Watching the Ships Roll In

I spent Wednesday catching up on organizing, backing up my photos and just taking it easy. No plans, no running around to meet up with people, nothing scheduled. I thought about what I was doing, where I was going. Why am I here? I'm not even sure I know what I'm looking for at this point. I do know that I have enjoyed everything thus far. My experience has been so clairvoyant that it feels almost overwhelming at times. On my last full day in the Bay area I went down to the docks near Andy's place. Walking around there was so intense for some reason. At one point the water was so calm I felt as though I could have walked on it. There was little to no conversation between myself and Andy as we walked side by side. There were moments where I could barely control my laughter as I read off the names of some of the boats docked. I'm not sure why I was laughing so hard. But, it was just so intense. All of it. Finally, on my walk back home I stopped to take the picture below as the sun disappeared behind the Pacific. I didn't modify the picture at all, and I snapped it with my phone. In fact all the photos I've posted here so far have been taken with only my phone.

Tonight, I feel like I was able to conceptualize something that has been making me very uncomfortable. We only have so much time here. What do we do with it? Why do we not keep this at the forefront of our consciousness? Is it because we don't want to confront it? These thoughts reminded me of a point during my undergrad years when I lived in Allston. The place I lived in was a bit shady, and I was in a very unhappy state of mind. But, one day while riding the B line into the city I suddenly noticed the warmth of the sun hitting the back of my neck. At that moment I had such a deep appreciation for that warmth, for the sun, and for being aware.

Old Friends Know Best

So once 7pm rolled around it was time to meet up with some more old friends. We first linked up at this really cool spot called Latin American Club, which was located at 3286 22nd Street between Valencia and Mission. It's kind of a dive bar with some really interesting decor. Definitely a spot with a cool vibe that I would recommend hitting on an off night (I'm sure the place gets crazy on the weekends). After raising a glass to reconnecting, our health, and to new adventures it was time to get some truly authentic Mexican food in the heart of San Francisco's Mission district. We were off to hit this little hole in the wall called Taqueria Cancún, and it was the one. I ordered a regular burrito, which you can see part of in the pic above. However, my friend Andy got this crazy burrito with enough sour cream, salsa, and guacamole to make the Mexican flag as you can see below. They make a mean salsa too! Definitely a solid 8/10 in my book, and I would certainly roll through here again next time I come to SF.   

San Francisco and Space

After hitting Skull and Sword we had some more time to kill so we went up to The Mission to walk around and explore the neighborhood. As we walked around I found this parking lot that was full of graffiti on both sides of the walls. The graffiti was incredibly bright as though it had just been done. It reminded me of when I was in LA and there was street art, and graff everywhere I looked. Again, I'm not sure what was legal and what wasn't but I noticed this all over SF. I think having more spaces like this in Boston would create a larger and stronger community of artists and/or creative people. As well as bring more color and excitement to the city.

The King's Highway Ends with a Skull and Sword

This afternoon i went with Andy out to Palo Alto while he took care of a few things. After he finished up we drove over to downtown Palo Alto and walked around looking for a place to grab lunch. We ended up  at this little Mediterranean spot called Cafe 220, and I'll say this, they make a serious falafel wrap. It was flavorful with just a little kick of spice and it didn't get soggy by the time I was down to the bottom. After that we jumped back into the car and decided to drive into San Francisco because I was planning on meeting up with some friends later on the evening. I also wanted to check out a few other things while I was in the city. But, rather than dashing up the freeway we chose to take the scenic route up; El Camino Real. Click Here to learn why El Camino Real, a.k.a. The Kings Highway is so important. 

Since I wasn't meeting up with friends until later on for dinner I took advantage of the time to go stop by Skull and Sword to buy a tee, and see if I could get a picture with Grime, unfortunately he wasn't there. However, i did snag a tee and I got to chat with Lango, (another artist who works at the shop) for a moment while his client was on the phone. I told him I was just passing through SF on my way from Boston to Maui and wanted to come by the shop. He was really cool, professional, and laid back. My love of tattoos and excitement for being in such a well established shop made me feel like a deer in headlights mixed with a kid in a candy store. Oh yeah and the pic above... Well there's no sign to mark where the shop is. I walked up and down Caesar Chavez Street about four times before I found it. I figured this would be appropriate in case anybody else goes looking for it.

Welcome to the Bay Area

I left Los Angeles around 1:45pm today and landed in the Bay area around 3pm. I had arranged to stay with my good friend Andy, whom I've known since I was a sophomore in high school. He lives about a half hour outside of San Francisco, and on our way back to his place we stopped for some amazing Thai food at this spot called The White Elephant, located in Half Moon Bay. The Tom Ka (coconut chicken soup) on the left was fantastic! It was hot, fresh, and had a perfect balance of flavor that didn't overdue the coconut, but was highlighted with a hint of ginger. I followed that up with some Thai Fried rice, which was just the right spice I was in the mood for. You can also see the panang curry Andy ordered in the background of that photo, which was also super solid. I was really happy to reconnect with Andy, and to meet his 9 month old baby girl. I really love coming together with people over food. It's pretty hard to beat.