Youngna Park

Why I need to go back to Berlin--see Youngna Park's reasons.

Bell & Howell

I just inherited this beauty: a Bell & Howell video camera. Though not the same model as the one in the video, it looks identical. If you've never seen one in person, it's quite heavy. Now all I need to do is learn how to use it and find a place that still processes the film!

Come Darkness

Winter weather is approaching! To celebrate the transition of one season into the next, check out these satisfying summer images of daily life from Maria Alexandra Vettese. I feel inspired to take the same sort of shots she does and make a wall collage of my own.

3191 Miles Apart

Another beauty to add to the list of daily blogs: 3191 Miles Apart.

Teen Wolf

Teen Wolf of '85--that's what I want to watch for Halloween.

Make (nut) Milk

New favorite pastime--making nut milk and drinking it fresh from home. Found via fieldguided.

Nowadays Got To Get Away

 

Victoria Hannan of the blog Lost has it exactly right when she says, "At least once every six weeks I get a horrible, itchy pang for New York. It’s like a hole in the pit of my stomach that can’t be filled, a dull ache behind my ears." That is how I feel all of the time. Not only with San Francisco, but travel in general. The bug gets me once it has been a while since I've stepped on a plane. Next year San Francisco is on the map. Permanently.

Cold Splinters

I stumbled upon this while looking for some Fleetwood Mac. Yes, that is what I just said. I love the vintage Grand Teton National Park image that is worn and torn on the edges. (Or is that just the packaging?) I've also been meaning to find my view master from third grade, buried somewhere in the garage. For now I'll just admire what Cold Splinters discovers.

Care to Camp?

I am in love with this Let's Go Camping Etsy set from YellowWallpaper. Take a glance at those cinnamon orange chamomile adventure stick soaps that look like little forest logs! The S'mores cookie in a jar is cute but a bit much. When your camping you don't want to have it all done for you by someone else. Build the damn fire and make it yourself! You're camping!

On Its Way

Just ordered my stamps from Yellow Owl Workshop. Appropriately enough, they are based out of San Francisco. This brand is totally underrated. Have you ever heard their name? It's lovely. Not only do they make amazing stamps, they have an instructional hand-printing book out. Their blog + vimeo site with craft instructions are useful but could be updated if they want to make a name for themselves.

Go get crafty. Now!

Need Supply Co.

The new Need Supply Co. lookbook is wicked. I love the dark style for fall. Let's just forget about the price tags. Found by Miss Moss. 

Day 5

1. Four Barrel
2. Deer floor bathroom @ Four Barrel = must see
3. Stable Cafe
4. Best Yerba Mate Late at Stable Cafe
5. Wandering the Mission with Hanako
6. Fall leaves
7. Tartine coconut surprise
8. ...with dogs
9. Goodbye city at Dolores Park

Day 4

This trip is beginning to seem like a big one, as if I left the country. But really, I went everywhere across the city. It was a good test run for living there someday soon!

On day 4 I let Hanako take a break from me dragging her around everywhere. I took the bart out to Glen Park and walked through the 'San Diego' looking neighborhood. It really did look like Southern California with the temperature feeling near 90. Perfect day for the farm. I met a friend and editor of Earth Island Journal at Alemany Farm. What an adventurous day that was. The farm is at the base of a hill, which I climbed down while wearing my moccasins. We had a picnic under a bit of shade. And I got to pick some luscious cherry tomatoes and beautifully colored cucumbers. I would for sure volunteer at Alemany if I lived in the city. It's so close it is to Mission!

From there I went to meet an old friend for a glass of Pumpkin beer at The Monk's Kettle. (Finally my first time trying the place.)  For dinner we went to Schmidt's where I had something close to my roots: the marzenbier bratwurst with excellent sauerkraut and potato salad. Everything about this place is bomb. Just look at the font they use for their name! Bourdain would definitely approve. They offer blood sausage 'berlin style' but I'd rather not try that one.

(Yes, I had to wear that Fresh Mex sombrero.)

Day 3

Day 3--the busiest of all! We started off with a stroll to Outerlands for breakfast. It is the most brilliantly designed cafe. I waked into the scene, Fleetwood Mac playing throughout the wood paneled room (which is why I am now getting into their music). Homemade caramels, cookies, and Sightglass coffee gave it that cabin feel. Of course the guy who delivers the produce has a beard, tattoos, a plaid shirt, and also works at the restaurant. I had the "grilled cheese sandwich--brushed with garlic oil, seared on a cast iron skillet combo with early girl tomato soup--basil, garlic, toast." It was over-the-top comfort food heaven. I saved half my sandwich to eat in Washington Sq. park later in the day.

Next door to Outerlands is the General Store. They carry a vast array of sweet items, like a Native American turquoise necklace for $180. Thank god that's completely (not) in my budget. Places like this are fun to wander in and treat like an interactive museum. If you visit, please check out the backyard of the store! (It is the cactus garden pictured above.)

And next to the General Store is Trouble Coffee. The best bad-ass cup of coffee in a tiny little shop too cool for words. They steal all the best sayings, such as, "Do you have a useful skill in a tangible situation?" read on their website. Buy a bag of the Elbow Grease. Their half pound is ridiculously affordable for such great beans!

That tiny section of the Sunset has too much fun compacted into half a block. So, Hanako and I took an hour-long bus ride downtown to digest and try another coffee spot. Reveille Coffee Co is a truck parked daily, whose clientele is mainly start-ups and successful designers. They use Four Barrel coffee. That Tuesday was so dang hot we had to order it iced, which was quite refreshing without any cream or sugar.

We walked from the truck to City Lights. Of all the days of the year, on a random Tuesday, it was closed! So we walked to Washington Square park to enjoy this warm fall weather. There, a bum told us he loved us because we were human beings.

Again, we walked from the park up the hill to meet my friend West at his school--the San Francisco Art Institute (which is not the same as the Academy). What a lovely campus. It is open to the public so everyone in SF should check it out. The views (as you can see in photos above) are spectacular! There are many public art events, like the one we went to that Tuesday which had an artist talk with cheese and wine. Divine. You never know who you'll see, like that man in the background wearing killer red stilettos.

From there we had to run to the Mission (this time we took a bus) to have dinner with another friend, Wilson. Luna Park was better than I thought. The salmon was perfect and the drinks very stiff. After, Wilson took us to Bottom of the Hill to see Braids and Painted Palms. How magical.