Orange is not a colour, it's a state of mind

I’ve decided to help Kara find her way around San Francisco – we’re always swapping public transport adventure stories but there are a few options here and the terminology is quite confusing. I don’t think I’ve got it quite right but if she knows what I’m talking about then at least we’re on the same page!

BART – the underground subway – price per distance, starting at $1.75, Clipper card allowed, scan at turnstile on station entry and exit, to get out, just wait for next station – all doors open automatically, sometimes you can hear garbled announcements about what the next stop is, otherwise study map and look out the window as the train pulls into the station.

MUNI – the above ground trains, that sometimes go underground, $2 flat fare, Clipper card allowed, scan at turnstile on station entry and exit, or above ground, scan on-board on entry only (front or back door), to get out press bell or pull chord – doors will open automatically at next stop, usually a red neon sign displays the name of the next stop.

Rattly trams – over ground central city tram – sometimes old sometimes newer and shiny – I think they’re officially known as street cars, $2 flat fare, Clipper card allowed, scan on entry, on-board (front or back door), to get out pull chord (sometimes press button) and step down into the stairwell to activate the back doors to open – don’t stand in there if the tram is crowded or the doors won’t close and you’ll be shouted at. If you’re lucky the tram driver is rather jolly and will loudly call out the name of the next stop – otherwise look out the window.

Tourist tram – goes up the big hills from Market Street with people hanging off the taking photos, $5, not a tourist so never been on it I imagine you just leap off in manner of an action film hero when you’re approaching your destination.

Bus – goes everywhere, some bendy, some regular, $2 flat fare, Clipper card allowed, scan on entry, on-board (front door only), to get out pull chord (or sometimes press button) and when bus arrives at the next stop, step down into the stairwell to activate the back doors – don’t try this at the traffic lights, you look like an idiot, if the bus is at a stop but the back doors aren’t open and someone yells “BACK DOOR” in the direction of the driver, roll your eyes and give them the ‘have-you-never-ridden-on-a-bus-before-my-vegetables-are-wilting-while-I-wait-for-you-to-figure-this-out’ glare and if no-one else beats you to it yell back “STEP DOWN” – it’s their first time. Sometimes doors open by pushing on the long vertical bar handles on the door – I suggest you sit where you can maintain eye contact with the back door at all times in order to familiarize yourself with the signs – like a big yellow one that might say “To exit bus, push door handle’ and to watch what other people getting off at stops along the way do.

Caltrain – goes out of town down to Silicon Valley – never ridden it, not sure of the cost, I *think* Clipper card is allowed as there were some card dispensers at the train station, not sure of the scanning rules, stopping rules or door rules.

Stepping out for work! Boots a third the height of Beckett’s but I think I’ve seen her in this shirt!

Tried to get a picture of the full moon over the bridge a couple of nights ago but it hasn’t worked very well. For all the fog and haze that hangs around the hills and bay here usually, the night sky here is just stunning at the moment. The hills over in Berkeley and Oakland are extremely clear and sharp and all the lights are very sparkly and reflective on the water. It’s a joy to come home to.

Went on another #5 bus adventure today! Our main reason was to visit the Matching Half coffee shop and then get back on the bus to travel further along to the other end of Golden Gate park with the idea of exploring that. I knew we were going to be fairly close to the ocean when we got to the other end of the park but when we got off the bus and we could see it just a block away we decided to go and have a look. Very blue and lots of people out and about on a very warm winter’s day.

We looked along the beach and saw some kind of look out up on the corner so ditched the idea of a walk in the park for a walk up to the top of the hill – by now I was excited that just around the corner was the Big Orange Bridge. It was a pretty spectacular view in both directions from the point but the bridge was further around. Lots of people were milling about taking photos on the next point we could see around in the direction of the bridge, so off we went.

Through forests, along paths, up and down hundreds of steps, around another point and ta da! There it was. Spectacular sight and no fog whatsoever thanks to winter. We’d gone quite a long way by then so rather than doubling back we turned up through a very flash neighborhood for a couple of blocks and joined onto another major bus route that took us back to town – hello #38! A nice 5 hour round trip!! We worked out the walk was about 2 miles (3.2 km).

Following our #5 trip last week out to Golden Gate park we traveled the route again this week to go to the 2nd of the independent cafes that we’d discovered were along the route – last weekend Velo Rouge, this week, Matching Half.

It’s in the suburbs on a cross-street – the 4 corners taken up by the coffee shop, a restaurant, a market and a craft workshop.

The cafe looks quite new inside but I’m not sure if it is. It’s a clean open spot with windows on 2 sides, a handful of tables and a bar inside and a few tables in the sun on both sides on the pavement. They had a menu offering made-to-order sandwiches, bagels, baguettes and a cabinet of baked goods. The sandwiches going past our table looked good – we ate croissants from the bakery cabinet. The cafe was full of people on their computers or studying from books. Not a kid in sight. The only slightly unpleasant side effect of grilled cheese sandwiches was that strong acrid smell of burnt cheese on the George Forman grill or whatever they were using – I’m sure my hair still smells of it!

