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colorful buildings in Porto Portugal, Porto train station, solo female travel in Portugalwire fence with a horse in a field in Salmon, Idaho, solo female travelview of buildings along a canal in venice, Italy, solo female travelyellow kayaking in fjords in Norway, Gudvangen, solo female travel in NorwayOrvieto Italy and the Duomo in Umbria, solo female travel in Italysawtooth mountains and a wood fence in fall near Stanley, Idaho, solo female travel, road tripThe Alhambra at sunset in spring with yellow flower, solo female travel in Spainblack dog looking at the view of an alpine lake, Williams Lake near Salmon, Idaho, dog travel

Travel, walking routes, and design—through the lens of a female architect based in San Francisco

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    How to Pack for a Road Trip with a Dog

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    The Best Walk to Twin Peaks from Noe Valley: Hidden Stairs and City Views

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    Best Road Trip Stops Between Phoenix and Flagstaff: Sedona, Jerome, Prescott, Arcosanti & More

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    Angel Island views towards Tiburon and Marin Headlands, hiking Mt Livermore, hiking Angel island, things to do on Angel Island

    Angel Island Day Trip from San Francisco: Hike Mount Livermore Without a Car

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    Why I Travel Carry-On Only for Every Trip

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    The Modern Grand Tour: Where I’d Go After Architecture School

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    What’s in My Architect Bag: Site Visit Essentials I Actually Use

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    How Long Do You Really Need in Europe for a Trip to Be Worth It?

    The view over Orvieto, Italy, Umbria, The Duomo in Orvieto

    Why You Need to Visit Orvieto: The Most Beautiful Stop Between Rome and Florence

    Crissy Beach with a dog, dog beaches in San Francisco, dog friendly San Francisco, Golden Gate bridge views with a dog

    Solo Female Travel with a Dog: Safety Tips, Planning & What to Expect

    morning walk along Mirror Pond on the Deschutes River in downtown Bend, Oregon, walking bend oregon

    A Guide to Walking Bend, Oregon: Design, Trails, and Breweries

    California Highway 1 view towards Stinson Beach

    Best Day Trips from San Francisco: Coastal Drives, Wine Country & Easy Escapes

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    I recently finished the Italian class I’ve been ta I recently finished the Italian class I’ve been taking on Thursday nights.  Part of our final was to give a  presentation on a region of Italy. I chose Umbria.

One of my favorite memories from studying abroad in Italy was visiting the medieval hilltop towns of Umbria — especially Orvieto. Perched dramatically on volcanic cliffs above the vineyards below, it’s one of the most beautiful towns I’ve visited in Italy.

I ended up making an entire presentation filled with photos of medieval hilltop towns, stone streets, cathedrals, and vineyard views.

Here’s a few of my favorite photos from a trip back to Orvieto in 2018, some of them even made their way into my final presentation.
    And now for the interesting / quirky things I love And now for the interesting / quirky things I loved about Bend... mostly about art and architecture...

1&2 - The residential architecture is a mix of craftsman revival and modern mountain cabin, and I kind of like it
3 - So much public art, even murals in underpasses along the Deschutes River Trail
4&5 - Tin Pan Alley has tons of art in an alley in the middle of downtown
6&7 - McMenamins - an adaptive reuse hotel built in an old catholic school.  It also has multiple restaurants  and bars, and even a movie theater and soaking tub.  Also, it is dog-friendly. 
8 - Round Abouts everywhere, many with public art in them and there is even an organize Round About Art Tour
    Drove 30 minutes west of Bend to hike to Tumalo Fa Drove 30 minutes west of Bend to hike to Tumalo Falls.  We were lucky that the gate was already open to the falls, and a fresh layer of snow had just fallen the day before.  It is a relatively easy hike along the river with views of multiple waterfalls along the way.  I highly recomend it if you are in the area.  The full trail is a little over 7 miles out and back. We opted for 6 miles, my summer hiking boots were soaking wet from the melting snow but it was worth it!
    Spent an afternoon in Bend, Oregon hiking 7 miles Spent an afternoon in Bend, Oregon hiking 7 miles along the Deschutes River Trail.  I was surprised  to be able to do this directly from downtown without needing a car at all.  The trail follows the river and has a pedestrian bridge at the end to return on the other side.  It’s amazing how the trail changes from a paved city landscape to a rugged dirt trail along the river. 

1. Pepper pointing at birds
2. At the end of the Deschutes River Trail
3. Bird Watching deck near Farewell Bend Park
4. Deschutes River Trail
5. “wood” fence that is actually concrete
    Recently returned from spending a week in Bend, Or Recently returned from spending a week in Bend, Oregon.  I stayed in a @homeexchangecom in Old Bend and was pleasantly surprised how walkable the downtown area was despite being in central Oregon.  Not to mention, Bend is basically dog heaven.  Here’s a few photos around the downtown area.  I saved some of my favorite walking routes and will be posting those soon. 

1. Along the Deschutes River near @bendbrewingco 
2. Pageant Park
3. Mirror Pond
4. NW Wall Street
5. View from the Gilchrist pedestrian bridge
    Views from recent walks in San Francisco... 🌳 And Views from recent walks in San Francisco...

🌳 Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line in the Presidio
🏚️ The Mission
🌿 Glen Canyon
🏘️ Noe Valley homes
🔥 Noe Valley Firehouse
    A few more from our Southern Road Trip... 1. Bon A few more from our Southern Road Trip... 

1. Bonaventure Cemetery
2. Rainbow Row in Charleston
3. Along King Street in Charleston
4. Bonaventure Cemetery
5-6. Charleston
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