San Francisco Highs and Lows

New York City is a town of extremes.  San Francisco, its west coast, hipster, low-key cousin, is a city of highs and lows.  All the same dichotomies are present - rich and poor, old and young, native and transplant - but SF just seems a little less on edge, a little less likely to randomly shoot you in the head and throw you in the East River should you step out of line.  In SF there's more parking, larger apartments for less money, more smiles, and less screaming (except by the homeless).  This comes, however, at the price of fewer fantastic restaurants, less vibrant and more suburban neighborhoods, and less diversity.

Having lived in the extremes of NYC for 10 years, we'd become numb not only to the trials and tribulations, but also to immediate access to the best the world has to offer.  This made our first year in SF a bit difficult.  Granted, having parking, a room for Mimi, and a backyard was fantastic, but we sorely missed the "vibe" of Manhattan.  Only now, a year later, are we really beginning to settle into SF and feel that it's home.  Part of that, I think, has to do with my new job and the fun of working downtown (tall buildings and easy access to great food makes for a happy Papa).  Part of it must also be tied to time.  We've adjusted and we're building memories, happy memories mostly, here in our new town.

Today I'm sharing some of our recent "highs" here in SF and my own personal "low."  They're not all particular to the city itself, but they've all occurred here, so, at least in our minds, they're a part of this great city on the bay.

First off, our daycare situation with Mimi just keeps getting better and better.  One month ago I was worried that we'd be entering a new stage of Mimi daycare meltdowns: NYC Daycare 2.0.  But no.  The daycare centers we've found here in SF have been phenomenal: small, home-based, education-centered, and incredibly caring.  Basically, it's the kind of care we'd be giving as parents if we stayed home and had six kids (only infinitely more patient).

Mimi now straddles two daycare centers each week and has more friends than ever.  At her new center she's spent a lot of time playing in the backyard...

...hanging out in the park...

...and even taking the occasional field trip!  

Though both Sumie and I are a bit more tired in the evenings than we used to be with just one of us working, we've been having a great time with Mimi after work as well.  Last week (or was it the week before?) I shared a picture of a tunnel I built with Mimi's Japanese vocabulary cards.  She knocked this down in less than half an hour.  I knew I could do better for her.  I went back to the drawing board and built her a house.  This, despite Mimi pushing it over 3 times, lasted for several days which, of course, caused its own problems.  I was proud of the house lasting so long, but it did take up half the living room.  This morning we finally broke down and packed it away.  Mimi helped us destroy it.  That's her special talent.  

It's July now, which means we had to break out the sweatshirts and light jackets.  SF is odd when it comes to seasons.  Still, it's more comfortable than those insufferably hot and humid mid-summer nights in Manhattan and still plenty warm enough for Mimi to play in the backyard.  Here she is with her brand new duckie water-gun. 

Within a few minutes Mimi discovered the most inefficient way to water plants ever devised.  

Access to great food has been one of our biggest challenges with the move to SF.  Yes, I keep hearing that the food in SF is fantastic, but honestly (and I may get a lot of crap for this) the selection and quality doesn't hold a candle to NYC.  It's good, sure, but rather hit and miss and definitely expensive for what you get.  In short, Sumie and I have been a little frustrated on the food front for months now.  However, things are looking up.

The first development came with my new job downtown.  SOMA is food truck heaven.  I've found great burritos, amazing pork belly buns, and succulent Vietnamese sandwiches.  It's not cheap, but it's good.

Sumie and I have also made some serious headway in terms of Japanese food.  SF is just not good when it comes to authentic Japanese cuisine.  Again, many will probably try to argue this point.  Let's just say that I don't give a damn what you think of the spider roll or the rainbow roll because if that's what you're using to determine the quality of a Japanese restaurant (and 90% of Yelp reviewers do), you obviously have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to Japanese food. 

Anyway, we found a passable place for ramen and okonomiyaki: Genki, in the Richmond.  It doesn't seem to be Japanese owned, but the taste is fairly Japanese and the plates are tasty, if not authentic.  We have a go-to place for noodles.  Finally. 

 It reminds me a bit of the Chinese owned Mexican restaurant we'd order from in NYC.  That definitely wasn't authentic, but for some odd reason, it always hit the spot.

The other Japanese food development has been our discovery of "Oyaji," also in the Richmond district.  This is a traditional, old-school, Japanese-run izakaya (pub-style restaurant) that serves savory, delicious, authentic Japanese food that you can't find anywhere else.  For New Yorkers, this is the closest I've found to NYC's Yakitori Totto.  The taste isn't quite a subtle (it's definitely saltier), and the variety isn't as impressive, but it's good.  Damn good.

I think it was the pork belly that did it.  Braised pork belly is one of the dishes I use to gauge the quality of a real Japanese restaurant (if they serve it).  If it's "right," chances are most of the menu is right as well.  And Oyaji's pork belly was right as rain.  Granted, it wasn't the best I've ever had, but it took me back.  I felt a great weight leave my shoulders that night as I tucked into Oyaji's Japanese deliciousness.  Finding food like that here had a way of cementing San Francisco's potential as "home" like few other experiences.

We've covered some of the highs.  Now, the low.  And it is the the lowest low of the lows that I know.  It is the antithesis of all we hold dear as humans.  It is the steel beast that brings untold agony to millions.  It is the three-way bastard stepchild of neglect, idiocy, and poor personal hygiene.  It is San Francisco's MUNI system.

I ride one of their buses everyday to and from work.  Apart from the logo, which I have to admit is rather endearing...

...the rest of the system is a festering, puss-filled sore on the face of an otherwise wonderful city.

The MUNI system is antiquated, disorganized, bloated, inefficient, incompetent, mired in corruption, evil, sadistic, lecherous, and flatulent.  If it were human it'd be the type of guy who would never have cash when you go out as a group to eat.  And would never pay you back.  And would hit on your 12 year old sister when his girlfriend went to the bathroom.  And then would have too much to drink and drive home drunk.  As pictured here.

I'll save my serious rants and raves about SF MUNI for a future post.  It deserves many, many paragraphs.  For now, let's just say it's awful.

Despite the horrific daily presence of MUNI in my life, this city is still growing on me.  I'm happy to say that the highs, at least for now, are definitely outweighing the lows.  We're beginning to really enjoy this city, despite it's challenges, and it's feeling a bit more like home each day.