Bay Area bits & bobs

The skies were turning a shade of light blue from monotone grey. I was in Wei’s convertible, driving with the top down towards the Golden Gate Bridge, blasting Taylor Swift. Historic Victorian houses appeared even more stately in the benign autumn sunshine, a blurry palette of pastels and neutrals flying past as we made our way through traffic to the rusty red statement of the Bay Area.

Opalite pumped on the stereo with the ebb and flow of traffic, the chorus culminating just as we crossed under one of the arches. I remember lip-syncing to the song and thinking, this is a core moment with one of my oldest friends in one of my favourite cities, and it feels so bittersweet. Then I snapped a selfie, recorded a video, and enjoyed the rest of the ride around the bay to Oakland.

I felt bittersweet because my best friends, Wei included, live 14 hours away. We have not lived in the same city for two decades. I used to aspire to live and work in San Francisco or the Bay Area during the tech rush of 2012–19. I no longer want to, for obvious reasons. I am lucky I get to choose, luckier that work brought me here for a week and a half.

Through the window of two weekends, I saw moments of my friends’ lives I thought possible for me too. If only I had aspired a little harder. But everything is a dystopian late-stage capitalist trap these days, the voice in my head reminded me. After all, Waymos, robotic carshare I rode with equal parts wonder and horror—one stopped in a lane mid-traffic to change lanes, another made confused left turns away from my block like a Roomba—exist.

The times we get together become more meaningful with distance, I rationalised later, regardless of where we have made our lives.

Anyway, photos and a list of where I went:

Restaurants & bars

• Lolo, Valencia St — Wei and his husband, Yue Weng, introduced me to their favourite Mexican restaurant, where they became regulars during the pandemic. My favourites were the ceviche, birria and hibiscus agua fresca.
• York St Collective, Valencia St — Straits flavoured non-alcoholic cocktails in a cute space.
• Plow, Dogpatch — Still my favourite for brunch (pancakes, potatoes, sausage) after a decade
• Stonemill Matcha, Valencia St — Hojicha lattes, matcha and even a Japanese-inspired jook/congee
• Hayes St Grill — This was a spontaneous reservation that accommodated all the dietaries in my co-worker group. I felt like I walked into a restaurant styled by Nancy Meyers, straight into the set of You’ve Got Mail. Still thinking about the hot fudge sundae with whipped cream and crushed pecans.

Shopping

• Song Tea, Sutter St — I’ll argue that Song Tea has the most unique point of view on Taiwanese and Chinese tea right now. They take this perspective to the next level by working with small and select farmers, sometimes completing the firing process in-house at their SF store.
• Ministry of Scent, Valencia St — The staff here will personalise a scent selection based on a description or reference. I walked away with a few samples, still enjoying them.
• Credo Beauty, Fillmore St — Not as hectic as Sephora, with a tight collection of beauty and skincare.
• Cuyana, Fillmore St — It was great to finally browse their curated leather goods in person.
• Jessica Hische & Friends, Oakland — Another place I’m finally glad to have visited. As a designer I admire Jessica Hische’s drive and craft, having first watched her talk at Semi-Permanent 2010 in Sydney.
• My friends Jeremy and Cheri (also best friends who live too far away!) took me to Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto while I stayed with them, and I kind of went to Cuyana again here and bought a thing. Let’s say I planned it the whole time.

Exploration & relaxation

• Oakland Hills — My friend Art Chang took me on a lovely hike into a redwood grove with his White Swiss Shepherd, Kea. The best parts were the conversation and watching Kea zoom downhill, then trek uphill at a much more sedate pace later.
• Scribe, Sonoma — For perfect views, picnics, and pinot noir.
• Dolores Park, Mission — the dog-watching at sunset was so good here.
• SF MOMA — great for a half day. I couldn't fault anything and especially enjoyed the abstract and sculpture collections.
• The Ferry Wharf Building and Embarcadero are the best non-touristy, touristy things to do instead of Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf.