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Food & Drink Travel, United States

The 10 Best Coffee Shops in San Francisco: A Local Barista’s Guide

Last Updated:   December 12, 2019

The 10 Best Coffee Shops in San Francisco according to a local barista!
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Full disclosure: we’re San Francisco coffee snobs. Like, if it isn’t single-origin specialty coffee roasted to absolute perfection and brewed to order using a system of convoluted scientific-looking objects made out of glass and wood that takes at least 15 minutes longer than necessary to create, we just won’t drink it.

We’re the kind of obnoxious coffee drinkers that have serious discussions with baristas about things like coffee notes, brightness, and acidity, and understand what “first crack” and “full city” mean without actually ever having roasted our own beans.

When I met my husband, he was working as a barista – which was a huge check-mark on my “Trophy Husband” list.  Anyway, although he’s since moved on to become a teacher in Oakland, several of his barista friends have stayed in coffee to become baristas and managers at some of the best coffee shops in San Francisco and California.

We sat down with one of our favorite people, who (when we originally published this post) was a manager and barista at an excellent San Francisco specialty coffee shop, to get his list of the 10 best coffee shops in San Francisco! His list focuses on coffee roasters in San Francisco serving up expertly roasted specialty coffee.

Table of Contents

  • Our San Francisco Coffee Expert
  • What is Specialty Coffee?
    • How to Identify a Specialty Coffee Shop
  • The 10 Best Specialty Coffee Roasters in San Francisco
  • Paramo Coffee
  • Mazarine Coffee
  • Four Barrel Coffee
  • Ritual Coffee Roasters
  • Saint Frank Coffee
  • Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters
  • Andytown Coffee Roasters
  • Linea Caffe
  • Equator Coffees
  • Flywheel Coffee Roasters
  • Map of the Best Coffee Shops in San Francisco

Psst: Visiting San Francisco and the Bay Area? We have several posts about our home that will be helpful for your trip!

  • Where to Stay in San Francisco (& Where NOT to)
  • The Ultimate Self-Guided Walking Tour of San Francisco:
  • 12 Off-Beat Places to Stay Near San Francisco (on a budget)
  • 30 Things Nobody Tells You About San Francisco: A Mildly Helpful Local’s Guide

We also have a Podcast episode about San Francisco! Find out what to eat, where to drink, & the best things to do, plus answers to questions you never knew you had… like whether there is weed everywhere (yes) and if you’ll accidentally see nudity (double yes). We’re also spilling the fair-trade, organic, ethically sourced tea on our lesser-known life of crime.

Our San Francisco Coffee Expert

Our local coffee expert, Tom, grew up in the Bay Area and has lived in San Francisco for years. He and my husband spent years working together – and even living together – which isn’t really relevant, but I just want to make it clear that we didn’t just go find some random San Francisco barista and start interviewing them. That would be weird

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For several years, Tom was a manager at Paramo Coffee. Other fun facts about Tom: he’s actually from England originally, but disappointingly does not have an accent. Also, he looks exactly like this terrible/awesome rapper Yung Lean (terrible because it’s terrible, awesome because it’s hilarious). 

We actually used this picture of Yung Lean in our wedding program instead of a real picture of Tom. Nobody noticed.

Update: Since publishing this post, Tom has since moved on to another coffee shop, and another city (New Orleans!). RIP, all the free coffee we used to get when we stopped by to visit him.

Cold brew coffee. The 10 best coffee shops in San Francisco according to a local barista.
Is there anything more beautiful than cream poured into a cup of cold brew? Ahhh. Magical.
The 10 best specialty coffee roasters in San Francisco, according to a San Francisco local barista! Includes a FREE downloadable Google map. Coffee travel | cappuccino | coffee shops | Bay Area | Third wave coffee The 10 best specialty coffee roasters in San Francisco, according to a San Francisco local barista! Includes a FREE downloadable Google map. Coffee travel | cappuccino | coffee shops | Bay Area | Third wave coffee | latte art

What is Specialty Coffee?

Before we dive in, here’s a quick primer on Specialty Coffee, also known as Third Wave coffee. Born in Portland, Oregon and coined in 2002 (by one of the coffee roasters in San Francisco listed below!), the Third Wave Coffee movement is the latest iteration of coffee brewing. You may also hear it referred to as specialty coffee or craft coffee.

Focusing on high quality, small-batch coffee, it is everything that Starbucks isn’t, and the difference in quality is easy to taste. Personally I never liked the bitter, burnt taste of coffee until I drank my first cup of single-origin light roast heaven and instantly turned into a giant coffee snob. 

