When I have someone coming for a visit, I love playing tour guide but I do try to avoid the areas that attract the most tourists. My favorite location to share with people currently is Angel Island, but I’m shocked at how many of my local friends have never been.

Ladies and Gentleman, whether you are local to the area or a first time visitor, Angel Island is absolutely ideal for a date. Take notes, or pin this link, then go make plans with the special person in your life.

Date Idea: Biking and exploring Angel Island

Highlights: 360 degree views of the bay, historical sights, architectural gems, beautiful bike ride, freedom to explore, picnic areas, beachfront, a little cafe, and so much more.

The Deets: Visitor Info, Ferry Options, and Bike Rentals.

After visiting a few times now, here are a few of our personal recommendations.

We love taking the ferry from Tiburon. Coming from the Peninsula, we enjoy the exciting drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and are thankful to avoid traffic and parking in San Francisco. Tiburon has a parking lot where you can park for about $10. But if you don’t mind the trek, you can usually find a spot up the hill into the neighborhood for free.

Research the weather, but wear layers no matter what. Like any location near the bay, the weather can get pretty chilly because of the wind. But with an active bike ride and if the sun makes an appearance, you’ll want to be able to remove layers.

Bring your own lunch instead of eating at the cafe. There are picnic tables scattered throughout the island, but if the weather is warm enough, we recommend picnicking at the little beach located about halfway around the island.

The bike ride can get a little challenging at times so if your date is not into bike riding or outdoors this may not be the ideal date. I don’t do a lot of biking, but I really enjoy the ride. Don’t rush through the ride, take breaks and enjoy the views, and be sure to plan for a long break for lunch. If biking is not your thing, there are also segways, scooters, and tram tours available for rent. And of course, you can always run or walk the island too.

To save money on rentals, you are allowed to bring your own bike on the ferry and onto the island. Due to the terrain, roller skates, roller blades, skateboards, scooters, and personal segways, are prohibited. We like to bring our own bikes so that we’re not rushing back in order to save money on the rentals. They can get expensive!

Be sure to keep track of time. You don’t want to miss your ferry to the island and you don’t want to miss the last ferry going home.

Have you ever been to Angel Island? I’ll definitely be going back so feel free to leave any of your own tips in the comments. But if you are reading this and you’ve never been to Angel Island, stop what you’re doing and put it on the calendar now.

When life gets busy and we’re exhausted, we end up doing the usual dinner and a movie. There’s nothing wrong with that and it’s still one of our favorite things to do together, but keeping things fresh and new can really make a difference to a relationship that is anything but. Though the location and experience isn’t the most important aspect of a date night, doing something the other person enjoys can help express your love and care for them without you having to say a word.

When Vitaliy and I were dating, we were constantly doing fun and spontaneous things together. To be quite honest, I didn’t care what we were doing as long as I was next to him. But after 6 years of marriage, things are different. That curiosity and excitement, the newness of the relationship, has worn off. It used to worry me and I’d wonder if I was falling out of love with Vitaliy. Thankfully, I’ve learned that love is a choice and that curiosity and excitement comes with consistently getting to know the other person.

What a person liked a year ago may not be what they like today. Their likes may have changed or they may have new passions now. In order to add some newness to our date nights and to continue getting to know each other, Vitaliy and I sat down and each made a list of date night ideas we’d personally like. Now, when we’re too tired to think of something more original than dinner and a movie, we can pull out our lists and grab an idea and run with it.

Living near the San Francisco airport with amazing views of the bay, one of the items on Vitaliy’s list was to go watch the airplanes one evening. The weather has finally been warm enough so we set out to enjoy one of Vitaily’s date night ideas of choice. We quickly learned that this was not an original idea as the area was filled with other couples. We just happened to be the only couple under the age of 50. But if I’m still happy sitting next to Vitaliy watching airplanes 20 years from now, then I will know that I’ve accomplished something worthwhile in my life.

For as far back as I have memories of my cousin Dan, I have memories of Sarah.

Dan and Sarah met in the halls of Hazelwood Central High School the week before school started. While most kids were dreading the first day of school, these two were full of anticipation. They couldn’t wait for the chance to see each other again. They hung out at soccer games, chatted during class, and by homecoming they were officially an item. This is when Dan became forever Dan + Sarah in my memories.

Though Dan and Sarah met at such a young age, their love is anything but young. Making it through high school with your relationship in tact is an accomplishment in itself. But these two stay committed to each other through college, graduate school, seasons of long distance, and have even managed to find time to start a business together. Sarah is an architect by day and blogger by night. Her blog Sarah The Architect is one of my new favs! Dan is a contract creative, a creative mind for hire as he describes it. They combined their creativity and talents to launch Artifox this past year. You can see their first design here: The Lithe Desk.

During their last trip to San Francisco, we photographed a photo date to celebrate their love. As I looked through the images to prepare this post, I couldn’t believe how much they genuinely reflected Dan + Sarah. From the architecture and design elements, to their smiles and small gestures.

Dan and Sarah, two of the most creative people we know! We love you and are so thankful to have had this fun trip together with you both. We can’t wait for our next trip home to continue making memories with you. Thank you for giving us the opportunity of celebrating your love through photos. Hope you enjoy! We love you both!

Natasha Lisitsa, of Waterlily Pond, is a floral and event designer based out of San Francisco, but I believe she deserves the title of artist. The floral arrangements she designs deserve a place in museums, alongside statues and other works of art. This is likely why she has created unbelievable pieces for the deYoung Museum and St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. My favorite being the Out of Water piece which was suspended above the baptismal font of the cathedral. Her work is creative and beautiful, daunting and overwhelming. You leave inspired to dig deeper into your own depths of creativity.

We weren’t surprised at all to find out that Natasha had her own book coming out entitled Exuberant Floral Art. But we were pleasantly surprised to hear that she had chosen one of Vitaliy’s images to include in it. The book is filled with color, imagination, and beauty – all the things that represent Natasha’s artistry. You’ll get glimpses of the thought process and design behind her work. If you love flowers, art and/or design, then you’ll enjoy the Exuberant Floral Art.

As wedding photographers, what we find most exciting is that brides all over get to enjoy the beauty of Natasha’s artistry on their wedding day. She casts vision and designs weddings as unique and beautiful as each bride she works for. Vitaliy had the pleasure of second shooting this wedding of Natasha’s alongside the talented Teresa Halton Photography.

We are honored to be a part of Natasha’s exciting book launch and we look forward to our next opportunity of working with her again.