I’ve lost my taste for coffee. My daily intake is just a way for me to get through the early morning (where I go about three steps from my bed to my desk and immediately log into work—which is already buzzing on east coast time). A couple years ago I just started drinking espresso because I didn’t like the taste of coffee so much that I couldn’t bear to sit and sip anymore.
Moving to San Francisco and having easy access to wonderful roasters—like Philz, Blue Bottle, and the nearby Ritual Coffee on Valencia—has revived my interest in coffee. So I’m taking action.
One Saturday morning at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market I noticed that Blue Bottle coffee uses a pour-over method, and after a little research it didn’t long for me to stumble upon Chemex coffee makers. I threw one on my Amazon wishlist and shortly after received one from my future in-laws for Christmas.
Game on.
It took me a couple tries to get my technique down (the video above was extremely helpful), but I can happily say that I thoroughly enjoyed a few batches of Chemex (affiliate link) coffee this week. I hope it stays that way.
Eat Real Festival, Oakland
August 28, 2009
SF Scorecard
On June 29 I moved to San Francisco. Three days later, Mat Honan published this article outlining guidelines for moving to San Francisco. Two months later, let’s see how I’m doing…
1. Live in San Francisco
Check. We’re living in the same studio that Lex found when she came out here last fall. It’s in the southeasternmost corner of Noe Valley—not exactly my favorite spot, but our proximity to the Mission, Bernal Heights, Glen Park, the J line, and many convenient Muni bus lines has made it very easy to explore the city.
2. Jump in the water
Haven’t done this one yet and don’t really plan on it. I’m not much of a beach guy. (I’ve been in the Atlantic Ocean many times. Does that count?)
3. Eat the food
Good god yes. Check. I’ve done a bunch of the greatest hits—Burma Superstar, Greens, Papalote, Goat Hill Pizza, Slanted Door—and there are so many more on our to-try list. The food here is insanely good.
4. Get a bike
I have a mountain bike, but have yet to ride it in SF. I want to trade it in for a road bike, and I’ve got to do something about that ASAP. (I have taken up running in a serious way since moving, and that’s occupied most of my recreational time. I love running in SF.)
5. Make real friends
I don’t work in the Internet/technology sector, so apparently this doesn’t apply to me. That said, since I work from home I don’t get out as much as I could. I want to work on that, too.
6. Be real yourself
This is the kind of west coast hooey that drives my sarcastic, skeptical New England side nuts.
After two months, I’m still adjusting to living in a huge metropolitan area for the first time in my life—not to mention making up for all the lost long-distance time with Lex and working hard to transition into telecommuting. I give myself a B- after two months, with lots of room for improvement.
This Is That Way →
My friend Dan-O has a new show on WFCM Williamstown, Wednesdays 8:00–10:00 p.m. (EST). If his debut show this week is any indicator, this is a can’t miss.
We had a great Fourth of July. Ferry Building Farmer’s Market then caught an afternoon game at AT&T Park. Here’s the view from the right field upper deck. Great view of the stadium, score board, Bay Bridge and marina. More pics are over at Flickr.
Leaving North Adams
In just under one hour I will check my baggage at the Albany airport, present a one-way ticket to the TSA, sedate Stella, and fly to San Francisco, my new home. That’s right, after spending the the first three decades of my life in New England, I’m about to begin my fourth as a West Coaster.
Back in October, Lex moved to San Francisco to take her dream job as the Executive Director of SOMArts Cultural Center. Since then we’ve been holding down a long-distance relationship, taking turns flying across the country to see each other. It sucked, especially after April, when we got engaged.
The museum is being incredibly gracious and I’ll be staying on as the design director, working remotely with the staff and flying back for installations and other high-stress events. I am excited to keep up my relationship with what I think is one of the best (and coolest) museum’s in the country.
So, to continue a tradition I’ve had every time I’ve moved (5 times in the last 5 years!), I present you with my miss/wont-miss list:
Things I’ll miss about North Adams: drinking beers at The Mohawk after our live events; the spinach wrap, the lunch bagel, and the “Brew Ha Ha Salad” at Brew Ha Ha; the Planet Fitness lunk alarm; the sight of Mount Greylock when I return to North Adams after a trip; hiking and snow showing in the Berkshires; fall foliage; have dinners with my great friends; trivia night at the PNA; karaoke at Cafe Latino; being in reasonable driving distance to my family and friends in Hartford and my friends in Brooklyn; living an apartment that is five times the size and two-thirds the cost of the studio apartment we’ll have in San Francisco; going to shows in Northampton; the day-to-day interactions with the staff and resident artists at MoCA.
Things I won’t miss about North Adams: being in a long-distance relationship; the winter—it’s nice at first, but it never ends and I felt trapped; being in a long-distance relationship; my weird and slightly overbearing landlord; being in a long-distance relationship; the lunks at Planet Fitness (who flaunt the everpresent lunk alarm); being in a long-distance relationship; the lack of good, affordable cuisine; being in a long-distance relationship; the lack of veggie burgers at Big Y; and did I mention how much it sucks being in a long-distance relationship?
Stay classy, North Adams.
Later on, North Adams.
The awesome Andrew Kuo has a few works in This Is Killing Me—a group show curated by recent Williams MFA grad and soon-to-be MCA Chicagoan Diana Nawi—which we opened last weekend. It’s a small show, but one that a graphic designer can get a lot of pleasure from since almost all of the artists deal with typography in some way. I’m also partial to the work of Shana Lutker, another artist in the show. Looking at her website just now I noticed that we went to college together at almost the same time. (I graduated a year later.) Cool.
“The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco” by The Lucksmiths (RIP).
Dinner Party Download →
My friends over at Public Radio Redux turned me onto this great new podcast. As the weather turns warmer, this podcast has been great company on my walk to work—and it has me juiced for the dinner parties Lex and I will be attending in San Francisco.
