Just spent a girls’ weekend in Austin, Texas! It was my first time in Austin, and really in Texas (I was in Waco for a few hours in 2006, but I don’t really count that). We didn’t have any major plans for the weekend other than exploring Austin. And explore we did!! Here’s a little guide to the places we ate and explored.

This weekend I had the pleasure of staying at The Row in Reno, Nevada. I’d been to Reno a few times post-Burning-Man, but never really explored the city or the resort casinos.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m a professional photographer and a San Francisco local. So what does that mean? That I know all the best places to shoot!

Ok, I'm FINALLY writing up this Seattle city guide from our trip in early June. Seattle is in my top 3 favorite cities (can you guess the other 2?), and I could absolutely see myself living there. It's a green wonderland - driving through the streets, you end up feeling like you're driving through a national park.

We recently visited Portland and stayed at the gorgeous Kimpton Hotel Vintage in downtown. The hotel was perfectly situated near restaurants and shopping, a few blocks from the water and bridge views, and directly on the path of the Rose Festival which we accidentally ran into on our first night in Portland!

I recently flew to Los Angeles for a few days for a work trip, and the lovely @chelseapearl joined me. If you know me, you know L.A. is one of my favorite places! There are so many fun new spots to visit every time I go, so I figured why not start recap'ing my trips!

I recently visited Chicago with the hubs. Aside from almost freezing to death (hah!), we had quite a lovely time eating and playing tourist. I lived in Chicago 10 years ago (not sure how I survived!), so it was fun to come back and revisit some of the same places, but also see how much the city has changed. Check out my fave eats and sights below!

Kimpton's newest location is also it's most luxurious. La Peer is located right off Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, and I was lucky enough to stay there during my last trip to LA. And guess what... I'M OBSESSED.

If you know me, you know that Palm Springs is one of my favorite places to relax and take photos. It's an incredible desert oasis, pulled out of a different time, where phones don't get service and poolside brunch is a state of mind. 

Kimpton is one of my favorite hotel groups in the States, and luckily, I had the pleasure of staying at the Gray in Chicago (and their newest location, in LA: La Peer, look out for a blog post on that coming soon!). Each of Kimpton's hotels is unique, reflective of the city and neighborhood it's in, and incredibly luxurious, with signature accents like a gorgeous tub and shower combo.

During my trip to the Napa Valley Film Fest, I had the incredible opportunity to stay at Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa! I'd never heard of this hotel before, and the name threw me off a bit, but oh my gosh, it's the cutest, hipster kitsch-iest, comfiest hotel with rooms that are made to look and feel like motorhomes, but in the best possible way.

One thing that my husband and I have in common is that we much prefer driving to flying, so naturally, we love exploring our state and the states around us on road-trips. Last week we drove up the coast to Eureka, which is a little town in the redwood forests of Northern California.

I just got back from one of my favorite cities - Seattle - and want to share my fave places to go!

The reason that I absolutely love Seattle is that it feels like you're in a park no matter where you go. It's SO green and is surrounded by water (reminiscent of SF). There's less traffic and life is a little calmer all around, but there are still amazing places where you can eat and explore.

Some of you may know that L.A. is like a second home to me. I go there as often as possible, and love every second of it. There is an inexplicable energy in La La Land - it's a creative mecca, where people go to pursue their dreams.L.A. gets a bad reputation for being fake, but there are actually an incredible number of amazing views, restaurants, museums, and neighborhoods to explore.

Check out some of my favorites from my last trip to the city of endless creativity!

We didn't find this amazing hole-in-the-wall cafe until the end of the trip, but it turned out to be one of our faves! They have a tiny menu - acai bowls, smoothies, beef or pork lunch bowls, and tacos - but the food is so delicious that it doesn't get old.

This edition of Julia Recommends is ... (drumroll please) ... my nail salon! I usually just go for a pink/nude/grey color, but this week I was feeling extra saucy so I got this adorable (schizophrenic?) mixed canvas kind of deal. Take a look for yourself (and notice that pretty much anything I hold, ever, had to do with boba tea, obvs):

Last week, my hubs and I went to Palm Springs for the first time to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary. It was honestly our best vacation ever! I've heard so many great things about Palm Springs, and yet it was still even better than I imagined it.