Daffodils and Philz (coffee)
A couple of weeks ago, in the midst of April gloom, there was a perfect sunny Saturday. Lily and I were spending the day with our friend Felice, in town from San Diego where she is a medical resident (GO FELICE), and we all took advantage of this summer-in-springtime weather. Before I jump ahead to our day, let me give you some background. This apartment has gone through many residents, and the room I live in specifically has housed three different people since I've known it, myself not included. One such person is my friend Freyan, who now sadly lives in New York (come back Fre!). But, I digress - before she left, and before I moved to San Francisco, she used to tell me about her Saturday morning routine. She would walk a few blocks away to Philz coffee, get a little pick-me-up, and then go next door to the flower shop to get a bouquet of gerbera daisies or lilies or sunflowers. One of the first things I did when I moved in and had a Saturday morning to myself was recreate this routine (who doesn't like Philz coffee and flowers?) and now, though it may not always be purposeful, it always makes me happy to find that I've re-enacted my friend's weekend plan.
So on this particular day, Lily, Felice and I took advantage of the sun and fun. We first ventured up to the Lower Haight and got brunch at Kate's Kitchen (a personal favorite of mine, you may recall.) Then we began to follow "the plan" in true Saturday fashion...
I saw these Daffodils and knew they were the perfect springtime flower to bring home on such a warm day. I bought one bunch of white and one of yellow, to make my window table seem as cheerful as possible. If these flowers could talk they would have said, "Welcome sun! Welcome fun! Where have you been since last September? It's time for picnics and lemonade in the park and days spent lounging in the breakfast nook or baking something summery like peach cobbler or lemon bars! To bring to the park! On all your picnics!"
Or, wait...maybe only the flowers in Alice in Wonderland can actually talk? And I'm pretty sure those only became animated after she ate those hallucinogenic cookies. That's not what happened here, so, moving on.
Next we went to Philz, and I got a decaf mint mojito iced coffee, "medium sweet with cream." It is the most luxurious coffee to ever pass your lips, I swear. This coffee can cheer up anyone's bad day. This coffee can awaken you from the depths of exhaustion. This is just... the best. It is a bit of a financial and health splurge, but it is absolutely worth it. I almost tried to hire a Task Rabbit today to bring me a cup at my office, since there are no Philz locations near my current work. Go to Philz, whichever one you can, and tell 'em Maddy sent you.
Finally, we had to run an errand in the Mission. This was an errand of the most important variety: the kind that involves buying shoes. We went to Shoe Biz looking for TOMS for Lily (which, she found, you'll be thrilled to hear!) and of course I left with summer sandals in tow. I should no longer be allowed in stores that sell any of the following: shoes, mascara, zip-up sweatshirts (it's a weird obsession, but I like feeling comfortable!), coffee, moisturizer, or kombucha drinks. I will buy one of the aforementioned items every time.
But come on! They're so cute!
Neutral toned with a splash of neon yellow on the sole; flat enough to walk in but with a hint of a wedge to dress up shorts or jeans. I cannot wait until it is truly nice enough to wear these sandals! In college in Los Angeles I wore flipflops round the clock unless I was forced, by rain or formal event, to swap out my footwear for something more substantial. San Francisco has changed this habit in me and I want to bring it BACK. I also need to show off my pedicure skills. What's the point of painstakingly painting your toes a colorful shade of red or peach or "ballet slipper pink" if they are trapped inside flats all day? Let these tootsies LIVE I tell you!
These sandals were made for walking... to Philz, to the flower shop, and to anywhere else a summer Saturday may take me. Thanks to Lily and Felice for making it such a great start to the good weather season.