A Beautiful Day in San Francisco (Sat 6/20)

I love my city! I was born there and there is no place I'd rather be. Today, my oldest son (age 19) and I took BART to the Embarcadero station from Dublin/Pleasanton. We headed to the Ferry Building in order to explore the tastes and sounds of the Farmers Market. We had never been to this particular one. Along the way were street vendors with all their art and jewelry. Why was the trip so majestic? There was the weather that was surprisingly warm. I had planned on cooler weather. The view from the Ferry Building of the Bay Bridge was breathtaking. I am always drawn to the sparkle and sound of the water. As a matter of fact, we ate around the corner from the Ferry Building overlooking the water and very near to the bridge. We sampled everything at the market we could get our hands on since we hadn't eaten any breakfast. The fruit was indescribably sweet and juicy. Speaking of sweet and juicy--I tried a pluot which is a combination of a plum and an apricot. We tasted preserves, jam, salsas, hummus, plums, cherries, nectarines, almond brittle, bittersweet chocolate, and decided on samosas for our lunch. Samosas are basically potato and peas wrapped in a fried pastry shell. They can also be filled with various meats or vegan specialties. Our taste buds were awakened by blueberry lemonade sold by one of the vendors. The lines were long for coffee, tea and pastries but we wanted to be different and try new things that we couldn't get at our local Starbucks. We have already planned to go back to this location and get a spinach wrap where the samosas were sold. We absolutely loved the blood orange sorbet and chocolate gelato which we found inside the Ferry Building. I'm sure all the flavors would be fantastic. You must taste the various varieties of honey that were available for purchase and sampling at one of the farmer's tents. They even had straws with honey in them to flavor any beverage. My son bought some for his girlfriend. The prices on everything were very reasonable. My son kept wanting to go back for more fruit but I wanted to enjoy the scenery instead. Our adventure was not over as my son had the idea to walk to China Town. I had no idea how far we would be walking. I wore flip flops which would be okay if we weren't walking up the hills. Next time, I will wear or bring my gym shoes. I would say that it took us maybe 15 minutes to get there from the Ferry Building as we were specifically looking for a bakery that made and sold the flat fortune cookies. It was in a small alley where one would not suspect it would be. I don't recall the name of it. My son bought me my first personal pair of chop sticks in China Town as part of my birthday present. He wasn't being cheap. He is a college student on a budget. I'm turning 41 next week and I'm excited that I was able to live so much of a blessed life. Some people don't get to that age. Although I've had a lot of hard times, I am grateful for everything that got me to this point. I have matured because of hard circumstances (we all have them!) and become a better person because of my children. God is the reason why I get up every morning thanking Him for my life. He has given me so much to be thankful for. If you are not feeling thankful right now, just look at someone who has less than you have. It will be a wake-up call! I'm hoping the next 40 years of my life don't fly by as quickly as the first half has. I just want to make a difference in the life of others and I get a chance to do that every day in sometimes a small way and other times a big way. I do all things through the power of God. Today, San Francisco gave me a smile, a blue sky, a beautiful bridge, nice people, wonderful foods to tickle my taste buds, time with my precious son, a mini-adventure to China Town and time to reflect on my blessings. Thank you, San Francisco--my beautiful city!

For market times, events, farmers names, sellers, and how to get to the market go to:
http://www.cuesa.org/markets/