If you’ve ever wondered how anyone can drink their coffee black, specialty coffee is your answer.

San Francisco is rich with amazing specialty coffee shops and coffee roasters, and we are full-blown  Bay Area third-wave coffee snobs. Coffee to us is what wine is to… uh, people who know a lot more about wine than we do.  

But you don’t have to be a specialty coffee snob to find, appreciate, and enjoy a delicious cup of specialty coffee at a specialty coffee shop! Here are some tips for finding a specialty coffee shop near you.

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How to Identify a Specialty Coffee Shop

  1. Single Origin Beans: The majority of coffee beans in a specialty coffee shop will be sourced from one country, region, and/or farm. Each bean variety responds best to different roasting and brew treatments, and mixing beans can mean losing the ability to let each unique bean shine – so you won’t find many blends. Feel free to pester your barista with questions like “what temperature do these beans prefer?” and “but were these coffee beans happy on the farm?”
  2. High Quality Beans: The best of the best from the crop. Every coffee farm harvests and sells both cheaper, imperfect beans as well as a top-quality crop. A specialty coffee shop only buys the best quality beans. So that means that your $4.50 cappuccino is actually perfectly reasonably priced – especially if you care about paying the workers who harvested it a living wage
  3. Each cup is hand crafted to order. While many specialty coffee shops will feature a drip coffee for those looking for a quick cup, most of the drinks at a specialty coffee shop will be created to order using no shortcuts. Each cup of coffee is hand crafted precisely for you, from a freshly ground bean to your preferred brewing method.  So bring a book or load up Angry Birds, because chances are you’re going to spend some time waiting.
  4. Specialty brewing methods. Some of the unique brewing methods you’ll find at third wave coffee shops include V60, Chemex, Clever, Aeropress, Siphon, and Cold Brew. Each brewing method brings out different flavors for different beans, and many specialty coffee shops offer a variety of roasts and beans to best match its featured brewing methods. If you prefer espresso drinks, you’ll also find that latte art is a good indicator of a specialty coffee shop. And yes, the more complicated the latte art, the better the barista – that’s actually not BS. There are like, barista competitions where you have to craft 3D interpretive foam art that represents how the coffee felt growing up on its farm, or something.

Now that you know what to look for in a specialty coffee shop, here are the best coffee shops & coffee roasters in San Francisco!


The 10 Best Specialty Coffee Roasters in San Francisco

10 Best coffee roasters in San Francisco

Just to be totally clear: this isn’t one of the coffee shops on our list. It’s actually Sawada Coffee in Chicago. But it looks cool, and let’s face it, most of the coffee shops on our list have a similar ~vibe.

Paramo Coffee

Paramo coffee is in the Financial District of San Francisco, right on the Embarcadero across from the Ferry Building. But isn’t there a Blue Bottle in the Ferry Building? You’re probably asking yourself. Can’t I just go there for good coffee? And like, 5 years ago, sure.

But ever since getting purchased by Starbucks and expanding nation-wide, Blue Bottle – originally from our home across the bay in Oakland – is incredibly well-known and there’s always a mile-long line out the door.

I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer to spend my 20 minutes waiting for my barista to do an interpretive dance for my coffee rather than waiting in line to order.

So instead, hop over to Paramo Coffee. Get an espresso or a drip coffee – I know, drip, gross, right? But their drip is actually bomb and incredibly well done. 

They don’t do cold brew or pour-overs, but what they do, they excel at. You can be in and out with an incredible cup of coffee in under 5 minutes, which is unheard of for a specialty coffee shop in San Francisco. 

  • Website: Paramo Coffee | Address: 4 Embarcadero Center (Financial District) or 57 9th St (SoMa)

Mazarine Coffee

Created based on the concept of a Parisian library by the same name, Mazarine Coffee roasts and brews the best coffee from all over the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout California.

Located right on Market Street in the Financial District, Mazarine Coffee is an awesome coffee shop for exploring different styles of roasts and brews all in one place. There’s truly something for everyone. Their extensive menu includes several pour-overs and espressos, plus Nitro Cold Brew Coffee … and tea (what) and delicious food!

Mazarine is a great place to go for breakfast or lunch. They have awesome salads and sandwiches (and Belgian Liege Waffles!!!), but our favorite food to pair with our coffee by far is the fancy toast. From fig jam & ricotta cheese to to avocado with chèvre and radish, nobody does fancy toast like Mazarine Coffee. And fancy toast is like, a San Francisco classic.

