san francisco on the quick

Trev tries on his favorite team's
helmet at a Mission thrift store

earlier this week, Trevor and i decided to head right down the hill to the great city of San Francisco for a quick trip to see friends and enjoy the city. the drive down is only 3 hours from Truckee and beautiful through the foothills. if i have the time, i usually stop at Pedrick Produce in the Valley, to stock up on local fruits and veggies. our first day and night were spent mostly socializing and going out in the city, which can be costly, but we managed to not spend a total fortune on alcohol.

Mexican Cokes

the next day we nursed a serious hangover with brunch at Eats Restaurant in the inner Richmond district. after our meal, we headed to the Castro so i could swing by Crossroads to sell some clothes. i've been cleaning out my closets as i get ready to move to Minnesota and i was able to sell a few things, though that particular Crossroads was already well stocked. while i did my errand, Trevor and his friends went to hang out at nearby Mission Dolores park. after a food coma and nap we got ready to head out of town, hitting up the famed Mission Chinese restaurant on our way out of the city. i've been hearing about this place for a while, where authentic, traditional Chinese cuisine takes center stage and the public comes pouring in. the sign outside is for the previous restaurant, named Lung Shan (it's yellow and hangs overhead; have to keep an eye out!). the vibe inside is hip yet traditional, featuring lanterns and huge paintings of the General Mao and his comrades. we ordered 4 "Mexican Cokes" (Coca-Cola in a glass bottle) made with real sugar and got to work on the menu.

between the 4 of us, we ordered one soup, one chicken dish, and two vegetable dishes, one of which was a cold appetizer. all food is served family style and the portions are appropriate, even at a fairly inexpensive price. without realizing it, we did all order fairly spicy dishes and the kitchen staff certainly does not skimp on the spice. after sufficiently stuffing ourselves and relieving our burning mouths with cold Coke, we paid up and tipped the very aloof hipster server. including tip, we spent under $80 (his aloofness prompted only an 18% tip).  with a little time to kill before rush hour ended on the Bay Bridge, we headed to a nearby thrift store on Mission and 17th. the place was like a huge warehouse, yet i found nothing (and i am trying hard to stop collecting items right before i move).

cold Garlic Cucumbers at
Mission Chinese

we made it home to Truckee that night around midnight and i was supremely exhausted, but it was all well worth it. San Francisco is my favorite city and i was happy to have one last trip before heading east again for school.

Mongolian Long Beans with Leeks
(this was the spiciest and my favorite dish!)

the spread: Kung Pao pastrami, Garlic Cucumbers,
Mongolian Long Beans and Smoked Beef
Brisket soup