some notes!
====================================================
tilly's favorite places (she grew up in SF)
I love SF's touristy things, from the cable car to the museum to
fisherman's wharf to the rows of colorful houses to the GG park to the
Golden Gate bridge to the ferry ride to Sausalito and even the visit of
ALcatraz!
fort point under the GG bridge
Palace of Fine Arts hidden corners as you walk around (might be done by now)
I love the ocean, under the GG bridge
the boulders around the Yacht Harbor
the STREETS
the Barbary Coast
Ghirardelli Square -- no, that's become icky
Union Street side streets
Gee, all that makes me homesick!
=========================================================
beatriz' favorite places (lives in oakland but used to live in berkleye):
Oakland has changed deeply over the last 5 years and is now a wonderful,
vibrant place to visit, particularly the downtown, uptown, lake Merrit
area (taking a stroll around the lake is one of my favorite things to
do. Also, Oakland has tons of great restaurants, the Oakland Museum is
also a great outing. farmer market by the lake (next to the Grand lake
teather) on Saturday. Also:
The Mission in San Francisco. Particularly: Dolores park and around.
If they like escape the urban area, Point Reyes and half moon bay
are my favorite places, Not so far 45 minutes or so from the city.
SF MOMA (it was renovated a few years ago)
Golden Gate Park
Crissy fields in SF.
------------------ FOOD-CENTRIC list -----------------------
================== BERKELEY ============================
berkeley has really good ethnic restaurants -- in particular mexican,
thai, and korean. you can usually spot the good ones if they look run
down and have very few items on the menu
____BERKELEY NORTHSIDE _____
* hands down favorite café
Nefeli Caffe
1854 Euclid Ave Berkeley
my absolute favorite cafe. was my regular hangout -- just basically came
here to study and hang out. a favorite among the mathematicians
(department is close by). when i was there, it looked like a tiny cafe
in some greek village. owned by a greek and a macedonian (naso & pascal)
who take their coffee very seriously. they serve only illy coffee. they
have the darkest richest chocolate espresso cake EVER. awesome panini. i
also liked their affogato (scoop of ice cream drowned in a dash of
amaretto + shot of espresso). their greek yogurt is also yummy
____BERKELEY SOUTHSIDE _____
where are a lot of the cheap eateries are and lots of cafes
* Moe's Bookstores
an institution! for used and rare books
* soups + salads
Mezzo
2442 Telegraph Ave
when i was there, it was called Café Intermezzo and THE go-to place for
HUGE bowls of salads + yummy homemade honey-wheat bread. i know people
who went every week and would leave during school break with a big stock
of their homemade bread
apparently it burnt down and they re-opened as Mezzo
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/07/14/is-mezzo-as-good-as-intermezzo
* Wall Berlin Kaffeehaus
2517 Durant
i like their cubano (shot of espresso, with a twist of orange peel and
pinch of cinnamon). just a nice place to hang out. and coffee to wash
down the apple fritter from the donut shop down the street (or was it
around the corner?)
____BERKELEY WESTSIDE _____
* my absolute favorite grocery store
Trader Joe's
1885 University Ave
it's actually a chain, and i've been trying to get them to open up in
europe. the coolest grocery store EVER. not where you know you can get
certain staples (items change regularly depending on trade winds).
basically really good value -- funky stuff and organics at the fraction
of prices elsewhere. kind of like poorman's fine food store.
* smoothies smoothies and smoothies
Jamba Juice
2514 Bancroft Way
it's actually a chain, but have to say it still does the best smoothies.
frosty 32 oz of happiness
* (SOUTHWEST) supermarket (lots of organic and local produce...a little
cheaper than Whole Foods, the very expensive organic food supermarket chain)
Berkeley Bowl
2020 Oregon St
farmer's market (weekly)
* veggie (chinese food)
loads of veggie restaurants and all restaurants have veggie dishes, but
this is the long-standing standby for good, cheap veggie fare (they also
have seafood)
Long Life Vegi House
1725 University Ave
* highly acclaimed restaurant that grows their own veggies
Chez Panisse
1517 Shattuck Ave
alice water's baby EXPENSIVE --
https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=Chez+Panisse&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
================== SAN FRANCISCO ============================
mission district - latino neighborhood
north beach - italian neighborhood
chinatown - beside north beach
haight & ashbury - gritty former hippie community
the castro - nexus for the gay community
* fav museum: Palace of Fine Arts
beautiful grounds, too...sometimes i just hang out there. used to have
science exhibits, but there's now the:
California Academy of Sciences
there's a planetarium. you can take yoga class in the aquarium now, i
see, and they have adults-only special events on thurs evenings. i've
never been, but always recommended
* if you're into gaming, there's a LOT of events for gamers...i dunno
them but should be easy to find out more info
* LOTS of AWESOME local breweries
* churches that have been recast for other purposes (like roller
skating, yoga, etc....often week nights, but maybe it's worth the
evening trip over on the BART!)