They use Sightglass coffee (we went to their cafe/roastery not long after we got here) and the coffee had that flavor – it was well made but had that strong fruity edge that RBC NYC has too – not my favorite but a damn good cup of coffee nevertheless!

Matching Half Cafe, 1799 McAllister, San Francisco

Always hard at this time of the year walking past abandoned Christmas trees in the street.

When The Mister put ours out I refused to use the front door of our building until it had been cleared, and even then convinced myself that a nice man in a truck came along to get it and all its friends to set them free back in the forest …

Our New Year’s Day trip on the #5 bus took us past 2 potentially good looking coffee shops so we chose to visit Velo Rouge which was walking distance to Golden Gate Park afterwards.

It’s a funky place, cyclist-themed art work and furniture, bike stands and lycra-clad customers with about 10 tables inside and 3 or 4 outside. It’s a lovely corner spot to sit and watch the world go by.

They serve Blue Bottle coffee and a fairly extensive range of brunch and lunch items – this time we ate – I had some delicious and fairly light French toast and fruit and The Mister had a beef sandwich which was enormous and the bean, corn and whatever-else-they-had-in-the-fridge salad was jostling for room on the dinner plate and overflowed all over the table the minute he stuck his fork in! The coffee had potential – it was good but a little on the strong side because the order was to stay and it came in porcelain, but at least it was a tulip cup so they’re sticking to the proper Blue Bottle way of doing things.

The cafe is not too far from the park that you might be able to get there and find a park bench on which to enjoy a take away coffee.

Velo Rouge, 798 Arguello Blvd San Francisco, @velorougecafe

Trying to start out the year with a much smaller float of email in my inbox (both accounts) and I found these 2 photos that I’ve been meaning to post since the time Dean sent them to me.

This is Butterball Brown, who’s never been particularly friendly to Tess, making himself at home in her bed … then Tess arriving home to find she had to sleep elsewhere. Such expressions! The smug cat and the woe-is-me dog!!

Discovered the #5 bus took a very favorable route from just across from our apartment, via 2 great looking cafes, to Golden Gate Park so that was our New Year’s Day out and about. The park is enormous and quite different to Central Park – I think because it’s really open – lots of sky.

We wanted to visit the California Academy of Sciences while we were there but almost turned away when the tickets were $35 each! However – it was actually worth it. The museum (not sure if that’s what you call it, perhaps science center is better) was small enough with enough different things that we got to see every corner of it (well, except for gift shops and cafes).

There are 2 large domes inside the center – one a planetarium where I think we both had our first planetarium visit where reclined in the big seamless dome you really do feel like you’re flying through space and the other an actual rain forest with an airlock so that no animals can get out.

The rain forest was amazing, steamy hot with birds, frogs and butterflies in the trees and ponds just doing their thing. It was awesome having colored butterflies flitting across your head and so close to touch and other than people taking photos and using a flash in front of signs where it said ‘no photography’ with an explanation about how light-sensitive the bird or animal was, people seemed to just leave the butterflies alone.

The aquarium under the rainforest was cool – not that large but some big fish and interesting jelly-types.

There were also reindeer outside!

The roof of the building where it humps over the planetarium and the rain forest is living – they’ve planted native species over the domes and around the vents. It looks really cool! The Living Roof.

In 2012 will the Orange Girl actually become more girly? An Orange Lady even? Thanks to not swapping Christmas gifts and all the sales on at this time of the year I’ve purchased a couple of *very* girly items with a fantastic effort on The Mister’s part cajoling and researching and ooo’ing and aaaa’ing and ecouraging! (Not a regular husband, which is why he’s so wonderful.) I vow to wear and use them although early trials are still a little uncomfy however channeling Kate Beckett I am persevering!

The items are a pair of black pumps with a *proper* heel

A handbag that sits on the crook of your arm which leaves a very demanding flapping hand available for very-busy-and-important wrist snaps!

The handbag is somewhat obvious. It’s orange. My previous 2 orange handbags have been loved and battered to death.

The shoes on the other hand are somewhat of a revelation. I do actually need a pair of shoes to go with the couple of evening dresses I have for things like the Xero Gala Dinner each year but part of me also just wanted to own a pair of girly shoes (OMG. Am I going through The Change??!) Over email and with surreptitious photos from various shop floors around the city I also enlisted the help of Short Dark Friend (she found the whole thing hilarious!) – her and The Mister’s impossible task was to get me to like and buy a pair of shoes that would go with a dress AND jeans. God forbid I need shoes that go with just one outfit!

So I have the shoes. I’ve worn them around the house with jeans (for our New Year’s Eve dinner party) – God they are uncomfortable but have to admit they do look quite good. I definitely don’t feel that ladylike or like Beckett just yet but with confidence, that will come.

Sent Father on a mission as well, I realised the last time I actually owned a pair of black pumps was 20-something years ago when I had a pair of training-bra heels that I wore with my high school bouffy 80’s prom dress – I had him dig out the photo for you all

So I need to get from feeling like a high school ball misfit, to Kate Beckett!