This Wednesday, I’ll be packing up my apartment in San Francisco (including 150+ bottles of wine) and moving to the town of Napa. I could not be more excited! I’m going to be doing marketing for Crimson Wine Group, a company that owns and operates six luxury wine brands, including Pine Ridge, Seghesio, Archery Summit and Chamisal. It’s a great company with lots of opportunities for growth, and I am so happy to be a part of it.
Although it’s a little bittersweet leaving behind my beloved San Francisco, I know this is the right move for me. Everyone keeps asking me, “are you going to miss living in SF?” I’m not really going to miss the city as a whole, but there are certainly several things that I am sad to leave behind:
The farm stand on Geary and 4th. It has the cheapest, cleanest, freshest vegetables in the whole city and you can get a weeks worth of produce there for under $10.
B Star Bar. This is my favorite neighborhood restaurant. I could literally eat there four times a week and not get sick of it because the menu is so diverse. Some highlights are tea leaf salad, ochazuke, b sprouts, and miso cod.
The Kabuki. The best place to see a movie in San Francisco. Not only can you bring wine into the theatre with you (purchased from the bar, though I have been known to sneak in a bottle and some plastic glasses), but they also have a great selection of food and gourmet treats. They also play home to the SF International Film Festival every year.
Dim Sum. My favorite hangover cure… crispy shrimp balls, shanghai dumplings, pork buns, garlic noodles! I recently tried Golden River in the Richmond District and was in awe of how cheap it was, coupled with how friendly the service was. I also love Yank Sing, but it’s a bit expensive and always crowded.
The beach. My favorite beach in the city is Baker Beach, and there is a not-so-secret spot in Seacliff at the end of 25th Ave where you can park and walk down the hill to the ocean. Though, there are hardly enough days in the year with weather warm enough to enjoy the SF beaches!
The Ferry Building. Not only is this one of the most beautiful buildings in Downtown San Francisco, but it has some great little eateries and specialty shops that are perfect for a lunch hour. I particularly love the spring rolls at Out The Door, and the cheese samples at Cowgirl Creamery. On Saturdays they have a great farmers market, and on Wednesdays there is a bevy of food stands outside serving up tasty lunches. My favorite is the ramen bowl from Hapa Ramen!
My amazing friends. I have made the most incredible group of friends in this city over the last seven years. College friends that have transplanted here, people from my old softball team, a group of wine lovers, several different groups of ex-coworkers, the Tuesday Haight Club alumni, and many other people that I am lucky to call my friends. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with everyone, and set time aside to see each person, but I know that they will always be my friends no matter how much time or space we spend apart from each other. And I’ll only be an hour away, so I’m sure I’ll have a lot of visitors 🙂
Seasons of Wine 