I have kept some form of journal or sketchbook on and off since I was nine years old. Over the years, they have taken many forms: sometimes a daily diary for processing my thoughts, sometimes a sketchbook, and often a way of documenting my travels. One of my favorite things to do when I am…
Travel
Best Time to Visit San Francisco: A Local Architect’s Guide
There truly is no bad time to visit San Francisco. The weather is mild year-round, but San Francisco has some unique weather patterns that don’t align with typical seasons, so it might not be what you expect. Before visiting, it’s best to be prepared for what to expect each time of year and plan your…
San Francisco vs. Seattle for Dogs – Which City is Better?
I live in San Francisco with my dog Pepper and recently spent a month in Seattle on a home exchange with my dog. After trying to find the most dog-friendly things to do in both Seattle and San Francisco, I am ranking them against each other. For the judging criteria, I evaluated each city in…
Dog-Friendly Things to Do in Seattle: Parks, Beaches, Patios, and Day Trips
The Pacific Northwest is known for being extremely dog-friendly, and I have been doing more road trips with Pepper recently. In 2025, we took a month-long road trip through the Pacific Northwest with a week in Seattle. In 2026, I did a month-long home exchange and lived in Ballard, Seattle for a month with Pepper. …
Ballard, Seattle: A Neighborhood Guide from an Architect
As an architect who values walkable cities, I really appreciated Ballard and felt it deserved its own neighborhood guide. I did a month-long home exchange in July, which gave me the luxury of exploring Ballard slowly. After four weeks of daily dog walks, trying as many breweries as possible, walking parts of the Burke-Gillman Trail,…