tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15663362266374860242024-03-05T13:19:22.697-08:00Urban MiraclesUrban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-53444800648836835272009-05-22T10:35:00.000-07:002009-05-22T10:37:47.846-07:00love. this.<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7cXJkghrysI&color1=" color2="0xcfcfcf&hl=" feature="player_embedded&fs=" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">What a beautiful pairing - Grizzly Bear and the Red Balloon. I hope you find magic like this today.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </p><p> </p>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-15562157861907294702009-05-15T22:52:00.000-07:002009-05-17T07:45:16.372-07:00The New Drive-In<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Last weekend, I took the plunge and bought a road bike to ease my transportation woes in San Francisco. Don't get me wrong - I appreciate the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Muni</span>/BART train systems in this city but often I crave a faster, sunnier way to get around. I want to feel the wind in my hair, not someone <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">else's</span> sneezes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">So my friend Lizzy and I got outfitted at </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.valenciacyclery.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Valencia <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Cyclery</span></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> (a locally-owned San Francisco institution). They had us try multiple styles and sizes based on our needs and ultimately led us to the right bike within our price range. We test-rode half a dozen bikes around the Mission and I finally decided on a </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCExperience.jsp?eid=121">Specialized bike</a>, <span style="font-family: verdana;">which is light enough to carry up the stairs to my apartment with one hand. We also got hooked up with helmets, locks (a must in this city) and the requisite bike bell.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Later in the week, a friend passed along a flier for the </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.disposablefilmfest.com/events/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Disposable Film Festival</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> - the perfect opportunity for our inaugural ride. The Disposable Film Festival is a "bike-in" movie screening of up-and-coming artists sponsored by a few local Bay Area companies, including <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ZipCar</span> and Bear Naked Granola. We departed Noe Valley at sunset and rode down the hill, through the Mission and over to Civic Center, where we coasted into the parking lot that held the screening. Much to my delight, my food cart guys were there (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Amouse</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Bouche</span>, Curry Cart and Creme <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Brulet</span> Cart) with a new addition -- the Popcorn Princess. Upon arrival, we checked our bikes at the free "bike valet" and headed into the Custom Lounge for drinks sponsored by SF Guardian. Coincidentally, May is "Bike Month" in San Francisco and the SF Guardian was releasing their annual bike issue that very night.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">All in all, the films were short but moving and the food was incredible. I savored a full, 3-course meal from my cart guys, mingled with my new "biker friends" and then pedaled home to Noe Valley, tired, full and content.</span></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-48453179112486808532009-05-11T21:08:00.001-07:002009-05-11T21:26:08.466-07:00Green Means Go<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I did it. I planted my rooftop "urban garden." I ripped out the two dozen dead (and scary!) jade plants that have haunted the deck for the last two years. They seriously looked like the fallen mermaids in the Little Mermaid who sold their souls to Ursula. They gave me a very funny feeling inside.<br /><br />Anyway, they're gone now, replaced with electric pink dahlias, soft lavender bushes, creamy gardenia, jasmine and hydrangea. On the low shelves, protected by the wind, are tiny pots full of oregano, sage, thyme and basil. Young tomato plants line the back wall and will hopefully stay warm enough this summer to bear fruit.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Regardless of how it all turns out and what lives or dies, it felt so good to dig my nails into the potting spoil, to gently coax the seedlings out of their plastic containers and into the dirt. And it continues to feel good to look out back each morning and see their little faces looking up at me, wondering when the water's coming, the summer, the sun. I don't know, I tell them, but I'll do my best.<br /><br /><br /></span></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-78581446083006748652009-05-08T14:32:00.001-07:002009-05-08T15:01:13.125-07:00Do You Know The Muffin Man?<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Here's exactly how it went down. I started noticing this guy hanging around Dolores Park, the 24<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> Street BART station and the varying outdoor hangouts in the Mission. He's a distinctive looking guy -- tall and lanky, usually wears a cool beret-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ish</span> looking hat that is clearly European. But what caught my eye, is that this guy walks around with pans of muffins. Beautiful, just-baked pans of muffins. I dubbed him The Muffin Man, although his real business name is Amuse <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Bouche</span> (something that "excites the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">taste buds</span>"). For a long time, I assumed he was selling "magic" muffins, as so many park vendors seem to be doing these days. That's just part of the culture here.