Catching the sunrise is always one of my favorite things, and I never realized how the rising sun creates an aura of somberness & petulant optimism until seeing the sun rise in such a metropolis. Waking up earlier has led me to healthier habits, which include a more regular meditation habit or doing at least a few yoga moves in the morning. Waking up earlier is also helping me focus on what I need to do, and has helped me find more reasons to live for. Have you tried to catch dawn at least once in your life? If not, you totally should. 

Over the weekend, boyfriend and I hiked to Griffith Park. We've decided to hike more regularly, especially since it's less hot in the winter. It's more difficult for me to work out in the winter just because it's colder and it's so much more tempting to cozy in with a soft comforter & sip hot chocolate. Hopefully, our regular hiking treks will help me stay in shape throughout the season of food.

I've posted about Moto Sushi before but when we came back this Sunday to celebrate being together for 26 months now but DAMN. As two, self-appointed sushi snobs, every single piece of nigiri blew us away. We ordered salmon (both regular & New Zealand salmon), yellow tail, two different preparations of red snapper, monkfish liver, uni, unagi & bluefin tuna. ALL OF THEM HAD FRESH WASABI AND I DIED.

I reiterate - every.single.nigiri.was.AMAZING. First world problems, we had difficulty choosing the last piece of sushi to imbibe upon. It's been our tradition to choose the best sushi as the last thing to eat in order to make the flavor in our mouth last longer.

For the most part, we've both chosen uni. Last Sunday was an exception because we chose the bluefin tuna. Fitting, I know, especially since the bluefin tuna had gold flakes on it. Yep, you read that right. It was such a satisfying dinner and while it was pricier than our usual sushi restaurants, it was oh-so-worth it. Rest assured, this is our monthly go-to now.

Boulder is a mishmash of everything I love about life - good food, closeness to nature and people who generally have a laidback and amicable disposition. With its old country charm and beautiful buildings, it was a good week indeed. I won't be surprised if I find my way back into the city again.

This map was one of the highlights of our hotel room. I loved it! It was a hilarious and accurate depiction of Boulder in general. I highly recommend staying in Basecamp Boulder if you find yourself in the area.

 More hotel room art.

 The hotel room lobby. I fell in love with our hotel's aesthetic from the get-go. 

The hotel's check-in desk.

Smith-Klein gallery located along Pearl St. It was a cozy space but definitely brimming with beautiful art!

I felt compelled to visit two of the book stores in Boulder. The Boulder Book Store played Bach in the background. The Trident Booksellers and Cafe played The Smiths. I love them both.

Canyon Gallery is smack dab beside the Boulder Public Library. 

Of course, I find myself in the company of an endearing pink-haired old man in a gorgeous public library. Of course.

The creek that innervates Boulder - people love fishing and tubing here!

University of Colorado campus - the buildings & pretty much everything in this place were gorgeous!

Fiske planetarium

Infrared signals emitting from me inside the Fiske Planetarium

The Chautauqua trailhead and my boyfriend's elbow. We hiked along the path even though it was drizzling, but he made sure to give me his hoodie so I was protected from the rain and the cold! He's the sweetest.

I don't know why but this house reminded me of the cartoon Heidi, which I caught a few times in my childhood.

Ranger house near the Chautauqua trail

More art along Pearl St.

We were walking towards the Red Rocks trail when we came across these array of houses that were so reminiscent of San Francisco. We ended up not going to the trail because it was farther than we expected - I know, we got lazy.

Art installation at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary art

Portraits of Boulder Farmers' Market fixtures

Boulder was lovelier in all regards and exceeded my expectations in more ways than one. The beauty of the city comes not only from being so close to nature (my photos do not do it justice!), the active lifestyle (I've never walked as much as I did this year than when I was in Boulder), the fresh air, the delicious and reasonably priced food (I'll be writing about all the Boulder food we tried on my next blog post!) and the warm people definitely made the experience all the more perfect. I am so glad to have checked that off my list!