I realized that I hadn't posted yet for the past week, oops. I'm officially at the end of my mid-twenties as of last week - which I feel like is constantly debated - when do you enter your late-twenties? And really does it matter? I am totally fine with getting older, I think I'm an old soul anyway.
Maddy celebrated with me on the actual day and we made an amazing dinner: butternut squash and leek risotto, roasted brussel sprouts and baked, stuff apples. Everything turned out awesome and also spawned a new Monday night cooking idea. Yesterday we made a Miso Sesame Winter Squash dish from 101 cookbooks, my favorite food blog (partially because the author lives in SF). The abundance of leftover miso may just mean Monday's will be miso Monday's. Miso soup? Yes. There has got to be more miso dishes...
Over the weekend I made dinner with a coworker, somewhat of a deconstructed risotto: farro, leeks, mushrooms, and parmesan. It was delish; we were pretty proud of ourselves. On my walk over to her place (in the Panhandle) I noticed a restaurant called Herbivore and made a mental note to return. Well, upon starting my walk back (which was a hour) after dinner, I decided to walk in to see what it was all about and left with a piece of vegan carrot cake. Best decision of the weekend.
Otherwise, I spent much of the weekend just getting some things done that I've been putting off and/or meaning to do. I bought a bookshelf on craigslist for my room (and stupidly brought it up to my apartment solo); caught up with Katy, Lauren and Becky; finished some work and enjoyed the SF winter weather.
That's it for now, I'm le tired. Have a great week!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
back in the bay.
Well, that game was disappointing. I was really looking forward to a possible Patriots/Niners Super Bowl, but alas, the Niners couldn't pull it out in the end. It's great to be back in San Francisco, even though I had such an amazing time in Boston. I wasn't planning to say much about my time there, but it was more than I had hoped for. Here are the highlights:
This weekend I had another couple of visitors. Friday, Evan was just finishing up a week in town for work so we met up for a beer at Leopold's (I've posted about it previously). Saturday my mom came to visit for my birthday (so sweet of her) and I took her to one of my favorite places downtown - The Plant. Really good, solid food that's fresh. After our late lunch we did something I'd been meaning to do for a while - framed and hung some pictures in my room. Well, first we spent a couple hours going to get the frames, then we began the process after a quick dinner at Lemongrass (I've also posted about this too). As you can see, I'm starting to go back to the same places. Anyway, now have pictures on my walls! One awesome thing about old SF apartments is there is molding around the tops of the walls so you can hang pictures by wire. I love the look and also the general idea behind it. They turned out great (pictured below).
Today I saw my grandma and aunt as well, who came into the city for lunch. Afterwards I headed to the Marina to CC's Cocktails, where CC herself bartended. She was not so thrilled about bartending, but did seem to love the Niners. So hilarious and strange at the same time.
All in all, a great past couple of weeks. Tomorrow is another birthing day and also Chinese New Year - happy new year all!
- Veggie Galaxy - the second restaurant from Veggie Planet. I'd be looking forward to it opening all last summer and was pumped to go with Candice my first night in town. I ordered my favorite vegetarian "diner" food - vegan reuben. Yum.
- Of course I went to Clover. I went twice. In one day. My buddy was working so we chatted a bit - I tried to persuade him that migrating to SF was in their best interest.
- A new beer bar opened last summer that I'd wanted to try called Meadhall - a ridiculous amount of taps (great beers!) and the food was pretty tasty. Jay and I headed to the closest we could get to Moan and Dove after that - Lord Hobo - for some more beer. Such a great idea.
- For a low key Friday night, we met up with some of the boys at Stanza dei Sigari. I'm always down for a cigar and apparently Churchill's is no longer open (a shame).
- It's embarrassing that I never went to Petsi Pies the entire time I lived on Green Street because it is blocks away from my old apartment. Great first visit since I had good company, good pie, and a good latte. Pretty sure Kristin and I were the most animated people they'd seen in there in a while. Love ya, Kris.