It doesn’t get more San Francisco than specialty coffee and fancy toast, unless your coffee is served in a sourdough bread bowl, I guess.

  • Website: Mazarine Coffee | Address: 720 Market Street, San Francisco (Financial District)
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Four Barrel Coffee

Four Barrel Coffee is one of the classic great coffee roasters in San Francisco. I say “classic” but in San Francisco terms that just means they’ve been around since 2008, which is old, comparatively.

Anyway, they’re legendary, for good reason: their coffee is excellent.

They’re so good at what they do that they actually offer classes on things like cupping (that’s “coffee tasting” for non-snobs), extraction theory (ahem, that means making espresso, apparently), and even pairing coffee and chocolate.

You’ll find Four Barrel Coffee served in third-wave coffee shops across the country, but obviously, it’s best where it’s roasted, right here in San Francisco.

  • Website: Four Barrel Coffee | Address: 375 Valencia St (The Mission) or 736 Divisadero St (Alamo Square)

Ritual Coffee Roasters

Ritual is even older than Four Barrel (it was founded in 2005. SO OLD) and it’s every bit as legendary and well-known. Many say it was Ritual that pioneered third wave coffee in San Francisco.

According to Tom, Ritual Coffee is best for lovers of a super light roast – they do theirs to absolute perfection.

Ritual also offers cupping classes and brewing demos, as well as super informative brewing guides so you can take a bag of expertly roasted coffee beans home and get to experimenting all on your own. (Pro tip: marry a barista to REALLY up your home coffee brewing game.)

Ritual Coffee Roasters is San Francisco coffee at its best, so you definitely need to visit at least once to pay your dues.

  • Website: Ritual Coffee Roasters | Address: 1026 Valencia St (The Mission) or 1300 Haight Street (Haight-Ashbury)
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Saint Frank Coffee

Saint Frank Coffee serves up curated and directly sourced coffee from Central & South America and Africa, which it roasts in-house to perfection.

Each coffee farm and origin is featured front and center, and the brew is dialed in to best match the notes of each specific coffee.

But unlike many purist specialty coffee shops, Saint Frank also has delicious and unique coffee drinks such as the Almond & Macadamia Milk Cappuccino or the Honey Lavender Latte. Or how about a single origin coffee tasting flight?! I don’t know about you, but “coffee flight” sounds like my idea of heaven.

  • Website: Saint Frank Coffee | Address:  2340 Polk St, San Francisco (Russian Hill)

Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters

Wrecking Ball is more than just a Miley Cyrus reference (thanks for ruining that phrase for everyone, Miley). It’s also the name of an incredible coffee roastery in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood.

The owner of Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters in San Francisco is actually credited with coining the phrase “third wave coffee,” which makes sense to me because I’d never heard the term before moving to San Francisco.

The award-winning head barista actually does guest lectures around the country – like, at colleges and universities – about coffee. So they know their sh*t.

Their excellent coffee is all sustainably sourced and is even sold in biodegradable bags for extra social-responsibility cred. Try a pour-over or their famous seasonal specialty drink, Karl the Latte (named after San Francisco’s own Karl the Fog).

  • Website: Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters | Address: 2271 Union Street, San Francisco (Cow Hollow)
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Andytown Coffee Roasters

Way out by Ocean Beach in the Outer Sunset – which is like another country for most San Franciscans, but actually an awesome neighborhood to explore if you don’t mind the long schlep via public transit – you’ll find Andytown Coffee Roasters.

Andytown Coffee Roasters totally embraces the Sunset vibe, with drinks and coffee beans all named in an Ocean theme. Andytown roasts all of their coffee – and bakes all of their pastries – in house. Pair your delicious coffee with a slice of Irish soda bread, baked that morning from the owner’s grandmother’s recipe (so you know it’s legit AF).

Don’t miss out on the famous Snowy Plover: it’s a sweet, bubbly coffee soda made with espresso and topped with fluffy homemade whipped cream. Yum!

  • Website: Andytown Coffee Roasters | Address: 3655 Lawton or 3629 Taraval St, San Francisco (Outer Sunset)

Linea Caffe

If you’re a fan of medium and dark roast coffee, with chocolatey, nutty complexity (but not that burnt taste) Linea Caffe is your spot.

