On this post, a walk through some of the prettiest staircases of San Francisco, what to do with your tomato bounty, cute sneakers, and a podcast you will enjoy..
We are really in the dog days of summer here in Northern Cal. We have had a lot of humidity and dark cloudy days which always reminds me of being a kid and visiting my mom’s family in Wisconsin during the summer. California doesn’t really get rain or overcast days in summer. At least we didn’t use to and I sort of like them, but hate this humidity! Still, we are spoiled as it’s not the norm.
In garden news, my dad has been using me as a sort of produce dealer, unloading so many tomatoes, peaches and cucumbers on me to share with friends and family. We have SO many tomatoes from my dad. I have been trying to use them up as I love them fresh.. They look cute on the counter.. and smell amazing. You can only use so many.
Variations on Caprese…
A few ways I’ve been digging into dad’s tomatoes…My summer lunch is usually a mix of tomatoes chopped with avocado chunks, fresh mozzarella, and either basil or handfuls of baby greens drizzled with olive oil, some salt and pepper and some kind of nut like pine nuts or walnuts.. I often will have a few flax seed crackers to go with it.
We’ve also been eating the traditional caprese salad many nights…and peach are occasionally added..
I’ve also made MANY caprese sandwiches with ciabatta bread lightly toasted, a spread of pesto, fresh mozzerella, basil and tomatoes.. SO good for dinner. I didn’t have the time to make my own pesto, but a container lasts through a few sandwiches and a night of pesto pasta..
I am going to try a rustic tart with the tomatoes later this week..What ways have you been enjoying your tomatoes?
On My Radar
I just began listening to the ‘Wiser Than Me’ podcast by Julia Louis-Dreyfuss . She interviews women who have wisdom to share like Isabel Allende, Jane Fonda, Amy Tan, Carol Burnett, Ruth Reichl and many more women of substance! She also prefaces interviews with her own interesting stories. You can listen on Spotify, Audible or your Podcast app.
These sneakers caught my eye with the same look as the Chloe version, but for a lot less than $800. I am kind of excited to get them for fall..Nordstrom has them here, but is almost sold out – more sizes at Dolce Vita. They say they run small and recommend size up one half size.
I just ordered another pair of these Caddis Readers in the bone color. I just keep using these the most as they seem to make my eyes hurt less with the blue lenses for the computer. I ordered this pair without the blue light so I can use them for book reading. They also have this style in a new compact size as it is bit oversize.
I love this beads on my tray and book on the coffee table. I found these a while back and finally put them out. Similar wooden beads here, and here.
Frames and pictures
I just refreshed the frames in the house. I stored away many of the photos in a fabric box and put my faves in new frames on my bedroom console table from Serena & Lily ( it’s marked down now.) I like having my sentimental pictures and few other books and things on this table..
The little stool on the left below is from Amazon here and nearly identical to the S&L one for a lot less..and great quality. I keep checking back to see if they will get more. They do have a darling identical bench here.
I think they have some of the prettiest frames here. This is mine above, below left and and how cute are these with a scalloped edge on right? A few more I am loving linked on photos..
More San Francisco steps..
We did another walk in SF to the prettiest steps- The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps and The Hidden Garden Steps – both within walking distance of each other, plus four others. We parked at Quintara St in a residential neighborhood and our car was okay left there all day.
These day trips work out nice as Max likes to push me to my hiking limits ( literally), and I like to see new neighborhoods and cute shops and have lunch at a good spot..
On this route you can also stop at Grand View Park, up a long staircase, which may have the most panoramic view of the city and the whole expanse of Golden Gate Park.. On this warm Saturday morning you can see the fog hugging the hills beyond..
I wore light layers – leggings, a tank and a light cotton jacket with a scarf. The weather alternated all day between cold, windy, and hot -so all were needed and easy to carry with a small crossbody bag. I also brought a baseball cap and my water..
This was our route..
I wasn’t cut out for cartography so take from this what you will, but in SF it’s hard to make an accurate map as everything is so wonky. This is as clear as I can explain…
We began at the Inner Parkside where we parked at the top of Quintara, and went up at the Quintara steps that have a butterfly sanctuary, then go past Golden Gate Heights Park, and (left) on Funston ( not 12th Ave like map shows) and take the Aerial Steps left down 14th Avenue (north), then walk right up to the Grandview Park steps and amazing panoramic view, then take the steps down the back of the park to go South on Noriega take a short set of steps down to the 15th Ave where you get to the top of the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps… Then continue down 16th Avenue to the right until you get to the Hidden Garden Steps at the end.. The green dots are where stairs are.
After Hidden Garden, ( this stuff not on map), we crossed the street and continued down 16th Avenue until we got to Irving where we turned right … As it was a Sunday they have a fun street market with the road closed and live music and vintage clothes and other cool things.
There were families and kids doing bubbles and tables with Jenga and other games. We walked through that and at 9th Avenue you can turn left towards the park and the street is full of good places to grab a bite.
