san francisco – Jason & Erin

Tag: san francisco

Quick Bite – Katana-Ya

It’s been awhile since Erin and I updated our site, and we thought creating quick posts about meals we’ve eaten would be a great way to breathe new life into the site.

This week we’re visiting San Francisco while I attend Google I/O. We were both hungry and wanted to get something simple and warm on a damp, cool May day. After some Google searching, Erin found Katana-Ya ramen in the Union Square neighborhood, which was near our hotel.

I had the Katana-Ya Ramen in Soy Broth. It included two pieces of BBQ pork, seaweed, green onions, corn, a hard-boiled egg, 2 pieces of fried goyza, and 2 pieces of karaage (fried chicken).

Erin had the BBQ Pork Ramen in Miso Broth. It included four pieces of BBQ pork, seaweed, and green onions. We both wished the pork was a pork belly as this was a bit tougher than we’re used to.

All in all, pretty good.

Some helpful tips:
When you arrive, there is a sign-in sheet outside the door. Put your name down and expect a small wait.
Turnaround is quick.
Food arrives fast and hot!
May need to flag down weight staff to pay your bill.
They don’t take American Express.

Jason’s one real demand on our trip to San Francisco was to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Erin had driven over it quite a few times in the past but had never actually been to it on foot. On Saturday we walked along Crissy Field until we were at the bridge’s base and got some nice photos despite a dreary background. On Sunday, the day dawned with sunny blue skies, and we thought it would bode well for gorgeous shots of the bridge, so we changed our plan and booked a one-hour boat tour in the bay. This isn’t the boat to Alcatraz (that was sold out—book in advance!), but it goes around Alcatraz as well as under the bridge, with historical commentary. But, um, we were completely wrong about the weather. Or maybe we just didn’t know enough to know that gorgeous sunny skies and warmth to the south would portend icy icy fog to the north. And icy is the only way to describe it. With wind whipping through our sweaters we huddled together atop the boat and wondered, truly, what in the world we were doing. Still, we got some cool shots, even if they weren’t what we’d anticipated.

Someday we will be back on one of those picture-perfect days!

Muralismo in San Francsico

Years ago, Erin edited a book on the San Francisco murals, and though she’d visited SF multiple times and stayed nearby many times, she’d never seen them until this trip. On our first day we took a walk down Clarion Alley, and on our last day we strolled down Balmy Alley—not to mention seeing all the murals on random buildings in the Mission. Clarion Alley, we’re told, is the less “savory” of the two streets, more likely to be the host of a drug deal than a painting in progress. When we were on Balmy Alley we actually saw two women painting a new mural. In general we’d say that Clarion’s murals were the more “current”—messages that seemed more contemporary and concerned with current events—but on Balmy the murals were traditional, depicting the ongoing struggles of the people who painted them.

San Francisco!

It feels like forever ago that we went to San Francisco (and in some ways it was), but life sped up and the truth is, it’s not going to slow down, so it’s time to blog about the trip! Apologies for the delay.

We were going to San Francisco for a wedding. Well, a wedding reception—Erin’s friend Julia was getting married at City Hall on Friday and a reception would be on Saturday night. It was a perfect excuse for a long weekend in SF, a city Erin has always loved but Jason had never been to. Labor Day weekend was typical for SF, with temps in the 50s, and Jason could not have been happier. It made our walking tour of the city (and we do mean walking tour—we covered 25 miles in two and a half days) completely lovely. Highlights include tacos in the Mission, North Beach, Chinatown, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Golden Gate, a boat tour, friends, classic San Francisco meals, and, of course, more tacos.

Tag: san francisco

Quick Bite – Katana-Ya

(Foggy) Bay Area Tour

Muralismo in San Francsico

San Francisco!