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I want candy! (Bomp, ba-bomp, bomp bomp). Start humming your favorite sweet song as you join  Captain Adventure Scrubs on a trip to Candytopia, a quirky museum celebrating all things sweet.  I prefer to hum along to Bow Wow Wow, but go ahead and pick your favorite sweet song before reading on         ( Pour some sugar on me? Sugar sugar? Candy girl?)
A sugar rush of epic proportions  has overtaken San Francisco as Candytopia,  an interactive and Instagram worthy art exhibit opened this week.  With a weakness for chocolate and hoping for free samples, I headed over to Market St to check it out.

Each ticket holder is a given a time their candy themed experience will begin, which helps with crowd control and allows you to move through each area of the exhibit without feeling rushed or cramped. In each room of the exhibit,  art work created entirely from candy is displayed for you to ooh and ahh over. Each art piece has a placard that details the type of candy used, the number of hours needed to complete the project  and how many grams of sugar each installation has.

From portraits of pop stars made of jelly beans, a dragon made of licorice and gummies,  to a swimming pool full of “marshmallows” to dive into, ea h room us guaranteed to bring out your inner child.  Are there free samples you ask?? Yes! Each room offers different candies for you to try. Chocolate truffles,  pixie sticks, tootsie pops, and other goodies await. Did I count these sweet treats as breakfast?? Maybe my friends.  Maybe.

Is there anyone in need of a little pampering more than a nurse? More deserving? I think not friends. And yet we are the least likely to self care, to carve out time for rest, reflection and rejuvenation.  After taking stock of myself, (tired feet? Check. Aching back? Check. Dull skin in desperate need of an intervention? Check and double check) I made an appointment at Burke Williams spa for a facial.  Burke Williams San Francisco is located at the Westfield Mall.
After checking in,  I put all my things into a locker and got comfy in a plush white robe. I managed to sit on one of the couches in the waiting area and not fall asleep,  despite working a 12 hour shift the night before and being seated next to a cozy fireplace.

My aesthetician today was Ireland,  a skin care goddess whose glowing skin made me secretly ashamed that my entire skin care regimen consists of soap, water, and relying on a sheen of sweat during work hours to give me something remotely resembling dewy skin. She evaluated my skin, made a few inquiries about my non existent skin care routine and made her recommendations. Overall, the facial was a very soothing experience. A softly lit room, a paraffin wax dip for my hands and some warm stream on my face combined with a lack of sleep the night before lulled me into a nap. I woke up quickly during the extraction process though.
For those who haven’t had a facial before,  most follow a few basic steps: consultation,  cleanse, steam, exfoliation,  extraction,  massage,  and final application of skin creams  or serums. The extraction process to remove blackheads and whiteheads can be a little rough as the aesthetician manipulates your skin to clear any clogged pores. A final application of serum, and then it was back to massage and relaxation.  Ireland proposed a list of products that would benefit my skin and practically begged me to stop main lining coffee and drink a glass of water now and then.  After her hard work,  my skin looked beautiful and I felt wonderful.  To all my fellow nurses, don’t forget to take care of yourselves.  Do something for yourself and you will find that your providing compassionate care should start with you.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a crafty person? You know the type. Someone with an entire room dedicated to their hobby, a treasure trove of home made gifts to dole out at holidays, maybe their own Etsy shop to sell their creations to the world.  Good news then my dear friend. Captain Adventure Scrubs dipped a toe into that well of creativity to report back to you all that I found. Today’s California adventure took me to Sips N Sews, a unique store front on Sutter street that caters to sewing enthusiasts of all experience levels.

Sips N Sews was founded by Tammy Gustin, a former techie turned badass sewing saint for struggling fashion design students who could not find space to work on their projects at home or school.  The studio offers 3,500 square feet of sewing nirvana brimming with everything a potential sewist would need from a fully stocked notions nook to industrial sewing machines capable of producing five thousand stitches per minute. Classes are offered for every experience level or project interest. With Groupon in hand and a small amount of trepidation in my heart, I arrived for an Intro to Sewing Bootcamp course designed to guide novices such as myself into the wonderful world of sewing.

