hi! my name is molly! + i really suck at posting about things after they happen! but now that i have a reasonable amount of free time again, i decided it was time to buckle down + get this guide posted! a few months ago for spring break, i headed up to san francisco to visit some friends. while there, we took one day to explore the mission district + we were NOT disappointed :) even though it took me a few weeks to get it all together, here is the guide, complete with a video!

ritual coffee roasters

we started off the morning with a stop at ritual coffee for some snacks + fuel for our day of exploring. they've got the cutest interior with pretty natural light + a gorgeous neon display hanging over head. the coffee ain't so bad, either :) it was reasonably crowded in there, even on a thursday, but we didn't have to wait long at all for our drinks.

benny gold

once we finished with our coffee, we headed down the street just to see what we could find, + stumbled upon benny gold! when we first walked in, we were overcome with the amazing smell of homemade chai. this place sells all different odds + ends, clothing, bowling gear, + homemade chai lattes + coffee! sadly we were already sufficiently caffenated, but the smell alone almost made us reach for a new cup!

after life

the next place we stopped was after life, a cute + high-end resale shop. we had a lot of fun browsing around -- there were a lot of great pieces in there. all these places are on valencia street, which is one of the things that makes the mission district so great! these stores all basically all right next to each other, so once you are finished exploring one, you go out + right back in to another next door!

dog eared books

we stopped in here just to take a look around [+ smell that amazing new book smell, haha!] it turned out to be the cutest little store for photos! if i had enough time around then, i would have definitely searched for a new read! does anyone else look at the cover art + then read the synopsis on the inside? so much for not judging a book by its cover, haha!

ampersand

this place has been on my "must visit" list for years + i'm so happy i finally got a chance to visit it! i didn't have any reason to buy flowers, but their open door studio is just gorgeous + it smells amazing! there were a few people in there + it seemed like them most amazing atmosphere. they didn't mind us taking photos in there either, which was really nice :)

little paper planes shop

this place is the cutest! so many fun treasures, the prettiest white space, + the nicest owner! she talked to my friend + i for a while + we found out that she hosts classes in the back space! if you're local to SF, you need to check this place out!

tacolicious

a few days before adventuring around the mission district, i was visiting my friend lauren in san jose + she introduced me to tacolicious! when natalie + i passed by one in SF, we had to stop by for lunch! [it's seriously so good that i'm craving it right now as i type this ha!] the atmosphere is so great, they have amazing drinks, + THEIR. TACOS. the definition of to die for. i got a fried avocado one + one with shredded chicken + grapefruit aioli + they were both incredibly amazing.

boba guys

after lunch, we stumbled upon a boba guys. i had heard of it before but had never tried it, so we stopped in! we have a local boba place near school that everyone loves to go to, so it was fun to grab boba in a new place! it might just have to be a new tradition :) anyway, the boba was super good. + the line was out the door!

clarion street alley murals

kinda sketchy, but wooooorth it. the artwork is so pretty + really ranges in style. make sure to keep a close eye on your stuff + walk back out to valencia street when you leave - one block over is a bit dangerous. we learned this the hard way but it was okay! sadly just a lot of the homeless population is congregated around the mission district.

smitten ice cream

if you've been reading this blog for a while, or knew me remotely at all, you'd know that i never pass up a chance to et ice cream, especially when it's smitten!! i can't remember exactly what flavor it was, but it definitely had something to do with peanut butter ;) i splurged on a waffle cone, because, ya know, you're only in the mission district once! [okay not true but it works as a good excuse you know!?]

so that's it! that's the gist of our day in the mission district! we stopped at a few other places + wanted to stop at a few other places, but ran out of time! so i thought i'd list out some honorable mentions below :) let me know if you've been to/are planning to visit any of these places soon, + what you think!