California Diary Part X: Two Days Outside San Francisco
After two days bumming around San Francisco, my last two full days of the trip took me first to Oakland, then to Marin County, Berkley and back to Oakland again. My top priority for Friday, July 28, was seeing the Oakland A's to complete the tour. This meant getting to Oakland, which I did in nice easy stages.
After having another late breakfast consisting of the best croissants in America at Arsicault, I caught a ride down to the San Francisco Ferry building. I wandered through it for a bit and then met my friends and former coworkers Jackie and Eric for lunch at The Slanted Door. Jackie and Eric are as serious about their dining as anyone I've ever met, and The Slanted Door did not disappoint. We got several dishes and passed them around, ending with a cotton candy-esque dessert that was not at all cotton candy but looked like it and tasted better. It was with great sadness that I bid Jackie and Eric farewell.
Since I was already at the Ferry building, I figured that taking the ferry over to Oakland was the logical next step. First I enjoyed some ice cream from Humphry Slocombe, and then I was on a boat heading across the Bay. It was chilly but pleasant, so I sat on the deck and watched the city slide by.
Upon arriving in Oakland I took a bus and the BART to Fruitvale Station, where I met up with my friend Monk, formerly DJ Vitruvius of my radio station. We headed to a German beer garden and enjoyed beer and charcuterie as we caught up for several leisurely hours.
Monk dropped me at a BART station and I took it to the Coliseum. I was intentionally early, and wandered around the stadium and to the outdoor food truck plaza for a while. I may have had another dessert. Then it was game time; as previously documented, the A's lost but I had completed the stadium tour. I BARTed back to the Mission and caught an Uber to Jon and Annie's. On the day I had ridden in a car, a bus, a ferry and a train while having three desserts (4 if you count croissants). Very nice.
It was now Saturday, July 29. To this point Jon and Annie and I had mostly interacted over dinner and some quick morning conversations. With the weekend upon us, it was time to change that and actually spend some time together. As I recall, we started with more pastries from Arsicault (seriously, that place is great). Then we hopped in the car and headed north over the Golden Gate to Marin County. Annie grew up in this area so she quickly got us to our destination: Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes.
Cowgirl Creamery was a longtime favorite of mine, and faced with a Cheese Trail that is impossible to cover in a single day, it was the obvious choice. We bought a lot of cheese:
- Mt Tam
- Moolicious California
- Inverness (only available at the shop, I think, and possibly not the name because it's been shaded in my photo)
Add some bread and figs and we had a lovely little picnic lunch outside the shop. From there, we checked out the Marconi Wireless Station and then drove in the direction of the lighthouse. We ultimately dropped that as a destination because the weekend traffic had pushed parking very far from it, but we still saw plenty of the beautiful landscapes of the area.
From here we were off to Berkley. Annie went to school there, and insisted that we get some pizza at The Cheese Board. They also have a really substantial cheese shop, but I was able to resist, somehow. Instead we stood in a long line for the pizza flavor of the day. That's right, they only have one flavor each day. Since that flavor is apparently always delicious, this doesn't discourage pizza lovers and keeps the line moving quickly. We met some of Annie's friends there and had a lovely outdoor lunch.
From there we went back to the Coliseum. The outcome this time was in favor of the A's. It was Harry Potter night at the park, so maybe all that magic led to the A's walk-off win. We got to watch the fireworks from the field. It was a great night!
The next morning we somehow resisted having more croissants and instead had brunch at a place near Jon and Annie's apartment. They took me to the airport and one uneventful direct flight later I was back in Cleveland. The tour was complete, I'd visited a great many friends, done a lot of hiking, seen a lot of art and eaten a lot of good food.
I'd love to drive up Pacific Coast Highway 1 from San Francisco all the way to Oregon and beyond. There are many national parks to visit and other things to see, so I'm sure I'll be back.
After having another late breakfast consisting of the best croissants in America at Arsicault, I caught a ride down to the San Francisco Ferry building. I wandered through it for a bit and then met my friends and former coworkers Jackie and Eric for lunch at The Slanted Door. Jackie and Eric are as serious about their dining as anyone I've ever met, and The Slanted Door did not disappoint. We got several dishes and passed them around, ending with a cotton candy-esque dessert that was not at all cotton candy but looked like it and tasted better. It was with great sadness that I bid Jackie and Eric farewell.
Since I was already at the Ferry building, I figured that taking the ferry over to Oakland was the logical next step. First I enjoyed some ice cream from Humphry Slocombe, and then I was on a boat heading across the Bay. It was chilly but pleasant, so I sat on the deck and watched the city slide by.
Upon arriving in Oakland I took a bus and the BART to Fruitvale Station, where I met up with my friend Monk, formerly DJ Vitruvius of my radio station. We headed to a German beer garden and enjoyed beer and charcuterie as we caught up for several leisurely hours.
Monk dropped me at a BART station and I took it to the Coliseum. I was intentionally early, and wandered around the stadium and to the outdoor food truck plaza for a while. I may have had another dessert. Then it was game time; as previously documented, the A's lost but I had completed the stadium tour. I BARTed back to the Mission and caught an Uber to Jon and Annie's. On the day I had ridden in a car, a bus, a ferry and a train while having three desserts (4 if you count croissants). Very nice.
It was now Saturday, July 29. To this point Jon and Annie and I had mostly interacted over dinner and some quick morning conversations. With the weekend upon us, it was time to change that and actually spend some time together. As I recall, we started with more pastries from Arsicault (seriously, that place is great). Then we hopped in the car and headed north over the Golden Gate to Marin County. Annie grew up in this area so she quickly got us to our destination: Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes.
Cowgirl Creamery was a longtime favorite of mine, and faced with a Cheese Trail that is impossible to cover in a single day, it was the obvious choice. We bought a lot of cheese:
- Mt Tam
- Moolicious California
- Inverness (only available at the shop, I think, and possibly not the name because it's been shaded in my photo)
Add some bread and figs and we had a lovely little picnic lunch outside the shop. From there, we checked out the Marconi Wireless Station and then drove in the direction of the lighthouse. We ultimately dropped that as a destination because the weekend traffic had pushed parking very far from it, but we still saw plenty of the beautiful landscapes of the area.
From here we were off to Berkley. Annie went to school there, and insisted that we get some pizza at The Cheese Board. They also have a really substantial cheese shop, but I was able to resist, somehow. Instead we stood in a long line for the pizza flavor of the day. That's right, they only have one flavor each day. Since that flavor is apparently always delicious, this doesn't discourage pizza lovers and keeps the line moving quickly. We met some of Annie's friends there and had a lovely outdoor lunch.
From there we went back to the Coliseum. The outcome this time was in favor of the A's. It was Harry Potter night at the park, so maybe all that magic led to the A's walk-off win. We got to watch the fireworks from the field. It was a great night!
The next morning we somehow resisted having more croissants and instead had brunch at a place near Jon and Annie's apartment. They took me to the airport and one uneventful direct flight later I was back in Cleveland. The tour was complete, I'd visited a great many friends, done a lot of hiking, seen a lot of art and eaten a lot of good food.
I'd love to drive up Pacific Coast Highway 1 from San Francisco all the way to Oregon and beyond. There are many national parks to visit and other things to see, so I'm sure I'll be back.