- I'd heard a lot about Ball Square Cafe and was excited to check it out with Jess (and her new apartment!). Solid food and great to hear about Jess' adventures to SF when I wasn't in town, haha.
- The highlight dining out experience was by far and away Mad Martha's! The banana fosters french toast? Bomb. Kyree - you rock and I'm so happy for you and your success. Keep on, keeping on
- Homemade meals also were stellar - vegan mac and cheese with Lena and Kristin; pizza with Lauren L.; and fish prepared by Mike with the UMass crew; and bagels, lox, the fixings and Sarf and Kelsey's Bloody Mary bar with the Cambridge contingent. Amazing.
- A little football and an insane melding of various friends also made the long weekend fantastic - thanks for hosting Mike and Paul!
This weekend I had another couple of visitors. Friday, Evan was just finishing up a week in town for work so we met up for a beer at Leopold's (I've posted about it previously). Saturday my mom came to visit for my birthday (so sweet of her) and I took her to one of my favorite places downtown - The Plant. Really good, solid food that's fresh. After our late lunch we did something I'd been meaning to do for a while - framed and hung some pictures in my room. Well, first we spent a couple hours going to get the frames, then we began the process after a quick dinner at Lemongrass (I've also posted about this too). As you can see, I'm starting to go back to the same places. Anyway, now have pictures on my walls! One awesome thing about old SF apartments is there is molding around the tops of the walls so you can hang pictures by wire. I love the look and also the general idea behind it. They turned out great (pictured below).
Today I saw my grandma and aunt as well, who came into the city for lunch. Afterwards I headed to the Marina to CC's Cocktails, where CC herself bartended. She was not so thrilled about bartending, but did seem to love the Niners. So hilarious and strange at the same time.
All in all, a great past couple of weeks. Tomorrow is another birthing day and also Chinese New Year - happy new year all!
Monday, January 9, 2012
flying ninja.
I was barely settling back into San Francisco before I was back to the airport yesterday to leave again, this time for Chicago. The four day week last week was definitely welcomed, especially after coming back from a two week jaunt (I know, poor me). Maddy and I were able to spend some time together on Tuesday, catch up on the holidays and relax - it was good to just chill for the evening. Wednesday I went to get a haircut at a place in the Castro that my coworker recommended called Spunk. It was small and the name of it certainly fit the aesthetic, which I appreciated. The art on the walls actually kept me distracted for most of the haircut, especially one piece in particular. It was a picture of Stevie Nicks, but all of the materials were junk. I asked the stylist about it and she said that the guy who did it was a friend of the owners and does all celebrity junk art. Pretty cool stuff. Anyway, I'm always a nervous wreck when I get my haircut because it's been hacked up so many times but I had a lot of trust in this girl. I told her I wanted bangs again and then afterwards I had the
what was I thinking thoughts racing through my head. It's not the 90s, let alone the 80s. But I've gotten used to it and she actually did a stellar job.
On Thursday, Maddy and I headed to the Mission for dinner so we could spend some time together before I took off for my trip east. We've been talking about Mission Chinese for months, ever since it was featured in Bon Appetite as a top 10 restaurant in the country. Corey was kind enough to give us a gift certificate as a thank you present for housing him last month (so unnecessary, but gifts are always welcomed) and so the meal was super cheap. It's not an expensive place anyway, it just takes forever to get a table, so we got there early (6:15PM) and sat down almost right away. The highlights of the meal were the mussels and salt cod fried rice - so good! Oh and the $3 beer.
My intention was to check out a running club on Saturday morning, but that will have you wait because I overslept by about 30 minutes. Oh well. Instead I took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed out to Golden Gate Park, which I've been meaning to do for a long time. I went on a long run all throughout the park and it was exactly what I needed. The smell of the trees was overpowering and I did some "trail running". It's too bad that the park is so far away from my apartment; it will be a treat whenever I can get myself out there to run because it's really serene.
