left my heart in san francisco {grace cathedral}

Dress: Urban Outfitters; Jeans: DL1961; Boots: Stuart Weitzman; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban; Wallet: Emerson Fry; Watch: Daniel Wellington; Bracelet: Bauble Bar

Truth be told, the first time I visited Grace Cathedral was when my mom was in town visiting and we had ridden the California line cable car that runs right past the church square. It's a breathtaking building, situated at the top of Nob Hill, surrounded by some of San Francisco's finest: The Mark Hopkins Hotel, The Fairmont and of course, Huntington Park. And up until that point, I had always admired this pocket of the city, often coming up here at sunset to watch the city glow on all sides of the hill. 

But, for some reason, I hadn't ventured inside the church, until that evening my mom begged me to go. As we rode past the cathedral, gripping to the cable car railing as we chugged along, she led the charge, bolting off (as soon as we stopped) and made her way straight to the church steps. I had no choice but to follow. It was late. Probably around 8pm and an evening service had long since finished, with just a few members of the staff milling about at that point, on their way out. They were nice enough to just let us in though and we grabbed two seats toward the middle. And just sat. And just listened. It's amazing how quiet and yet at the same time, how much you can hear in a church like that. The high ceiling acoustics carrying and amplifying the soft hum of the church, almost as if it's breathing along with you.

For those in the area, I highly recommend you stop by -- they have a whole lineup of non-denominational activities scheduled each month, including yoga classes and a silent movie night, where the church organ player accompanies the film.

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile

I'm bidding adieu to San Francisco! See part 1 HERE, part 2 HERE, part 3 HERE and part 4 HERE. And stay tuned for next week, where I'll be sharing some of my favorite San Francisco haunts, including restaurants, coffee shops, bars and boutiques! Happy weekend!