Delarosa Pizza

It has certainly taken me a long time to get to this post, so without further ado, let's talk about some awesome pizza!  While out shopping in the Marina last month, my friend Christine recommended that we try a small restaurant called Delarosa on Chestnut Street.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting when we walked in, but I was definitely not expecting it to be quite so busy!  Delarosa has a very modern interior in bright oranges and futuristic grays.  There is a bit of bar seating available, but for the most part the restaurant is one large room full of long wooden tables.  I believe they call this dining "Roman style," when multiple parties share the same large table.  Overall, it was a totally different, really fun environment.

Now on the to the actual menu.  My only problem with it was that there were too many amazing-sounding options!  Seriously, it took us forever to decide what we wanted.  In the end we ended up getting their pizza with spicy Fennel sausage, onions, and scamorza.  It was fantastic balance of all of the ingredients, thought be warned: when they call the sausage spicy, they really mean it!

Christine also ordered a cocktail (I'm not entirely sure which it was... maybe the Salty Dog?).  She was a bit disappointed that it didn't come in a fun glass, but it was quite tasty.  And yes, that does mean that I had a little sip and, as someone who doesn't drink at all, thought it was quite good.

And just in case you need one more reason to go check Delarosa out, it's just down the street from Kara's Cupcakes.  So naturally, we stopped there as well for our favorite red velvet cupcakes.

The moral of this story?  Chestnut Street is a food-lover's paradise!

Senior Retreat

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to go on retreat with my academic program to the beautiful Applegate in the Sierra Foothills of California.  We stayed at the Jesuit Retreat Center and it was an absolutely magical place.  The buildings were of fairly modern construction, yet simple enough to really feel as though we were getting a "natural" experience (if that makes any sense).

They had a little chapel on site, along with a recreation/cafeteria building, a gathering hall, and a few different dormitories.

We were only there for one full day, so we really tried to cram a lot of activities in.  We began the day with some guided meditation and reflection and then headed out to enjoy the great outdoors.  We started off playing kickball...

A few members of our group had been on retreats there before, and planned on leading the rest of us on a short hike to visit the local river.  We were all packed and excited, when a random thunderstorm decided to descend on us!

We ended up sucking it up and going on a short walk anyways, but our completely soggy shoes forced us to turn back.  We ended the day with a pasta dinner (yes, the food is very good!) and an interesting Japanese film.

Hope you guys enjoy the pictures and video!  Have you taken any weekend trips lately?

August Favorites

A little late, but better than never!

Tips for Packing for College

1. Be weather ready.
I know this sounds pretty basic, but do take the time to research the typical weather for your campus during different times of the year.  This way you won't get stuck in a rainstorm without an umbrella, a snowstorm without a coat, or a heat wave without at least one pair of shorts.  And as weird as it sounds, being mentally prepared for how cold (or hot) the weather is going to be makes the transition a whole lot easier.

2. Be prepared for casual, professional, and dressy events.
Within the first week of my undergrad career I had hiked part of Marin county, worked at a food bank, gone to classes, and attended a formal dinner.  You never know what you might end up doing!  So while I'm not advising you to pack your entire wardrobe (yes, there is such a thing as being over-prepared) bring enough of a variety to allow for different activities.  You don't want to be left out of a trip, for example, because you didn't bring a bathing suit or good walking shoes.

3. Buy school supplies at home.
This might be difficult for those of you flying to college, but seriously, buying your school supplies from stores like Target and Office Depot at home will save you so much money.  Most campus bookstores have ridiculously high prices because they know that they are the most convenient location for students to buy books and supplies.  Yes, this tip applies to coursebooks as well.  If you have the option to get your book lists ahead of time, I highly suggest browsing both Barnes and Nobel and Amazing rather than just buying books from the school bookstore.  Trust me, I saved about $100 myself just this semester by bargain hunting online.

4. Don't bring fragile or emotionally important items.
Consider the following scenarios: You don't know your roommate very well.  It turns out they're a total klutz, and one week in they've already knocked a picture frame off your desk and broken it.  Or how about this: after going to a party one weekend, you and your friends return to your room a bit intoxicated (yes, this is a possibility!) and someone accidentally gets sick on your vintage book collection or rips your favorite poster.  Are you starting to see a pattern?  Basically, don't bring super fragile or important items to college with you.  Things will get broken, stained and stolen.  That's just the nature of the beast!

5. Pack in boxes you can reuse.
Most dorm rooms don't have a ton of storage space, so packing in things like plastic boxes can be really helpful.  You can then repack these with items that don't fit in your limited closet space and store them under your bed.  Save cardboard boxes as well for sending packages home at the end of the year, or even for that random art class you decide to take.

6. Pack enough, but not too much.
I think that the most important thing to remember about packing for college is that you're not moving out entirely.  You're parents will expect you to come home for a least a few of the breaks and so it's perfectly fine to leave most of your clothing and possessions behind. If you're having separation anxiety for that one coat you just couldn't fit, never fear.  Every year when I go home for Christmas, I swap clothes out, leaving things that I'm tired of wearing over and over again and picking up that sweater that would look great with my new dress.  Always be aware that you'll probably accumulate quite a bit of stuff, especially if you live on an urban campus like I did.

I hope you guys find these tips helpful.  Happy packing!