I met up with Maddy and other Santa Clara folk for a couple of people's birthday celebrations and had a mid-day Bloody Mary (my favorite) at The Lookout in the Castro. The bar itself was uneventful other than the fact that it had an outdoor deck and it was close to 65 degrees outside. Is it really winter? We headed to the Marina to another bar and then I headed home to pack. I've been joking that I can't remember what 45 degree weather feels like and that certainly made packing a struggle. Now I'm in Chicago and it is cold, but I'm glad that I'll get to put some of my cold weather gear to use. I'll be in Boston tomorrow night for a week and am looking forward to all of the shenanigans that will ensue. And of course CLOVER. I'll probably skip next week's post since I'll have no SF news to report, but you better believe I'll be taking full advantage of my stay in Boston. Thanks in advance, Candice, for the bed!
Have a great week, ya'll.
what was I thinking thoughts racing through my head. It's not the 90s, let alone the 80s. But I've gotten used to it and she actually did a stellar job.
On Thursday, Maddy and I headed to the Mission for dinner so we could spend some time together before I took off for my trip east. We've been talking about Mission Chinese for months, ever since it was featured in Bon Appetite as a top 10 restaurant in the country. Corey was kind enough to give us a gift certificate as a thank you present for housing him last month (so unnecessary, but gifts are always welcomed) and so the meal was super cheap. It's not an expensive place anyway, it just takes forever to get a table, so we got there early (6:15PM) and sat down almost right away. The highlights of the meal were the mussels and salt cod fried rice - so good! Oh and the $3 beer.
My intention was to check out a running club on Saturday morning, but that will have you wait because I overslept by about 30 minutes. Oh well. Instead I took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed out to Golden Gate Park, which I've been meaning to do for a long time. I went on a long run all throughout the park and it was exactly what I needed. The smell of the trees was overpowering and I did some "trail running". It's too bad that the park is so far away from my apartment; it will be a treat whenever I can get myself out there to run because it's really serene.
I met up with Maddy and other Santa Clara folk for a couple of people's birthday celebrations and had a mid-day Bloody Mary (my favorite) at The Lookout in the Castro. The bar itself was uneventful other than the fact that it had an outdoor deck and it was close to 65 degrees outside. Is it really winter? We headed to the Marina to another bar and then I headed home to pack. I've been joking that I can't remember what 45 degree weather feels like and that certainly made packing a struggle. Now I'm in Chicago and it is cold, but I'm glad that I'll get to put some of my cold weather gear to use. I'll be in Boston tomorrow night for a week and am looking forward to all of the shenanigans that will ensue. And of course CLOVER. I'll probably skip next week's post since I'll have no SF news to report, but you better believe I'll be taking full advantage of my stay in Boston. Thanks in advance, Candice, for the bed!
Have a great week, ya'll.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Ciao 2011, Ciao 2012
Happy New Year! I've said that to pretty much every person I've talked to in the past 48 hours - the guy at the grocery store, the security worker at the airport, friends, family, in emails, to dogs (of course). I have a lot to look forward to in 2012 and pretty pumped to be leaving 2011 behind (although there were some good times had, for sure). Inaugural Beer Olympics, to name one.
So it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, I've been a couple of places (Seattle and Kona), and have only been back in SF for a little more than 24 hours. Therefore, this will be a fairly short post. I spent Christmas in Kona with my family and some family friends. We had a great time and I won't go into any details about the trip, but below are a few of my favorite photos. Oh, and I'll also share my favorite fact that I learned about the big island - there are 11 out of 13 climates on the island of Hawaii. We experienced at least six of them, so cool! I also was obsessed with the different vegetation; half of my pictures are of trees. I felt so lucky to spend time with my parents and brother since it had been three years since all of us had in the same city/place/room. That's pretty pathetic considering it's just the four of us. We all agreed that it wouldn't be another three years before that happened again.
It feels good to be back in the bay, especially when the weather is 60 degrees in January. I had zero food at my apartment when I got back yesterday so went on a walk to the grocery store. Along the way I discovered a small theater called Lumiere that only has three screens. After a little research, I found out that they play mostly independent and foreign films so I'll definitely be keeping tabs on what's playing there. They happen to be playing Drive right now and my brother mentioned how good it was so I went to a showing last night. I'd definitely recommend it!
