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Chinatown and Little Italy, San Francisco

The place:  San Francisco
Time: Last Saturday

Steph & I took the trolley down to Union Square and then walked up to Chinatown.  Last time I wandered through Chinatown I felt like I was crammed into the sidewalk.  However, the streets were surprisingly clear, people were milling about, but nothing claustrophobic or uncomfortable.

We wandered around looking at this-n-that and stumbled onto what I think is my favorite find of the last, oh, several months.  See, I’m trying to live stylishly but decidedly more cheaply, and I found something I’ve been wanting for ages for next-to-nothing.  So I bought five.  I can’t really go into what it was, exactly, that I found, because two are gifts that will be handed out in the next few weeks…so I’m trying to be discreet.  But ye ladies that are Experts at bargain shopping, you would be proud of me!

I love Chinatown.  I love the street signs in characters instead of letters, I love the farmer stalls full of odd-looking fruits and vegetables, I love the colors and sights.  We stopped at a Dim Sum place for lunch, and while it was quite tasty, I think I need to go Dim Summing with someone who knows how to order.  Maybe it’s like sushi, the first time is always a bit tricky and after that you know what you like and how to order.  Yes, any Dim Sum masters out there?  Anyone?

Still on foot, we wandered up to North Beach, San Francisco’s Little Italy, and I practically dragged Steph into City Lights Books where I had an epiphany on my book-choice for Very Bookish.

I am leading the discussion in March and have been debating and deliberating over what book I should choose.  And there it was, staring back at me from one of the shelves.  It wasn’t even on my finalists short-list, but there it was, begging me to take it home.  And so I did.  And yesterday I shared my choice with my favorite Librarian in Training who not only gave me a capital-letter stamp of approval, but has already placed it on hold from her library.  Suddenly, I am no longer nervous for my choice, Janssen has excellent taste in books.

Now, this is where the afternoon got interesting.  Steph & I headed to Washington Square, the heart of North Beach, and after wandering through the art exhibits decided to take a little break on a sunny bench.  Which is where we sat for almost 2 hours.  The weather was gorgeous, legendary-gorgeous, and leaving the park felt like a sin.  So we sat.  And chatted.  And discussed the outfits of a nearby wedding party as they entered the church.

And we went to get some gelato (um, Nutella gelato is perhaps the most brilliant invention of the century.  Or last century.  Or whatever.)  And we sat.  And we chatted.  And we sat some more.

And it was absolutely lovely.  Quite easily the best afternoon I’ve ever had in San Francisco.  After waiting for ages for the newly-wedded couple to come out so we could check out her dress we finally decided that it was time to get the move on–after we may or may not have peeked in the church for a quick look…we weren’t crashing, they were just taking pictures–and walked down towards Fisherman’s Wharf to catch the bus.

We made a quick stop in the Embarcadero where, honest to goodness, there are parrots.  Lots and lots of parrots, bright green with red heads.  Have you ever heard a flock of parrots in the middle of a city?  It’s a little surreal.  And completely awesome.

Steph & I were picking up a friend, LaNae, for a little country dancing later that night and the view from her place was so gorgeous; it capped off the perfect day in San Francisco.

Can you see why I love this city?

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