Hot Spot: Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market

This past Saturday (this post is so timely, aren't you impressed?) I went to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market with my mom and some of her friends visiting from out of town. It was a glorious day - you know why? Because it rained all morning! You all know I love nothing more than rain and free lunch.  

Those of you who follow me on Instagram may have already seen some of these, but... just come along for the ride anyway!

First, we met up at the Ferry Building - mom and I were a little early so we got in line for Blue Bottle Coffee. Then, twenty five minutes later, her friends showed up...and we still had no coffee. We had come too far to turn back! Our reservation wasn't for another hour and a half! We waited it out. We were victorious.     Have you ever had their to-go waffles? Amazing. They taste like brioche I SWEAR. And yes, I got iced coffee on a rainy day. It was really hot inside with the 3000 tourists!

Then our little troupe meandered a bit around the Farmer's Market outside. I had never been, or at least had never really stopped in, so that was a treat for me. I definitely need to make it a point to go more and get fresh foods for the week and support locally grown food and all that yadda yadda. I just need to go more, the end! It took everything in me not to flower shop. Look at those Dahlia's.     There was a table full of orchids, and the vendor had airplants hanging on wires above them. I loved this pokey one.

There was another table full of leafy green bunches - mint and basil and spinach and these peppers! It's just so impressive to me what people can make burst out of the ground with a little love and green-thumbed affection. I am seriously still trying not to kill the succulents I got last year. You know how often those need watering? Like NO often, and they're still teetering on the brink of thirst-ation. Oops. Yep, here's the part where it was pouring outside the entire time. I loved loved loved it! Except for the rainwater getting in my iced coffee, that was kind of gross to think about. But the fact that there were still so many people at the Farmer's Market despite the rain was really fun - maybe other people love it as much as I do?

Then, we went on to lunch at the Slanted Door. It's a Vietnamese-fusion type place in the Ferry Building that my mom looooooves. I have to say, I was really impressed. I'd been before and hadn't been too excited about this "fusion" idea but this time, we must have ordered all of the right things because I was perfectly satisfied at the end. If you get the chance, go there!    The won ton soup was perfection. We also got some beef noodles which had this amazing vinegar sauce on the size, rock cod (which I never like) with some kind of peanut fish sauce, cooked corn (far more impressive than it sounds here), and chicken. And a papaya salad! And a Moscow Mule. The ladies kept saying they were on vacation and getting drinks with lunch, so I said, alright! I'm on vacation too. Because really, as an adult, isn't the weekend always like a mini vacation from the rest of your real life?

...Not always? Alright nevermind. Afterwards, we drove to a hill in the Presidio so the ladies could see the Golden Gate Bridge from that viewpoint. We also strolled around Chinatown a bit, where I got 3 mini pork buns and 2 huge sesame buns for $6 (six dollars! and no, I didn't finish them alllll myself) because, who can resist dim sum from Chinatown? Not this girl. Sorry I didn't get pictures of the pork buns but, you know, some other time.

Then, I went home and began a project which... well, let's just save that for another post, another day! I like to keep some surprises to myself. Though if you follow my es//d instagram, you may have already seen it! Hint. Hint.

Overall, the day was full of activity, and a little tiring, but it was great to see the city from a visitor's perspective. It gave me a deeper appreciation for the little things I take for granted every day in this city.

Have you ever played tourist in your own city?