As the summer season begins, so does the influx of out of town visitors looking to catch up on lost time and explore the local environs. I love playing ambassador to the city because it gives me a chance to show off some of the local flavor of this fabulous city, and check a few places off of my to do list. This weekend, a couple of very close friends from grade school are coming to town for a girls weekend. Let the festivities begin!
photo credit: arrival, luggage is packed
My predictable planning self likes to mock up an itinerary of potential activities and eats to give guests a heads up on any items that need to be packed for a myriad of excursions. Usually guests arrive anticipating an insider’s travel experience, relying on your guidance for the best shopping, dining and only in (insert city here) experiences.
favorite SF things photo credit: biking the bridge, crabs at Crustacean
Now a girls weekend is extr-ee special, because it usually includes all of the things you want to do, and the added bonus of great company to do it in. Mix up your agenda to include sight seeing, shopping, outdoor activities and dining – otherwise, knowing me, I line up food spot after food spot, and we know that gets a little hard on the diet.
photo credit: food trucks via daily candy
If you aren’t an expert in your own town, now is your chance to become one! Browse city guides put together by your local paper or blogging community. This can help you with all types of itineraries – dining tips from the resident food critic to design stores in hip neighborhoods. Chowhound and Yelp are great go to spots to get insight from the inner critic in all of us. And the most extensive collection of travel guides for your very own city is at the local library or bookstore. One of my favorite city guide series is eat.shop, which are now known as rather guides, which turns you on to all the hidden gems great for exploring.
photo credit: rather guids via amazon
And with most cities, every weekend in the summer hosts a festival of some variety or another. From food festivals to arts and entertainment, a Google search should supply you with a a great selection of things to check out.
poster credit: union street festival by chuck sanger
Whatever journey you take your out of town guests on, remember to stock up on the refreshments at home because the best part is spending time with old friends is reminiscing about good times over a glass of wine. Enjoy!