Hobbiton! On our last day in New Zealand, we made the three hour drive from Auckland down to Hobbiton, the famed set of The Lord of the Rings. We went for the full Hobbiton feast, with tours before and after sunset. The set is actually on a sheep farm. When the location scouts initially inquired,…
We continue my journey through New Zealand as Jon, Pei, and I flew from Queenstown in South Island back up to Auckland in North Island and were joined by Young, Jessica, Karen, and Sam. It was a drastic change of scenery; despite being surrounded by plenty of nature, Auckland itself is very much a city. Breakfast at…
This is the second part of many in my journey through New Zealand and Australia. We pick up on Day 3 of our time in South Island, and the beautiful scenery continues. After lunch in Queenstown, we drove up to Wanaka (rhymes with Hannukah), where we would stay that night. We opted for a short…
New Zealand’s South Island is incredibly scenic. It’s the kind of setting that lends itself to descriptions like ‘awe-inspiring,’ ‘spectacular,’ ‘resplendent.’ It’s almost too much to take in when you’re actually there, when every turn reveals a different, equally impressive landscape. Now, in hindsight, having placed it in context with the rest of my three-week trip through New…
Cherry blossoms, magnolias, the art museum, and cute shops. Just a few frames from my time in Philadelphia this spring! Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco but often traveling and working around the world. She creates beautiful, soft, and timeless imagery while capturing the most fleeting of moments. View…
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is back after a three-year renovation, and it’s beautiful. The museum opens to the public this Saturday, May 14, but I couldn’t wait so I signed up for membership and have already visited the museum twice in the last two weeks during member previews! Below are just a few glimpses…
Back in March, right after I had gotten back from New Zealand and Australia (which I have yet to blog), I got to join my friend Nancy for a day of wine tasting in Healdsburg in celebration of her birthday. It was such a lovely way to return to California. See some of the beautiful…
This cozy little cafe is one of my new favorite tea spots in the Bay Area. Located on San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley, Far Leaves Tea serves traditional Asian teas in a quiet setting. It can be a little confusing to enter the space at first; they seem to have quite a loyal following of…
Let’s take a little peek into Teance, a store in Berkeley’s West 4th shopping district. The store sells a variety of single-origin teas sourced from Asia. In the center is a round table where you can order full tea tastings, and in the back is a small cafe area with seating upstairs. We sampled a green…
I never particularly loved museums growing up. That’s not to say I didn’t still find myself in a fair share of them, but I would rarely select a museum over another activity or just wandering a city. It’s only in the last couple years that I’ve found myself drawn to these places. I think especially in…
Scenes from my San Francisco Bay Area explorations in the last couple months. A hike at Cataract Falls, racing against the sun. Boutiques in Oakland’s Temescal Alley. Asian Art Museum. San Francisco Ferry Building. General Store. Outerlands. Old Town, Oakland. Two Sisters Bar and Books. Trouble Coffee, West Oakland. Charm Villa goldfish tea from Taiwan!…
Asha Tea House in Berkeley has long been one of my favorite tea spots, so I was excited to see that they opened a new location in San Francisco a few months ago. My friend Saira and I hopped over for a tea date one afternoon. Most orders at Asha are just handed over…