Beginning of the End

While I'm not really making lists of things I need to do before I head back East, I am making more of an effort of exploring part of the Bay and getting out. I am reaching out to others, but I have a feeling that I will be doing most of it solo.

Today I did an artsy fartsy foodie day. And while a few people were interested either they were busy or didn't want to spend money.

I started the day at Zazie in Cole Valley. A cute little brunch spot right off the N-Judah. There was a good crowd of people and I signed it at a clipboard on the window of the restaurants and since my itouch was low in the battery department I decided to stop catching up on my podcasts and be present to the sights and sounds around me. From the 7x7 list, I came here to eat Eggs Benedict on the patio. A table came open inside, but I declined. The nice host offered me a cup of coffee while I waited the additional 5 minutes. It was really nice and I felt as a solo diner completely cared for.

There were 5 or 6 different benedict options on the menu and I really couldn't decide which. It was also super smart that offered a choice of either 1, 2 or 3 eggs. I decided on 2 Florentine with mushrooms and didn't even ask for Hollandaise on the side. I paired it with a salad instead of the potatoes and with the strong coffee, it was a great breakfast.

I took the N back to Civic Center and went to the free day at the Asian Art Museum. I splurged and spent $5 on the special exhibit - Maharaja - and as usual got the audio tour. While the exhibit didn't blow me away, it was certainly a population and a culture I knew little about. I did take the time to wander through the rest of the permanent collection and enjoyed the Indonesian puppets, the various buddha sculptures and the Korean pottery.

Around 2:30PM I walked up Larkin into Little Saigon and saw yet another line outside of my second restaurant destination - Turtle Tower. According to 7x7 I was supposed to have their Pho Ga - Vietnamese Chicken soup. I usually have my pho with beef, so it was a welcome change. And this pho was served with lemon and jalapenos - no bean sprouts or basil or lime as I've had before. Apparently that's the Hanoi way. I looked around at the largely Asian population and tried to eat with my chopsticks in one hand and my spoon in the other. But with the return of pink eye, starting to cough at the jalapeno and the minor sadness of eating alone, I decided to bring less attention to myself and just get the food in my mouth.

Lots of gratitudes:
1. a great Skype check in with Angela and Chris
2. walking in the sunshine & Pho Ga leftovers
3. exploring the great arts and culture in SF
4. catching up on Scrubs
5. pigtails!