San Francisco // Favorite Things

SF Cityscape1.jpg


 Was a summer in San Francisco.* And it was so worth it!



I think one of my favorite places in the entire world is the Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Almost every time we visit my parents (which is quite frequently), we head into the city with the express purpose of visiting the market. Besides being an incredible place to get produce and be entertained by tourists and locals alike, the market has great education and outreach programs, which I really like. In August, my husband and I were able to spend the entire day together while Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids. It was heavenly. We ate our way through the farmer's market, quite literally. We tried everything, from dark chocolate almond brittle, to figs with basil (tasted like licorice), dried persimmons and golden beets, quark (a German cream cheese) and every type of goat cheese, preserve, and stone fruit you can imagine. And some you have quite possibly never heard of. Our favorite find was on the left--a plum crossed with a mango. And no, it didn't have a cool name like plango. But it was divine. I can't say enough good things about it. The worst find, despite all its hype, is pictured on the right. A maple bacon donut. Grosser than it sounds, if that is possible. :)

After we had stuffed ourselves, and then eaten lunch, we headed across town, in search of bike and quilt shops. Really, could it be a better day? We stopped by American Cyclery and I lucked out--a bell for my bike and an awesome California flag cycling jersey. It surprises me still how happy that jersey makes me. Then, we arrived at Peapod Fabric. The store is small but the owner has really great taste. Or, that is to say, I loved everything in her shop. (And no, she no longer has the Pez or Heather Ross fabric pictured on her site. :) Both places are worth a stop--throw in the farmer's market, and make a day out of it.  Next time? We're headed to Golden Gate Park, for sure. I had no idea about all of the interesting things the park has to offer.

The funniest part of our day? We bought the most delicious strawberries.  They look like the ones we have on our tiny strawberry plant in our front porch--small, irregular shaped--but way better than anything we've grown. We walked over to the waterfront, sat down, and started chowing down. And then, my husband picked up one with a spider on it. If you know him, you know he hates spiders. He was not quite as excited about the all organic everything after that. I'm not sure he could eat another one. I, on the other hand, had no problem. After washing them. Very well.

And finally, one of my favorite things about San Francisco is that it is a very eclectic city. The architecture reflects this. Here are details of a few homes I took pictures of... from the car, as we were driving down the street.  I love it!


*This quote is most often attributed (incorrectly) to Mark Twain.  Whoever first said it, she or he is right! We froze.