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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

sunlit san francisco


Hi bento friends! Please join me for a stroll along the San Francisco waterfront from our first visit to this wonderful place...


 Fisherman's Wharf is famously touristy yet we loved walking it in the bracing wind, taking in the piquant vintage restaurant signs and of course gorgeous shellfish bounty...




Soaking in the bright sky and sun, we walked briskly to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market
 


Explosive colors of flowers and fruit echoed the intense blue sky...






Inside the Ferry Building, more local bounty of beautiful quality...


 Rum dark chocolate truffles...very good indeed


 Lunch at waterfront Pier 23 was a delight!



 Jamison's shot of our table with a very fresh crab and shrimp salad sandwich on toasted sourdough, sweet potato fries...


 The coleslaw was excellent with just enough paprika...


 Our view from inside, protected from the wind...


 Mellow afternoon companions...loved these guys!


 We ended our exploration of the waterfront with a visit to the magical Musee Mechanique at Pier 45, an enormous collection of arcade games from the early 20th century onwards.

What a strange and poignant catalog of dreams in these little theatres of fortune and skill, colorfully etched with themes of fate, luck, love, speed. Wandering the huge hall, we were left smiling and amazed by the time-travelling jumble of games--some remembered by us from arcades of the 70's and 80's, side by side with portals to eras and childhoods before our own...






The report from this mystical typewriter informed me that I was warm-hearted but a bit naive...



Rich layers of the past glinting through this seaside landscape, its cornucopia of visual and edible pleasures...and the sense of so much more to be seen and encountered in this windy, mysterious city has us eagerly anticipating our return!


17 comments:

Happy Little Bento said...

I feel almost as though I've been there before... oh wait, I have! So glad you had such a wonderful time in the beautiful city. There is much more to see and do on your next trip here. Welcome home :D

Bentobird said...

Hello dear Sheri! I was thinking of you on this visit to such a special city...

Sonoma Bento said...

Lucky you to have such a sunny day for a visit to SF. I love your pics of the Ferry Building Market and the fish and seafood shops. I am a total sucker for the kitchy, touristy spots too. It's so easy to love them, and I am a sucker for bright shiny things. :)

Sonoma Bento said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Journal Mommy Yenny said...

Beautiful pictures, dear :)
thank you for sharing them

shaz said...

Thanks for sharing. If there's anywhere in US I'll like to visit it's San Francisco.

Bentobird said...

Hi there Michelle! Yes indeed, part and parcel of the gorgeous weather we had during the whole visit...would like to see how the tone and feel of the waterfront feels on an overcast, foggy day. Yay for bright shiny things! Have a super weekend, will you be out hosting events around town?

Bentobird said...

Hi Journal Mommy Yenny, so nice to get a visit from you, hope you are well! Glad you liked my snaps :D, happy weekend!

Bentobird said...

Hello Shaz, thanks so much for visiting and commenting, friend.

Robin O said...

What vivid images of sunshine and vibrance, making your experience in this wonderful city come alive.

Truly loving the farmer's market, seafood and floral stands. On and then there's the food! I hope you got some of that fabulous chocolate.

Can't wait for the next stop on your adventure West.

Happy 4th of July Weekend Jenn!

Bentobird said...

Hello dear Robin, so sweet your comments, I always love to read them here :D

It was such a bright, sea-polished day and we had a wonderful outing! I ate two of the rum truffles, their shape put me in mind of your recent post ;) Now I know that the Bay Area is rich in artistinal chocolates as in so many other things...yum!

Wishing you a delightful holiday weekend, pal!

tinyskillet said...

Hi Jenn, finally got a chance to stop by. I loved San Francisco and waterfront, fisherman's warf. When I was there I wasn't such the foodie that I am now, but I did catch the chocolate shops! It's nice seeing it through someones eyes who has a flair for color, art, and good food! Love the shot of the view on the sunglasses! Now I want to make some really good cole slaw! (I was able to sneak a post in on The Tiny Bento...I know it's about time) :D

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Cheers!
Lyndsey

Bentobird said...

Helloooo Lyndsey! Thanks for visiting and such sweet comments. The slaw was perfect, really good mayo and little salt and paprika...I need to try and make this at home :D

Yay a new bento post, I'm off to have a look!
Happy Independence Day weekend to you and yours, my friend...

Lexi said...

San Francisco sour dough & crab....yum yum! Love it there - I thought, while touristy, that Fisherman's Wharf just had such a nice atmosphere!

Bentobird said...

I agree with you Lexi--something unique and genuinely interesting shines through the touristy nature of this place. The bread here was amazing...add lovely fresh crab salad and it was over the top!

Hope you are enjoying the summer--any travel plans?

That's Ron said...

nice shots ....looks great!

Bentobird said...

Thanks Ron! Have a GREAT weekend!