What is scarier than Halloween?

...the election of 2012

God be with us...

San Francisco Treats

I definitely enjoy good eats, so I took pictures of my favorites... Sorry if they make you hungry!

My lunch at Amoura Cafe in Westlake Center- I can't believe I got this at a

mall it was that good!

A picture of a little souvenir from Cocotte, my absolute favorite from the trip...

Cocotte's Roasted Quail

Bay Scallops with Squid Ink Risotto & Basil Foam (also at Cocotte)

Cocotte's potato and cheese gratin

Locally-sourced cheese spreads at the Farmers' Market

Flavored cheese curds at the Farmers' Market

Fresh oysters from Hog Island Oyster Co.

The bar at Hog Island's restaurant

Some creative sourdough at Boudin

Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae :)

Cuban-inspired fish tacos

Proof of the divinity of Cafe Divine ;)

My perfectly-poached eggs and a toasted bagel with REAL cream cheese

The pate' at Cafe Claude (I was feeling adventurous)... I was a little nervous about

trying this, but it was good; the country-style pate' was my favorite

Coq au Vin at Cafe Claude- very good. A nice ending to the weekend :)

Sunny Sunday

I know I am jumping from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, but the rest of Saturday wasn't too much of a story! I was tired and full after the Farmers' Market, lunch, and Ghirardelli, so I ended up going back to the hotel, took a nap, had a light dinner, and went to bed early. I wanted to be fresh for the next day!

Sunday started out with a trip to the Mission District. I had gotten lots of suggestions to check it out, so I headed that direction after breakfast. There wasn't a ton of stuff going on, but I wanted to see some of the murals there. I am glad I went...

All the city guides said that Precita Eyes was a good place to get information

about the Mission District, so that was my first stop...

Dang- got there before it opened! Oh well...it was still cool to find it ;) 

This was the first mural that really caught my eye

I liked the angel in this one

COOL! Max from "Where The Wild Things Are"

A little creepy, but deep...

...and a pretty one :)

My next Sunday stop was the Little Italy area near Washington Square. One of the first things I noticed after getting off the bus there was this cute little hat shop:

Loved the vintage signs...

...and the black and white panama hat! But I decided not to splurge on it

since I had already had some fun at Sur La Table the day before ;)

The next thing I saw at Washington Square was this beautiful church

I had to stop and stare for a second! So pretty. After enjoying the scenery, I decided to check out Coit Tower before I started getting hungry for lunch... So up the hill I went...

The trek uphill was worth the views :)

Now I was hungry! So the next stop was Cafe Divine- and the name was fitting. Had a really nice Sunday brunch there before heading on to see Beach Blanket Babylon (a funny musical). My recommendation is to Google BBB to get the scoop; there is too much to type here!

A quick pic from our seats in the theater; photos weren't allowed during the performance. 
I am glad I took the time to see it! A must for San Francisco, and worth every penny.

The rest of Sunday seemed to fly by. I strolled back down through the Ferry Building and then headed back to home base to freshen up. Found a nearby place for dinner called Cafe Claude (where I tried pate' for the first time and coq au vin). Very good. San Francisco was getting wild just about the time I was finishing dinner... The Giants won the World Series! There were people cheering, fireworks popping, car horns beeping, and all sorts of crazy shenanigans. It was cool to be there, but the day had me tired, so I walked back to my room and crashed- pretty oblivious to the commotion :)

Saturday Afternoon (in San Fran)

Golden Gate Bridge was the next major stop after the Ferry Building. It was the perfect day for a walk in the sunshine...

Walking by Fisherman's Wharf

Watching kids playing near the shore...

Checking out Ghirardelli Square- I was definitely stoked for this part!!

Note: under this sign is a huge vat of hot fudge being stirred- mmm! I stood and 

oogled the chocolate for a bit, but decided to be good and find some lunch first ;)

Good choice- this Latin Grill was fantastic! And the music was good too :)

Golden Gate Bridge

City view from the bridge

This was the point at which I decided to loop back to Ghirardelli- yay!!

Saturday Morning San Francisco Style

Day One was great, and Day Two was every bit as good. The Saturday Farmers' Market at the Ferry Building was highly recommended as a place to see, so that is how I started my day. Excellent suggestion! It was like a foodie Disneyland...

People enjoying the sunshine at the pier

One of the market stands

A rainbow of peppers

Fresh quail eggs- cute!

Mmmm- cheese...

I am no oyster connoisseur, but these were the best oysters I've ever had- yum!

After inspecting all the treasures outside, I moved indoors to check out the Ferry Building itself...

Exotic mushrooms (the legal expensive kind)

Very nice butcher shop- luv the shirts haha!

One of my FAVORITE stores- Sur La Table. I contained myself pretty well, but

splurged on some great ramekins from Italy... score!

The famous Boudin Bakery

Hello sourdough...