e.g.
http://www.churchof8wheels.com/
https://www.gracecathedral.org/about-yoga-on-the-labyrinth/
* lots of farmer's markets
e.g. Alemany Farmers' Market was the first farmer's market in CA (i've
never been but it is a legendary one known for being cheap and good
atmosphere)
* Fort Funston
bluffs near the coast -- beaches, walking trails, hanggliding paradise
* BRUNCH
you gotta have brunch -- either american, mexican or chinese dim sum
e.g.
AMERICAN
Patio Cafe & Crepery
1428 Haight
try their stuffed french toast (stuffed with cream cheese and fresh
strawberries) and crab cake egg benedict
classic american brunch -- hash browns or home fries, bacon, sausage
patty, eggs (however), pancakes (blueberry!!!) / french toast / waffles
/ coffee cake
DIM SUM
for an authentic one, go to one where they roll carts of food through
the dining room. best when you go with a big crowd so you can try more
some items can be ordered off the menu
what to order -- whatever looks good in the carts that roll by!!
MEXICAN
huevos rancheros
* ethiopian jazz cafe/restaurants
you HAVE to try one. there are sizeable eritrean and ethiopian
communities in the bay area (LA has a bigger one, though), so choices
abound! there was one ethiopian restaurant on telegraph in berkeley
where we would go and we would always talk to the owner and get advice
on making injera (bread -- fermented griddle bread made from tef flour)
or t'ej (honey wine) -- wonderful ambiance but no music (tho maybe that
has changed). dishes are mainly stewlike (wat) and they tend to be spicy
-- definitely very spiced, in any case -- but there are also mild dishes
are....
* clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
it might have become a touristy thing, but it is authentic....
_____SAN FRANCISCO - north beach______
* bookstore - piece of history
City Lights
261 Columbus Ave
also a publishers linked to beat poets, shel silverstein, political
omg it looks different
* PIZZA BY THE SLICE
the one i always went to -- a few slices of pizza + pear cider (yummy!)
before going up russian hill or telegraph hill. not a thin crust pizza
(you'll have to go to the other eateries in the neighborhood like
Baonecci, though much more expensive...their pizza crust is more like a
focaccia (quite laden with olive oil). open til late
Golden Boy Pizza
542 Green St
* CHEAP really good homemade vietnamese restaurant
this was my fav and standby in SF because it was so cheap (also open
quite late). maybe not mind-blowing fine dining but good and cheap
My Canh
626 Broadway (at Grant Ave)
try their
lemongrass tofu
banh xeo (savory stuffed crepe, often on the menu as an appetizer)
salad rolls (usu shrimp, mint "spring rolls" made with rice paper
wrapper and not deep fried; also often served as an appetizer)
burnt caramel fish
_____SAN FRANCISCO - chinatown______
* dim sum (brunch)
i have not had a good one in europe -- only tried the ones that were
lauted to be the "best" where the local chinese would go where ever i
had been. BLECH
* these are the bakeries i used to go to:
https://lentinealexis.com/best-bakeries-chinatown/
at any chinese bakery, try these classics:
SAVORY
- baked BBQ pork bun ("char siu bao")
- green onion pancake ("tzong yo bing"; usu served as breakfast with a
big bowl of warm soy milk + long deep fried breads "yo tiao")
- curry beef triangles
SWEET
- "malaysian" fermented rice cake ("ma la gao")
- classic steamed fermented rice cake ("fa gao"; tangy and white)
- egg custard tart (shows the influence of the portuguesein hong kong
and macau and migration of chefs from there -- but i like it MUCH better
than pastel de nata! creamier and less eggy-tasting)
- sesame balls (deep fried, coated with sesame seeds and stuffed with
sweet red bean paste)
_____SAN FRANCISCO - the mission______
everything latino! where i'd sometimes come to pick up mexican dried
chillies and other things that are a bit harder to find in the east bay.
i only go for the hole-in-the-walls or food trucks...can't remember what
any of them are called....but maybe try these
Papalote Mexican Grill
3409 24th Street
Taqueria Cancún
2288 Mission Street