Travels captured in the heart, soul and belly

3 hour dinner with lovely ladies at Gottino--small plates not to be missed. Crostini with fresh cheeses and walnut pestos and pumpkin frittatas...free flowing wine.

Yoga @ Sivananda center in Chelsea followed by a home cooked polenta pizza

Dancing the night away to Jens Lekman at the Bell House

Making beet/apple/pear juice to go with fresh bagels in a cozy Brooklyn apt

Paying $2 to get into the Met and discovering Rudy Burckhardt photos and the life of a curator

Running through the rain to grub at Momofuku = soy eggs, shitake steamed buns and veggie ramen with roasted romanesco

Travels Captured on Film

DC to NYC by way of the Acela--the only way to go.

Thanks to a co-worker I found Madison Square Park and it is magical.

A view from my temporary office...
Scary hotel shots...

Pocket Seed Library

Seed libraries in SF are sprouting! Yay! Check it out here: Pocket Seed Library

Blogging for what?

Read this old NYT Magazine article on the way home from AZ: Blog-Post Confidential. Made me totally question the existence of this blog and my own motives. The article is so self-indulgent and narcissistic--everything I don't like about blogging, most likely because I feel exactly like that when I do blog. Who gives a shit what I have to say, what I like, what I'm reading right now, or what photos I take? I don't really think about people reading my blog, my motives are to get me writing and taking photos for myself. I've been a habitual journaler forever, this seemed like a logical extension of that. Then I get excited about something and I decide to tell another friend that I have a blog. Then, every once in awhile I get a mysterious comment and I'm reminded that randoms do lurk this page. And then I start to feel silly and stupid for putting things up for the world to see. Maybe it's because I'm so new at this--I haven't done myspace or facebook, so I'm not used to putting a piece of myself out there. We'll see...

From AZ to Back East...

I've been on the go...today after 3 hours in the pre-am hours at the airport, my trip east has been postponed a day. Hell yes, I've got my Sunday back! (Did you know some airlines charge $15 per bag! & over book flights by 50-75 people? WTF) 

Tomorrow, could be hellish, my luggage could be lost in Dulles, but today is Sunday and I love it.  Drinking coffee, eating homemade poached eggs over wilted spinach on a thick slice of Arizmendi bread. 

Good things: 

Check this to get inspired about your waste and your DIY carbon footprint. 

Don't miss this Food Issue from the NYTimes. And it's interactive article after my own heart here. 

In Mourning...

Ella Bella Farms has been a regular stop in my farmers' market shopping for over two years---first as a gem at the Temescal market then every Tuesday at the Ferry Plaza Market. I'm addicted to their beautiful berries, first strawberries, then black and raspberries. All of their produce just glows with deliciousness. Broccoli, dino kale, fuji apples, romaines and gem lettuces and I can't even begin to describe their repertoire of tomatoes.

Last Tuesday I bought the last of my produce at Ella Bella -- the family is living out a life long dream, farming on the Big Island in Hawaii! Despite efforts to pass along their land to another family for farming, the big berry mogol Driscoll's will be monoculturing that soil into oblivion.

This loss, another loss of a family farm in our community is what I'm mourning. Yes I'm mourning some of the best produce I've ever had, that has nourished me through many seasons. Yes, I'm mourning losing some of the biggest hearted, friendly farmers at the market. But really I'm mourning the loss of land dedicated to our food sovereignty, land dedicated to healthy soils and healthy foods for the Bay Area.

A Report from Litquake

I made it past the bass and the crowds of scantily clad Love Fest goers into my favorite of all public institutions The Public Library, for a Litquake event on Saturday. It was the food focused part of an afternoon dubbed, "Off the Richter Scale". All Litquake events are notable in that they are readings---instead of an author talking about their work, they read it. Some are great readers, others a little less impassioned.

But what's fascinating is what authors choose to read, which passages they pick to share in an intimate way in a very public setting. A new trend, moving past reading passages from books to reading blog posts/newsletters and the like. Being an author in the now is about utilizing all of these mediums to reach an audience, to explore an idea, to be creative, to be more marketable.

The highlight for me was the person who brought me out on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the first place: Bryant Terry. He read an excerpt of a rant/blog post turned article that addressed a need to reclaim Southern Food traditions--instead of being fried meats with a side of overcooked vegetables and sugar layered upon cream and sugar for dessert--instead, Southern Food traditions are so much more than that. Get inspired, read his article, Reclaiming True Grits, here.

There was barely anyone there, yet when I contemplated introducing myself to this food hero of mine I couldn't think of anything intelligent to ask or say. Something to work on...

Other highlights included Rothko inspired desserts by Citizen Cake, sake as food, and tales of the Mission Burrito.

Food grown and jammed

Plum & Tomato Jam (tomatoes, jalapenos, ginger, sugar, and other goodness, mmmmm) Thanks Ms. E for getting me on the jamwagon.

Scoping out a community garden plot...only to discovered the only person to be thrown out of a community garden. Steve, the guerrilla gardener, who cultivates the space just in front of the fence. In a few months we may make it past the wait list...

My new favorite Saturday afternoon activity: cappuccino w/ chocolate biscotti and a book. Right now? Zen Mind Beginner's Mind and Stegner's Here the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs.

War Memorial Opera House...

MUNI 74: The culture bus & a rant rebuked.

The California Academy of Science just reopened in my neighborhood--you know I love it's living roof & LEED Platinum status but I'm hating the fact that it is a car magnet. Yes, there are lines of traffic throughout my neighborhood because the garage is perpetually full and there are few car free options.

Until MUNI 74x the Culture bus went online Sept 20th complete with it's own logo and look. It could also be called the tourist bus, hitting almost every major museum and shopping spot in the city. I'll be curious to see if this bus works to reduce the traffic congestion in my neighborhood and the rest of the city...and if my rant can be rebuked.

Here are the stats according to 7x7:
-- The 74x runs daily (approximately every 20 minutes) from 8:40 a.m.-5:50 p.m.
-- The route begins downtown at Howard and New Montgomery, with a few stops on out to the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park
-- The cost runs ya $7 smackers for all-day transport ($5 bucks for seniors and youths ages 5-17)
-- MUNI monthly FastPass holders pay an additional $3
-- Tickets are available onboard; exact change required

Free Advice

I've been lurking craigslist looking for free wood pallets for a garden project and I came across an offer for free advice. So good I'm tempted to ask.