roadtrip 2013, part 4

Part 4 of our roadtrip found us motoring our way back to San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Line. We parted Joshua tree and skirted our way around LA landing on highway 101.

Our first port of call was lunch at Freebirds Burritos. Living overseas for nine years, there are a lot of restaurants and foods that I miss eating. Some are more tasty than others, but I have a certain nostalgia for all of them. As a former Texas A&M grad student, many meals of my life were spent chomping down on Freebirds chicken burritos with black beans and barbecue sauce. Back then, Freebirds was only the smallest of chains with just two shops in Texas and one in California. And it was good. Very good. It was a welcome surprise to see their growth. We spotted our first shop in Vacaville CA on our drive to Tahoe. As we were cruising down the highway, a sudden burst came out of me. Stop!!! Now!! Get off the highway. NOW!!!  Craig panicked. Was there someone dead on the side of the road?  Was I going to throw up? No. I just wanted to eat a burrito.  Finding Freebirds was a welcome surprise, and it tasted as good as I remembered it. He loved it too. So, of course, we stopped again when we saw another. Having satiated ourselves, we sped on.

Obviously, if you are a crafty person and skirting around the northern side of LA to the coast, a stop in Superbuzzy is in order. The last time I visited, they were still in a warehouse space operating primarily as an online retailer. Now, they've settled into beautiful digs in Ventura. Craig dropped me off for a bit and I was pretty restrained. He came back and I sent him away, eventually leaving with a small armload of new prints. No explanation is needed here. If you are near Superbuzzy, and by near I mean three and a half hours away in the desert, then you need to go.

That night, we ended up making camp in Pismo Beach. We'd never visited before and stopped quite by accident since we were feeling tired. It was the perfect place to settle in along the coast. Unlike many other places we visited on this trip, Pismo seemed to be thriving despite a tough economy. People were out. They were eating. They were shopping. They were happy. We had a nice wander down the boardwalk and visited Mo's BBQ twice in less than 24 hours.  My pick is the tri-tip sandwich with a side of potato salad. Smother that beef in the Carolina mustard bbq sauce. Yum! But the pulled pork and the baked beans were also tops. You know it's good when you have dinner somewhere and decide to go back for lunch the next day.

We hopped back in the car and made our way up the coast. We intended to stop in Monterey, but a burst of energy and missed turn found us back 'home' in San Francisco.  Damn, I love that city.

We had three quick days in the city. When I travel, I like to do a lot of walking. Craig and I laced up our new Vans and hit the hills. (We stopped at *cough* three Vans outlet stores during our drive. Did I have anything to declare to customs? Four pairs of shoes... I had doubled my previous shoe count.)

Our first walking adventure took us on a tourist route. We started downtown at the Ferry Building and walked north around the bay.  If you're in San Francisco on a Saturday morning, pop over to the Ferry Building for the farmer's market. Along with lots of fresh produce and bread, food trucks and stalls sell the best foods. When I lived in the city, it was how I often started my weekend.

We meandered around the bay past Pier 39. Gazing at the Boudin sourdough bakers around Pier 43 and all of San Francisco's famous crab restaurants. (We returned later in the week to Fog Harbour for roasted crab - I went with Asian style which is cooked with soy, ginger and garlic. He went with a chili pepper version. It's uber touristy to splurge on crab on the pier in San Francisco, but we love it.)  We kept right on walking around and over Fort Mason eventually finding ourselves at Crissy Field.

Before leaving town, I polled San Fracisco friends about where I could get the best donut these days. Among the suggestions, Dynamo Donut got multiple votes. I looked online and saw Maple Apple Bacon Donuts. Count me in.

Dynamo has two locations, one being a kiosk in Crissy Field. On our walk, there was a sign asking if I'd had a bacon donut today. I was salivating. Imagine my disappointment, when I reached the kiosk and they only had two donuts available. Not two kinds of donuts. Just two donuts. What the hell kind of donut shop is that?

There'd apparently been some sort of frenzy and they were nearly sold out. Instead of a maple bacon donut, I settled for chocolate spice.

I wanted to be disappointed. Just two donuts for pete's sake! I wanted to feel let down. But it was a damn tasty donut and I was eating it in full view of the Golden Gate.  It's tough to feel sorry for me, I know.

After the donut we made our way to the food shop at Crissy Field that had gluten free sandwiches and soups. They make good coffee too. This walk isn't for the fainthearted. We walked nearly 9km that day including a couple of strenuous hills. It was beautiful though. Worth every blister.

After all that walking, you'd think that I'd be exhausted. Craig succumbed to a chest cold and I ventured out on foot again the next day. This time I started down in the inner sunset area. I popped into Peapod Fabrics and had a wonderful time chatting with the owner. It was such a friendly shop to be in. I could easily why the 'regulars' who were stopping by kept coming back. If you're in the bay area on holiday or living there, stop in and support the shop. It's definitely one worth loving.

I had spied Tantrum in the Cole Valley earlier in our journey and mentally filed it as some place that I needed to be. Doesn't the geometric energy of the sign just call you in?

Tantrum is a bit of a walk from Peapod, but on a pretty day it's great to get lost in your thoughts.  They describe themselves as mid-century kid-centric awesomeness. I couldn't think of a more perfect descriptor. Admittedly, the wares are a bit on the exxy side but it's beautiful eye candy and would be a great place for a special birthday treat. (I'm turning 40 this year. Maybe I should visit again?)

From Tantrum, it's easy to head over to the Haight. Buy some Fluevog shoes. Have a few drinks at Magnolia. And if you're really keen, keep right on walking to The Other Shop to quench your vintage taste.

Having fully broken in all of my new shoes, I settled for a quieter pace on my last day. San Francisco is famous for their cable cars, but it's the streetcars that capture my heart. San Francisco has not only preserved it's own streetcars, but pays tribute to the streetcars around the world -- Boston, Italy, LA, Philadelphia and even Melbourne.  (Meet the fleet, if you'd like!)

There's a small, free museum with a bit more about the cars history. I could spend hours watching the cars on the F line make their way from Market St as they roll around the bend and up to Fisherman's Wharf. In fact, I did spend hours there. I love the curves and the colors.

It was a quiet way to end the trip, but a comfortable one with my camera in hand. You can never have too much time in San Francisco. Visit for a long time and visit often. Live there, if you can.