Saturday, April 12, 2014
Organic life (continued)
I have got my second CSA box. Fruit is a bit scarce (only some giant strawberries!) but the quality of everything has been really good so far. Glad I have found Full Belly!
Monday, April 7, 2014
A weekend around Los Angeles
I have been to Los Angeles once. All I recall from that trip is being stuck on the freeway and the chaos of Hollywood Boulevard. Let’s see, if this time L.A., leaves me with more profound memories.
After dinner we finally meet our friend who has had a terrible day at work. He invites us in his heated garden and we all enjoy a bottle of white wine.
The next morning we go for a walk on Ocean Front - the street that runs parallel to Venice beach. It is no more than a long stretch of T-shirt, piercing and tattoo shops and a bunch of eccentrics. The various vendors are pretty pushy and try to sell us their merchandise.
We leave and decide to spend the rest of the day in Malibu. We drive on the Pacific Highway (U.S. 1), past Santa Monica, and enjoy the beautiful vistas on both sides.
We stop for a short walk in Zuma beach and then head to El Matador beach. After a few flights of stairs, we get down to El Matador. It is beautiful: a long stretch of ragged coastline dotted with rocks. It really reminds me of Santa Barbara. No wonder the two are only 60 miles apart.
Perhaps the most striking feature of Malibu is not its beaches, but its luxurious Mediterranean style villas scattered around its twenty-one miles of coastline.
If it wasn’t for the strong wind and the waves, you would probably think you are somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. Maybe there you do not get such a long strip of luxury. But we are not far from LA and probably most of the people living there are working in the entertainment industry. Although this is America, Malibu really resembles the Old World.
After a short stroll on 3rd Promenade in Santa Monica - nothing captures my interest there - we return to Venice for dinner.
We go to a French-Californian restaurant, Joe’s. The food is excellent: fresh, quality ingredients well combined together. We even share a dessert! The bill comes high but our palates are satisfied.
Our trip is almost over. The following day we are back to San Francisco. Before leaving, though, we have to visit Venice canals. These are man-made canals built at the beginning of the 20th century by Abbot Kinney- an American businessman and developer - as part of his plans to recreate Venezia in Southern California.
Our trip is almost over. The following day we are back to San Francisco. Before leaving, though, we have to visit Venice canals. These are man-made canals built at the beginning of the 20th century by Abbot Kinney- an American businessman and developer - as part of his plans to recreate Venezia in Southern California.
Most of the canals have been filled to create roads but there are still a few left. Far from the real Venice canals, not least in terms of their architecture, we are nevertheless impressed by the nice houses. Some are in a Venetian style, other in Mediterranean, Victorian and modern architecture. They all fit nicely together.
We still have some time so we go for a walk on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Cute shops line both sides of the street, each selling pricey but unique items. Apparently chain stores are not allowed there.
Unlike the canals, Abbot Kinney Boulevard seems a miscellaneous of different architecture styles without a unifying plan.
We continue walking. Nothing else stands out. I am sorry Abbot, perhaps this is not what you had in mind, but Venice of America is really far off from Venezia!
As we drive from Venice to the airport, L.A. feels like a bunch of isolated neighbourhoods connected by few highways. I think about Malibu and El Matador.
Even this time, Los Angeles fails to imprint more enduring memories. Goodbye L.A., I don’t know if I will be back.
We still have some time so we go for a walk on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Cute shops line both sides of the street, each selling pricey but unique items. Apparently chain stores are not allowed there.
Unlike the canals, Abbot Kinney Boulevard seems a miscellaneous of different architecture styles without a unifying plan.
We continue walking. Nothing else stands out. I am sorry Abbot, perhaps this is not what you had in mind, but Venice of America is really far off from Venezia!
As we drive from Venice to the airport, L.A. feels like a bunch of isolated neighbourhoods connected by few highways. I think about Malibu and El Matador.
