San Francisco (Part IV)

The most bittersweet day of the entire trip, because that’s the day we left San Francisco and just barely made it onto our Larkspur-bound ferry. That was certainly the theme for the week, whenever a time constraint was present. You know how I mentioned meeting up with the SF Flickr gang on Day 3? Jess and I ran 4 blocks to catch the bus on our way to the meet-up. “Just barely sliding into home,” she noted in a farewell text.

But, back to Day 4. We skipped our usual routine and opted for brunch at Boogaloos and Ritual for the coffee fix. I fell in love with a bicycle at the top of 18th and Valencia – rusted, chipped paint, leaning against an old iron fence overcome by roses – have you ever seen a more romantic sight? I went nuts, to say the least and will post more photos soon.

Then I got a tiny behind-the-scenes peek of Tartine, where Jess works. She let me stand in the back area while she gathered up a few boxes (yes, boxes!) of goodies for me to take home. I would move to the Bay Area in a heartbeat if it meant I got free Tartine treats every day. ;)

After a bit more moseying around, we realized it was getting late and busted our butts to get to the Ferry Building before 3:30. We made it by a hair and rode across the bay where Chris’s sister and her husband picked us up. All of this was premeditated so as to allow us to have lunch at my all-time favorite restaurant, Sol Food, before getting on the I-5 and driving to Redding.

And now, for the photo dump!

The food at Boogaloos is as colorful as their menu. Great place for vegetarians, too. Just be sure to check your online banking after eating there – they accidentally charged us $500 for our $40 meal. Whoops!

Jess and I shared a latte, which she fancied up with some brown sugar.

It was also obligatory to squeal, “Puppers!” whenever a dog is nearby.

It was nothing short of amazing to be “behind the scenes” at Tartine, if only for a brief 5 or 10 minutes. I don’t know the name of the man peeking into the frame, but he had the most insane ‘stache I’ve ever seen.

This is Nellie, a barista at Tartine. I take full responsibility for the botched latte art – I was distracting her in a major way. I didn’t get to sample any coffee from Tartine on this trip, but from the humongous saucers I saw customers happily sipping away on, I’m guessing it is damn tasty.

And that’s how my 4 days in the Bay Area ended: with a glass of “Arnoldo Palmero” and a plate of delicious Puerto Rican food. Miss you guys already (COMETOPORTLAND).