This area is called the Inner Sunset and we decided to try the famous Tartine Bakery as it had a cute outdoor patio. There are a lot of choices to eat in this area. We split a delicious muffin because we had to try a baked good, and for lunch had Arnold Palmers and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with tomatillos… we had them hold the jalapeños. They were amazing and we brought home a loaf of the bread too.
At that point we could have walked into the eastern part of Golden Gate Park with the Conservatory of Flowers, kid’s playground, carousel and the Cal Academy of Science and much more.. It’s a great place to just stroll through. We should have done that and Ubered back…We decided to walk back to the car instead. At that point we had already walked a few miles and this was mostly uphill back and I had eaten a huge lunch.
Full disclosure: about half way back it was getting really warm and all uphill and I wanted to Uber back to the car. Max tried to push back and said they won’t pick you up for a mile. I was adamant they would -as this city is filled with hills and sometimes you just can’t get to places without some help. Thankfully we got picked up right away by a nice gentleman, (not the self driving cars we kept seeing around like weird ghosts). I was so thankful as the ‘few hills’ Max said were left was more like 6..
Note- it’s easy to park somewhere and wander then Uber or Lyft back to your original spot- especially if you’ve walked mostly downhill!
The whole route..4.3 miles and 749 feet of elevation..
More SF staircases to walk on this great book I have shared before.
Last week I shared ways to help Maui, the original supermodels back in September Vogue, a cute long shirtdress, a book to check out, and my secret food market in Aptos that has great housewares too.
Happy weekend!
Kim
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Kim,
Your dads garden must look amazing! How nice to have so many home grown and beautiful tomatoes to enjoy and to share with friends. If you have the time and space, I recommend roasting a pan of tomatoes with garlic and herbs, drizzles with olive oil and salt and pepper before you put them in the oven. When they are finished you can let them cool and then place in freezer bags to use in the winter for pasta sauce, soups and lots more.
Tomato tarts are a favorite here in the south.
I had not heard of this podcast, will check it out!
Your frames and photos look lovely. Family photos are always fun to look at and reminisce.
As for your walk, it looks like fun. So many beautiful views, houses, restaurants and things to enjoy.
Tartine has several cookbooks that you might like!
Have a wonderful weekend.
xo
Elizabeth, he has a garden at his house and he also has a community plot where he gore’s more as his yard doesn’t have a lot of space. I love the idea of roasting all the small ones and keeping them in the freezer for soups and things.
They had all the cookbooks at the bakery! It’s a beautiful space.
Happy weeekned!! xo
Thoroughly enjoy your SF posts. You find such interesting places to share with your readers. Latest one is a workout for sure.
Will listens to the podcast and try some of your tomato suggestions. Luck you to have your dad provide you with so many and enough to share.
I know I am so lucky to have y dad – and his tomatoes. Thank you Carolina. It’s fun to find these little walks.
Holy cow…your tomatoes look amazing. Isn’t the Tartine bread divine? You have me missing SF now. 🙂
Mary Ann I wish you were still here. We could be traipsing through all these cool spots. Miss you. I love that Tarter bread!
xo
What a fun post. I love tomato sandwiches and the ones you featured made me hungry. Love that your Dad shares his gardening passion with you. My family and I were in San Francisco early last month and I fell in love with it again so thank you for sharing the walk you took. It is an amazing city. Have a lovely weekend.
Hi Claudette
Thank you! I know I am lucky. I’m so glad you enjoyed the city! That makes meme so happy as it still is a magical place.
Happy weekend!
Don’t forget gazpacho! I like mine easy on the onions and with watermelon for more sweetness. You are lucky to have a good supply thanks to your Dad’s gardening skills. Loved the walk too!
Penelope thank you! I think it’s a great time to make it too. I’m going to look for recipe with the watermelon too..That sounds delicious.
xo
Kim, your dad is an amazing gardener. Maybe a farmstead in front of your house?! You can sit on your cute porch sipping iced tea … you’d have flocks of people but you’d be sold out in no time. All your tomato based meals look delicious … especially those caprese sandwiches. Yum! My tomatoes are so far behind I’m not sure we’ll be eating them before Christmas. Love the Dolce Vita sneakers and just ordered them in sandstone. Looks like I can pick them up later this afternoon. Yay. And thanks. I’m going to download Julia’s podcast. Sounds like one I’ll really enjoy. Your City walks are the best. Ok, minus the hills … but no pain no gain and thank goodness for Uber. And I adore your maps and save them to my Pinterest explore board. Jim and I are going to get over there one of these days and try one … we’ll see who gives and calls for an Uber first! Have a wonderful weekend! xo
Ha! Juliet I should do that! I am thinking of leaving some in a bowl.. Don’t feel badly my tomatoes are very slow too this year. Yay I am excited I ordered them too. They look comfy. You have to let me know.
You are sweet I hope my maps don’t steer anyone wrong! Yes Uber is a good mix with the hills of SF.
xoxo
Lovely post thank you Kim. I have been making exactly the same salad all summer too as l love Caprese and tomato’s and peaches together. I ordered some wonderful pasta from Giada de Laurentlis and her online store Glazi and she has some amazing pasta tomato recipes there. I am going to cook up a feast for my Italian American son in law to-be when he comes over! Another idea is having a go at bottling them. The writer Barbara Kingsolver on her Instagram post showed a bottling recipe recently. You might be able to find it.
