springtime

Spring is officially here!

I would be really excited about this, but I have a confession to make... I loathe spring. I really do. Where others see hope, renewal, and rebirth, I see dirty puddles and allergies and pastel everything (yuck!). I know I am in the minority here, but spring is my least favorite season.

Spring's only redeeming quality, in my opinion, is the sudden abundance of flowers. I wasn't sure what to expect in this city that is devoid of any real seasonal transitions, but I am thrilled to report that flowers are blossoming everywhere right now! I mean, the leaves don't change color in the fall, but cherry blossoms and tulips bloom in April? I don't understand it, but I'll take it.

Who knew this city could be even prettier. Plus, thanks to the awesome flower vendor at our local farmers' market, I currently have three vases of white tulips in the apartment. It's like Holland up in here.

Ok, so maybe spring isn't all that bad.

wherever you are, there it is

You know what I love? Line. Architecture. Sky. Negative space. Light. Shadow. Reflection.

City.

I finally made my way to the Financial District of San Francisco, where I was inundated by all of the above. And thank goodness. Though I adore San Francisco's Victorian and residential charm, sometimes you just need the city. Wide sidewalks, speeding taxis, crowded crosswalks, pedestrians with purpose (none of those lollygagging tourists), honking, rushing, hustle and bustle. And of course, skyscrapers.

While I am staunchly opposed to the Transamerica Pyramid on aesthetic grounds, I admit that it is indeed the centerpiece of the San Francisco skyline. Wherever you are, whenever you look up, there it is.

see the window creeper? ^^

In my next life, I have every intention of being an architect. And the one after that, I shall be a pilot. Just in case you were wondering about my reincarnation plans...

the hill, the afternoon

around Pacific Heights...

'Nature' is what we see—

The Hill—the Afternoon—

Squirrel—Eclipse—the Bumble bee—

Nay—Nature is Heaven—

Nature is what we hear—

The Bobolink—the Sea—

Thunder—the Cricket—

Nay—Nature is Harmony—

Nature is what we know—

Yet have no art to say—

So impotent Our Wisdom is

To her Simplicity.

- Emily Dickinson -

south of market

With our lease expiring in six short weeks (agh, where did the last four and a half months go!?), Dave and I are apartment hunting yet again. Er, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we are still in the neighborhood scouting phase (aka the 'Crap! This city is still feels so very foreign to us and we have no idea where to go!' phase).

Whenever I meet someone new here, their first question is not 'what do you do,' but 'where do you live.' Like it or not, in cities like Chicago and San Francisco, your choice of neighborhood defines you -- to some degree, at least.

So where do we fit in here? With the hippies in the Haight, hipsters in the Mission, or frat boys in the Marina (um, no)? Or maybe with the 'urban pioneers' in SoMa? There's only one way to find out: explore, right?

A few days ago, I met Dave for lunch in SoMa (where he works) and wandered around the neighborhood a bit. It is a little (ok, a lot) rough around the edges, yes, but there is potential. I think? Maybe?

p.s. These cracked me up:

Slightly Insulting Chicago Posters

Moving to San Francisco

lazy sunday

Dave and I have been making a point to get out as often as possible and enjoy this beautiful California weather. It is still such a novelty for us to actually want to leave the house during the month of January, let alone walk around without a winter coat(!). If we were still living in Chicago, we would be in full hibernation mode right now. Because yes, it reached a jaw-dropping -4 degrees in Chicago yesterday. That is the kind of cold where your lungs ache, your snot freezes (sorry, but it's true), your eyeballs burn, and three layers of thermal underwear is still not enough. No, you don't go out in that unless it involves a paycheck.  

Anyway, last weekend, on a particularly gorgeous San Francisco Sunday, we found ourselves exploring the Lower Haight. First we fortuitously stumbled into Maven for a fan.tas.tic brunch, then to Le Cafe du Soliel for (more) coffee. On the walk home, I sincerely thought my heart was going to explode from happiness... or perhaps it was all that caffeine :)

a gloomy day in the mission

Last Saturday was a gross, rainy day in San Francisco, so Dave and I decided to cheer ourselves up with some authentic Mission burritos (a SF original we had yet to experience). 

On our way, we stopped at a fancy little coffee shop on 16th for a pre-lunch snack (like you do). It was lovely... until I started eating my donut, which tasted suspiciously like cardboard with sprinkles. Turns out, it was cardboard with sprinkles -- it was a vegan donut. Now, if you happen to be vegan, that's cool; I support you. But here's my personal message to all the establishments of the world: selling baked goods under the guise of containing butter is cruel and I beg you not to do it. Just label it, okay? (If you are wondering, I ate the whole thing because, I mean, it was still a chocolate donut after all.)

Moving on.

After pre-lunch, we decided to browse the random shops along Valencia until we were hungry again. It was here we discovered an ipod for sale an antique store. I'm still struggling to process that.

All the way down Valencia, I dragged Dave into every single mid-century furniture store we passed (of which there are like, a million). For Dave, who hates shopping, this was pure torture. Not even the functional - and free! - Ms. Pac-Man machine we stumbled upon could keep him sane. And so finally, a few hours later, we started towards our long-awaited burritos.

We were a mere half-block away from the restaurant (where the Mission-style burrito was invented, apparently) when we heard the sweet sound of a mariachi band. Now, who doesn't love a good mariachi band, right? Right. It was coming from the Mexican restaurant across the street and it was packed. Dave and I looked at each other, shrugged, and said 'well, it must be good'.... We followed the music and ditched the burritos.

The mariachi band finished their set about two minutes after we sat down, of course. Disappointed, we decided to order a pitcher of margaritas. It was enormous. 

Of course, we knew we didn't have to drink the whole pitcher... But it was raining outside and we didn't bring an umbrella. After we finished our prawn fajitas, we lingered and slowly sipped our margaritas until the pitcher was gone. By 3pm, we were definitely tipsy. Ok, we were a little drunk.

Time to go home and take a long nap, which is precisely what we did. But not after missing the bus and waiting in the pouring rain for half an hour.

I had to include this photo so you too could enjoy the sheer awesomeness of these chairs.
If I ever own a restaurant, I am furnishing it with these. No question.