Strybing Arboretum, Chinatown & A Surprise

Sunday morning Eric, Drew, and I headed to breakfast at La Boulange on Columbus Avenue in North Beach.

The three of us shared two pastries and a gigantic bowl of fruit, gourmet granola, yogurt, and honey. I don't know what type of yogurt (maybe greek?) was in that bowl, but believe me when I tell you it was magical! And the honey on top - swoon! It was a marvelous way to start our day.

After that we took a bus across town to Golden Gate Park. I really wanted to visit the Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Gardens (located in the park), so it was great that Drew and Eric were up for it.

I took around 200 photos while we were there, but I'll just share a few here.*

We had lunch nearby at San Tung Chinese Restaurant, because they have the best wings in the city (according to Drew). The food really was delicious, and most of the people in the restaurant seemed to be Chineese (seems like a good sign, right?). After lunch we went back to the gardens for a little bit before catching the bus back toward Drew's apartment.

On the way home we walked through Chinatown, just to check it out. We didn't buy anything, but it's a colorful place to pass through.

That evening we had leftovers and made some fresh coleslaw. Then the boys smoked cigars on Drew's roof (I only stayed for a few minutes because it was freezing).

We were supposed to catch the red-eye home on Sunday night, but our plans changed when Judy called to tell me that Kristen was unexpextedly coming to town Sunday night. I found out on Saturday afternoon, and we rescheduled our flights so that I'd have some time with one of my best friends. We haven't seen Kristen since her wedding, a year and a half ago. Her husband is in the air force, and he's stationed in Okinawa, Japan. They moved there just after the wedding. Originally we'd looked into spending a few days in CA and then going to Japan from there, but we just didn't have the money. Switching our departure date was much more affordable!

At about 9:15 I went to the airport with Bill and Judy to surprise Kristen. She was surprised, but very sleepy. I gave her the biggest hug. :)

*I'm working on an album that will include many more photos of flowers and of our trip in general. I'll let you know when it's ready and you can browse at your leisure.

Note: It's Thursday, so check out today's Lost In Thoughts over at Everything Little Miss!