back in the bay area...

i'm sorry i've been neglecting you. blame the winter. i blame everything on this winter. it takes all my will just to go outside, so obviously, these are not optimal conditions for generating new material. just wait til spring - you won't know what hit you! there will be blog posts every day! (well, don't hold me to that.) 

it seems as good time as any to go back a few months to warmer times. in december, i was in the bay area for about 10 days. the goal of the trip was for hhh to clean out his childhood room (a gargantuan task then documented in this talk at the museum of chinese in america),  but we managed to go up to berkeley, oakland, and san francisco twice. (the rest of the time was spent sifting through mountains of records, 20-year-old pez dispensers, gum, old homework, shoes, and gifts from ex-girlfriends....) we visited some new places and an old favorite. 

first up, umami mart. it's a super cute shop (both  brick-and-mortar and online) opened by kayoko akabori and yoko kumano a few years back. they carry all kinds of japanese kitchen and barware, and have a selection of grocery/pantry goods in the back. they recently opened up their bottle shop as well. it is the first japanese beer shop in the u.s.! check it out if you're in oakland. 

a view of the back grocery/pantry corner. 

a view of the back grocery/pantry corner. 

adorable prints and some of their kitchenware selection. 

adorable prints and some of their kitchenware selection. 

hhh and i also made it to the ferry building, which neither of us had visited before. it reminded me of chelsea market - i love these kinds of big indoor markets. my first experience with this type of shopping was probably the food court levels of department stores in taiwan. those places were amazing - you could eat to your heart's content, and then buy specialty snacks, chocolates, or fancy teas to take with you. so i always love these kinds of places. since we were at the ferry building in the middle of the afternoon, we just grabbed a couple snacks (hhh headed for boccalone for a meat cone (sounds gross, hhh claimed it was delicious), while I headed for the sweets at the pastry stand outside bouli bar. there was also plenty to see in the non-edible category: heath ceramics, and a garden shop where i picked up some paperwhite bulbs. 

it's a long skinny space lit by a skylight that runs the length of the building. and you can actually catch ferries there. 

it's a long skinny space lit by a skylight that runs the length of the building. and you can actually catch ferries there. 

bright bulb vases at heath ceramics...love these! 

bright bulb vases at heath ceramics...love these! 

all kinds of fungi. 

all kinds of fungi. 

some cookies and biscuits from bouli bar. 

some cookies and biscuits from bouli bar. 

a look into the kitchen at bouli bar. 

a look into the kitchen at bouli bar. 

boccalone, home of the meat cone. 

boccalone, home of the meat cone. 

and we also returned to chez panisse, an old favorite. we always go here with hhh's parents when we visit - once we met them there straight from sfo. it's always so good. we eat in the cafe upstairs, since it's so impossible to get a reservation in the formal dining room. 

the entrance to the arts and crafts house that is chez panisse.

the entrance to the arts and crafts house that is chez panisse.

a poster in the entry featuring alice waters' foundation, edible schoolyard.

a poster in the entry featuring alice waters' foundation, edible schoolyard.

and of course, no visit to san francisco is complete without a visit to the home of good friends. maybe one of these days, they will let me do a home tour of their place! 

bryant-street

ps. wnyc just told me it feels like -11F in central park. i am not going outside today. 

things i like (#10)

during this season of things, things and more things...a few of the ones making my day.

these bowls and plates from coupe line at heath ceramics, which i can't get enough of.

these bowls and plates from coupe line at heath ceramics, which i can't get enough of.

these oh-so-cozy moccasins, which keep my feet warm at my desk.

these oh-so-cozy moccasins, which keep my feet warm at my desk.

a package from everlane, with some of my new favorite pieces.

a package from everlane, with some of my new favorite pieces.

this candle, because it smells as good as they say.

this candle, because it smells as good as they say.

a cabin in the woods

this is my new house!

model-house-hudson-woods

just kidding. this is the model home at hudson woods, a new architect-designed development west of the hudson river and about three hours north of new york city. the architect is drew lang, and he gave us a tour last weekend. the place is gorgeous.

the details are incredible and the add-ons are the stuff of dreams, as if the house itself isn't enough. fruit tree grove, anyone? pool? or a 2-bed/2-bath guesthouse? i'd definitely go for the greenhouse and vegetable garden.

anyway, here are the photos! peruse them while i go convince hhh that we need one of these.

the winding road to kerhonkson. it took longer than we thought it would...but it was scenic!

the winding road to kerhonkson. it took longer than we thought it would...but it was scenic!

the functional and lovely entryway. 

the functional and lovely entryway. 

a view from the living room out towards the pool. the furniture is all from small makers, a lot of them local. 

a view from the living room out towards the pool. the furniture is all from small makers, a lot of them local. 

the kitchen is compact but has everything you need, plus a tiled backsplash from heath ceramics. you get a choice of color. 

the kitchen is compact but has everything you need, plus a tiled backsplash from heath ceramics. you get a choice of color. 

i would almost be willing to live outside nyc if i got to live here. 

i would almost be willing to live outside nyc if i got to live here. 

the master bath.

the master bath.

view from the master bedroom.

view from the master bedroom.

the master bedroom. 

the master bedroom. 

the downstairs den, which gets plenty of light from big picture windows that look out onto the trees. the door back there leads to the laundry room. 

the downstairs den, which gets plenty of light from big picture windows that look out onto the trees. the door back there leads to the laundry room. 

another view of the den. this door leads to a spacious storage area.

another view of the den. this door leads to a spacious storage area.

the laundry room.

the laundry room.

the second bedroom. 

the second bedroom. 

the second bath. 

the second bath. 

the third bedroom, with build-in wood shelving and heavy felt grey curtains as closet doors. 

the third bedroom, with build-in wood shelving and heavy felt grey curtains as closet doors. 

another glimpse of the third bedroom.

another glimpse of the third bedroom.

a view out one of the windows on the lower level. 

a view out one of the windows on the lower level. 

across from the main house, there is a garage/studio space. 

across from the main house, there is a garage/studio space. 

hudson-woods-studio
hudson-woods-garage
the deck, which wraps around the first (upper) level of the cabin. 

the deck, which wraps around the first (upper) level of the cabin. 

the pool. i could really get used to this.

the pool. i could really get used to this.

the view of the house as you drive up towards it. no windows on this side. good for privacy? 

the view of the house as you drive up towards it. no windows on this side. good for privacy? 

the driveway. i was so sad to leave. 

the driveway. i was so sad to leave.