The Land of Insane Hills and Awesome Food

Even though Jesse and I are technically on vacation from life, we have managed to keep a very busy social schedule. During the down time in Jesse's 3-day work week we have tried to sneak in a few visits to family and friends while we're in the area. Last Saturday, we drove up to San Francisco to visit Jesse's brother, Eric (Nightrain). I couldn't have asked for better weather - a little cool with loads of sunshine.

We arrived just after 1pm and took the full tour of Eric's sweet apartment (located at the tippy top of that insane hill). I didn't think it possible, but the view from his roof is even more breathtaking than the climb up Filbert Street. After racing up the hill and nearly killing our poor little car to snag a parking spot, I realized why Eric opted for a more pedestrian-oriented lifestyle. I would probably experience some sort of nervous breakdown if I had to drive every day in that city.

Lea was in town for the weekend to visit Eric before heading down to Los Angeles for graduate school. I was so glad to see her again and hopefully now that we're on the same coast, our visits will not be so spread apart. Naturally, driving makes me hungry (and car sick), so we walked down to a local sandwich place and ordered delicious panini's to soothe my poor stomach. Following lunch, Eric led us on an epic walk up and down several hills to show us a few additional scenic spots in his neighborhood. The climbs made my legs ache, but the vistas were stunning.

Saturday's mission not only included a visit with Jesse's middle brother, but also a trip to Stella Pastry & Cafe for a few dozen cookies. The walk (mountain climb) through the city made me pretty thirsty, so we sat down to recharge and enjoy a cold drink. Stella makes one of my favorite cookies in the world, which is a round chewy almond cookie with pine nuts on top. I have no idea what it is called, or really, exactly how to make it, but YUM! I ate several while enjoying my iced coffee.

The fog started to roll in, so we stopped at Eric's apartment to put a jacket (or in my case a few more jackets) before heading down to dinner. For effect, we walked up and down a few more terrifying hills before reaching Tommaso's Restaurant for pizza. This was not just any pizza, but seriously delicious and garlicy goodness. MMM. I'm pretty sure I ate way more than I needed, but it was so tasty I couldn't help myself. For a little night cap we stopped in at La Trappe's Trappist Lounge and had a Belgian beer. I think at that point we were both a bit sad that we had to drive home - not only because there were so many delicious varieties of beer to try, but also because we had such a great time hanging out with Eric and Lea.

On our drive home, both Jesse and I agreed that if we weren't already moving to a new city and a cool apartment that we'd be pretty jealous of Eric's new life in San Francisco. I'm so glad that he was able to show us around his neighborhood and take us to his favorite places. It was a great day. I hope we'll be back for a visit soon.