Traveling across country with a dog and finding the best hotels isn’t always easy! Very thankful that when I was in the San Francisco area visiting The Museum of Ice Cream I ran across The Graduate hotel chain. My little pup Aurora was able to stay for FREE and they brought us bowls, a blanket, and a Graduate themed Bark Box for Aurora to enjoy. She felt right at home.

Not only did this hotel offer a fantastic stay for my furry little friend but I enjoyed the stay as well. 

Upon entering the hotel, you walk into a historic building with decor to die for! It’s a combination of stepping into a really old university with some modern twists. Their whole reception area was lined with magazines upon magazines (Old National Geographics) and they even had a picture of Marshawn Lynch on the wall as you walked in (Running back for the Oakland Raiders and formerly the Seattle Seahawks. Also a former player on Berkeley’s football team.). The common room had decor to die for, all the details were well thought through and greatly appreciated! And around check in time they even had a little wine and cheese happy hour available for the guests free of charge. They definitely know the way into this girl’s heart.

Downstairs they have a restaurant called Henry’s. When I was there it was under construction. BUT their menu looks fantastic, so when I come back I’ll definitely be grabbing a bite to eat here.

Now for the rooms, SOO CUTE!! They had wood floors with the same feel as their common room/reception area. Some of the details in the room that I loved…the modern rotary phone and a movie poster from the classic film “The Graduate”.  The little details make the biggest difference.

Now lets talk about LOCATION, LOCATION. This hotel was in the perfect area to walk around to all the trendy things Cal Berkeley has to offer, not to mention it was right by campus. So if you’re planning a college campus tour or visiting someone who goes to the school it’s the perfect place to stay (they even have current student, alumnae, and parent discounts). Even if you aren’t doing anything Berkeley related it’s just a great place to stay. The area offers a lot of trendy stores and food that are catered to a younger crowd because it is so close to a college campus, in my opinion it’s perfect for millennial’s such as myself because it offers a more laid back vibe (at an affordable price point) then being in the heart of San Fran but also had easy access to the Bart so you can make your way to the city at any time.

Next time you’re in the San Fran area, please consider staying at this fabulous hotel (and check out the other cities they're in as well), especially if you have a furry friend you want to bring along. You definitely won’t regret it!

Xoxo, @kellithinks

Pictures Below: First four photos are my own, the last six come from the @graduateberkeley instagram page
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I’ve been to ALOT of pop up museums and I would have to say The Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco was by far THE BEST!! From the moment you walk into this museum you feel like all your problems have just gone away, which WAS GREAT as experiences such as these are supposed to be an escape from the every day or traditional museum. What made it soo good you might ask? Well read on, I’ll tell you! 

The Rooms - There were soo many different rooms and ALL of them were uniquely different. Loved Marye’s Diner for the 50s Soda Shop Feel. Their Word Room gave me a chance to express myself. The magical light in the Unicorn Room was soo pretty!! There was a Chocolate Mint Room that smelled just like mint!! The Circus Animal Cookie Room was too cute, loved that you could ride these nostalgic cookies!! And of course what would MOIC be without the infamous Sprinkle Pool (I literally left with sprinkles EVERYWHERE!!)! No detail was too small for the creators of the Museum of Ice Cream and it showed! There were no feelings of them just wanting to add in an extra room (which I have felt in other museums). Every room existed for a reason even their newest Circus Animal Cookie Room.

The People - Everyone who works at MOIC is brilliant, from the ticket taker to the gift shop cash register person. People TRULY make an experience even better and I didn’t even know I needed them to be apart of my experience before they just were. The rooms being soo uniquely different offered different personality types before entering a room. It was fun interacting with the “room guard” before being let in to PLAY in that particular room…they told stories, had you forget your  problems, made you participate in silly animal sounds (I believe I said Cah Cawww to be let into the Gummy Bear Room), and truly made you apart of “The Show”.

The Treats - And of course you can’t go to MOIC without expecting some sweet treats. Each room offered a different story which of course requires a different sweet treat to go with it. Everything was perfectly curated too! I believe I had everything from chocolate chocolate  to mint chocolate chip mochi to gold glittered cotton candy (BY FAR MY FAVORITE), they even did a throw back pop rocks candy treat. I was in sweet treat heaven. 

The Museum of Ice Cream appeals to ALL of the senses. I walked out of this magical place on a SUGAR HIGH. Well worth a trip to San Francisco before they close their doors. 

Hope you enjoy all the photos (look for the fully edited versions on my instagram) and that you get to make your way to see this museum if you haven’t already. BUT, until then, I’d love to hear which room you would be most excited to have a “photo shoot” in!

Xoxo, @kellithinks