When I awoke in San Francisco last Friday, I looked across to see Jeniqua sitting on her bed, madly tapping at her iPhone with what seemed an incomprehensible – and near demonic – amount of energy and glee for that hour of the morning.
The reason for Jeniqua’s energy quickly became apparent, though, as she admitted to having already walked to Blue Bottle for an early morning coffee. Luckily for me, she was not averse to heading straight back again, this time with me for company.
I have to say this: Blue Bottle Coffee made the best soy cappuccino I’ve ever had in my life. Ever. (And I’ve had my fair share of soy coffees.) It was creamy, thick-frothy, nutty, somehow a little sweet despite having no sugar, and rich in coffee depth without a trace of bitterness. I could’ve sipped that creation forever.
Jeniqua’s espresso and muffin went down a treat too.
Suitable fortified on stupendous caffeine, Jeniqua and I braced ourselves against San Francisco’s chilly (well, chillier than I’ve become used to and have the clothes for) weather and headed out for a day of shopping and exploring.
As my soul was still feeling a little wobbly, I pounced on the opportunity in Sephora to paint every single one of my nails a different colour of glitter polish (the plain colours on the right hand? Jeniqua did those. I would’ve put glitter everywhere. EVERYWHERE.)
For the rest of the day, whenever I felt a bit sad, I’d look down at my hands and watch them sparkle in the sunlight. It helped. (Even though I probably looked like a cross between a five-year-old and a cheap hooker.)
Another aspect of our San Francisco day that created joy and wonderment was finding homemade (store-made?) ice cream on the street corner we’d been unceremoniously dumped by a trolley driver.
Lookee how happy Jeniqua is! Jeniqua, in turn, makes me happy, for heart-friends are a magical thing indeed. Particularly heart-friends who share scoops of coconut and chocolate peanut butter ice cream.
After wandering up, down, and around San Francisco’s hilly streets all day, Jeniqua came up with the magical idea of creating a Whole Foods picnic for dinner in our hostel room. Let’s leave aside the part where we were so delirious with tiredness that our intended fifteen minutes of grocery shopping turned into forty-five minutes of aimless grocery wandering, and also the part where we almost convinced each other to justify getting a taxi rather than walking the twelve minutes back to our hostel (we didn’t, thank heavens for our dignity), and instead focus on my Haul Of Whole Foods Awesomeness.
This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home…
But lo! What is Jeniqua doing?
No, seriously, why is she dismantling the furniture after screeching around the room for ten minutes making banging noises?
S’all good, s’all good. Nothing to see here. A girl simply must find a way to open her cider after nine straight hours of walking around, is all.
I, on the other hand, needed me an entire block of restorative dark chocolate. Gee willies this Chuao Chocolatier Salted Chocolate Crunch was incredible. So, so, so ridiculously good. It was absolutely chockers with tiny crunchy salted panko breadcrumbs and the bar tasted like toffee, like toast, like praline, like heaven, like obsession, like salty-sweet-rich-chocolate-brownie-the-top-of-a-crème-brulee deliciousness.
Please, sir, can I have some more?
And with that, Jeniqua and I fell into our hostel beds with happy tummies and happy hearts, closing out our night with whispers and plans for our trip into the glorious mountains the next day.
MOAR GLITTER
Ooh, I like Chuao’s new packaging. I also like cider. I also like the mutual leaving of jobs to promote the later meeting up of friendships in new places.
But why would you be sad during the day, dear heart?
Indeed; Jeniqua and I sure know how to carry on our friendship in extravagant cosmopolitan style!
I actually prefer Chuao’s older packaging. I liked the rich colours (or perhaps it’s more than I don’t really like croissants, so this doesn’t work for me).
I like the old packaging too, but not the old packaging’s font. I wouldn’t choose this packaging out of personal preference, but I’m looking at everything from a branding aspect these days (and I think people will be more drawn to this)……. wonder why
EMPLOYEE #1 BRAIN!
If I may submit my two cents worth … it’s too shiny and commercial …
Ooh, that chocolate looks yummy but do tell Jenniqua that a screw top wine would have saved her all that furniture dismantling trouble!
Everyone knows that alcohol tastes most delicious when you’ve had to dismantle furniture to get to it, though.
You’re in my favorite city! Lucky duck. Did you go to Chinatown?
I hope you get to Napa! If so, go the Keller’s bakery, Redd’s and Rutherford’s. And Sullivan and Groth are not to be missed for a tastings!
I think we meandered into Chinatown while searching for City Lights, but I’ve definitely explored that area on a previous visit.
I’m in Missouri now, so no luck for your recommendations unfortunately! But thank you
Glitter is the answer to all of life’s problems, I firmly believe that
Hey, Swensen’s! That’s a popular chain in Malaysia. They do some good ice creams.
Also, I want that Chuao chocolate. It sounds amazing.
Oh, really? That’s fantastic; I wasn’t sure whether it was truly legit ice cream or not.
Yep, from their Malaysian website it says:
“In 1948, when Earle Swensen opened his first Ice Cream Shoppe in San Francisco atop Russian Hill, offering his ice cream as “Good as Father Used to Make”, little did he realize that Swensen’s would be today, a name synonymous with extraordinary delicious ice cream the world ever known.”
