Picnic

Staycation- a trip to the Mission

On the last day of our staycation I told Bijou I was taking her to the Mission.  After asking, "what's that?" she showed very little enthusiasm for the day's outing.

I quickly won her over with our first stop at Tartine, the best bakery in San Francisco in my opinion.  She got a morning bun, I ordered an almond croissant and a few extra treats for our dinner guests that were coming over that evening.

Our next stop was the newly refurbished Dolores Park with it's fabulous views, grand swings and a fun slide built into the hillside that had Bijou bouncing off of its curves.


The Mission is known for it's wonderful multi-cultural murals but I liked the simplicity of this aqua mosaic wall we passed.

We checked out the curiosities at Paxton Gate and were surprised to run into a unicorn!  What luck!

We both enjoyed the oddities of the shop and I tried to talk Bijou in to buying Doug a stuffed squirrel and Olive an encased butterfly for their upcoming birthdays but she found it all a bit too strange to purchase.  We both found these red fox penis bones to be a smoking deal for $3.75 a pop.  In the end, we just walked out with a new Ficus Decora house plant.

Last stop... Pizzeria Delfina, where I had to miss out on all the locally sourced topping combos for a good old Margherita pizza to satisfy my small dining companion.  Of course, it was delicious anyway.

Staycation- a trip to the Presidio

On the second day of our staycation we made a trip to House of Air in the Presidio.  Essentially, it's a large room covered in trampolines with a separate area walled off for trampoline dodge ball.  We opted out of the dodge ball because... "who the hell likes to be hit super hard by a ball?" Our trampoline-only area proved to be dangerous enough.  We saw a kid bite his tongue and have blood gushing from his mouth and drip all over the mats and leave a trail of blood all the way to the bathroom.  We had to clear off for a minute for the staff to bring in the sanitary wipes.  Bijou had a blast and I did too until Bijou pushed me into trying a few tricks which were just not appropriate for a woman who has birthed 3 children to perform (hint: bladder control is weakened after childbirth).  Needless to say, I now know why all the other moms sat on the bench while their kids jumped.

Tacolicious on Chestnut Street was our next stop to satisfy our hunger pains from all that jumping.  I had the best carnitas taco of my life and Bijou stuck with her usual beans, rice and guacamole meal and only branched out when she ordered the passion fruit agua fresca instead of a limonada.  A big step for my picky eater (& drinker). Oh, and a Michelada was also in order since we were on our staycation after all.

 

Staycation- a trip to Japantown

Since my days in the bay area are numbered, I'm trying to make the most of these last few months by getting out into the city as much as possible.  There is so much to enjoy and I often feel burdened by the bridge and traffic that I don't make my San Francisco outings a priority.

My companion for the morning was sweet Bijou who had the day off of school for winter break. Here she is acting goofy with the pagoda at Peace Plaza in the background.

We arrived early so most of the shops were closed but we stumbled upon Blue Bottle coffee where we indulged in hot cocoa and donuts while we waited for the shops to open.

Bijou struck gold at the dollar store in the mall where she decided to start a collection of take-apart erasers in the shape of little cakes and glasses of milk.  I'm pretty sure the "tooth fairy" will be making a return stop at the mall at the next sign of a wiggly tooth to stock up on some dollar loot.  Most of it seemed like junk to me but she was quite delighted with her purchases.

Although unimpressed with the dollar store, I had to wipe the drool from my chin after our stop at Kinokuniya bookstore.  They had the most amazing selection of craft and design books.  The majority were in Japanese but so much inspiration could be pulled from the photos.  I fell in love with the eye candy in these beautiful baking books too.

Conservatory of Flowers

It's been rain, rain, rain around here lately and I've been desperate to get out of the house with the boys.  They are 6 months now and demanding some fresh entertainment.  There was a break in the clouds last week so my mom and I took the little guys into the city to the Conservatory of Flowers.  It's been a long time since I've been and I knew the babies would just enjoy the fresh air!

E & W in a rare stroller loving moment.  I'm holding out hope.

Perfection.

My camera apparently doesn't have an anti-fog lens, but I thought the steam added a nice touch.