Happy weekend xo
Francesca, Funny how tomatoes and peaches are such a good pair! I’m going to check out Gilda’s store and recipes thank you! I’ll look up the bottling idea too! Have a great weekend too! xo
Favorite tomato open faced sandwiches: dark “seedy” and nutty bread toasted then add a slather of sour cream or some sliced havarti, top with sliced tomatoes and sea salt.
Beautiful pictures of the steps and your walk!
Leanne that sounds delicious! I have to look for some bread like that and sour cream or havarti with the sliced tomatoes sounds divine! Thank you for the great idea!
You always find so many good topics to present on Saturday. Being single, I mostly live on salads so it’s always good to get new inspo and right now, peaches are at their best so I also like to use them in salad. The frames are great and I would look into buying some but I already have so many that I won’t be tempted. Thank you for sharing some areas of SF that you and Max are exploring. I think it’s good for people outside of CA to know that there are still lovely areas of the city and as you said, neighborhood’s that are neighborly and have activities. So many people have a jaded view of The City but I can agree with Tony Bennett!
Wren thanks! I’m putting peaches in mine too. We are o lucky here in California to have so much good produce locally.
Thank you about the city. I keep sharing so people can see how really lovely it is. If you watched the news they keep trying to say what a mess it is. It has its challenges and those still need help, but those areas are neat market and downtown. That’s not affecting the rest of the city and I want people to know that. I’m sharing the real SF! Loved Tony! xo
Thanks for the guide to the steps. It’s been a fantasy of mine to walk them for a long time and you have given me the roadmap. Now I just have to get my legs strong enough to do it!
The salads look so good! Are those Romas in the bowl? Have you ever tried Ina Garten’s Roasted Tomato Basil soup? It uses 3 lbs. of Roma tomatoes. I haven’t made it in awhile but it’s one of my husbands favorites. Can be eaten hot or cold.
I didn’t not know about the stairs in San Francisco, we do a lot of walking when we visit. Looks like a good work out. Probably was a good idea to get a ride for the remainder of your walk. I am so sensitive to the heat these days, I have to be extremely careful. We stock up on vitamin water and electrolyte water this time of year.
We are waiting out the tropical storm today, the worst is supposed to be between 1:00 and 3:00 this afternoon with intense heavy rain called “squalls”. I have never seen that term before so it will be interesting. I’m with you I hate humidity! Looking forward to October, although still warm it’s drier and the nights are cooler.
Will try out Julia’s podcast. I’m always listening or watching something on my phone when doing dishes or chores.
Thanks for another great post, you always manage to find interesting topics. 😊
Linda
Hi Linda!
Somme of them are Romas! I will look up Ina’s soup today.. Wow that’s a great way to use a lot.
Yep the steps are fun and challenging and I am like you I need electrolytes and water..
How did you do with the squalls? That sounds kind of scary.. I hope all was okay.
Yes the podcasts are great for doing chores and things!
Thanks so much. x
Hi Kim,
Hope the dark and cloudy days have dissipated. Dealing with humidity is not fun.
The tomatoes that your dad grows are award winning. They look so red and tasty. He knows what he’s doing. You are fortunate to have him and all the gifts and bounty he has to share with you and others.
I have not had a chance to listen to “Wiser Than Me.” Look forward to it.
Love the photos in your room. Is that you and Max on your wedding day? The boys are so cute.
Congratulations for climbing the four staircases. This is not an easy thing to do. A great workout for your heart and legs. So glad Urber came to the rescue towards the last six steep hills. I know some of those hills are steeper than steep. I have vivid memories living in Pacific Heights and driving my Volkswagen Super Beatle stick shift and landing on those hills with red lights and cars all lined up right behind you. 🤨
I’m familiar with Golden Gate Park, it’s beautiful and also the Conservatory of Flowers. The last time we were at the CoF was August 5, 2016.
Thanks for a wonderful post and sharing your life. The staircases were my favorite. Isn’t there an amazing amount of beauty in this world?
Katherine thanks. I know you guys have had a lot of high heat this year too. I just distributed a bunch more tomatoes to all the neighbors!
I hope you get to listen to the podcast.. It’s got some great ones. Yes that’s our wedding pic!
Gosh I was grateful for UBER! Wow driving a bug with a stick on those hills must have been a challenge.. Not for the faint of heart. You were a real SF gal!
There is so much beauty and you have the best outlook! xo
Another fun post! All those tomato dishes look amazing!! I shared a yummy recipe for a tomato galette last week. The sneakers are so fun! Trying to decide if they are too trendy and urban for small town Maine life, ha! Wow, you really took a hike in downtown SF on those stairs! Good for you! Adding the podcast to my list for my 25 minute drive into town!
Molly, Thank you.. I loved your tomato galette! I still need to try it. I just received my sneakers and they are great and comfy..I’d say for town run arounds perfect. xo