San Francisco Treat

So yesterday -- noonish-- found me and my friend Linda at Cafe Gratitude in San Francisco. (Is that a correct sentence? It sounds awful, but I am in a hurry trying to blog before Linda gets here to pick me up, I believe we are Palo Alto-bound).

Anyway. So Cafe Gratitude is a raw food restaurant and we ordered spring rolls, a combo plate with hummus, tapenade and salsa for apps and for lunch I had pad thai and Linda had a warm bowl of quinoa, red rice, and a zillion other things. It was good. Mine was good. But ... I think the food was better at the restaurant in Beverly, Mass.! Just better flavors overall.

We also had coconut water -- which was served in the coconut in Mass. and in a wine glass here. Either way I guess. Less showy in a glass, but easier to drink! But I also didn't have all the raw coconut meat to eat!

And it took us two full hours to eat. Clearly if you eat raw you are in no hurry. It's not that we are slow eaters -- it just takes that long to get waited on, and then for the food to come, etc. You don't feel stressed or concerned, but two hours later you do think my heavens. And for it to be two hours twice makes me think there's something to it!

The people who worked there were very ill looking, I thought. Emaciated or kind of a dull pallor in their faces. This might be from living in a city, I can't be sure, but they were not vibrant and healthful. (Kind of like when you are in a hair salon and you look at the hair styles of all the people who work there, and if they are hideous you think, I gotta go!

I am not saying that I felt that way -- I know the food is good for me -- but they are all missing some key ingredient in their diets. Perhaps a sign to me that totally raw for a long period of time (especially if not done properly) is not good for you. Makes sense.

Anyway, we felt great all day, full of energy, not too full and we didn't even eat another full meal. We split two modest appetizers with our cosmos later, and then decided even later that we preferred the subtle hunger pangs to feeling all bloated and full.

But right now -- it is 11:00 and I am STARVED! Hurry up Linda!!!

I have a new dilemma. I am not sure which city is now my all-time favorite. It was New York, but it was quickly replaced with Chicago, but now San Fran .... is so COOOOOL! We had such a ball driving around yesterday. Driving on those roller-coaster hilly roads was hysterical. We were screaming and laughing and crying. It's pretty darn scary! Going up is unbelievable, going down is like OHMYGOD we're going to die. Then I commented I thought I was smelling her brakes, and she was like stop saying that, shut up, oh no, another hill! It is truly like a roller coaster -- so extreme! At one point I was laughing so hard with my eyes squeezed shut with that feeling in your stomach you get on a scary ride. So there, now you get a taste of driving around with Linda in the city!

After that we went down to Pier 39 which has a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz and walked around, had some cocktails and apps, we caught the sunset, then waited to see the city in lights ... and returned to Linda's room to split a bottle of wine and conversation.

Very nice. I snuck into bed at 2:00 a.m. and now am in dire need of some coconut water to get me through today! Nah, I am sure I will be fine.

Peter? He worked all day yesterday, met with the clients until about 8:30 at night, and then woke up bright and early and worked until he went to meet with the clients again.

All I can say is Thank GAWD Linda is here or I'd be coconuts myself.

Now yesterday, as I gazed at the RED Golden Gate bridge, I asked Linda why it was called that. She said good question. So here is the answer:

It was dubbed the "golden gate" some 150 years ago by prospectors who passed through it on their way to the California gold fields. The color, called international orange, was chosen by architect Irving Morrow , who rejected the traditional gray and black in favor of the color he felt most complimented the bridge's natural setting. They say orange, I say red!

Cool.