Today was a good day to just decompress after being gone for so long (no complaints) and I went for a long run down to Marina Green. Finished the day off with a pot of chili - something I haven't made in a long time - it is the perfect winter meal. This week is going to fly by and then will be spending some time back east - watch out Chicago and Boston.
Looking forward to the first week of the new year!
So it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, I've been a couple of places (Seattle and Kona), and have only been back in SF for a little more than 24 hours. Therefore, this will be a fairly short post. I spent Christmas in Kona with my family and some family friends. We had a great time and I won't go into any details about the trip, but below are a few of my favorite photos. Oh, and I'll also share my favorite fact that I learned about the big island - there are 11 out of 13 climates on the island of Hawaii. We experienced at least six of them, so cool! I also was obsessed with the different vegetation; half of my pictures are of trees. I felt so lucky to spend time with my parents and brother since it had been three years since all of us had in the same city/place/room. That's pretty pathetic considering it's just the four of us. We all agreed that it wouldn't be another three years before that happened again.
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| Waipio Valley |
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| Black Sand Beach |
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| One of the many rainbows we saw! |
It feels good to be back in the bay, especially when the weather is 60 degrees in January. I had zero food at my apartment when I got back yesterday so went on a walk to the grocery store. Along the way I discovered a small theater called Lumiere that only has three screens. After a little research, I found out that they play mostly independent and foreign films so I'll definitely be keeping tabs on what's playing there. They happen to be playing Drive right now and my brother mentioned how good it was so I went to a showing last night. I'd definitely recommend it!
Today was a good day to just decompress after being gone for so long (no complaints) and I went for a long run down to Marina Green. Finished the day off with a pot of chili - something I haven't made in a long time - it is the perfect winter meal. This week is going to fly by and then will be spending some time back east - watch out Chicago and Boston.
Looking forward to the first week of the new year!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
two zero eleven coming to a close.
The week before leaving on vacation is always the longest. This week was also complete with a major low and major high (I'm glad the week ended with the high).
Around this time last year I was bombarding people with letters and cards asking for donations in support of Jumpstart and my marathon training. Although I've started running again regularly, it doesn't compare to training in the Newton hills. I'm hoping to join the 2012 team on a training run next month when I'm in town and hoping that my daily hill walking in SF will be a good training substitute.
On Thursday I welcomed visitor #5 (I think?): Brooke! I found out that she would be driving to Lake Tahoe from her home in Abilene, TX so I bribed her with a burrito from the Mission and a little site seeing (on top of the always present hug and high-five). It was amazing to see her and I am so thankful that we had some time to just chill and chat before she deploys in January. Friday morning we woke up to gorgeous weather and took off to the Golden Gate bridge. Along the way we saw the Palace of Fine Arts, which I've been wanting to check out for a while. I'm so glad we stopped because it's a very impressive structure. We walked around a bit, took some pictures of ducks and talked about how envious we were of the people who lived across the street and walked out their door in the morning with the palace as their view. Next we drove across the bridge to the lookout spots and then back into the city to see the Painted Ladies in Alamo Square. And yes, we sang the Full House theme song as she parallel parked impressively (there is photo evidence) on a hill.
We were in the market for some sushi for lunch, but stumbled upon an eatery right next to Mad Dog in the Fog called Greenburger, on Haight Street. It was the perfect place to stumble upon - I had a vegan sloppy joe (I never even thought to make one, but will definitely try on my own) and Brooke got a veggie burger. Really solid meal and I'll definitely go back if I'm in the area. Brooke needed to get back on the road and I had to get some work done so we parted ways after lunch, but it was such a great visit. Thanks for taking a bit of a detour, Brooke! It was a Christmas miracle!