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">But then I thought, if this guy is selling these muffins each morning at the top of the BART (train) station, surely they can't be "magic". Otherwise, hundreds of corporate hipsters would be high every single morning on their way to work. Something else is going on here. So without further a-do, I decided to investigate the Muffin Man for myself.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Turns out The Muffin Man is a soft-spoken French guy named Murat. And he loves baking. <em>Loves</em>. He gets up every morning at 5am to bake the day's muffins and places himself strategically around the city to catch people on their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">commute</span> in/out of work. His goal is to make a little cash and to brighten people's lives by providing a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">delicious</span> treat to start or end the day. Turns out there are other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">indy</span>-owned cart vendors and they're all pals. Each week, they will stage spontaneous gatherings, usually on Thursday nights in the Mission at a location disclosed on their <strong><a href="http://twitter.com/AmuseBoucheSF">Twitter pages</a></strong>. In one fell swoop, you can catch Amuse <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Bouche</span>, the Creme <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Brulee</span> Cart (yes!) and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Kurry</span> Kart. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">If you're lucky enough to catch Murat in the morning, you can count on getting a delicious, made-with-love mini muffin and a hot cup of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">chai</span> for just $1. Upgrade to a full-size muffin or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">tarte</span> for $2 more. Your little morning surprise will come nestled in part of an egg carton, whose egg-slots are just big enough to hold a mini muffin and tiny cup of tea. If starting your day with a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Nutella</span> banana muffin isn't enticing enough, you'll have the added pleasure of a lovely chat with Murat and get to savor his French accent for awhile before you hustle off to work, life and the doldrums of store-bought <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">snackfood</span>. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Follow my <strong><a href="http://twitter.com/AmuseBoucheSF">Muffin Man on Twitter</a></strong>: twitter @<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">amusebouchesf</span> </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Or check out his </span><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/amuse-bouche-cart-san-francisco"><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;">Yelp page</span></strong></a></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-16825459444623409902009-05-01T21:12:00.000-07:002009-05-03T13:30:33.492-07:00Warm Cookie Alert<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >It's been a dark, rainy day in San Francisco, a bit atypical for May in this city. I love the change of weather though because we so rarely see rain here, especially rain that is heavy and dark enough to satisfy my East Coast longing.<br /><br />Rain still makes me tenderly nostalgic for the spring afternoons in Buffalo I used to love as a kid...coming home from school to my mom leaning over the hot oven...the sharp realization that the windows were open for the first time. The open screen door would let in the distinct smell of wet grass and worms, a smell that had been buried under the snow for 6 months.<br /><br />Rain also makes me crave soft chocolate chip cookies. There's nothing quite like a plate full of just-baked chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk to unwind the day. I love that my mom has used the same <a href="http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=18476"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Tollhouse</span> cookie recipe</span></a> since I was 5 (you can also find it on the back of every bag of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tollhouse</span> chocolate chips). In my opinion, it is the best recipe out there. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Tollhouse</span> cookies are the perfect combination of squishy and warm but crisp along the edges.<br /><br />Since I'm now a city gal now without a personal cookie baker at my discretion (mom), I was overjoyed to discover the new <a href="http://www.specialtysdirect.com/welcome.asp"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Warm Cookie Alert</span></a> feature on Specialty Bakery's website. Just as it sounds, the Warm Cookie Alert will inform you of the closest bakery location near you that has pulled cookies out of the oven most recently. They update it to the <span style="font-style: italic;">minute</span>. "Third and Mission: White chocolate macadamia nut...23 minutes ago." I kept an eye on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Specialy's</span> at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Sansome</span> and Clay all afternoon, waiting for the right moment to dash out into the rain and scoop up a bag of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">melty</span> chocolate chip cookies for the perfect Friday <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">indulgence</span>.<br /><br />Yes, there's an economic meltdown and wide-spread pandemic going on, I know. But the truth is, I can't fix those things. What I <span style="font-style: italic;">can</span> do is sign up for my Warm Cookie Alerts, run through the rain with them cradled in my arms and share them with friends and coworkers. Who knows, that alone just might transform some of this darkness into light.