Formerly famous for their waffles, Linea sadly no longer serves much more than a few choice pastries from Tartine Bakery. But don’t let that dissuade you: Linea is a fantastic and central stop in the Mission to pop in for an in-house roasted espresso or a foamy, bubbly Nitro Cold Brew.

If you don’t mind, do us all a favor when you go and badger them about the waffles thing. Like, who gets rid of delicious waffles on their menu?! Tragedy.

  • Website: Linea Caffe | Address: 3417 18th St, San Francisco (The Mission)

Equator Coffees

Specialty coffee and social responsibility are a match made in heaven, and no San Francisco coffee shop realizes that relationship better than Equator.

Equator is the first San Francisco coffee roaster to become B-Corp Certified, which essentially means that as a company, they’re committed to solving social and environmental problems. From micro loans for farmers to advocating for women’s land rights in Nicaragua, Equator has a number of projects focused on making the world a better place, one cup of perfectly brewed coffee at a time.

Equator’s owners even have their own sustainable, experimental high-altitude coffee farm in Panama. They’re hella extra, but in the best way.

If you want to branch out from pour-overs, their Nitro Cold Brew is excellent, or try a cashew milk latte or a Scratch Caramel latte (made with from-scratch caramel, of course).

Oh, and order an arepa: they’re one of our favorite Colombian foods!

  • Website: Equator Coffees | Address: 222 2nd Street (SoMa) or 986 Market Street (Civic Center)
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Flywheel Coffee Roasters

Located in the famous Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, Flywheel Coffee Roasters are a new coffee shop on the block with deep coffee roots.

The owner of Flywheel Coffee grew up on his family’s coffee farm in Nicaragua, which gives a refreshing authenticity to an excellent coffee shop and roaster.

The space, converted from an old bike shop, feels as hand crafted as the coffee: pretty much everything in it is built by hand, using sustainable materials, of course.

Flywheel Coffee is passionate about coffee, and delight in sharing that passion: you’ll find excellent home coffee brewing guides on their website. Try a complex, rich cold brew, a foamy Nitro, or a scientifically-brewed Siphon if you want coffee & a show.

  • Website: Flywheel Coffee Roasters | Address: 672 Stanyan St, San Francisco (Haight-Ashbury)

Map of the Best Coffee Shops in San Francisco

Use our handy map to locate the best coffee shops in San Francisco!

Travel Tip: download this map to your smartphone for offline browsing (click here for instructions).


Looking for more delicious coffee roasters in San Francisco? Thrillist has a comprehensive list of the best Bay Area coffee roasters, including most of the ones on our list – and more!

Psst: Visiting San Francisco and the Bay Area? We have several posts about our home that will be helpful for your trip!

  • Where to Stay in San Francisco (& Where NOT to)
  • The Ultimate Self-Guided Walking Tour of San Francisco
  • 12 Off-Beat Places to Stay Near San Francisco (on a budget)
  • 30 Things Nobody Tells You About San Francisco

And don’t forget to head across the bridge to visit San Francisco’s neighbor, Oakland. Oakland has amazing coffee – hello, it’s home to the original Blue Bottle. Here’s our guide to things to do in Oakland.

We also have a Podcast episode about San Francisco! Find out what to eat, where to drink, & the best things to do, plus answers to questions you never knew you had… like whether there is weed everywhere (yes) and if you’ll accidentally see nudity (double yes). We’re also spilling the fair-trade, organic, ethically sourced tea on our lesser-known life of crime.

Checking out of your hotel early or taking advantage of a long layover and not sure where to store your bags? Check out LuggageHero, a service that helps you find a safe place to keep your luggage while you’re running around! Use the code PRACTICALW for 2 hours of free luggage storage on us.

What’s your favorite specialty coffee shop in San Francisco? Leave us a comment below!

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The 10 best specialty coffee roasters in San Francisco, according to a San Francisco local barista! Includes a FREE downloadable Google map. Coffee travel | cappuccino | coffee shops | Bay Area | Third wave coffee | California The 10 best specialty coffee roasters in San Francisco, according to a San Francisco local barista! Includes a FREE downloadable Google map. Coffee travel | cappuccino | coffee shops | Bay Area | Third wave coffee | California

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California Coffee Coffee Travel Local's Guides San Francisco San Francisco Bay Area The West Coast
by Lia Garcia 
11 Comments

About Lia Garcia

Hey, I'm Lia! I'm a Kentucky native living in Oakland, CA. I'm extremely practical and also entirely addicted to travel, which I'm forever trying to reconcile. If I had a patronus, it would a spreadsheet. Or a llama. Possibly a llama creating a spreadsheet. I'm married to Jeremy and I'm obsessed with him and it's super gross, unless you're us, in which case it's the best.

