The Road Les Traveled was welcomed to Outside Lands as a guest of Chase Sapphire, however, our opinions are, as always. our own.

 

When Chase Sapphire invited me to experience Outside Lands in San Francisco this year, I knew a crazy good weekend was ahead…

I never leave my LA apartment without my most necessary accessory, my Chase Sapphire Reserve card. The amount of points I receive from dining and travel (x3 with every dollar spent) plus the event perks should be too good to be true. Every time I sign into my online Chase account, I’m almost waiting for a digital sales rep to pop up and say, “Fooled you, didn’t we?! Better luck next time.” 

Well thankfully, that’s never happened. It’s a real card, and this was real life.

I was beyond excited to attend Outside Lands in San Francisco full of 3 epic days with 83 local restaurants, 41 wineries, 30 breweries, lots of local art and even more fanny packs. Yes, the pack is back if you didn’t notice, and I was loving all the festival garb that was out to play.

Festival goers traded the ever popular flower crowns of Coachella for more practical headwear as it was Fogust (foggy August) and chilly in the Bay area. Not only were these lands laced with musical geniuses, but Golden Gate Park also doubled as the city’s food mecca for the weekend. I’m pretty sure I went for the music but stayed for the eats. From Wine Lands to Beer Lands to Cheese Lands to Cookie Lands and beyond, the festival featured almost exclusively local/gourmet food offerings with high-end wine and cocktails. Sign.Me.Up.

Day 1

Outside Lands started off with a bang since The Weeknd was headlining Friday night…but first, I was off to the Sapphire Lounge for Happy Hour.

Day 2

Today was the day I’d been waiting many years for – to see Bon Iver LIVE in concert. Swoon. This indie folk band plays the most beautiful music – stuff I can write, run, sleep to – you name it. The best part is that our VIP wristbands gained us access to the VIP tent full of amazing food and drinks. Bon Iver then came on around 6:30pm while the sun was setting – the BEST musical memory to date.

Afterwards, my friends and I headed straight to the Sapphire Lounge for churros and lattes. NOM.

After coffee, Florence called…and I don’t mean the chic Italian city either. I’d never been a big Florence + the Machine fan until this very night when Outside Lands opened my eyes to the sheer talent happening before my eyes. She puts on an unreal show! I highly recommend seeing her in concert even if you aren’t well versed in her music. One day, if/when your friend tries to drag you to a show, just GO 🙂 You’ll thank yourself (and your friend) later.

Day 3

Walking around a massive park for two straight days does a body good…until you mix it with a bit of carbs and alcohol. My body was craving some stretching, so off to Yoga Garden I went before indulging in Day 3. I headed to the most amazing little vegan cafe afterwards called Wholesome Bakery if anyone is ever in the Haight district!

Around early afternoon, I was stretched and fueled and ready for Day 3! Feast in the Trees was the perfect Sunday Funday activity before boarding a plane home to LA. The cardmember event included a reserve wine tasting with Las Jaras, a winery co-founded by Eric Wareheim of Netflix’s Master of None. It was all paired with small bites from Tartine, a local favorite restaurant with eats like flower butter bread (I know, right?), beet hummus and Korean BBQ. One thing’s for sure – SF makes is extremely easy to fall in love with its culinary creations. Outside of the festival, I loved perusing the Sapphire Six locations around the city for more cuisine picks.

Getting In & Out

I’ve always been a fan of the SFO airport. Between the Yoga Rooms (T2 & T3) and the lounges via Priority Pass with my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I could spend many hours in this airport. Its central location makes for a very easy ride in and out of the city center. I’m already planning my next visit to the city by the bay to scope out the scenery. This weekend was all about the music!