Happy Monday! Last week, Joe and I enjoyed our final days in SF before our next trip. Joe’s family lives in Texas and he hasn’t seen them since before COVID, and so we’re heading there this week for a visit – it’s my first time meeting his family and I’m very excited. 🙂
The upcoming travel meant I savored the last bits of kitty time. We had to ship Ben back to Joe’s apartment to be with Ellie (his sister), which will make it easier to cat-sit while we’re away. I will definitely miss having Ben around my apartment this week.
The weekend was another gorgeous one. After work on Friday, I strolled through Golden Gate Park where I passed a jazz band playing under this walking bridge. I’ve seen them several times before but this time I stayed around listening to their tunes. It was a real treat.
On Saturday, Joe and I headed back to Golden Gate Park for a picnic. This time we walked a little further than our usual route, and we set up a blanket at the San Francisco Botanical Garden (which is free for SF residents). This is one of my favorite spots in the park as the botanical garden feels like a peaceful oasis away from the usual crowds in the park.
We picked up coffee and pastries from our favorite coffee shop outside the park, and we enjoyed them while basking in the sun.
We also spent some time walking around the botanical garden. I love this garden because there are several sections based on regions around the world. Each section feels like a completely different garden with its own ecosystem.
After our morning in the park, we picked up Dragon Eats for lunch. Dragon Eats is my favorite casual Vietnamese spot in the Haight. I probably go there ~3 times a week.
Next it was time to transport Ben to Joe’s apartment in preparation for our trip. It’s always a huge deal moving Ben in a car. He hates sitting in the carrier and will cry nonstop, so this time we let him sit in the backseat without the carrier – he was MUCH happier this time! He settled into Joe’s apartment quickly like no time had passed. Unfortunately, his sister was not so happy as she has been hissing at him nonstop for days. 😛
The rest of the evening was a relaxing one filled with ordering food and watching The Hangover parts one and two.
The main event the next day was seeing Luis and Christine again over brunch. We all hung out last weekend in East Bay, and this time the two came to us in SF. We got lunch at Alnico’s, an Asian fusion spot in the Mission and one of my favorite brunch spots in the city. I love their spin on asian dishes like this ube Vietnamese iced coffee.
The ube pancakes were divine. We shared a stack of pancakes for the table. It was not too sweet or heavy as it’s flavored with a light ube coconut sauce. Seriously delicious.
Joe and I unintentionally matched with the pancakes. 🙂
I got the poached chicken porridge. It was the perfect comfort meal.
Afterwards, Luis and Christen came by Joe’s apartment where they met Ben and Ellie. They graciously offered to watch our cats while we’re gone, and so we showed them the ropes. We’re super grateful to have friends watching the cats this time as our cat sitter recently retired.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I Run Like A Girl 