View all posts by Lia Garcia

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Comments

  1. Liz says: May 6, 2017 at 6:09 pm

    I love coffee and all these coffee shops looks so nice! San Francisco definitely has great places 🙂

    Reply
  2. laurencocking says: May 6, 2017 at 9:10 pm

    Like, I actually want to go to San Fran just to try this coffee and take advantage of that deal! I’m no coffee snob but I could pretend to be for the afternoon, I’m sure. Also, huge lol about your mate looking like that rapper. Why doesn’t he have an accent either?! What a traitor to his British roots!

    Reply
    • Lia says: May 7, 2017 at 5:52 pm

      I think he moved when he was super young so he was able to assimilate really well. If he gets really sloshed it comes out a little bit though!

      Reply
  3. Karla | KarlaTravels says: May 10, 2017 at 4:19 am

    Coffee snobs or coffee crew would love this great list of places where you can get caffeinated!

    As a fellow coffee lover, i like to learn all there is about the origins, quality of beans and how it is prepared and processed to tne final product in my cup! So fascinating and enlightening!

    I’ve not been to SFO yet but will bookmark your post as future reference!

    Thank you

    Reply
    • Lia says: May 10, 2017 at 4:19 pm

      If you’re that kinda coffee fan, you def need to get yourself to San Francisco stat!

      Reply
  4. Sally E says: May 29, 2017 at 5:28 am

    I LOVE how detailed your guides are Lia! Definitely using this one and also plan on using your South America guides when I head there (hopefully end of the year) 🙂

    Reply
    • Lia says: May 29, 2017 at 10:52 am

      Thank you Sally! You’re so sweet 🙂

      Reply
  5. Alexandra says: August 17, 2017 at 5:30 pm

    Thank you so much for the good tips. I’m drinking a very good coffee at Paramo and got the discount although Tom isn’t working here anymore 🙂
    Greetings, Alexandra

    Reply
    • Lia says: August 18, 2017 at 12:16 am

      OMG lmao I’m so glad you still got the discount! He moved away recently 🙁 Bye, Tom! Your legacy lives on~~ Enjoy your time in San Francisco!

      Reply
  6. Taylor says: February 13, 2019 at 12:59 am

    Hey! I love the easy introduction to craft coffee, but for an article about San Francisco craft coffee I’m a little disappointed to see a Chicago coffee shop pictured (Sawada).

    Reply
    • Lia Garcia says: March 18, 2019 at 9:08 am

      Hey Taylor, we use stock photos on occasion when we don’t have a photo of our own that we can use. Kudos for spotting this one!

      Reply

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Lia and Jeremy are the married couple behind the Practical Wanderlust travel blog!

Meet Lia & Jeremy

3 years ago we quit our jobs, put our stuff in storage, and took off on a (disastrous) year-long honeymoon. Today, we share down-to-earth travel tips from our many (mis)adventures on our blog and podcast! Low key stalk us here and on social media.

