As a native to the City of Angels, Mark Miller, won our hearts with endless photos of adventure, love, and delicious eats. Together with his boyfriend, Ethan, the two have mastered the element of exploration and taken Los Angeles by storm. Mark and Ethan just returned from an Instagram takeover in San Francisco, California for the Pride Parade as part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, be sure to follow Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

What are weekends for if not to wander? Those two (sometimes three) days of freedom at the end of the week promise whatever adventures your mind can dream up. Maybe it’s a product of my 17 years of Monday through Friday public schooling, but even now with a freelance work schedule, that’s how I’ve always viewed the weekend: an unfiltered escape from the everyday.

That’s why when presented with the opportunity to wander someplace new for a weekend, we embraced it with zero hesitation. And that was before we even knew where we were going— San Francisco during its Pride celebration.

As a recent transplant to Los Angeles, I couldn’t wait to visit the foggy sister city of the north. As a person who also happens to be gay, I couldn’t wait to experience the mecca that is San Francisco Pride. Home to so much LGBTQ+ history, I couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate how proud I am to be able to live my truth with the man I love at my side.

Weekends are for wandering, so that’s what we did. Maximizing the few days we had, we captured the rhythm of the city in moments.

A foggy hike along the coast at Lands End. A day in the sun at Mission Dolores Park. A cocktail above the city at The View. A night out dancing in the Castro. A huge square slice of pizza at midnight at Golden Boy.

Regardless of how many unforgettable memories we made this weekend, I think what will stick with me most is how many smiling faces that surrounded us. Our three days in San Francisco were pure jubilation, with over 500,000 visitors coming into the city to take part in the celebrations. So many people— different, yet the same— coming together to say to whoever is listening, “You are valid. You are wanted.”