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Monday, April 28, 2014

Sunday Funday from San Francisco!

Hi everyone!  I have been in San Francisco for the past couple days, and it's been a lot of fun!  I even with to an organ recital (he played mostly Bach) at the San Francisco Symphony today, which was a first for me.  The organ is such a weird instrument.  I can't imagine playing with my hands and feet at the same time lol!  It looks crazy!  The symphony hall is very pretty though.  But every time I go to a classical symphony event, I get worried about their future.  Their audience keeps getting older and dying off.  It's a real problem for them.  It would be interesting to see what they can do to keep this culture alive.


I went up close to the stage afterwards, and took pictures of this weird thing that they use to play the organ:



That was fun though!  But considering how big the organ looks, I thought it was going to be a lot louder than it was.

So I am staying at the beautiful Ritz Carlton Residence, which is a members only condo style building that I got hook ups to lol.  Basically one of my mom's friends paid Ritz Carlton a lot of money to be a member, and she gives me free stays sometimes.  This is actually the second time I've stayed here, and this time I got a 2 bedroom suite.  It's quite nice, and the service is top notch!  The most important thing to me is of course... the gym!  This place has a 2 story gym, with most things I need (wish they had a squat rack lol).  So that makes me very happy.  In fact, I took pictures of it!

It's two stories - first level is cardio machines, and second level is weigh machines:



They give you these cute little water bottles (also refrigerated ones underneath), fruits, and disposable headphones which is super cool!




That was the first thing I checked out after checking in!  Last time I stayed here, the gym was still under construction so they sent everyone to Equinox which is a block or so away.

They also used to have free breakfast every morning, but I guess they found that to not be worth it.  So now they just have the room as a lounge where you can hang out.  They have public MacBooks, printers, etc. and they hold a lot of free events like wine tasting, fashion shows and stuff like that.  They have this awesome espresso machine!  It makes a really good latte!  I didn't try the booze on top... haha!



Here's what the lounge looks like, and the snacks:



Maybe I went a little crazy, but I also took pictures of one of the bedrooms, the enormous bathroom (!!!) and the kitchen!  I stopped there but there is also another bedroom, 2 other bathrooms, living room and dining room.  This place is so nice!  If you have the opportunity, I'd highly recommend staying here.  They bake cookies everyday too which you can get as many as you want when you go in and out of the lobby... I guess that's why they have a nice gym!  =)





I wish I could just live here!!!  The top levels of the building here are units for sale.  But they are very very pricey.

Anyways, so my coach has started me on a "building" phase of my weight training, which started this week.  I've been training with him for almost a year now!  We've been doing kind of a "leaning out while building a little bit of muscle" phase.  But now I am at a point where I can eat more food and really start to build some muscle definition without adding much fat.  It is easy to "bulk" if you don't care about gaining fat, but I don't want to do that for obvious reasons, so I'm going the slow way.  I think it's worth it though.  I've been only doing it for a week so far, but I already feel like I'm getting a little more definition!  But then I came to San Francisco and started eating a lot more than I should, so it is now hard to tell my progress.  =/  Speaking of eating though.... this morning, we walked over to Chinatown and had really good dim sum at this restaurant called Great Eastern Restaurant, which Obama showed up unannounced to back in 2012.  They have a big picture of him posted outside of the restaurant!  Way to get all the Asian American Votes... hehe!



I'm going to be really good when I get home next week!

Ok so, as far as my workouts go this week, I had to be at work an hour earlier than usual so I didn't have time to do any cardio.  I also pretty much rushed through my weight sessions.  Then I made up for my cardio sessions this weekend in San Francisco!  So I did get all my workouts in.  But next week will be back to normal, and I'm looking forward to that.

Monday 4/21
What I did:  Lower body weights.  My coach lowered my reps so I'm supposed to increase weights.  Yikes.

What I wore:  Lululemon Cross My Heart tank in silverspoon, with Beyond Yoga Gathered Legging in fern green and new printed Nike Free 3.0s.  I think these shoes are getting more comfortable, I'm trying to wear them a lot and stretch them out.


Lululemon Journey Jacket as to and from:


Tuesday 4/22
What I did:  Shoulder & Tri.

What I wore:  Lorna Jane Replay tank with Victoria's Secret Angel Sports bra under.  Athleta Relay Capri in coral sizzle (there are actually kind of sheer/thin, so must wear appropriate underwear with them) and Nike Free Bionics.



Lorna Jane Sophia top as to and from:


On the evening, I went to boxing class, and I wore the Lululemon cool racerback in wee are from space cadet blue, with Lorna Jane Duo bra under it.  Splits59 Nova Capri tights and Nike Free Bionics again.


I wore my new love - Nike Dri Fit Knit Epic Crew over it as to and from:


Wednesday 4/23
What I did:  My weight training program now has an additional day of glute work - it is tagged onto the beginning of my back/bi workout.  So this one is now really really tough!

