Yesa re Nopa (sorry)

 

The Ferry Building has so many good restaurants these days and yesterday I met my old friend Karen for delicious fish chowder and chatter at Nopa Fish Restaurant which Amy had recommended. Oh, yum. Karen lives in NYC and is happy to be back in her old stomping ground and we will see more of each other in the next week or so. I am still in recovery so a quick trip for lunch and conversation was about all I could handle. But still, great progress. 

The Marsh before Paprika

 Yesterday I met John and Mary (of Ashland fame) over at The Marsh on Valencia Street. We thoroughly enjoyed Dan Hoyle who portrays fascinating characters from all over our country. So much talent. Then we walked down to Paprika for some chicken paprikas (with mashed potatoes) and all in all, a really lovely evening. So nice catching up with my friends again. 

Calamari anyone?

 

Granddaughter Lindsay (top, left) is here from NYC and we had a lovely pre-Easter dinner at La Ciccia, a wonderful Italian restaurant over on 30th Street. We had lots of pasta and lamb and the middle photo is a delicious calamari. Lots to talk about and such a happy celebration. The sisters are off to Big Sur this morning ~ Lindsay very happy with our gorgeous weather. A delightful evening for sure.

late lunch by the Bay

 Scott, Nancy and I went out to Mission Rock yesterday for a late lunch and some cool ocean breezes. The heat wave continues through Friday, or so they say. So nice to have family here for a few days and they were not missing the Chicago weather. 

more food, more family

 Last night we met Samantha and Luke at Daejo, the Korean restaurant in Japantown. Yes, we ate too much and enjoyed that delightful and unusual cuisine. You can see the cheese melting all over the stew in the bottom photo.  

my sunny city

 Step daughter, Nancy, and her husband, Scott, left a cold and rainy Illinois yesterday morning and all they wanted was sun. Success. We had a good walk at Fisherman's Wharf and an early dinner at the Crab House at Pier 39. Of course it's a "tourist place" but we were impressed and happy with the food and service. I look forward to taking Sister Jane to the Crab House on her next visit. The "kids" will be here for a week but plan to visit their daughter Ceci up in Nevada City for a few days. 

Imperial Tea Court

 This was a lovely lunch choice in the middle of the Ferry Building. Joe, Pamela and I had a good long lunch yesterday as we ate way too much and sipped delightful black mango tea. Really a perfect spot because we could hear each other talk as we chattered happily away. 

out! at night!

 I met John and Mary (of Ashland fame) down on The Embarcadero for a lively presentation at The Commonwealth Club featuring Dan Hoyle, a local performer and story teller. Then dinner at Perry's and lots of good catch-up conversation. They took the ferry to/fro Oakland and we admired the Bay Bridge which is being re-lit this month. So beautiful! One forgets how nice it is to be out after dark...

steak tacos at Pacific Catch

 From the left: Neti, Jeanine, Pat and your blogger in the often seen red vest. We celebrated Pat's birthday at Pacific Catch on 9th Avenue yesterday and that was a great choice as it was not too busy and we all enjoyed the good food and reasonable (truly!) prices. It was a bright spot in a very rainy day. 

happy Heist brunch

 What a cheery little restaurant on Post Street! But best of all was catching up with Dancing Jen over my delicious French toast and latte. The rains came down but I made it to Macy's for some smart shopping, a very good Wednesday indeed.

Farmhouse rerun

 Yesterday was the belated birthday celebration for Joe and we enjoyed a FEAST of Thai dishes sitting outside in the sunshine while talking about everyone and everything. The Farmhouse menu is just so lovely and colorful and our sinuses were clean by the time lunch was over. That fried chicken in the bottom left corner beats KFC, in case you were wondering.

Punjab? Pho?

 I've walked by this restaurant up on 24th Street a million times but yesterday the pho sign beckoned me. Punjab is large and eclectic with Chinese, Vietnamese and no Indian food, to my knowledge. The pho was hearty and reasonably priced and the service everso nice. Punjab has been in my nabe forever and I'm glad I belatedly discovered it yesterday on my walk. I will return.

shopping and lunch

 Yesterday I walked to/fro on fun Fillmore Street and finished my holiday shopping before joining Pat, Neti and Jeanine for lunch at Eliza's on California Street. Basic Chinese, but we were all in sunny moods as we prepare for some rain that will be arriving later today and staying for awhile. 

my third visit and still impressed

 My neighbors and friends walked down with me to Precita Social last night for our holiday celebration and we were not disappointed. The restaurant was busy and festive and the food was excellent. Rob and Heidi are so good to me and they fly back east next week to be with family so we enjoyed our yummy steak, pasta, etc. and talked of many things. 

Tunnel Tops and Mexican food

 The top photo is from Mel and Jane's all-day Monday walking tour. Cute, no? Yesterday we hopped in a Waymo to The Presidio for some walking and history and we were lucky that the GG Bridge was visible in the bottom photo here. We had a tasty lunch at Colibri and then the tourists took off for Ferry Plaza and I came home to pre-plan for tomorrow. So lucky with weather this year!

let's go DOWNTOWN

 Melinda and Sister Jane had a busy day walking and taking public transportation (!) on a tour of SF and then they met me at John's Grill for delicious steaks and happy conversation. Today I will be a half-assed tour director and I will get them into a WAYMO just for the fun of it. Yesterday a tourist (I guess) took my photo in a driverless taxi, but he couldn't really see me as the windows are darkened. So 2025.