Chinatown and More with San Francisco Visitors

Lois and Terry were in San Francisco for a few days this week. I joined them for most of one day.

They had some specific places they wanted to go in the City, one of which was to the Mee Mee Bakery in Chinatown where they wanted to buy fortune cookies.

Since we were meeting downtown, I suggested that we make a leisurely day of our fortune cookie quest by walking through Chinatown, stopping at any place that caught our fancy.  And, for lunch, have a dim sum at one of the popular restaurants in Chinatown.

I had not had time before meeting them to have my morning tea, which I was craving. So we first stopped for a Bubble Tea at Ten Ren Tea.  It is Ten Ren's 949 Grant Avenue location that serves Bubble Tea; the location at 550 Grant, while closer to downtown, does not serve tea.



Lois had never had Bubble Tea and enjoyed her hot green milk tea with the sweetened tapioca pearls, called Boba, which is what makes Bubble Tea Bubble Tea.  Terry was familiar with Bubble Tea and said that Ten Ren's was the best Bubble Tea she's had.  It was to Ten Ren that I went when researching for "Tea Culture" a few years ago to drink an authentic Bubble Tea.  Having had many Bubble Teas since that time, I can say that Ten Ren's really is the best...at most other places, the tapioca pearls are stuck together, probably from sitting for too long before being put into the tea drink. Ten Ren's pearls and tasty teas are perfect.

Our next stop was at Mee Mee Bakery where we all bought bags of fortune cookies.



We chose Mee Mee over other fortune cookie bakeries in Chinatown because Mee Mee makes, not only the usual kind of fortune cookies but also strawberry and chocolate flavored fortune cookies...and even offers blue and green fortune cookies. Mee Mee has been making fortune cookies in Chinatown since 1950. They also make coin-shaped cookies, almond and sesame cookies, moon cakes, and other pastries. The entire bakery/factory is in a tiny space.  The owner, at our request, took us on a "tour" to see the cookies being made. Some of the equipment cramped into the back of the bakery dates back to the bakery's beginnings. The tour takes just a few minutes, but seeing the ovens and machines is fascinating. Sorry not to have pictures of the factory; no photos allowed inside!


Our dim sum lunch was at New Asia, formerly Asia Garden.



Even on a Monday, New Asia was bustling with its mostly-Asian crowds. We had about a 10-minute wait before being seated. Once seated, we chose several dishes of dim sum from the rolling carts that continuously tempted us.

We ended our day together by walking back downtown through Union Square.



When we passed the Grand Hyatt Union Square, I pointed out the Ruth Asawa Fountain and noted that the next time they are in San Francisco, it might not be in this location, where it has been since 1973.

The reason the fountain might be moved is that Apple is planning to relocate its downtown San Francisco store to the site of the Levi's store at the corner of Stockton and Post Streets.  The plans for the store, which have just been presented to the San Francisco powers-that-be, do not have, at this writing, a provision for the Fountain which is in the plaza behind where the store will be.  This is causing quite an uproar among the locals.

 

Ruth Asawa is a Japanese American sculptor. The fountain is something of a San Francisco landmark. It depicts San Francisco and its landmarks.  Over 250 school children and artists created baker's clay sculptures which were then cast in bronze to create the 7' high x 13'3" diameter bas-relief fountain.

We spent a bit of time looking at the sculptures that cover the fountain.

We ended our day with a bit of shopping around Union Square.

Terry and Lois, do come back soon!

Hosting Jarka; Day Two: Walnut Creek; Frankie Valli at Wente

We planned the second day of Jarka's visit around our evening at the Wente Vineyards in Livermore. Frankie Valli, yes the real Frankie Valli, & The Four Seasons were performing as part of Wente's summer outdoor concert series.

Before heading to Livermore, I showed Jarka around Walnut Creek. We did a bit of shopping at Nordstrom



and at La Lavande, a lovely gift store which is only in Walnut Creek and which features unique gifts, and French soaps.



Wente does not allow any photography of its grounds on concert nights, so the best I could do were a few pictures of some grapevines on the property near the parking lot.




Concert goers can choose to dine in Wente's restaurant, which is open year 'round, at a special buffet that is set up for the concert, or, more casually, by purchasing sandwiches and salads at The Grill. The seating location and price of tickets relate to your dining choice. We opted for the buffet and were seated at round tables of 8. The buffet included salads, appetizers, vegetables, three entrées, desserts, coffee and tea. Wine, served at the table by a server, is optional. Our meal was excellent.

Before dinner, we visited the wine tasting room where Jarka tasted a flight of Wente's premium red wines.

The concert started at 8 p.m. and was wonderful. Frankie Valli looks amazing for his 75 years and his voice remains excellent. The current Four Seasons are a significantly younger group of four, who, while they never saw their original counterparts, totally capture the spirit.

Hosting Jarka; Day One

Jarka from Toronto, is visiting for a few days.

She arrived at SFO at mid day and first on our agenda was lunch. Since the Giants were out of town, I decided to take her to Town's End, near AT&T Park, for lunch. When the Giants are away, the restaurant is relatively uncrowded and there is plenty of available nearby street parking.




Some of you readers will recall that I took Amy here in April after picking her up at SFO...it's a good choice as the food is tasty, fresh, and there is a wide variety to choose from.

We shared a homemade turkey sandwich and a green salad...just the right thing.




Then we did a driving tour around San Francisco. I followed the Bay waterfront past the Ferry Building, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, and, finally ended up in another of my favorites, Crissy Field.

We parked near the Warming Hut and walked to Fort Point, which besides being a defense point for American many a year ago, is one of the San Francisco landmarks that appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo." This is where Kim Novack falls/is pushed into the water.





Where we were has a unique view of the Golden Gate Bridge...we were practically under it, and looking back to the East, of the downtown San Francisco skyline.



In case you are wondering, we were not touring on a motorcycle. We got to talking to a guy who was doing just that and after we took photos of him, he reciprocated and we thought it cool to include his bike!

We drove back toward the Bay Bridge through Chinatown, and North Beach, and even took the time to drive down Lombard Street. Jarka took photos, but, as driver, I decided it was not a good idea for me to do the same...when I get her photos, I will share.

Finally, we got home to my homemade pork enchiladas and a spinach and strawberry salad.