Even this time, Los Angeles fails to imprint more enduring memories. Goodbye L.A., I don’t know if I will be back.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
For my Milan friends: line 9
After riding on MUNI for several months, I finally managed to get on the 9 line (oops it is actually the F-Market Line in San Francisco). It felt like being in Milan... including the rain.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Organic life
I knew that San Francisco was an expensive place to live and that it was full of independent grocery shops and boutiques. What I didn't realise is that everything is organic in this city, from local fruit and vegetables to organic clothes (I am not sure how you can make organic clothes).
I am all in favour of organic food and think we all need to have more sustainable habits. However, I could not help but notice the exorbitant price of this food.
In London, organic produce is expensive too. But there most of the stuff is imported, especially fruit and vegetables, and has to travel long miles. California has the sun, water (not so much recently, we are in a drought!) and large cities, which function as large demand centres; as a result, the food does not have to travel long distances. All these factors should reduce the cost. Why then is it so expensive?
I need to do some serious research to be able to answer this question. By the way, answering the question will only satisfy my inner curiosity, but not solve my weekly problem of where to shop and, for a big eater of fruit and vegetables like me, prevent my grocery bill from surging. Perhaps this will be the subject of another post.
In an attempt to reduce my grocery bill and find the best value for money in San Francisco, I have embarked on a new adventure: shopping around. Well, first of all I considered whether I could buy non-organic. With that comes a logical question: How is the stuff that is not organic? I have to say that the labels I find on organic food make me very worried about what might be in the non-organic one. For example on my organic milk carton, I read "this milk comes from cows not treated with the growth hormone rBST" or on my organic egg carton "no antibiotics, no hormones". Without doing further investigation, non-organic does not look good for my health.
Having excluded the possibility of buying non-organic, I have started shopping at a larger grocery store instead of my local one. I have landed at Whole Foods Market. In London, Whole Foods is considered posh and luxurious. When their first store opened in Kensington, newspapers joked about the folks that would shop there: bankers and Russian oligarchs. However, in London, you don't have to shop at Whole Foods; I rarely did as there are more decent priced alternatives, like Waitrose.
Apparently, here it is not only bankers and techies who shop at Whole Foods. I have seen young mums with pushchairs, builders and old ladies. I have found Whole Foods' prices to be somewhat lower than my local grocery shop, but with no big savings. On the positive side, I have been impressed by the selection and choice you have there.
Whole Foods Markets
Still, not content with the value for money at Whole Foods and following up on my new neighbour's suggestion, I have decided to try local farmers' markets. I have visited those at the UN Plaza and Noe Valley. I have not been impressed by UN Plaza; where the produce did not seem to be particularly fresh- mushroom and arugola had seen better days! Noe Valley, instead, was very good, but even more expensive than Whole Foods!
Finally, prompted by large poster on MUNI (i.e. the San Francisco's tube) I discovered CSA (Community-Supported-Agriculture) farms. These are farms that deliver organic produce boxes in the city once or twice a week at selected pick-up point. After a few searches on the web, I have found a farm that delivers to a relatively convenient location, close to where I live, and that appears to be excellent, at least according to the reviews.
As a rational social scientist I would expect that given there is no middle man and the produce comes directly from the farm to final customers, I would get a good bunch of seasonal organic fruit and vegetables. I will have to wait until next Saturday to find out if my first box turns out to have the good value for money I am expecting. If it is, my adventure in the world of organic food will end!
I am all in favour of organic food and think we all need to have more sustainable habits. However, I could not help but notice the exorbitant price of this food.
In London, organic produce is expensive too. But there most of the stuff is imported, especially fruit and vegetables, and has to travel long miles. California has the sun, water (not so much recently, we are in a drought!) and large cities, which function as large demand centres; as a result, the food does not have to travel long distances. All these factors should reduce the cost. Why then is it so expensive?
I need to do some serious research to be able to answer this question. By the way, answering the question will only satisfy my inner curiosity, but not solve my weekly problem of where to shop and, for a big eater of fruit and vegetables like me, prevent my grocery bill from surging. Perhaps this will be the subject of another post.
