Spent the weekend in San Francisco with my sister and her four month-old. We road tripped it down the I-5, coming in over the Bay Bridge to the first thin veil of evening fog and what was left of the sun giving the buildings an ethereal glow. We stayed at Hotel Rex, the scene of many an after work glass of wine and the site of The May Queen launch party after our reading at A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books--wow, was that really three years ago?
Spent Friday walking around the Mission nursing my nostalgia. Attended the annual Squaw Valley Poetry Benefit with Nicki that night and was absolutely inspired by poets Robert Hass, Sharon Olds, Galway Kinnell, et. al. This was the first year the reading was held at Grace Cathedral and it was the perfect venue for poetry.
Saturday checked out the new Mint Plaza and Blue Bottle Cafe, then met friends in Dolores Park. Conversed with lovely people everywhere from the concierge at Hotel Rex to the grocer at Bi-Rite who enthused about his homemade salsa.
Sunday met a friend for brunch at Boulette's Larder in the Ferry Building, stopping by Book Passage to pick up a book on cd (Descartes' Bones) and Alive in Necropolis.
It was hard to leave.