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Anyway, other than our weird fascination with gruesome historical tales, we love Lake Tahoe! We've spent a winter weekend in Lake Tahoe every year for the past 5 years, plus a few pre-Liaremy trips that don't count because time essentially did not exist before our relationship began. JK, but does anyone else get like a "that was a weird time" feeling when they think back on their pre-spouse life? Just me? No??⁠
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Spending a winter weekend in Lake Tahoe is a Bay Area tradition, and the best way to do it on the cheap is to rent a huge cabin and fill it up with all of your favorite people! We round up a bunch of our friends, pile various snow gear into several cars, and caravan along with the rest of the Bay Area out to Lake Tahoe - stopping at the UC Davis In N Out on the way, as is Bay Area Road Trip Tradition - and spend the weekend hot tubbing, snowboarding, sledding, and hiking! It's one of our favorite weekends of the year. This year, I plan to take a ski lesson so I'm able to do snow things on the mountain instead of sitting in the cabin and reading about the Donner Party and working like a dweeb.⁠
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This year we're being extra ambitious and hoping to plan 2 Tahoe trips, so we can bring even more friends and also because Jeremy bought a ski pass on sale on the very last weekend of the season last year and we need more excuses to use it. It's not uncommon for Bay Area ski bums to drive out to Lake Tahoe in the morning, ski all day, and drive back in the evening, which is a 7 hour round trip and absolutely insane. Jeremy's done it before and I'm not a fan, so: 2 trips!⁠
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Have you visited Lake Tahoe? If not, we've got a massive guide to planning a budget-friendly winter trip - link in bio!⁠
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Do you and your loved ones have an annual trip tradition? Tell us in the comments!
  • [FLASHBACK] Copenhagen, 2016: 4 months into our year-long honeymoon. #ad Reeling from the disastrous end of our adventures in South America, we graciously accepted tickets home for Thanksgiving. We missed our families. We  were exhausted. And we were, for some reason, FIENDING for Cinnamon Toast Crunch. We needed a break, but we fully intended to return to South America and pick up where we left off.⁠
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Instead, we booked a cheap flight to Copenhagen. (Because there is always a cheap flight to Copenhagen, from either coast.)⁠
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2 weeks after leaving summery Santiago, Chile we disembarked into the cold 3PM twilight of Copenhagen, Denmark. Christmas Market season had just begun, and the city was decked in holiday cheer and Hygge. We slipped and slid down icy cobblestone streets with steaming mugs of gluhwein clutched in our gloved hands (logistics spoilers: we stocked up on cold-weather gear on Black Friday. Hayyy!).⁠
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Over the next week, we fell head over heels in love with Copenhagen, with its castles, its canals, its tiny mermaid statue, its Theme Park in the center of the city (the 2nd oldest in the world!), its ridiculously good coffee, its fancy open-faced sandwiches (smørbrød is the OG avo toast, don't @ me), its somewhat random self-governed anarchist commune, even the hordes of Danes on bikes whizzing past us. The culture shock revived our waning excitement for long-term travel, and we've had a deep love for Copenhagen ever since.⁠
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Although we haven't had a chance to return (except for a few connections through the airport, which is always a treat because it is the BEST airport), we're forever eyeing flights to Copenhagen, waiting for the right time to come back. And now that we've got a copy of the @MoonGuides Copenhagen & Beyond book, we've got everything we need to plan our next trip! The guide includes a detailed local's guide to Copenhagen, plus several chapters on day trips from Copenhagen, including our favorite: the fairytale castle that served as the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet.
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Is Copenhagen on your bucket list? (Ahem: IT SHOULD BE) If not, tell us about a trip that was exactly what you needed in the comments below. #travelwithmoon
  • Imagine that someone offered you an incredible opportunity. What would make you turn it down? How would you feel saying no?
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Since starting this blog and embarking on the ridiculous, amazing journey of traveling and writing for a living (forever pinching myself), a lot of incredible opportunities have come my way. Opportunities that just about anyone would (and should) jump at headfirst. (I was going to list off a few of the ones I still feel pangs of longing about, but couldn't find a way to not make it sound like a list of self-congratulatory, obnoxious bragging, so y'all get the vague version instead. Sorry! DM me if you're nosy 🧐)
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But I don't take them all. I can't.
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Here are a few reasons I've turned trips (it's usually trips) and opportunities down:
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😓 The dates overlap with precious time I'd otherwise be spending with loved ones, like Thanksgiving, or our annual friends weekend in Lake Tahoe.
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😓 The dates overlap with our wedding anniversary. This one has come up several years in a row - turns out we got married in the middle of conference season 😂
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😓 The trip is too close to a long stretch of travel, which would push me to my mental and physical limits. I have learned this lesson the hard way so many times (still learning/not listening, tbh...)