<br /></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-92119244289185009462009-04-25T13:21:00.000-07:002009-04-25T21:25:06.600-07:0018 Reasons<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I can list about 200 reasons why I live in San Franc</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">isco</span>, but one that comes to mind as of late is the organization I recently discovered -- </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.18reasons.org/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">18 Reasons</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. 18 R</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">easons</span>, which is based out of its small art/community space in the Mission, is associated with my absolute favorite independent grocery store in the city -- </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.biritemarket.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">BiRite</span></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. I'll get more into the magic of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">BiRite</span> a bit later...</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />18 Rea</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">sons mission is "to promote a dialogue between our neighborhood and people who create food and art; to provide a space where ideas are exchanged and relationships are forged and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">to encourage</span> people to communicate this shared passion with each other."</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Basically, this group gets folks together once a week to share food, wine and art. Let me tell you what - I'm. Down. With. That. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Last night's event was a wine tasting from French wineries in the Loire Valley in France (can you tell I'm still on a French kick?). The wineries that were show</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">cased were incredibly small and had been family-run and operated for generations. These wines were graceful, elegant and full of life. Unlike their mass-market peers, these wine makers are in it for the wine, not for the wealth and fame. They're the </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">winemakers</span> who fly in from France and show up to a hipster event in San Francisco with dirt under their nails. You could taste their sincerity in every sip. And what inspired me even more was how <span style="font-style: italic;">packed</span> the place got within the first 30 minutes. There must have been 100 people crammed into a 400 square foot room, all notably excited, talkative and thrilled to be there. I was both amazed and relieved to see that people my age <span style="font-style: italic;">ca</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;">re</span> about this stuff.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />During the event, I bumped into a bunch of the nice folks I see every day at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">BiRite</span> and had an amazing "this-is-my-community-and-I-am-a-part-of-it" </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">feeling. It takes awhile to cultivate that feeling, but I think daily and weekly rituals help.<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I love <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">BiRite</span> because, like 18 Reasons, its focus on food goes back to the hand-made, organic and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">artisan</span> food that we have deviated from here in the U.S. Their slogan is "building community through food" and they sell everything from my favorite Italian olive oil (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Cappezzana</span> Estate, if you ever wan</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">t to splurge) to hand-made cheese curds from Wisconsin. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">Since I've been back from France, I've been trying to keep the French mentality of buying fresh food (especially produce) daily and turning a trip to the market into a social, fun and relaxing event that I look forward to. I'</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">m lucky because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">BiRite's</span> warm staff and amazing community events make this easy.<br /><br />And if I have anything to do with it, 18 Reasons is going t</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">o </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">need to get a bigger space. Like the strawberry bushes along</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Highway 1 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">tha</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">t are yielding <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">th</span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">e first fruit of summer, </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">they're going to grow and grow and grow.<br /><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.biritemarket.com/"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDckq7db4Y3ecXZSAcpEn_YL6nH8kIMpr7lsaq1ZxivA6c3NBkNP9hEpiZhMnsgIJKJtjoK5CZpKlfRdSpvw7Q1hcjd4SjiXU-Came1OEC0UUdOJSyPHb6RHJUYj0FZ2x-Ql_ZZ3PxuA/s200/logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328732436224065618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.18reasons.org/"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ilCTh9993NYweoRf3vADA6xsqje2zD-4pJWnf45KKDPS5OgYzM7ich1sw5FCYUaOY53Ws9FoJAJwc2IZpibw30MLR_k7xjN05GaLqK49E21VJUyECqwRATVbhyphenhyphenIrZ-o5xa2Nwq7laqs/s200/18reasons-logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328732983454627730" border="0" /></a></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-17443985476679856642009-04-24T13:51:00.000-07:002009-04-24T14:08:36.851-07:00Cherie, Cherie<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I don't have an Urban Miracles story to tell today...but I'm missing Paris at the moment and came across this lovely commercial that made me smile very wide. