After only 24 hours and three real meals in San Francisco, I’ve already realized why it’s renowned as such a foodie heaven. NYC may be the culinary capital of the east coast, but San Fran definitely owns the title in the west!
This morning started off bright and early, when I woke up at 5:30 AM and couldn’t fall back asleep. Still on Eastern Time! I got a jump-start on my day by hitting the gym for 30 minutes on the elliptical, plus a little free weight action.
Pre-workout, I snacked on the last of my trail mix from yesterday.
Kath had organized a casual breakfast at Bread & Cocoa, a coffee shop near Union Square.
Our group definitely made a dent in their oatmeal stock! They even had a tasty toppings bar.
I topped my cuppa oats with chai granola, shredded sweetened coconut and chopped hazelnuts, and went back for seconds on toppings halfway through. The servings were huge- I only managed to finish about ¾ of mine.
With a large black tea- necessary after such an early morning.
After breakfast, I attended Ashley’s informal photography class. We’d planned on learning in Union Square Park, but the chilly wind led us to seek refuge in Border’s- the children’s section, to be exact.
Eventually, we were moved to a larger gathering space on another floor. Much better.
Ashley was a great teacher, and really helped me to understand the basic aspects of photography. I have a newfound motivation to crack open my DSLR book when I get home!
Next on the agenda was lunch at Café Gratitude, a little raw restaurant about two miles from the hotel.
The inside was cozy and cute, with a very positive feel.
After a leisurely but long walk, we were ready for some food J
| Ashley, Mama Pea and Emily |
| Allie and Janetha |
The menu was unique and extensive. It took us awhile to make our choices!
| Heather and Allie |
I stared by sharing the I Am Abundant sampler plate with Janetha.
Sprouted almond hummus, hempseed pesto crostini, spicy cashew nacho cheese with flax chips, olive tapenade, buckwheat crackers, spring roll & mini house soup.
I liked the hempseed pesto and mini butternut squash soup the best, though the spring rolls were deliciously fresh as well.
For my entrée, I selected the I Am Festive taco salad.
Shredded romaine lettuce with crumbled pumpkin seed-walnut taco filling, guacamole, salsa & cashew nacho cheese, topped with flax.
Oh. My. Gosh.
This brought my favorite guacamole salads to a whole new level.
Soooo much guac! I was such a happy girl J I made sure to spread the avocado love before digging in. Foodgasms ensued.
Smile!
| Mama Pea, Ashley, Me and Janetha |
Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel for registration.
Swag bags galore.
The loot:
Ghirardelli chocolate, Saag’s dried meats (Mike will love those), kitchen utensils (including a huge knife- looks like I’ll be checking my bag home) and coupons, among other things.
Resting up before the street fair this evening. It’s gonna be a good night!!
7 comments:
You're going to have the best time...I wish i was there!
I wish I didn't have to cancel my reservations! It looks like a blast! I am sure ashleys photo session was great!
ahhh what fun with all the bloggie friends!!!!!! we must have a date when you get back so we can chat all about this :) hope you're having a fabulous time!
the platter looks SOO delicious. so envious.
also. an oatmeal bar?!?! its like fro yo. for breakfast. gah.
Gaaah - what a fantastic day! You look like you're having a blast girlie!
Ahhh! Looks like such a great time and man-oh-man that foood! Drooling. Wish I was there!
San Fran looks like it has some amazing restaurants! That's so cool that the breakfast place had an oatmeal toppings bar! I think they've been reading Kath's blog. ;)
Haha you guys are so cute all gathered in Borders. That reminds me of storytime in Kindergarten hehe.
Have fun today!!
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