with drinking and relaxation. Once the sun decided to go down on us (boo!), we made our way over to Huca Poo's where we had pizza + beers for dinner. Pizza was yummy, beers were cold, and the bartenders were entertaining. We smoked, we drank, we stayed up far past our bedtime.

Day 3, I woke up in the home of two of my new girlfriends, who were the cutest things you've ever imagined! They had music playing - First Aid Kit (which is one of my new favorite bands) - as they danced around and made smoothies for all, before driving me back to my car where I would drive to my final destination on this leg of the journey: Tampa, Floria; but not before I stopped at Arby's for a mid-day roast beef sandwich!

Previous Posts:
Nelli is Moving
Baltimore
Virginia
Asheville
Greenville
Columbia
Charleston

Charleston | Westward Bound

Fifth Stop: CHARLESTON

Now, lets talk about my love of Historic Preservation!
Charleston is full of historic buildings, cobblestone streets, and well maintained plantation homes. That being said, it was also quite obvious that this city has many low-income and poverty stricken individuals. Driving in this was easy to spot right away, however, walking around took a little more time... I digress.

I began my day in Charleston with lunch at Husk (which was recommended by my friend from Columbia, SC) where I ordered the gulf classic 'shrimp-n'-grits + a local beer. This restaurant is mid-priced and celebrates heirloom ingredients that are locally sourced. My not being a grits expert, I found this dish to be well compiled and generous on the quantity + quality of the shrimp, well balanced with the chorizo + veggies. I only ate half of my lunch, and took the other half with me for dinner later.

After lunch I decided to stroll around town, made my way to the Battery, waterfront, old town, city hall, and countless random stores; before making my way to Black Tap Coffee, for a shortbread cookie and a soy gibraltar (its the same as a cortado). The coffee was good, which seems to be a trend throughout my trip, and the cookie was the perfect size for an afternoon treat. Black Tap was located across the street from public housing structures; I find places like this to be quite intriguing. Artisan coffee across the street from people who wouldn't be able to enjoy it, tis the modern movement I suppose. Anyhow, it was noteworthy to see how this city has developed and how close the proximity is between the high-income plantation like homes are to the low-income public housing units.

My last walkable destination was the Historic King Street Shopping destination, cluttered with high-end products and services that I for one could never afford. This street was equivalent to Fifth Avenue in New York City, and quite sterile in my opinion. Eventually I made my way back to the car, passing the horse-drawn carriage tours, and some fun and funky Charleston accessory stores.

As a whole Charleston is a very walkable city! I was able to see the majority of downtown in a matter of 4 hours, and I don't feel like I missed out on any sites. However, the food.... I am sad to say I was not able to consume more food products while I was traveling through. I guess I'll just have to make that into another trip.

Previous Posts:
Nelli is Moving
Baltimore
Virginia
Asheville
Greenville
Columbia

Columbia, SC | Westward Bound

Four-and-a-half Stop: COLUMBIA

If you thought my stop in Greenville, SC was short wait until you hear about Columbia. I was planning my trip between Greenville + Charleston when I realized that Columbia was about half way and that I'd had a random friend who lived there. I met him while I was traveling through Croatia this past May, so I rung him (well I text him) and we scheduled a coffee date + brief walking tour of Columbia. We met up at Drip Coffee which comes highly recommended! I got a soy cappuccino and he got whatever his 'regular' is, some type of flavored latte which sounded fantastic! Then we scurried away coffee in hand to wander around the streets of Columbia and catch up.
This little capital is quite intriguing!
First off I South Carolina looses a good deal of business from companies who would hold conferences there, however, they refuse to for the simple fact that South Carolina still waves the Confederate Flag at their capital (which can be seen in the photo above). This town has all kinds of building and development occurring right down their main street! Its crazy for me to see so much construction in a downtown since I spend a majority of my time in larger cities. I find it quite fascinating to see how a city is structuring its future and the types of people and development they are attracting.
Anywho, I think this little downtown area was fantastic, quaint, and simply adorable! I wish I had planned longer to visit the city, but alas I never have enough time.

Previous Posts:
Nelli is Moving
Baltimore
Virginia
Asheville
Greenville

Greenville, SC | Westward Bound

Fourth Stop: GREENVILLE

While I was only in Greenville for about 12 hours, it made quite the impression on this little lady! Lucky for me Greenville, South Carolina, was about 1 hour outside of Asheville and double lucky me as one of my New York friends recently moved to Greenville.
I arrived at about 6:00pm and met up with my friend at his apartment, I took the 'back roads' to get to his place and the countryside was so beautiful: quaint little houses, lots of brick, and tree filled front lawns. When I got to his place I was surprised at how much nature was around his 'semi-suburban' chateau. It wasn't long until he took me downtown to check out the town. First stop: the town waterfall. This waterfall and river run right through the center of downtown creating a beautiful backdrop as well as a place for locals to relax. Afterwards we wandered up and down the windy main street sandwiched between the tree walls and the brick facades I was in my mini-version of heaven. Little stores, nice looking restaurants, kind people, and good company.
This evening neither of us were hungry (which was a bummer since the restaurants looked scrumptious) so we decided to stop in at the brewery: Blue Ridge Brewing Co. They had 4 beers on draft, each of which was $3.00, yes $3.00!!!! The beers were cold and the bartender was fun, he even gave me some tips for where I should go once I move to San Francisco.
The rest of this evening was quiet and relaxing, just what I needed after that crazy night in Virginia!

