SAN FRANCISCO - Friday night and the Cookie Lady

It is 7:00. I am walking around the city. And a friend called me and said "It is Friday Night. Get to 22nd and Valencia. The cookie lady is out." Each Friday night - two ladies come out with a cookie cart of gourmet cookies. Well - I looked up, and I was literally across the street from them. And so, I had to get cookies. Including this amazing "sandwich cookie." This is not your normal oreo cookie. This is two short bread cookies, with a jam filling and butter cream frosting. And so, with a cookie in my hand, I then had to go to Ritual Coffee, and have a coffee! I love stumbling into wonderful places in a big city! Sent from my iPad



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Random Train exit Friday

Sometimes it us fun to just pick out a random train stop and get off
and check out the neighborhood. Today is a place called Glen Park.
Eclectic ethnic neighborhood. My late lunch is a killer chile relleno
and carnitas (pork) taco. Very tasty.

Smoked Trout!

Beautiful steelhead trout, on sale at $4.99 per pound, let me
introduce you to my alderwood smoker. I know you are going to fall in
live together. And I have a little wedding night surprise tonight at
dinner...

Trying out the bus system in San Francisco

It has been along time since I have tried out public transportation in a "home town." I took the train into the city and then decided that I would use the bus to get around. While enlightening. And interesting to see new streets with, I have to admit that it isn't very fun. It is really time consuming. Unpredictable. A it wastes a lot of time. I can really appreciate all of the folks in town that due to financial reasons don't have much choice. What is interesting is that moment in life when you switch to "time is more important than money. The equation becomes $2 and 45 minutes (for the waiting time and trip across country) or $12 and 15 minutes with a taxi. Some people are here for convenience. Less hassle than hailing a cab. Others justify it with the idea that 30 minutes invested on a bus gives you your first drink. When I was in Boston I never took a cab. The "T" just seemed more romantic. I wonder when I changed. Probably when I got a car.

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CHICAGO: Wine, Swine and Cheese

Tuesday night.
In Chicago.
Work is done. 10:00.
What do you do?

What I won't do is this:

I am surprised at how many people order room service.

We are in a marvelous food city for heavens sake.

And so I took out my new IPAD, went to Yelp, and searched for 4 star restaurants within a mile of my hotel.

I ended up at a place called The Purple Pig.

The menu said the restaurant specialized in Cheese, Swine and Wine.

How wonderful is that?
What better could you ask for in a combination?
(Ok, if they said, "Cheese, Swine, Wine and Pecan Pie" then it might be even better!)

But I was pretty satisfied.

I had small courses that included a dish if deep fried pigs ears, topped with an egg. The second dish was bone marrow - two thick bones with bread to use on the marrow dug from the bones.

For cheese, I asked for a the stinkiest on the menu, plus a piece of blue cheese.

And the best wine for all of this?

A nice French pino noir.

Eating alone?

No worries. I called home to my family to check in on my father. And so, I sat in the corner of the restaurant, eating my gourmet grub, and talked through the day with my folks.

Not a bad way to spend a night in Chicago!

Rick

Friday night in Lawrence Kansas with youngest nephew Aidan.

Blue ice cream. Banana ice cream. Which would you choose?

Home in California admiring my roses one last time before I leave for the Midwest