In an attempt to reduce my grocery bill and find the best value for money in San Francisco, I have embarked on a new adventure: shopping around. Well, first of all I considered whether I could buy non-organic. With that comes a logical question: How is the stuff that is not organic? I have to say that the labels I find on organic food make me very worried about what might be in the non-organic one. For example on my organic milk carton, I read "this milk comes from cows not treated with the growth hormone rBST" or on my organic egg carton "no antibiotics, no hormones". Without doing further investigation, non-organic does not look good for my health.
Having excluded the possibility of buying non-organic, I have started shopping at a larger grocery store instead of my local one. I have landed at Whole Foods Market. In London, Whole Foods is considered posh and luxurious. When their first store opened in Kensington, newspapers joked about the folks that would shop there: bankers and Russian oligarchs. However, in London, you don't have to shop at Whole Foods; I rarely did as there are more decent priced alternatives, like Waitrose.
Apparently, here it is not only bankers and techies who shop at Whole Foods. I have seen young mums with pushchairs, builders and old ladies. I have found Whole Foods' prices to be somewhat lower than my local grocery shop, but with no big savings. On the positive side, I have been impressed by the selection and choice you have there.
Still, not content with the value for money at Whole Foods and following up on my new neighbour's suggestion, I have decided to try local farmers' markets. I have visited those at the UN Plaza and Noe Valley. I have not been impressed by UN Plaza; where the produce did not seem to be particularly fresh- mushroom and arugola had seen better days! Noe Valley, instead, was very good, but even more expensive than Whole Foods!
Noe Valley's Farmers Market
Finally, prompted by large poster on MUNI (i.e. the San Francisco's tube) I discovered CSA (Community-Supported-Agriculture) farms. These are farms that deliver organic produce boxes in the city once or twice a week at selected pick-up point. After a few searches on the web, I have found a farm that delivers to a relatively convenient location, close to where I live, and that appears to be excellent, at least according to the reviews.
As a rational social scientist I would expect that given there is no middle man and the produce comes directly from the farm to final customers, I would get a good bunch of seasonal organic fruit and vegetables. I will have to wait until next Saturday to find out if my first box turns out to have the good value for money I am expecting. If it is, my adventure in the world of organic food will end!
Thursday, March 6, 2014
I can't have it all..
Before moving to San Francisco I thought "It is just a year. If I don't like it there, I can always go back to London."
Cappuccinos are creamy and delicious almost everywhere. In London, they suck.
Fruit and vegetables are fresh and tasty. It is the power of having the sun! And then bread, the city is full of bakeries, a nicety you don't find in London these days.
Then there are the hills and the ocean, which make such breathtaking views.
I have even found a better replacement for my favourite sparkling lemonade!!
San Francisco, perhaps, is nearly perfect for me. To make it perfect, I only need $2.3 million to buy this dream Victorian house in sunny Dolores Heights.
But after living in the city for two months, I realised that it is not so bad, house hunting aside. If I was less picky I would probably say that it is damn good!
Cappuccinos are creamy and delicious almost everywhere. In London, they suck.
Fruit and vegetables are fresh and tasty. It is the power of having the sun! And then bread, the city is full of bakeries, a nicety you don't find in London these days.
Then there are the hills and the ocean, which make such breathtaking views.
I have even found a better replacement for my favourite sparkling lemonade!!
San Francisco, perhaps, is nearly perfect for me. To make it perfect, I only need $2.3 million to buy this dream Victorian house in sunny Dolores Heights.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
House hunting: Murphy bed
This time my house hunting is probably over. We have reached an agreement and the estate agent is now drafting the lease. Like the previous flat I had found, it is not perfect. It doesn't have a place for bikes in the garage and I will have to take them inside.
On the positive side, I got lots of space. It is bigger, newer and more central than the one I was about to take. Also, it has a special bed for guests. They call it Murphy bed! If you are thinking of visiting me, now you have a place to sleep.
On the positive side, I got lots of space. It is bigger, newer and more central than the one I was about to take. Also, it has a special bed for guests. They call it Murphy bed! If you are thinking of visiting me, now you have a place to sleep.
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