We were able to hook up a place in Stinson beach last minute and it was beautiful. It poured on Saturday morning which was cool to see. When it cleared up we went to Mill Valley and Mill Valley Beerworks. That place is so badass. The food is completely delicious, they have started to brew their own good beer, and I got a Struisse Weltmertz on draft. OMG. So delicious. Scott called bullshit that they listed it at 3% ABV but looks like that was correct. I caught the mill valley vibe and almost spent way too much on a tasteful eileen fisher tunic. It was because I had just been reading the profile of her in the NYer that morning. I am so glad I walked away.
We checked out Mill Valley market which is old school and really reminds me of Corti Bros. The wine/liquor section is lined with photos of vintners from the 70s and 80s before everyone got completely absurdly rich. They are all wearing suits in every photo. Plus, the obligatory signed photo of Sammy Hagar, not wearing a suit as you would imagine.
The next day we went to Cowgirl Creamery, which also has superb sandwiches and of course I bought a lot of cheese. So many euro tourists! It is def. a spot that you would be stoked to find as a tourist. Between local cheese and Bread Maiden bread pretty much all I ate was cheese and bread all weekend.
We then did a brief hike (really a walk) out to Limantour Beach which is my new favorite beach in the area. No crowds even on a sunny sunday.
Yay! Such a magical area of this fucked up country. That latter statement was brought to you by the fact of how many americans are violently opposed to obamacare and that 27 percent of america wants to shut down the government to stop it.
Weird parallels between your weekend and mine, but some major divergences! Drove to Portland for menswear shopping 'cos I can't find anything locally that I wanna wear to get married in, and I keep kicking myself for not buying stuff that I saw there just a few weekends ago. Drove up by myself and picked up a hitchhiker because he looked incredibly safe (obviously a hiker who was looking to reconnect to the PCT near Mt. Ashland, and I was only about 30 minutes away). That went quite well. I dropped him off, he graciously gave me a handful of lavender to negate any stink he left in my passenger seat, and it was happy trails from there.
ReplyDeleteI shopped at the most expensive clothing store I've ever been to. My head was totally spinning. But there was a pair of pants that I kinda really wanted to buy, but they were not for getting married in, and they cost $180 on sale. They were the softest pants ever in the inside, but didn't look soft on the outside. There was also a jacket I liked, but it was $875, and I'm sure it woulda been way too tailored for my girthy gullet anyway. Hit 11 more stores, took notes, and then went back to make final purchases after comparative analysis.
Ate great food everywhere I went. Walked about five miles dodging rain umbrella-less. Gave directions to tourists complaining about the rain. Gave food recommendations to other tourists complaining about the rain, including a group of them dressed up in superhero costumes (it was Comic-Con weekend up there).
Booked a room last minute because I drove up on a whim to shop, and I unlucked into a room at a motel that was deceptively methy and slutty.
Did I mention I ate rad food? Peanut butter and sriracha on a burger was actually a rad combo, but the bun was a weakling bun. Haven't Yelp'd it yet because I don't know whether to deduct one star or two for that sad bun. Had great BBQ and killer panuchos and killer panuchos again at one of the seven places in Portland that has panuchos (not including the gourmet place that offers a fancy $5 version of said Yucatecan cousin of the taco and tostada).
Drove home and was reminded of how fucked up our country is when I picked up more hitchhikers....a young couple pushing a baby stroller down the side of I-5 near Weed, CA. I doubled back to go get them and take them one or two exits down where they should be able to more safely catch a ride rather than a freeway shoulder construction zone where the shoulder was barely six feet wide.
The kid was cold and under-dressed, and the parents were at each other's throats, making the child cry like an air-raid signal. I stopped at the very next exit to order them out. Abusive dad negotiates for me to take the mother and child to a Greyhound station. She had no money, but he said "This slut has her ways of making money." I reluctantly accepted the terms because it seemed she'd be better off without that asshole.
Turns out they were from Sacramento, caught a ride to Portland, but then he got arrested for stealing tools from his boss at his landscaping job, and then he jumped bail and got kicked out of a motel on 82nd Ave. I drove her all the way back to Sac Greyhound. She didn't know whether to continue to L.A. as was the plan or ride back to Portland where she had made a couple friends. I recommended Portland and gave her enough for a fare and bought new diapers and a stuffed giraffe for the little girl.
I made it home just in time to watch Breaking Bad, and as intense as the show was, my mind still drifted to this poor mom and child. For all I know, they are still here in Sac.
If David Paul or Caroline reads this, please tell me your contact info!
Now that's a big league commet!
ReplyDeleteJed
I mean "comment." Jed
ReplyDeletewhoa, rick!!
ReplyDeletemy email is caroline.hostetler@gmail.com
530.220.3142 cell.
we have a guest bedroom and fried chicken across the street if you are ever in a pinch! or not even a pinch.
That wasn't a comment, that was a Willy Vlautin novel!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Ted "Can't we repeal Obamacare with less than a Senate majority vote?" is mind boggling with his assholeishness. They'll be taking my affordable healthcare w/pre-existing conditions from my cold, bare hands.
I love eileen fisher. I want to say that is how I'll dress when I'm older but I already wear that stuff now. So gauzy, so soft, so cozy.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Caroline! We'll be back in Mid-Oct. on the honeymoon roadtrip.
ReplyDeleteStill keep thinking of that mom and little girl and where are they today, but "so gauzy, so soft, so cozy" does bring me to thoughts of actually splurging for those fancy pants I saw.
Good job Rick, lots of people don't step up at times like that (me included) and you did. If nothing else you gave that mom a safe moment to breathe a bit. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGood folks always help balance out the bad. Rough with the smooth and all that.
Natalie.