“Amy!”

Talk about feeling like a rock star.

There I was this morning, walking across the Embarcadero on my way to the Ferry Building when I heard someone call my name.

I turned around, did a quick pass at the handful of people around, but didn’t recognize anyone. So I went on my merry way, to start ogling the cakes, breads, cheeses and chocolates at the glorious markets before hopping on the ferry to Marin.

But then I heard it again. “Amy??”

It was a fan. Of this here blog. I was floored. This lovely girl, Christine, recognized me from this blog! Hi, Christine! Thanks for making my day!

And then the day only got better. I bumped into another friend inside the ferry building, while I was drooling over the cupcakes, chocolates and macarons at Miette.



I did succumb to the gingerbread cupcake, before venturing over to Acme to pick up a doughy, sticky brioche from the genius breadmakers…



Then I watched them set up the cheese wheels at Cowgirl Creamery…



…and checked on the Dungeness crabs. After all, as Andi said, it’s crab season.


Then it was off to Marin to visit my girl, Alex.

Imagine if this was your commute every day.


How did I forget how flippin’ pretty San Francisco is??


It was a beautiful 35-minute ride through the bay.


And, as expected, Alex’s home is to-die-for: chic and modern and sweet and homey all at once. A girl after my own heart, this sweet spread...

...plus the eggnog-French press coffee she served up from her sunny Marin kitchen, was our breakfast.

And, this…

… our most adorable sidekick.

My company yesterday wasn’t so bad either.

Remember Connie and Nina? We walked all over Paris about a year and a half ago. But when I come to San Francisco, we almost always walk along the water. Yesterday’s glorious weather made it a no-brainer.

It was a bit too brisk for bathing suits, in my opinion, but a killer day nonetheless.


I’ve also been eating my face off at all the amazing restaurants, taking nice walks, doing a little shopping and yoga, and, well, just feeling happy. I think I’ve been so focused on Paris and New York for so long that I forgot about all the beauty and uniqueness of San Francisco. It’s definitely been one long walk down memory lane, filled with love and emotion for all of my friends here. And I’m loving every second of it.

City by the Bay

In between New York and Paris there was this whole other wonderful chapter called San Francisco.

Seven years of Victorian flats, palm trees, green parrots and amazingly fresh food.



More significantly, seven years of true love, amazing friendships, and adventures far and near.



Now I’m back for a week of reconnecting, overindulging, reflecting and appreciating.

It’s sunny and warm. Nostalgic and special. Comfortable and divine.


I'm a lucky girl.

My dream…

… mode of transportation.

That zippy Vespa has been on my mind. Once upon a time, in San Francisco, I really wanted a Vespa. I thought nothing would be cooler than cruising up the hills of North Beach and cutting through the fog in Golden Gate Park than a Beat chick on Italian wheels.

I still love scooters but no longer have the fantasy. And as much as I love vintage autos, the thought of owning a car again does not appeal (unless it was this collection - then I think I could deal). I think my dream mode of transportation would be:

a) A driver-on-call for getting around town at night, when I’m running late for work, and to and from the airport

b) Money to fly first or business class between New York and Paris (and beyond, bien sur)

c) A tricked out bicycle, complete with bell, helmet, safety laws and other bicyclists in the city who would make riding more the norm

Et toi?

My Vegan Mondays

Just a boring (but productive) Monday during which all my belly wanted to do was continue the Thanksgiving rampage of eating, snacking and making repeat visits to the fridge but my snug pants reminded me to rein it in. I’m trying.

Morning
Coffee and cereal with soy milk

Afternoon
Curried cauliflower wrap (with brown rice and chickpeas)
Trail mix

Evening
Lentil soup
Apple

When I Was Young

My friend Ben is awesome. Not only is he always game for something delicious—an almond croissant, say, here in NYC or at Boulangerie Julien in Paris—but he’s just a cool dude. Modest and low-key; fun and funny; a great wedding date and a friend for over two decades. And he’s also the manager of Nada Surf.

Here’s Matthew Caws performing "When I Was Young" at the Musée Carnavalet.

As Bennie said, It's tres beautiful.

I'm just saying...

Christmas is fast approaching.

Santa, you can take your cues from the street of NYC and deliver a Vuitton-canvased Vespa, straight from the streets of Paris!

Pourquoi pas?

My Vegan Tuesdays

Mes amis, I actually had a Vegan Sunday, Vegan Monday and Vegan Tuesday! Sunday was unintentionally so, Monday I stuck to protocol and today, I figured, well, I might as well go for a three-day spree seeing as the next few days at my mom’s is going to be nothing short of gluttonous.

I’ll be bringing Jacques Torres chocolates, and we’ll be making apple pie. We might even kick off some Christmas cookie baking. Turkey, brussels sprouts, cauliflower gratin and many, many other trimmings will be greedily eaten up.

What about you? What are your holiday plans? Be sure to have extra helpings pour moi, and don’t forget to count your blessings!

My dream...

...living arrangement looks something like this:

A big airy loft in Tribeca. It's on a quiet street with a lot of light and even has a little outdoor space.

Two months of the year (say, January and July), I swap with someone in Paris. Ideally, in the 2eme, 9eme, 10eme or 6eme.

What's your dream living arrangement?