On Saturday I helped Maddy with some cooking for a Christmas party (I'm always happy to lend a hand in the kitchen) and then off to the airport in the evening to head back to Seattle. Today I finally was able to visit a friend (Hope) who lives in Ballard and pick up a set of drawings that I asked her to do for our apartment. First off, they were even more beautiful than I thought when she sent me a picture, and second, they were EXACTLY what I was imagining. I'll post a picture when they are up in the apartment.
Well, I'm off tomorrow on vacation for the holidays so no posts until 2012 (where did 2011 go?). Happy holidays everyone - safe travels!
Around this time last year I was bombarding people with letters and cards asking for donations in support of Jumpstart and my marathon training. Although I've started running again regularly, it doesn't compare to training in the Newton hills. I'm hoping to join the 2012 team on a training run next month when I'm in town and hoping that my daily hill walking in SF will be a good training substitute.
On Thursday I welcomed visitor #5 (I think?): Brooke! I found out that she would be driving to Lake Tahoe from her home in Abilene, TX so I bribed her with a burrito from the Mission and a little site seeing (on top of the always present hug and high-five). It was amazing to see her and I am so thankful that we had some time to just chill and chat before she deploys in January. Friday morning we woke up to gorgeous weather and took off to the Golden Gate bridge. Along the way we saw the Palace of Fine Arts, which I've been wanting to check out for a while. I'm so glad we stopped because it's a very impressive structure. We walked around a bit, took some pictures of ducks and talked about how envious we were of the people who lived across the street and walked out their door in the morning with the palace as their view. Next we drove across the bridge to the lookout spots and then back into the city to see the Painted Ladies in Alamo Square. And yes, we sang the Full House theme song as she parallel parked impressively (there is photo evidence) on a hill.
We were in the market for some sushi for lunch, but stumbled upon an eatery right next to Mad Dog in the Fog called Greenburger, on Haight Street. It was the perfect place to stumble upon - I had a vegan sloppy joe (I never even thought to make one, but will definitely try on my own) and Brooke got a veggie burger. Really solid meal and I'll definitely go back if I'm in the area. Brooke needed to get back on the road and I had to get some work done so we parted ways after lunch, but it was such a great visit. Thanks for taking a bit of a detour, Brooke! It was a Christmas miracle!
On Saturday I helped Maddy with some cooking for a Christmas party (I'm always happy to lend a hand in the kitchen) and then off to the airport in the evening to head back to Seattle. Today I finally was able to visit a friend (Hope) who lives in Ballard and pick up a set of drawings that I asked her to do for our apartment. First off, they were even more beautiful than I thought when she sent me a picture, and second, they were EXACTLY what I was imagining. I'll post a picture when they are up in the apartment.
Well, I'm off tomorrow on vacation for the holidays so no posts until 2012 (where did 2011 go?). Happy holidays everyone - safe travels!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
running in the country > running on a treadmill
I can't believe it's almost Christmas. I hate to gloat (although it sounds like the New England has had it's fair share of nice weather) but it has rained only three or four days since I moved here. I've been told this is unseasonably nice; I'm pretending that isn't the case though. The weather has changed to sunny and brisk; I pulled out the gloves for the first time this week, but I don't mind.
Corey left Tuesday morning so we had Monday night to cook dinner together. Our meal consisted of fresh black pepper pasta (bought at the Fort Mason farmers market), butternut squash and sage sauce, and roasted brussel sprouts (on the stock - also form the farmers market). I learned a new trick from Corey - put a tiny bit of water on the pan of the brussel sprouts before you put them in the oven; it cooks them a little more thoroughly so they are nice and tender. It totally worked and they were delicious!
Tuesday I did some baking for my work Christmas party/cookie competition. I made Ginger Molasses Sandwich Cookies, which turned out alright. I did not win, but did get an intense sugar high/crash after tasting seventeen different types of cookies. What were we thinking? I also did not win the ugly sweater competition, but did wear mine the entire day (including out to lunch) so I should have at least won a prize for that. I did some more cooking that night with a friend and it was my first time making souffles. Saying that word makes me feel weird about making them, like they are too fancy for me. I contributed the swiss chard side dish, a little more up my alley.
