Coffee and Empanadas
But first, this is the beast that Raphael lent me. It's pretty big. I should have included a match box in the picture for scale, but take my word for it. Gigantic.
Big!
So I kicked off the day with some delicious empanadas at Chile Lindo, across the street from where I used to live. Go for the chilangas--soooo good with their cheesy jalapeño awesomeness. Glad to see they're still around.
Mmm...empanadas.
And what do you know, I kept it up with hitting the hipster holdout that is Four Barrel Coffee on Valencia. With an overload of beards (epic), tattoos (plentiful) and beanies (red) I took refuge by the bar that overlooks the roaster. Where hipsters roast coffee with what little passion they have. (Clever allusion to this.)
Cool beans.
It’s Next Time!
Shit! Who knew that I'd be back in the city some 20 months later? Not I. Places to go, people to see--the Finnish Mafia was immediately up for a few drinks. A section of them had actually dressed as Smurfs for me, a nice touch. (Not really for me. Bay to Breakers.)
SFCS once again. For a few days.
So, once I got into town I knew I had to get me a bike (and helmet, yeah) and Raphael stepped up. He had a crazy giant monster of a road bike (dude's "a short six-foot-six") with a flat lying around and he was kind enough to fix it up for me. 'Cause that's the kind of guy he is. Cheers!
Raphael--kind, freakishly tall.