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">It's directed by Sophia Coppola - you can feel her magical touch on it.<br /><br />This is really sums up how my days felt in the City of Light...</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">**And incidentally, I've been wearing this perfume since France and loooving loving loving it**</span></em></span><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0oWGD5yYS9g&hl=" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" fs="1&rel="></embed>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-43418569946914504632009-04-19T22:39:00.001-07:002009-04-20T20:41:54.176-07:00A Homemade Life<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Just before I left for Paris, I came across Molly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Wizenberg's</span> new book, <strong>"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homemade-Life-Stories-Recipes-Kitchen/dp/1416551050/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240264879&sr=8-1#">A Homemade Life</a>". </strong>As if they all coordinated the intervention, 3 unrelated people recommended I take it with me on my trip. I love when that happens -- when just the right book or album is placed in your hands before a pivotal experience. </span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >So I lugged her beautiful hardback book around France with me (even though I finished it on the third day if the trip). I couldn't bare the thought of leaving it behind and there was something comforting about seeing the book each night on my bedside table. I'd re-read whatever story I opened to just before I fell asleep. The stories in Molly's book are so funny, sweet and real that I felt that old familiar tug on my heartstrings each time I picked it up. The recipes that followed each of the stories were equally lovely and for a novice cook, seemed within my reach. I savored every tasty minute of that book.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Fast forward to 2 weeks later -- I arrive safely back at home, a battered copy of "A Homemade Life" in hand. One evening, during my routine walk around the neighborhood, I noticed a piece of paper in a store window advertising the new cookbook store in the neighborhood (<strong><a href="http://www.omnivorebooks.com/">Omnivore Books</a></strong>) and amazingly, advertising a book-signing and talk given by none other than Molly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Wizenberg</span>. I love life's synchronicity.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >First of all, I just want to say that I LOVE Omnivore Books. I adore it. It is this magical house-turned-bookstore that is spilling over the edges with amazing books on food, cooking and agriculture. They sell lots of vintage titles too (think of the version of Betty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Crocker's</span> Cookbook that your grandma used). They also keep <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">multi</span>-colored, freshly-laid/gathered eggs at the counter for purchase. I just love that.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Anyway. Back to the story. So I arrived at Omnivore and to my pleasant surprise, it was packed! I wasn't the only one who was inspired by Molly's touching stories and recipes. Molly was just as I imagined -- a petite and graceful gal with a big smile and an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">eloquence</span> I just knew I'd admire. She told us the story of how her writing, and ultimately this book, unfolded. She let us peek into her heart and told us the story of how she met her husband, Brandon, and how their love of food evolved as did their relationship with each other. I found myself grinning ear-to-ear the entire time. Later, she signed copies of our books and we each got a few minutes to chat with her. I brought her some fresh eucalyptus honey from the Noe Farmer's Market (my all-time favorite mixed with yogurt), and we had a lively debate about the best place for pain <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">au</span> chocolate in Paris. Molly and her hubby are opening a restaurant in Seattle (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><a href="http://www.delanceyseattle.com/">Delancey</a></span>) in June so I hope that our paths will cross again someday soon (next time over pizza).</span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br />Later on Saturday, I took a stab at her "pickled carrots" recipe using the fresh spring carrots I picked up at the Farmer's Market that morning. I also tried her "stewed prunes and citrus" recipe, which has been a welcomed addition to my morning yogurt and honey.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">So all that being said -- go buy and read her book! You can also check out <strong>her lovely blog - <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Orangette</span></a></strong> (which is truly the seed of all of this). And if your life and travels bring you to Seattle, go eat at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Delancey</span>. Sit and savor a wood-fired pizza and be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">grateful</span> for that (and every) moment life delivers, right on time.</span> </span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homemade-Life-Stories-Recipes-Kitchen/dp/1416551050/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240264879&sr=8-1#"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326897375111307074" style="width: 225px; height: 217px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkede4S7c2sYIJEXsZVABZs4LkzW1VPaNWXzwPpxWP88hGb355T9SPzK_Q6T2siuCdK_3L1Gx7clR-V_GZre6WYv5pC2LtigWRMFneUyWVL7vYyiMNzpxjBnYSKmK_DcBnbbShwEEBC0/s200/homemade+life.jpg" border="0" /></a>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-3402966580465071942009-04-18T20:20:00.001-07:002009-04-18T20:31:01.931-07:00Bike About Paris<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35496909@N00/3415887712/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3545/3415887712_8849dec56f.