My friend, Irene, and I ventured to the bay last weekend for some touristy fun. Irene and I have been friends since we met in the 2nd grade! Crazy, right?

First stop, Starbucks! We had to get our caffeine on…

We parked at Berkeley and took Bart to the city (San Francisco). We (accidentally) walked through a not so nice part of town on the way to the General Bead. It was worth it! The store is incredibly eclectic, messy (but in a “creative” way), and is not only home to a friendly cat named George but to pretty much any beading supply you could wish for. Upstairs, we found an amazing assortment of unique metal findings, vintage charms, and beads. So much vintage goodness! I actually felt overwhelmed by the selection – but in a good way.

After spending a good amount of time bead shopping, we decided that our safest bet was to take a bus to Pier 39 where we visited the sea lions, spent a considerable amount of time in the magnet store (all they sell is magnets!) and then feasted on clam chowder, sourdough French bread, and fish and chips.

We made a few more pit stops on the way to the Bart station before departing to Berkley to retrieve my car. We headed back to Sacramento, but not before a pit stop at Foster’s Freeze – YUM.

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