I have very lovely memories of family trips there!
Blue Bottle, glittery rainbow nails, San Francisco hills, and creative solutions to bottle openers…such wonderful things. Can’t wait to see where you are headed next!
My posts are going to be all over the place – I still have Utah posts to go and I’ve been three places since then!
I’ve never ever been to the US and would so sooooo like to visit San Fran. The coffee and foods you ate (YES to chocolate and peanut butter icecream!) just make me even more envious……
KATH WHAT GET YOU HERE YOU’D LOVE IT! Or the scenery and the sweet things, at least
Oooh! That cappuccino and crispity chocolate bar have me craving fall weather so very badly. I really want to be huddled around a hot cup of coffee like a campfire right now.
Don’t say that! Don’t encourage the cold! I need as much sunshine stored in my bones as possible!
That said, I’ve never had a s’more and I’d like that to change soon.
Love the glitter!!
We did San Fran well my dear! I had many a chuckle reading this and recalling my feverish cider cracking, your endless chocolate consumption and the bounty of kale and seaweed snacks you somehow managed to fit in your body that evening. After all those hours of walking I believe anything is possible…
Bahahaha! You put “sparklehorse” as your url! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I CAN’T EVEN COPE RIGHT NOW.
I do tend to astonish people with how much food I can eat when I truly put my mind to it. I miss you darling!
I am SO looking out for that chocolate crunch when I get there.
It makes my heart soar to see you with all those different nailpolishes on your fingernails because frankly I love nailpolish too much to ever commit to just one colour (am currently wearing a rosy-pinky-dusky-brown with a cerulean blue feature nail on my right hand and murky dark green with a charcoal feature nail on my left) and I *may* have been berated gently for how ridiculous it looks and while I don’t care what people think about my nails, it’s nice to know there’s someone else out there with nails of many colours too.
Also: Jeniqua seems like the ideal travel companion! What a smile!
I actually got quite a few compliments on my nails. Chances are half the people were actually making fun of me, but ain’t no thang!
I’ve never, ever liked wearing nail polish before, and have always scraped it off immediately after applying it… but yesterday I bought a little box of four tiny little bottles of Sephora’s polish. Is gonna happen, girl!
That chocolate sounds incredible! And you’ll be proud of me as I did a mini chocolate tasting yesterday!
Not even your mother could be prouder.
Ahhhh, good coffee, good glitter, good ice cream … I don’t think I can wait a whole 2 years … (and I think San Fran is going to end up taking quite a bit of my time).
Exactly. I say you should leave tomorrow.
LOVE San Francisco…but those hills defeat me. I wish I’d been more into food when I visited as I think I missed A LOT of good stuff.
San Francisco’s delicious food will be waiting for you when next you return, never you fear about that.
go go go glitter girl! is that healthy greens in that bag on the bed – I really want to know every piece of your wholefoods haul but I spent the most time trying to work out the green bag – I thought vegie chips, some lollies and then green leaves!
Organic kale salad
San Fransisco is such a great place. I was there for a conference a few years ago.
I left my heart in San Fran…well I would have if I had ever been there
But I will, one day, and then gallivant up and down those hills and in the trolley cars and think of you and your heart-friend.
What a wonderful day!
You, my dear, will have a blast in San Francisco. But just between you and me…. New York City is better
How good is it when you get an AMAZING coffee? More often than not it’s brown bitter milk, but I keep searching!
Yay for hostel room delicious foodie picnics!
+1 cider!
San Fran sounds glorious! Look at all that food! Looking forward to reading about your next instalment
Wow I’m loving the SF vibe! And I would be grinning like Jeniqua if I could eat that
(love her name too!)
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Must admit, “Jeniqua” is her blog nickname, but I actually call her that now
Oh my. I don’t know which I like more, the ice cream flavours, or the perfect soy coffee, or the salty chocolatey bread crumby goodness, or the fact that Americans apparently get their calcium supplements in chocolate form. I think all of it.
(Except, dearest, the sadness. Keep up the sparkly nails and the floor picnics xo.)
I have said so many times to people here that I love America because the calcium comes in chocolate form. IT’S AWESOME.
Happy times indeed. Love the goings on in the hotel room. Chocolate and cider – great combo. I would have loved some of that coconut and peanut butter ice cream too xx
Jeniqua didn’t even mind that I kept digging out the peanut butter chunks for myself.
Ah such fun. Chocolate peanut butter ice cream?! Ummm yummmm!!! I need to make me some of that. Never heard of Chuao chocolate but sounds good. You’re like a kid in a candy store on this trip Hannah. Just awesome!
And I’m darn proud of it too!
Hahhaha i did the same thing at Sephora
I wish we had one in Melbourne hehe ~ i love that salted caramel chocolate! Wish I could try some 
Oh my gosh! I haven’t been to or even thought of a Swensen’s since probably college! And chocolate peanut butter ice cream to boot? One of my absolute faves! For future reference, most doorknobs double as bottle openers. LOL Just one of the many things I learned in college…outside the classroom.
Oh, Jeniqua definitely tried the doorknobs. And the show handle and the bedside table and the cornices on the wall and the chair and the sink and… I thought she was trying to destroy the place, actually!