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I've had to learn how to say no with gratitude and forgiveness (the gratitude for the opportunity offered, the forgiveness is for myself for turning it down). I feel guilt and regret, of course, but I also feel proud of myself for boundary-setting, listening to my body, and prioritizing time with my loved ones - because all the opportunity in the world means nothing to me if I have nobody to celebrate it with.
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My cup is so full. I'm so full of gratitude and joy. And I'm doing my best to stay humble and grounded with the people who have cheered me along on this path.
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Have you ever turned down an opportunity that like, physically hurt to say no to?? Tell me about it in the comments!
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#alwaysthankful #gratefuleveryday #stayhumble #sanfranciscolove #findyouradventure #wandermore #travelblogging
  • There's nothing that a good hair day, some bright red lipstick, and a cold beer can't fix, amiright?? OK - maybe not, but they certainly don't HURT.⁠ Bright lipstick is my go-to confidence improving trick - AND it works even on bad hair days 💄⁠
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But can we talk about the good hair day I'm having in this photo though?! For the first time in my entire life, I've finally figured out how to have Good Hair. Until this year, I was insecure AF about my superfine, extremely thin hair. It wasn't straight and it wasn't curly - it was just like a frizzy, thin, halfhearted flyaway thing with no real shape. When I straighten it you can tell how incredibly thin my hair is - like, the end of my braid is about the width of a pencil, y'all.⁠
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And then I discovered the Curly Girl Method, and everything changed. Turns out that frizz is just a thirsty curl, and with the right combination of products & application technique (and a little bit of magic ... and some science), you can turn frizzy, wavy hair into luscious, bouncy CURLS! Now I have shiny, fabulously curly hair, and it feels like my hair finally matches my personality in a way it hasn't since it was 1/2 pink (college Lia was perfectly suited for pink hair). I no longer feel like I need to wear clip-in extensions to have a good hair day, like I used to. Sure, I now tote around a bunch of hair supplies like a silicon diffuser and a tiny blow-drier and a hair towel and like 3 back-up containers of gel, but LOOK AT MY HAIR. Look at it! It's so worth it.⁠
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I'm still learning about what my hair likes & doesn't like and I don't really understand all the science behind curly hair just yet. But if you're curious, I use lightweight DevaCurl shampoo & conditioner, plus this bright blue LA Looks sport gel that's hella cheap from CVS or Walgreens and looks like the kind of gel a middle schooler in the 90's would use to spike their hair. You'll find all kinds of information by googling the Curly Girl Method or reading "Curly Girl: The Handbook." (This post is in no way sponsored, I just really wanted an excuse to brag about my good hair day.)⁠
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Do you have go-to moves to boost your confidence?
  • "Wait, Salt Lake City has BEER?" #ad We've heard this question from pretty much everyone we told about our trip to Salt Lake City to cover their beer scene, and we're here to say: y'all. YES. 🍻While it's true that the laws surrounding beer in Utah used to be quite restrictive, they've recently changed and given way to a blossoming craft brewery scene full of innovative thinkers who are paving the way for beer in Utah!⁠
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We spent the weekend drinking our way through 11 craft breweries, exploring this stunning city ringed by mountains, and learning all about Salt Lake City's fascinating Pioneer history. In total, we tasted 32 beers (and 1 beer-tini). It was a LOT of fun, even though my body straight gave up around brewery 9 and we had to make a pit-stop at a juice place for a wheatgrass shot. (Yes, it's all in our story highlights, and yes, I realize that's one of the most Californian things I've ever done). But although I tapped out in the last stretch, Jeremy picked up the slack and we finished strong! 💪Well, you know ... as strong as you can be after spending 2 days straight tasting beer.⁠
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Now we're hard at work sorting through all the photos we took and working on a brewery guide to Salt Lake City, with a few suggestions from friends (thanks to @wayfaringviews, who has a fantastic SLC beer guide on her blog, and resident SLC blogger @culturetrekking). This marks our 2nd visit to Salt Lake City (we covered their amazing ski resorts last year) so now we're officially SLC fangirls - can't wait to come back for visit 3!⁠
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Drop us a comment and tell us about a place that surprised you the way Salt Lake City's beer scene surprised us!⁠
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Our trip was sponsored by @visitsaltlake⁠
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#visitsaltlake #saltlakecityutah #beautahful #exploreutah #travelislove #globecouples #streetartaddicted #streetartistry #craftbeerlife #beeroftheday #beertasting #seeyououtthere #couplesofig
  • 🎵Whooo is that girl I seeee, staaaaaring straight, baaaaack at me? When will my REFLECTTION SHOOWWWWW, WHOOO III AMMMMM
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🎵INSIIIIIIIIIDE!!!!🎵
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Welp now that we're all singing Mulan at the top of our lungs and I have your attention... I'm gonna talk about sustainability. (HA! Gotcha.) One of the ways Jeremy and I try to make a positive impact – along with things like carbon offsetting our flights and working towards a zero-waste household – is through conscientious consumerism. Cuz yes, y’all: we tree-hugging granola-eating flower children love shopping, too. We try to vote with our wallets and support businesses who have the same priorities as we do. Businesses who care about the world and the people in it, who are working to fight climate change, who pay their employees a fair living wage, who are aligned with our values, and who agree that Mulan is the best Disney movie of all time (DO NOT @ ME).