This week consisted of two back to back concerts at the Masonic Center, a concert hall literally four blocks from my apartment. On Thursday I went to see the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and man were they awesome! Two of my co-workers sing in the group of 275+ men and they sounded great, had so much energy and were hilarious. I love Christmas music and was happy that a bell choir accompanied them on some of the songs (I know, it's weird to like bell choirs). All in all a great concert and was so happy to support Kenyon and Chris. The second concert on Friday was a show put on by KFOG (a local radio station) called Concert for Kids. My aunt was really excited for me to move to San Francisco because she wants someone to go to concerts with; I was happy to oblige, especially when she picks up the tab. The opener was Airborne Toxic Event with headliner Death Cab for Cutie. I was happy to support the hometown boys - Death Cab is from Seattle. The audience was such a wide range of people (which I expected going into it). The sixteen year old girls behind us yelling "I love you, Ben" every five minutes was a bit overplayed; I think he heard them the first time.
The rest of the weekend I spent out in Brentwood on my grandma's farm. It is so peaceful out there, I could just sit outside for hours staring at the sky. We spent a few hours at my uncle's house yesterday and played a card game that I grew up playing - Liverpool Rummy. It brings back good memories of my grandfather because he loved playing. \We are always way more competitive than necessary and (tame) trash talk is a requirement. Aside from seeing my family, which is obviously the highlight, I was ecstatic about running both days on the road around my grandma's. It's so nice to run on flat ground and breathe the air out there.
I look forward to those visits to the farm when I can essentially go into hibernation mode for a while.
Only one more week of work until a vacation (holler). Have a good week!
Corey left Tuesday morning so we had Monday night to cook dinner together. Our meal consisted of fresh black pepper pasta (bought at the Fort Mason farmers market), butternut squash and sage sauce, and roasted brussel sprouts (on the stock - also form the farmers market). I learned a new trick from Corey - put a tiny bit of water on the pan of the brussel sprouts before you put them in the oven; it cooks them a little more thoroughly so they are nice and tender. It totally worked and they were delicious!
Tuesday I did some baking for my work Christmas party/cookie competition. I made Ginger Molasses Sandwich Cookies, which turned out alright. I did not win, but did get an intense sugar high/crash after tasting seventeen different types of cookies. What were we thinking? I also did not win the ugly sweater competition, but did wear mine the entire day (including out to lunch) so I should have at least won a prize for that. I did some more cooking that night with a friend and it was my first time making souffles. Saying that word makes me feel weird about making them, like they are too fancy for me. I contributed the swiss chard side dish, a little more up my alley.
This week consisted of two back to back concerts at the Masonic Center, a concert hall literally four blocks from my apartment. On Thursday I went to see the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and man were they awesome! Two of my co-workers sing in the group of 275+ men and they sounded great, had so much energy and were hilarious. I love Christmas music and was happy that a bell choir accompanied them on some of the songs (I know, it's weird to like bell choirs). All in all a great concert and was so happy to support Kenyon and Chris. The second concert on Friday was a show put on by KFOG (a local radio station) called Concert for Kids. My aunt was really excited for me to move to San Francisco because she wants someone to go to concerts with; I was happy to oblige, especially when she picks up the tab. The opener was Airborne Toxic Event with headliner Death Cab for Cutie. I was happy to support the hometown boys - Death Cab is from Seattle. The audience was such a wide range of people (which I expected going into it). The sixteen year old girls behind us yelling "I love you, Ben" every five minutes was a bit overplayed; I think he heard them the first time.
The rest of the weekend I spent out in Brentwood on my grandma's farm. It is so peaceful out there, I could just sit outside for hours staring at the sky. We spent a few hours at my uncle's house yesterday and played a card game that I grew up playing - Liverpool Rummy. It brings back good memories of my grandfather because he loved playing. \We are always way more competitive than necessary and (tame) trash talk is a requirement. Aside from seeing my family, which is obviously the highlight, I was ecstatic about running both days on the road around my grandma's. It's so nice to run on flat ground and breathe the air out there.