See that cute tea cabinet? At Sips in Sews, you can choose a mug, make a nice cup of tea and lounge in a comfy chair as you contemplate your future sewing projects. While a tiny part of me hoped the sips would refer to something of the alcoholic variety, its probably best not to mix alcohol and machinery.

Classes are held on the 2^nd floor with an 8:1 ratio of students to instructor.  I sat in the front row and prayed the class would start by helping us find the on switch (it does).  Our instructor Kim was helpful, informative, and patient when one of us may have tangled the thread in the machine more than once (I know you think it was me. I can feel your look). Backstory on our instructor Kim: she began sewing at the age of six and learned from her grandfather. He had been a tailor in Mexico, a man so talented that he made his wife’s wedding dress and his son’s toddler clothes. Sadly, Kim’s great grandfather viewed sewing as “women’s work” so her grandfather quit sewing. Imagine his joy at being able to pass his knowledge on to his granddaughter.

Here she is, drinking tea and getting ready to impart some knowledge. Over the next 3.5 hours, she went through the basic components of a sewing machine, how to thread a bobbin, basic stitching/backstitching and troubleshooting.  After she showed us on her machine, she would walk around and help any one who needed a little bit more one to one instruction.  By the end of the class, I was envisioning opening up my own Etsy shop and achieving world wide sewing domination.  Interested in learning how to sew or brushing up on your skills? Check out Sipsnsews.com for more info, including class descriptions and times.

Is there anything better than sinking into a comfy bed piled high with pillows at the end of a long day? I think not my friends. Last night I stayed in a cozy cocoon of a bed that rejuvenated me and gave me the strength to throw on my superhero cape to face another 12 hour shift. Captain Adventure Scrubs here, with a review of the lovely Parc 55, a Hilton Hotel located two blocks south of Union Square and one block north of SoMa.  Location is a key feature of Parc 55– it is within walking distance of a BART station, world class shopping and a cable car line sure to delight your touristy heart.

Parc 55 is a full service hotel with valet parking, a gift shop and three on site restaurants. The lobby is large and airy with inviting sitting areas and often has an art exhibition in rotation. The check in desk is located on the second floor. If you are a Hilton honors program member, check in will proceed more quickly because there is a line dedicated especially for members.

The check in process was quick, and all of the staff members I encountered were friendly and knowledgeable about hotel amenities and the surrounding area hot spots and must see attractions.  As I checked in, the desk clerk recommended that I sign up for the Hilton Honors program so that I could use their wifi for free. Not a program member? Wi fi will cost $12.95/day. For you healthy types, Parc 55 has a fitness center and gives you access to an outdoor rooftop pool at their adjacent property Hilton San Francisco Union Square. My room was nicely furnished, with a sitting area, in room mini fridge, flat screen TV, coffee maker and black out curtains.  I would recommend requesting a room on a higher floor if you would prefer a quieter room with less chance of hearing street traffic.

There are three onsite restaurants offering a variety of sit down and to go options.  Barbary Coast Deli is located on the first floor and serves coffee and pastries to fuel you up before you set out to explore the city by the Bay.  Craving Thai food? Head to Kin Khao, Parc 55’s delicious Thai fusion restaurant.  Lastly, the Cable 55 restaurant is a casual sit down restaurant offering classic bar tavern faire.  Cable 55 also offers a hearty breakfast buffet every morning featuring they typical American breakfast and Chinese favorites (dim sum, rice porridge and noodles).

Check out is at 11 am, but a quick test to the front desk earned me a complimentary 12 pm check out.  I enjoyed my stay at Parc 55, and it would be a solid choice for anyone looking for a centrally located hotel in San Francisco.