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So when @REI asked us to create a sponsored sustainable gift guide, we were thrilled! REI is one of our absolute favorite earth-friendly, responsible, and sustainable companies. They truly walk the talk, with a plethora of impactful business practices that prioritize everything from wilderness conservation, to making the outdoors more accessible and diverse, to developing products with sustainable materials, to reducing waste in their stores and supply chain. (#ad but also like, we genuinely love them and have been members for yearsss!) You can even filter REI’s online search results by sustainability. It’s one of their regular menu filters, like color/price/sizing. Isn’t that rad?
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The eco-friendly gift guide we created is not only full of sustainable products, but they're sold by a sustainable retailer. So you can truly feel good about treating your loved ones (ahem: or yourself) this holiday season. Or just like, whenever. Check it out in the link in our bio, but fast because the Gear Up Get Out sale ends on MONDAY along with up to 30% off!
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Who's your favorite sustainable company or retailer and why do you love them? We love discovering new ones! (Sustainability shoutout to @prana, whose outfit I'm rocking in this pic - we love them too!)
  • What's your relationship like with your body? Does someone close to you feel differently about their own body? How does that affect you?⁠
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Jeremy and I have two very different relationships with our bodies and ourselves, which can be difficult to navigate - especially when one of us feels more confident and comfortable than the other. Over the years, things have evolved and shifted, so we've done our best to be a constant source of love and stability to each other no matter what may be happening internally. But amazing and supportive loved ones can't always affect your relationship with yourself - that's a personal journey that only you and yourself are on. Y'all in that together.⁠
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What we've learned is that communication and empathy between us is key. Our relationships with ourselves are as important to foster, nurture, develop and grow as our relationship with each other. And its just as important to treat ourselves with love, kindess and support as it is with one another. On the days when one of us feels more confident than the other, we strive to lift up those positive feelings and try not to let them affect us negatively - not always the easiest thing to do, but so, so important!⁠
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Do you struggle with your relationship with yourself? Or is there somebody in your life who feels differently about themselves than you do about yourself? How do you navigate that?⁠
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Psst: Lia is rocking an organic cotton dress (with POCKETS) gifted to us by @wearpact, one of our favorite Fair Trade Certified & sustainable clothing companies! They make super comfy and affordable organic cotton clothes ethically and responsibly, and we love them.⁠
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#responsiblefashion #consciousconsumer #shopethical #plusisequal #allbodiesaregoodbodies #autumnishere #fallingforfall #sanfranciscolove #bayareablogger #effyourbeautystandards #bodypositive #globecouples #sustainabletravel #staycurious #couplesofig #travelislove #marriedtomybestfriend #lovegoals #couplestravel #seeyououtthere
  • It rained a LOT during our trip to New Orleans. But I actually didn't mind at all, because California has turned me into the kind of person who gets REALLY excited about rain. Rain in California means fire season is over and winter has begun. It's my favorite sound to listen to while falling asleep. Y'all, is there a song that's the exact opposite of "I Can't Stand the Rain?" Because that would be my song!.⁠
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I also didn't mind the rain because I was exploring a beautiful city with 2 of my best friends (@witchieriche and @cass.love.creativity) and our partners, and that's a rare luxury that overshadows any kind of discomfort. (Even though we all definitely got cranky from time to time because it is literally impossible to spend 4 days traveling and NOT get cranky at some point, and that's just facts.⁠)⁠
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To capture this photo, I dragged my beloved friend Richie and his darling, patient husband @lucasmeyerstyle to City Park to visit the NoLa Art Museum, which is called NoMa. We made fun of historic art for like 2 hours (like, we appreciated it too, but we definitely made fun of it as much as we appreciated it) and then spent another 2 hours wandering around a giant, lush statue garden in the pouring rain looking for this exact bridge (for the 'gram). We kept crossing over not-as-good bridges and being like "is this it??" but I was like NO IT HAS TO BE THE ONE WITH THE REFLECTION because I am definitely that screechy, extra AF friend.⁠
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We were all about ready to give up on our search when we stumbled by complete chance upon a Cafe Du Monde, somewhat randomly sitting in the middle of this gorgeous rainy park. And then, while enjoying 3 fluffy, powdery beignets (each) we finally found The Bridge - hidden in the trees right next to the cafe!⁠
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If that's not the most New Orleans thing you've ever heard, just wait until I tell you about the rest of our trip, because it involves everything from Voodoo Rituals to Jazz Funerals to a Pirate themed absinthe bar.⁠
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And, by the way, I am sorry I haven't yet posted my stories from that trip - I was too busy savoring the time with my beloved friend muffins. My heart is so, so full.⁠
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Do you love the rain too?

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