good food and a sketch

I stopped at Café de la Presse on Grant and Bush, a lovely French café that makes a mean latte and croque madame. After La Boulange, Café de la Presse was a favourite sketching spot of mine in the city. It's a perfect place for a croissant and some people watching.

Lunch was tapas and sangria at Cha Cha Cha on Haight with my friend Metzalli, who is a talented artist and maker of bags. We had a seafood ceviche, fried plantains and chicken quesadilla. I am crazy about plantains, which are related to the banana, and have missed them ever since I left, so naturally we had to get a plate. Four hours later, we realised it was four hours later, and had to part ways.

A bit of SF street wisdom.

gilded fog

The sun made an appearance today, which was truly grand— and here's where the layering thing pays off: I ran over to The Mission from the cold and foggy area where I'm staying to have brunch at Boogaloos on Valencia Street. The Mission district is always warmer than the rest of the city. Today it was scarf, sweater and jacket in Nopa, and t-shirt and skirt weather in the Mission. So you either peel or add layers according to where you go in the city.

I don't think a visit to San Francisco is complete without a visit to The Mission. There are lots of wonderful cafés and fun shops to check out, and I do recommend a breakfast or brunch at Boogaloos— if you're there on a weekend, try the Eggs Valencia, it's a California take on an eggs benedict. Avocados and grilled tomatoes. Sadly, they had just ran out of avocados (which I thought was impossible in California) so I went with my next favourite, Polenta and Eggs.



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Later in the afternoon I met my friend A at Alembic on Haight, a dark and sultry little bar/restaurant with the most divine cocktails. Don't expect to get a cosmo or a mojito here, these vintage cocktails are far more complex and I kid you not, there are layers of flavour. Pictured above is the Gilded Lily, a delicate mix of Plymouth gin, Chartreuse, orange flower water, sparkling demi-sec and a brilliant touch of gold leaf that catches the light in an oh-so fabulous way. These cocktails are meant to be enjoyed.

The fog rolled in full-force when we parted ways, and I was overwhelmed with nostalgia. I used walk home down Haight in the evenings after my trapeze class at Circus Center, feeling I was walking through the belly of some beast. The fog is alive here, it snakes around corners and crawls up the sides of buildings.

haight and the de young

Well I just tried to import my photos off my camera into iPhoto (which I normally never use, but I'm on a different computer) and it crashed, deleting all the photos I took today! I have nothing to show you except sketches. I am so upset. I took tons of pictures of Golden Gate Park, Haight Street, the Conservatory. So I'll just tell you about today and show you some sketches until I go back to the park.

Armed with a fully-charged camera (sigh), I headed off in the chilly fog to Haight Street for a little shopping and some noodles. There is one thing everyone should know before visiting SF in the summer: the weather is cold. Bring warm pants, tights, a jacket and sweaters. The key to visiting and life in SF is layering. My formula was generally skirt + tights + t-shirt + sweater + jacket + scarf. This way I could adjust throughout the day in case the sun decided to shine or the fog swept in.

My most favourite shop on Haight is the Fluevog store. I have been a fan of Fluevog shoes for over a decade. They're stylish, unique, comfortable and incredibly well made. I have several pairs with paper-thin soles but the leather feels and looks brand-new. Every time I wear any of my Vogs, my feet get checked out. The other wonderful thing about Fluevog is that they also give you, yes you, the opportunity to design your own shoe if you enter a sketch into their Open Source Footwear. A few of you may already know this, but last year, Fluevog chose my design to be made into a real shoe that was named after me: The Zaza. Needless to say I was over the moon, and still am every time I put on my own pair. It really felt like winning the lottery, it was such an incredible honour. Here's a picture of my shoe, courtesy of fluevog.com:

Aren't they great? I'm a lucky, lucky girl.
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After my favourite jade noodles in coconut lemongrass sauce at The Citrus Club, I walked through Golden Gate Park to the de Young museum, truly what I consider the most impressive art museum in San Francisco. I do not like the SFMOMA at all; It's an awful building and well, if you can go to a spacious large, well-lit, gorgeous wooden-floored museum with beautifully displayed pieces, wouldn't you rather go there instead? I have spent countless mornings and afternoons in the de Young's Mesoamerican, African and Oceanic art rooms. The clay figures and carved masks feel like old friends that I had to visit.


I just happened to discover at the last minute that one of my favourite movies, Harold and Maude was playing at the Red Vic Movie House on Haight— naturally R and I practically ran over to catch the 9:15 showing. Watching a movie at the Red Vic is a unique and fun experience. The theatre is tiny and has cushioned benches in the front that are quite comfortable. You get your popcorn in a bowl and tea or coffee in a mug. So much more personal and cosy than your typical movie theatre.