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); width: 401px; height: 302px;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35496909@N00/3415887712/">CIMG0797</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/35496909@N00/">sarahmroos</a>.</span></div><p style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">After over 10 hours on a plane, I landed in Paris at the bright hour of 11am (2am according to my body, but they say you'll never get over jetlag if you think that way). Knowing that I would need to stay awake and simutaneously get my bearings in the City of Light, I booked a bike tour for the afternoon I arrived. A friend in Provence had recommended the <a href="http://www.bikeabouttours.com/index.htm"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bike About Paris</span></a> tour group as a great way to see the city in just a few hours and to discover some really magical places.<br /><br />Bike About Paris was founded a few years ago and initially, their tours focused on covering all of the major Paris landmarks during a ride around town -- the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Sacre Couer, etc. Eventually the leaders realized that there were a good number of bike tour companies popping up, all doing the same thing -- leading tourists into deeper tourist traps. So Bike About decided to switch gears a bit (forgive the pun) and they moved their focus to "hidden Paris" in order to give riders a view into the Paris that only locals typically know. Their 3.5 hour tour covers most of the major arrondisements and focuses more on the magic and uniqueness of each neighborhood.<br /><br />Our guide, Christian, led us to some of our favorite boulangeries, cafes and wine bars in the city. Among other things, he snuck us into secret courtyard gardens, helped us discover the best pain au chocolate in Paris and showed us how to spot the work of one of France's most famous (anonymous) graffiti artists.<br /><br />Throughout the 16 days I spent in France, this bike tour (and Christian's amazing recommendations) came up multiple times each day. It was the best 30 euro I spent on this trip.<br /><br />And I have to say - as I pedaled my little bike along the Seine as the sun set behind Notre Dame, I was the most awake I'd been in months.</span></p>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-85562918692248344052009-03-31T14:56:00.001-07:002009-03-31T14:56:46.238-07:00Paris, Je T'Aime<div style="PADDING-RIGHT: 3px; PADDING-LEFT: 3px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 3px; PADDING-TOP: 3px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35496909@N00/3396627993/"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 2px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 2px solid" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3444/3396627993_5799d70a1f.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div style="PADDING-RIGHT: 3px; PADDING-LEFT: 3px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 3px; PADDING-TOP: 3px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I'm off to the City of Light and la belle France for 2 weeks of picture-taking, wine-drinking and miracle-seeking. Stay tuned for a few posts from across the big blue sea....</span></div>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-234503913563125822009-03-31T14:47:00.001-07:002009-04-01T07:50:16.917-07:00Cuoretourismo in San Francisco<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;"><a title="photo sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35496909@N00/sets/72157615219268666/"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3593/3397881736_cb5e569b91.jpg" /></a> </div><div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;"></div><div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >During my trip to Tuscany last spring, I was inspired by the idea of "cuoretourismo" or "heart tourism." Heart tourism is meaningful tourism -- it's getting as close as you can to the authentic heart of the land and people where you are traveling. During my week in Tuscany, we met with a local fisherman who was integral in protecting the wildlife of the Ligurian Coast; we broke bread with a family that has been making olive oil for 200 years; we cooked dinner in the wood-fire brick oven of a Tuscan neighbor. Since I got back from that trip, I've been seeking more and more local experiences like those I shared in Italy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">One group of heart tours that have been on my radar lately are the</span> <a href="http://www.localtastesofthecitytours.com/index.php"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><strong>Local Taste of the City</strong></span></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > tours here in San Francisco. The company was founded by Tom Madin who has been leading tours of the Bay Area for over a decade. There are 3 tour options: North Beach (Little Italy) Chinatown or the Night Tour. Each 3-hour guided walking tour will take you to local restaurants, bars, coffee shops and bakeries that are long-standing institutions of the city. My brother's visit this weekend was the perfect excuse to try one of the tours. We opted for the </span><a href="http://www.localtastesofthecitytours.com/pages/tours/t_nrthbch.php"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><strong>North Beach Tour</strong></span></a> on Sunday morning. </div><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ></span><p></p><p><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >The 3-hour adventure through my favorite neighborhood completely exceeded my expectations. We started the morning at Cafe Roma, where we learned how coffee is roasted and what prompted Italians to flock to Northern California at the beginning of the century. Later we moved on to a Ligurian bakery, we were snacked on fresh foccacia bread right out of a 135 year-old oven. We nibbled on homemade macaroons, dipped sour dough bread in local olive oils and savored salty mortadella at a family-run deli. In total, we went to over 10 local businesses, from truffle/chocolate shops to the cafe where Francis Ford Coppola wrote "The Godfather". </span></p><p><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Almost all of the businesses we visited were family-owned and had been run by the same folks for decades. It was truly an honor to be allowed behind the scenes and get a glimpse into their world -- a world where food, drink and family are the priorities in life. This tour showed me a side of San Francisco I hadn't seen before - a side I'm going to seek out and cherish in the days ahead.