Keep Calm And............
We returned to the Bay Area and made a stop in Oakland on our way back to SF to see a couple of old friends. I decided to take photos of art, murals and protest signs as these are the signs of our time, at this very moment and they need to be recorded and especially from this part of our country. Oakland always seems to get a bad rap and I must tell you, because I used to live there, it is a wonderful city with wonderful people and a melting pot of cultures helps make it this way - these places are our favorite places to be. The next 4 photos are of one huge mural that surrounds a car park on three sides.
We returned to the Bay Area and made a stop in Oakland on our way back to SF to see a couple of old friends. I decided to take photos of art, murals and protest signs as these are the signs of our time, at this very moment and they need to be recorded and especially from this part of our country. Oakland always seems to get a bad rap and I must tell you, because I used to live there, it is a wonderful city with wonderful people and a melting pot of cultures helps make it this way - these places are our favorite places to be. The next 4 photos are of one huge mural that surrounds a car park on three sides.
The United Language - Lead Artists, Desi Mundo and Pancho Pescador
Love, Arts and Music are the universal language of the world!
Go here to view more art from all around Oakland:
Women's March protest posters
We kept finding protest all over downtown
While we were kicking around Oaktown, we popped in to see my old hair stylist, Rainbeau, for a haircut. We searched the internet for her and found she was still cutting hair and it was an absolute BLAST to see her and catch up. Boy, did we have lot's to catch up on after 20 years!
Us with Rainbeau
Back in San Francisco
We decided we needed to take a walk to Chinatown to get some shrimp and some lunch one sunny day. We were surprised to get down there and see thousands (literally) of other people there too. We obviously forgot to check our calendars. It just happened to be Chinese New Year and everyone was down there getting ready for the New Years Parade. It was packed!
2017 The Year of the Rooster
Of course they had all of Chinatown dressed up with murals, etc. for the event
We were with our friend Nina, who took us to what is now becoming my favorite Pho place in The City to eat - Golden Star Vietnamese. It is right downtown so you can see the Trans America building just across the street from this place as you sit and sip your soup.
Beef Pho
beef sliced paper thin with rich broth
Fresh Thai basil, bean sprouts, black bean sauce and chili sauce for garnish. YUM!!
Salty Lemonaide
I had never had this before. Fresh squeezed lemon juice, water and lots of salt, not sugar. It sounds crazy, but is very good with the spicy soup. I will have it again.
The Chinese Fish Markets
If you have never been in a traditional Chinese seafood market, get ready. They have everything you can think of and then all sorts of things you could never think of let alone think of eating! You just have to go into these places with an open mind, realizing that people from all over the world eat what they have access to and what tastes good. You may not want to eat it, but they have to in order to survive.
We went looking for shrimp for dinner and ended up buying live ones, still kicking and screaming until we cooked them. That is how they sell them, so that is what we bought. They were delicious, by the way :o)
Sea Cucumbers
OK, ewe! Just, EWE! We think these are sea cucumbers, but everything was in Chinese so we could not confirm. Just close your eyes when you have to eat them. And, no, even though they may look like a poop, they do not smell like a poop, and I can't tell you if they taste like a poop! :o)
Frogs
These guys were all hopping around in the bucket. I know, it just seems wrong, but it is protein and it's delicious. The Chinese have a big thing about things being alive right up to the moment you eat them. Nothing fresher.
We really enjoyed cooking up all of the fabulous ingredients we found all over SF with many friends who would come over for dinner.
We decided we needed to take a walk to Chinatown to get some shrimp and some lunch one sunny day. We were surprised to get down there and see thousands (literally) of other people there too. We obviously forgot to check our calendars. It just happened to be Chinese New Year and everyone was down there getting ready for the New Years Parade. It was packed!
2017 The Year of the Rooster
We were with our friend Nina, who took us to what is now becoming my favorite Pho place in The City to eat - Golden Star Vietnamese. It is right downtown so you can see the Trans America building just across the street from this place as you sit and sip your soup.
Beef Pho
Salty Lemonaide
The Chinese Fish Markets
We went looking for shrimp for dinner and ended up buying live ones, still kicking and screaming until we cooked them. That is how they sell them, so that is what we bought. They were delicious, by the way :o)
Sea Cucumbers
Frogs
We really enjoyed cooking up all of the fabulous ingredients we found all over SF with many friends who would come over for dinner.
Us with Kevin and Wing after eating those delicious shrimp
Me with my dear old friend (and masseuse) Lucy. I went to her for a rub and she came over for dinner.........looks like she is leaving feeling a little out of this world!
Nano, Nano! :o)
More from SF coming..........