Previous Posts:
Nelli is Moving
Baltimore
Virginia
Asheville

Asheville, NC | Westward Bound

Third Stop: ASHEVILLE

As beautiful as Virginia was, my overnight stay was odd to say the least which meant I was happy to awake in the morning and make my way onto Asheville, North Carolina!
The drive was about 3 hours and beautiful was an understatement. The countryside in both Virginia and North Carolina was breathtaking. With 70's folk music on the radio and a bag of strawberry liquorish in hand I arrived in Asheville around 13:00, just in time for a late lunch. First stop was 12 Bones Smokehouse, I had read so much about this BBQ joint and I could not wait to try it! I ordered a side of pulled pork (which is a MUST in North Carolina), a side of sliced brisket, and a side of corn pudding. First off I was super excited that they offer sides of meat as there was no way I could have finished a whole plate on my own. Second off everything was amazing, and Thirdly I'm still not quite sure what the hell-o corn pudding is but boy is it tasty! After filling up on meat and corn I took myself on a little walk around the River Arts District (RAD) which was conveniently located right next to the BBQ joint. The little art studios were super cute and very creative. This area used to be factories and has since been converted into artists studios and they are almost all open to the public. I would definitely recommend a stroll down the Arts district if you're in town. I (of course) love all the brick buildings. After my stroll it was time for (my now routine) afternoon coffee, and the lucky joint up on the chopping block today was Waking Life Espresso. This place was a ways away from the RAD, but it was nice to see another area. It was cute, an old house turned into a coffee shop and they had surprisingly good vegan baked goods (My meat eating South Carolina buddy would soon validate this claim).
Unfortunately, all these little trips did not leave me much time to explore Asheville on foot, or to take many photos, but I took myself on a little driving tour before I headed to Greenville, SC for dinner with my New York Pal. Ashevilles historic downtown was adorable and filled with what I can best describe as 'modern hippies.'
Stay tuned for the next few cities in South Carolina....

Past Posts:
Nelli is Moving
Baltimore
Virginia

Pulled Pork, Sliced Brisket, Corn Puddin'

RIP Downtown Plaza

Source

Rest in Pieces Downtown Plaza, you will be missed. My once favorite mall in Sacramento is currently being ripped apart + torn down *sniffle* in order to make way for a brand new King's arena. I'll admit the Plaza wasn't what it once was before they started tearing it down, but I'm still going to miss it. I loved its location right off of J St. +  how it was an outdoor mall (the only one around Sacramento in fact). I have so many favorite memories of the Downtown Plaza since I have been going there ever since I was about 8 years old. I thought it'd be fun to take a little trip down memory lane + share some of my favorite Downtown Plaza memories as well as a few photos from my very last trip there, which I consequently wish I would've taken more of. 

2nd story views

Views looking out from the back of the Plaza

The path to Old Sacramento

* Dad used to take us to the DTP all of the time on our weekends with him. There would always be different exhibits we'd go see at the Plaza from Dinosaur Days to Gold Rush Days, I remember it like it was yesterday. Fun times.

* Another favorite DTP memory of mine happened when I was about 15 or so + my mom took me prom dress shopping there to get my Jr. prom dress. We checked out all the stores + I finally found one at the Jessica McClintock store. Now that I think about it I also got my Sr. prom dress from the DTP on another trip with mom, this time we scored my prom dress at Macy's. Mom still has those dresses boxed up somewhere but I'll always remember those times she took me to get my prom dresses at the DTP.

* Going shopping after school or sometimes ditching to go shopping with Nelli when we were in high school. We lived in the little old town of Galt so we'd always go to Sacramento to hit the malls when we wanted to go shopping. The DTP was our favorite though, because it had a huge Forever 21, way bigger than the old Forever 21 that's in the Arden Mall.

* + last but not least, I'll remember all of the weridos I saw + encountered at the DTP. Because of it's location there were always colorful characters around the Plaza, this never deterred me from wanting to go to there though, but actually added to the experience. One memory of an encounter with a werido at the Plaza that really pops out is this one occasion...I was at the mall with a friend + we were going up the escalator. Well I went to go grab the railing of the escalator + this guy behind me yells "DON'T TOUCH IT!". He must've been a germaphobe or something. His rant startled me for a minute of course but I held the laughter in + smiled at my friend. We busted up laughing as soon as he walked away. Good times, good times.

Although they are tearing down the DTP at least they aren't going to tear down the tunnel that connected the DTP to Old Sacramento, it's one of my favorite features of the DTP area. I just love all of the murals painted throughout the tunnel + how they play music in the tunnel, especially during the holidays when they play Christmas music, specifically the Charlie Brown theme song.

I shall miss you Downtown Plaza. 
(Yes that's me waving)

Although you will no longer be a mall, I know you will go on to be a lovely basketball arena, lol.

Until next time friends...Cheers!!

<3 Noonie