</span></p>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-15509205913372802772009-03-26T20:02:00.000-07:002009-03-26T20:09:22.784-07:00found.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRwZWWQJOqjWA1DsYit9rMjMoqgZ6KUEitKLodv19VgGjzrVDKjYeb0-l7pI8WY-MrgdpgvRv90IWdegTY4dJHkIKfP3x9rA19cNDHTHwtCoHR2xx2SdoPMZzEw47LERmRA-U64Ij3eE/s1600-h/IMG_0054.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 326px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRwZWWQJOqjWA1DsYit9rMjMoqgZ6KUEitKLodv19VgGjzrVDKjYeb0-l7pI8WY-MrgdpgvRv90IWdegTY4dJHkIKfP3x9rA19cNDHTHwtCoHR2xx2SdoPMZzEw47LERmRA-U64Ij3eE/s200/IMG_0054.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317699041456486306" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-9428135772086304972009-03-19T19:56:00.000-07:002009-03-19T20:21:05.060-07:00Home-Grown Goodness<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you live in the heart of San Francisco, or in most other larger cities in the U.S., you know what it means to be pressed for space. So much of city living is compact - from Smart cars to Murphy beds. It's hard to imagine what it might be like to have a yard that needs mowing or shrubs that need trimming. Even more so, it's hard to imagine keeping a garden, nurturing fruit trees and growing actual food.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">One of the many things I love about the foodie culture in San Francisco is that it's creative. Sure, we boast some of the best restaurants in the nation and some of the most innovative chefs. But a lot of that has to do with the fact that we are a culture that values food and wine as much as art, our sports teams or museums. We're committed to this "food thing," no matter how challenging.<br /><br />One organization that truly fosters this love affair is </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.cuesa.org/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CUESA</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" >Agriculture</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">. Among many other things, </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" >CUESA</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> is famous for its role in the Ferry Building Farmer's Market, a bi-weekly mecca of local produce and delicacies. In addition to many of the monthly events at the Farmer's Market, </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" >CUESA</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> also offers weekly public lectures centered around (you guessed it) sustainable eating choices.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Two weeks ago I attended R.J. </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" >Ruppenthal's</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> talk about growing your own food in urban environments. His new book, "</span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.cuesa.org/events/calendar/#mar4">Fresh Food From Small Spaces</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">" proves how easy it is to grow some of your own produce at home, even if you live in a studio apartment without any outdoor space. He presented a number of different urban environments and explained how one could plant fruit trees, vegetable plants and even keep chickens in this </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" >densley</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">-packed city. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I learned so much and left completely empowered to take a stab at this whole "growing thing" this spring. I'm going to start easy with bean sprouts & </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" >wheatgrass</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">, both of which can be grown with almost zero sunlight above your </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" >refridgerator</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">. I would ideally like graduate to string beans, tomatoes and a potted strawberry bush on the back steps. </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" >Ruppenthal</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> claims that you can grow up to 15% of your food intake within the confines of your own home if you put the effort into it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Whether we're ready to truly </span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" >acknowledge</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> it now or not, our country is on the brink of an incredible food crisis (read any of Michael Pollen's stuff and you'll commit to growing 100% of your food). I'm not saying we should all abandon our huge chain supermarkets or give up the salty boxed snack products. But I think that if we can each grow something (as small as sprouts above the 'fridge!), we're increasing our conscious eating habits. We're spreading the awareness that our food comes from </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >somewhere</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and we need to care where that "somewhere" is. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Plus, aside from eating delicious fresh veggies, there are few things more satisfying the digging into a big pot of soil and getting your hands dirty with the earth. When was the last time you felt mud under your nails?