We Leave Our Hearts in San Francisco. . . and head to Berkeley

Tourists have to scavenge for breakfast, and if their path to the Ferry Building takes them right by the Apple Store on the day of the iPad 3 launch, well, you just can't not go in.  Tempting. . .  but we head to find breakfast.

We find a Belgian waffle--the real one, like a gaufre--and wander outside to eat it.

G. 
Let's have another one.  We also found an almond scone, also top-notch, and sat down on the bench where Andy and I had visited on Wednesday afternoon, taking time to enjoy our breakfast treats.

While waiting for the streetcar to take us back up to our hotel (it's raining again), I see this poem and it reminds of last night--of strolling through the Tenderloin with the man I love.

We'd been talking about getting iPads for nearly a year.  Back and forth, the words not yet, why, probably, yes let's, and later, had been floating around in our conversations.  But we finally decided it was time and I certainly liked the idea of buying an Apple product in their flagship store in San Francisco.  We were helped by a man in a denim kilt.  That's how you know you're in San Francisco. although to be fair, Christine and I saw a similar outfit on a man in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC (but he was a tourist).

 

The new happy owners of iPads. Now we can do FaceTime with our children, and grandchildren.  We checked out of the hotel (but brought home our rubber ducky) and headed across the Bay Bridge to Oakland, where we were going to visit Ratto's Grocery.  I remembered it from my visits ages ago with Aunt Charlene, and then Christine my sister.  

 

Such hopes and visions for a grandiose Italian shopping adventure were soon dashed, as the inside had only a few shelves with grocery-store goods, a huge deli case in the middle of the store and a few bins of unusual beans.  We bought those, but not much else, then dashed back to the parking lot to beat the 20-minute parking limit.  Then off to Berkeley, as we like eating at the Cheese Board Pizza Collective, and we especially like their ginger cookies.

You can buy slices of whatever the day's pizza is.  Today's was roasted cauliflower and red pepper pizza.  We also shared a salad that had grated Brussels sprouts in it, and that was delicious.

The band played us out.  We drove straight home, arriving. . . in the rain. 

I'm ready to go back, which is the sure sign of a great trip.