What I wore:  Lole Guell tank in banana square, with Beyond Yoga Gathered Legging in nutmeg, and Nike Free 3.0s in gray/crimson.  I take a lot of photos of my outfits as you see here, so I have pretty good comparisons of how different items fit me.  I think the Beyond Yoga leggings are always the most flattering!  I also really like the earthy combination of this outfit:






Thursday 4/24
What I did:  Legs again!




 I wore the Nike Dri Fit Epic Crew as to and from again, because I love it:



Friday 4/25
What I did:  Upper body supersets!

What I wore:  Splits59 Sabrina Razor in teal/navy/fire, Lululemon Inspire Crop in inkwell which I hemmed, and Nike Free 3.0s in gray/crimson.



I wore the Vince Paper Leather Scuba jacket to the gym, because I wanted to wear it to work afterwards:


Saturday 4/26
What I did:  Well, I actually got into San Francisco at almost 10 pm on Friday night.  Had a late dinner reservation with some friends at La Mar again - my favorite restaurant in SF!  So I slept in a little and then did 45 minutes of treadmill interval walk on 15% incline before starting my day!

Oh yeah, I stayed at a different hotel (Hotel Diva in Union Square, actually pretty funky/cool and in a great location within walking distance to everything) on Friday night because the Ritz Carlton was full.  So these pictures are taken there, where the entire room is like the same size as my bathroom at the Ritz... lol!  At least they have a full length mirror though (none to be found in my suite at the Ritz).

What I wore:  Lorna Jane Team LJ tank, with Lorna Jane Kira sport bra under.  Lululemon Ebb & Flow crop in deep indigo, and printed Nike Free 3.0s.


I like the combo of the bra and tank from the back!



Sunday 4/27
What I did:  Another 45 minutes of cardio on 15% incline treadmill.  

What I wore:  Lululemon cool racerback in electric orange, with Lorna Jane Dual Support bra under.  Athleta Chaturanga Capri in purple plaid, and same Nike Free 3.0s!  I only brought one pair of workout shoes to SF with me.



So the weather here is warmer than I thought.  It gets windy and chilly sometimes, but when the sun is out, it is quite nice.  I brought my leather jackets but today I decided to just wear my Lululemon Spring Fling vest in camo over the swiftly LS in fresh teal/very green.  I also busted out my new Aqua skull & studs scarf, and new Kate Spade Cobble Hill Canvas Dot Carson bag.

I'm actually also wearing Lululemon pique wunder unders, but due to the lack full length mirror, you can't really see them!  =/

I am SO glad I got this bag, and at such a good deal.  It's super cute and the size is perfect!



And that's all for now!  It's late here!  I am going to bed so I can get up early to workout and explore the city more!  I grew up here, so it's not super new to me.  But I think it's become much nicer in recent years than when I lived here.  I also really appreciate being able to actually wear my jackets and other cold weather gear here!  Each time I come back, I wish I could stay longer!




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7 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Yeah, it's also much nicer there now than when I lived there. I wouldn't mind moving there again! I could wear all my jackets more often lol.

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  2. That room looks amazing! Thanks for the pics.

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  3. Thanks for your post! I happen to be a full time Symphony Orchestra musician. I am 35, so still have a lot of years of playing left before I will retire. I think it is great you went to the organ recital at Davies. I have played there on tour and it is lovely. The organ can really play loud, but since it was solo (rather than a piece with the orchestra), I would imagine he/she didn't reach the full volume of the instrument. The pipes (where the sound comes out) are really gorgeous there!
    I definitely think about the age of our audiences. I am sure the LA Phil has some concerts to try and draw in a younger crowd...some are shorter with "parties" after to mingle etc... with younger musicians, or more "casual" etc..., silent movies with the symphony behind the screen playing the music.
    I know I invite people who are younger to come hear me play when I meet them, and several are now regulars who purchase their own tickets! I think having a personal connection with someone on stage is becoming very important to a lot of people. I will say that I see a lot more "younger" people in our audiences than I did a few years ago. The music an orchestra brings are truly masterpieces by brilliant composers, and can really enrich a lot of lives.
    BTW, love that Nike Epic Crew...it has been sitting in my Nordstrom cart for awhile now :-)

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    Replies
    1. Oh that's awesome that you are a symphony musician! Do you travel a lot? That's a very interesting life style! I only went to the LA Phil once and the crowd was pretty old too lol. Of course there is always an occasional younger person here and there. But you are right, if I knew someone who was playing, I'd feel a lot more inclined to go. What instrument do you play?

      Most colors of The Nike Epic crew sold out fast on Nordstrom's site huh?? Actually they sold out quick from Nike.com too. Did you guys all go out and buy it?? lol. Good news.... Someone just left me a comment that it is on sale at Dillards for $44. I just ordered myself 2 more! =D

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  4. I'm also a professional musician. Thank you for this post. I am based in L.A. but I adore San Francisco. I was seriously drooling over your organ photos. Glad you had such a great trip. p.s. I also want that crew in every color!

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