Eero admiring the ceiling fans. (6 months)

Forage- An Underground Market

 

I was excited when I received an email that the Forage Underground Market in San Francisco was setting up shop in an empty parking lot in downtown Oakland last weekend.  I hadn't been to one before but was excited to try out the tasty treats I'd been hearing about.  

Our first observation... it's not so "underground."  The market has about 45 vendors and 1,200 people attend.  Note to self: Do not allow Bijou to bring her baby stroller to the next market.  Although the cute factor scored her free admission to the event, she must have run the thing into the heels of at least 50 people.

Second observation... there seemed to be an over abundance of dessert vendors.  I would say at least 50% of the vendors were selling homemade cookies, cakes, tarts, chocolates all made from local, fresh, organic ingredients.  Neither Bijou nor I had any issue what so ever about the LARGE selection of desserts.

Third observation... there seems to be a real trend right now for southern cooking and canning and pickling vegetables.

Fourth observation... Brandon Yee's pulled pork sandwiches are delicious. As was the paella, vegan bittersweet chocolate cookies, all-natural florentines and pomegranate/basil lemonade.

Fifth observation... where was the wine at?  I only saw two beer vendors and no wine. Weird and disappointing for my future market outings when I am without child.

To attend one of the markets, you must sign up for their free membership here.

Beehive Market

Last weekend, we decided to check out the Beehive Market that has recently popped up in Berkeley.  The market had an impressive collection of vendors, tasty food and pet adoption which Bijou enjoyed.  The crowd seemed to be a bit light so I'm trying to do my part to get the word out about this fabulous new farmers market.

 

Sling Coffee

 

My ice-cream loving husband was skeptical that this vegan ice cream would actually taste good, but it was delicious.  

      

Things I Love- Airstreams

 

Santa Barbara Silver Safari is a tow-in tow-out Airstream rental company who offers deliveries in parts of Washington and California.

 The Grand Daddy Airstream Hotel in Cape Town

 
The Shady Dell in Bisbee, AZ

Starlux boutique hotel in Wildwood, NJ 

Hotel Airstream in Newport Beach, CA

A 19-foot Airstream Bambi trailer is available for rent at the Ten Thousand Waves resort in Santa Fe, NM.
 

Upcoming Events in San Francisco

I wanted to share a few upcoming events happening in San Francisco that I plan to attend if I'm not shacked up in the hospital delivering babies.

The Indie-Mart at 17th & Wisconsin on July 18, 12-6pm

The Renegade Craft Fair at Fort Mason on July 31-Aug. 1, 11am to 7pm

SF Street Food Festival on Folsom between 24th and 26th, August 21, 11am to 7pm

Should be fun!

A Hometown Vacation

Bijou and I had a couple of free days in our busy summer schedule so we decided to visit our family in Santa Cruz last week.  Instead of doing the usual, shacking up at Mimi and Grandpa's, we headed to the newly redesigned Dream Inn.  Our room had a gorgeous view of the Monterey Bay, the pool was heated to a warm 85 degrees, and the air temperature remained a pleasant 70 degrees for the entire duration of our trip.

We had a  great mini vacation visiting the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (Bijou even scored herself a season pass), sushi at Mo Bo, sea creature exploration at the Long Marine Lab, strawberry picking at Swanton's berry farm, and clam chowder at The Flying Fish in Half Moon Bay on our way home.

It was the perfect little bonding trip with my daughter before the babies arrive!

 

Happy Father's Day!

 

The girls and I took Doug to Ad Hoc in Yountville to celebrate Father's Day.  It was hands-down the best brunch I've ever had... seasonal berries and yogurt, fried chicken and waffles, and peach turnovers with buttermilk sorbet.  Needless to say, it provided more than the sign implied, "temporary relief from hunger."  We all came home and cuddled back into bed for an afternoon nap.

 

I loved that the daily menu was presented in these kraft paper folders and adored the succulents planted in vintage enamel mugs by the restrooms.  I liked them so much that I logged onto Etsy this evening and bought these...

 

Happy Father's Day Doug!  You are a wonderful father and I'm excited to embark on a new parenting adventure with you. 

x + o