I look forward to those visits to the farm when I can essentially go into hibernation mode for a while.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
food is best stumbled upon.
This past week was the first Sunday that I missed an entry, but my excuse is that I was home for Thanksgiving and when I'm home everything else in real life stops. It was a bit of an unconventional Thanksgiving - went to the movies (saw The Descendents), had salmon for dinner (and brussel sprouts - obviously) and played a few rousing games of bananagrams. My parents recently renovated their kitchen and it was a dream to cook in; in fact I could live in this kitchen. I might be moving back to good old Covington at some point in my life just to be with this kitchen. I returned to SF on Monday night so I had a solid six days at home.
Some highlights from my time in WA/Seattle include: sushi with Emma, going out with high school folks and singing a little karaoke (along with it, more so), eating brunch with Janelle and Kenzie, making Italian bread with my mom, hearing all about Portland from an old friend and confirming that Portlandia is mostly true, and talking to my dad about his new band. All in all, a great trip.
This week I took it pretty easy and crashed most days after work. Mine and Maddy's Friday night consisted of laundry, bad TV and buying a mini Christmas tree. It's small, but fits perfectly in a nook in our apartment. Enter visitor #4 - Corey - a friend from UMass and current resident of Denver (I must visit Denver now that I've heard all about it from an insider). He arrived on Saturday around noon and we wasted no time, heading to the Mission for lunch. Our friend Eric recommended Tartine Bakery and I've been meaning to go for a while so we checked it out. There was a line, but it moved quickly and the shortbread I had was so tasty.
From the Mission, we walked through the Castro and up to Alamo Square to see the infamous Painted Ladies (essentially the Full House houses). Alamo Square is just north of the Haight and I wanted to go to Amoeba Music - my brother and dad have been talking about it for years and now I know why. It is the mecca of music stores. New, used, obscure, everything. I can't wait for a rainy day to just go there and spend hours searching through albums. We then headed to Mad Dog in the Fog to meet up with a group and I was immediately distracted by the tables right as we walked in that have taps and kegs at the table. The system tracks how much you pour, which could get costly and dangerous, but is equally awesome. We enjoyed a few beers (and also experienced a record three beers spilled in less than 15 seconds) then headed in search of food. We ended up to be across the street at Rosamunde Sausage Grill because the smell of onions and sauerkraut lured us in. They had a vegan sausage ( surprisingly good) but what isn't good when it's smothered with the fixings and spicy mustard? Next we walked to another bar close by called The Page - very fitting because it was on Page Street. We called it an early night after that then spent two hours listening to Tiny Desk Concerts on NPR (which blew my mind) and ate popcorn made over the stove (best decision of the day).
Sunday funday was spent doing more walking, but started off right with a run outside. The weather has been amazing these past few days and I'm still in denial it's December. Lombard Street is not far from my apartment so we ran to the top to look down - it's amazing that people actually use it for the purpose of getting from point A to point B. We did a lot more walking today - up to Coit Tower then to the Wharf to see the sea lions, smell the seafood and see the Bushman. Who is the Bushman you ask? Click on the link. I remember this guy from when I was a kid and he's still doing his thing. Funnily enough I was telling Corey about him only moments before we ran into him. We then stumbled upon an amazing farmers market at Fort Mason and purchased spoils for dinner tomorrow. We ate samples for lunch, discovered a new dip (roasted leeks, lentils, and garlic) and I bought kale (obviously).
The afternoon consisted of a Bloody Mary at Nook (I'm obsessed), bananagrams (I'm obsessed) and sitting in the sun. Although it started to get windy and a bit cold, we had our minds set on playing a game of bocce in Alta Vista Park. The views from the park are amazing. I still am in awe of every view I see of the city - it's just surreal. For dinner we headed out to Richmond for sushi at Sushi Bistro on the recommendation of someone I met while home for Thanksgiving and also from Eric. I got a tip to get a roll that's off the menu, which I won't divulge what it's called, but if you visit and want sushi we're going there and getting it. Best sushi roll ever.
I'm looking forward to a full week and some time out in Brentwood this weekend. But what I'm really looking forward to is the feast Corey and I will be making tomorrow. Thanks Fort Mason farmers market!
Some highlights from my time in WA/Seattle include: sushi with Emma, going out with high school folks and singing a little karaoke (along with it, more so), eating brunch with Janelle and Kenzie, making Italian bread with my mom, hearing all about Portland from an old friend and confirming that Portlandia is mostly true, and talking to my dad about his new band. All in all, a great trip.
This week I took it pretty easy and crashed most days after work. Mine and Maddy's Friday night consisted of laundry, bad TV and buying a mini Christmas tree. It's small, but fits perfectly in a nook in our apartment. Enter visitor #4 - Corey - a friend from UMass and current resident of Denver (I must visit Denver now that I've heard all about it from an insider). He arrived on Saturday around noon and we wasted no time, heading to the Mission for lunch. Our friend Eric recommended Tartine Bakery and I've been meaning to go for a while so we checked it out. There was a line, but it moved quickly and the shortbread I had was so tasty. From the Mission, we walked through the Castro and up to Alamo Square to see the infamous Painted Ladies (essentially the Full House houses). Alamo Square is just north of the Haight and I wanted to go to Amoeba Music - my brother and dad have been talking about it for years and now I know why. It is the mecca of music stores. New, used, obscure, everything. I can't wait for a rainy day to just go there and spend hours searching through albums. We then headed to Mad Dog in the Fog to meet up with a group and I was immediately distracted by the tables right as we walked in that have taps and kegs at the table. The system tracks how much you pour, which could get costly and dangerous, but is equally awesome. We enjoyed a few beers (and also experienced a record three beers spilled in less than 15 seconds) then headed in search of food. We ended up to be across the street at Rosamunde Sausage Grill because the smell of onions and sauerkraut lured us in. They had a vegan sausage ( surprisingly good) but what isn't good when it's smothered with the fixings and spicy mustard? Next we walked to another bar close by called The Page - very fitting because it was on Page Street. We called it an early night after that then spent two hours listening to Tiny Desk Concerts on NPR (which blew my mind) and ate popcorn made over the stove (best decision of the day).
Sunday funday was spent doing more walking, but started off right with a run outside. The weather has been amazing these past few days and I'm still in denial it's December. Lombard Street is not far from my apartment so we ran to the top to look down - it's amazing that people actually use it for the purpose of getting from point A to point B. We did a lot more walking today - up to Coit Tower then to the Wharf to see the sea lions, smell the seafood and see the Bushman. Who is the Bushman you ask? Click on the link. I remember this guy from when I was a kid and he's still doing his thing. Funnily enough I was telling Corey about him only moments before we ran into him. We then stumbled upon an amazing farmers market at Fort Mason and purchased spoils for dinner tomorrow. We ate samples for lunch, discovered a new dip (roasted leeks, lentils, and garlic) and I bought kale (obviously).
The afternoon consisted of a Bloody Mary at Nook (I'm obsessed), bananagrams (I'm obsessed) and sitting in the sun. Although it started to get windy and a bit cold, we had our minds set on playing a game of bocce in Alta Vista Park. The views from the park are amazing. I still am in awe of every view I see of the city - it's just surreal. For dinner we headed out to Richmond for sushi at Sushi Bistro on the recommendation of someone I met while home for Thanksgiving and also from Eric. I got a tip to get a roll that's off the menu, which I won't divulge what it's called, but if you visit and want sushi we're going there and getting it. Best sushi roll ever.
I'm looking forward to a full week and some time out in Brentwood this weekend. But what I'm really looking forward to is the feast Corey and I will be making tomorrow. Thanks Fort Mason farmers market!
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| Outside of Tartine Bakery with the building across the street reflecting off the window |
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