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Dig in!</span></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-53234187448660460552009-03-01T21:13:00.000-08:002009-03-01T21:20:36.629-08:00TED Talks<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Wow, 2 posts from me in 1 day. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">This post is a very brief follow-up to my morning of quiet and listening, where I discovered the amazing </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.ted.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">TED Talks</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> -- 20 minute presentations by creative thinkers and artists about their work, the world we live in and what it means to be human in these times. In particular, I am enamored by Elizabeth Gilbert's talk (of <span style="font-style: italic;">Eat Pray Love</span>) and her thoughts on the ever-elusive creative process. I highly recommend listening to it -- </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/453"><span style="font-weight: bold;">click here</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> to go directly to her TED segment.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I was also fascinated by Helen Fisher's talk on the physiological study of the </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/helen_fisher_studies_the_brain_in_love.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;">brain in love</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, and again, in loss. It's no wonder break-ups are so incredibly hard and the general experience of loving so profound.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Enjoy!</span></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-25036598065656560032009-03-01T08:09:00.000-08:002009-03-01T08:26:27.540-08:00Morning<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I spent most of yesterday trying to fill the day with "doing things" - some of which I authentically wanted to do, like go to the Noe Farmer's Market and my favorite yoga class. Other things were just space-fillers - activities I invented for myself to not feel bored or lonely. I am very good at entertaining myself in this way - I could probably spend 2 weeks alone in the woods and feel very busy with my own random adventures.<br /><br />What I'm trying to learn is how to identify those activities that bring me genuine enjoyment and inspiration and weed them out from those that just kill time. I'm trying to learn the art of just sitting with myself, of putting the computer away and the camera down. To sit with the sometimes-awkwardness of being alone in the world and just letting it happen. Just being, observing, slowing down, getting quiet. It is in those moments that the random acts of kindness and spontaneous miracles find me (or at least I'm pay enough attention to finally see them).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Sunday mornings have always been my favorite time of the entire week for that exact reason. They are sacred to me. They feel like the only time in the week that I can allow myself a few hours of "not doing" and sit and listen to music or read. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I want more of this calm. Don't we all? And I have no idea what lifestyle changes I need to make in order to create it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Until then, I'm savoring this rain against my window on this Sunday morning, a kitty on my lap and KFOG's beautiful "<a href="http://www.kfog.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Acoustic Sunrise</span></a>" radio show that is hitting just the right heart spots. If you're not a Bay-Area resident, you can listen for free online :) <br /><br />I invite you to put the kettle on, keep your pajamas on and join me.</span></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-20920055160884113012009-02-02T22:58:00.001-08:002009-02-02T23:08:50.738-08:002.2.09<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiUm1ebj4jFAuGNbk-nGNAtJSdO-vPxOhc0tNdGJ7SNoXUoMBI1oeK8v8SyOaKi_no7ZE6tKr_CmG2UOrmUG5w083NZKPvFtGg_Jovxk9eDHUniJvfDt9tnu2cTF363SLCosOmwJTI0s/s1600-h/IMG_0011.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiUm1ebj4jFAuGNbk-nGNAtJSdO-vPxOhc0tNdGJ7SNoXUoMBI1oeK8v8SyOaKi_no7ZE6tKr_CmG2UOrmUG5w083NZKPvFtGg_Jovxk9eDHUniJvfDt9tnu2cTF363SLCosOmwJTI0s/s200/IMG_0011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298463963911920562" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" >san francisco, CA</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-11613480306448356942009-01-25T17:49:00.000-08:002009-03-12T17:25:44.960-07:00Change I Can Believe In<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Obama is officially president. Finally. After the hum of last Tuesday quieted, I found time for a little reflection. And honestly, despite how much I believe in this new administration and the change it has the power to bring, I found myself still a bit depressed, still struggling to pull out some hope for the time ahead.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> I think a lot of this darkness, for me, is the fact that it's going to be a long time before things truly improve in this country, and this world. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Obama's</span> leadership isn't an antibiotic that will cure a sinus infection in 2 days. It's going to be a slow dose of radiation over a period of years, coupled with therapy, acupuncture, diet change & yoga. It's going to take time to heal these wounds. That is probably what's hardest for me personally, because I'm impatient and like so many of us, am always looking for the quick-fix. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I think the other part that's hard to swallow about this new "change" is that it's not directly affecting my own life. Sure, I feel the recession in my own way, the global crisis, the war. I do. But when I think about change in my life, I think about finding a partner, a home I can afford, a way to contribute to society in a meaningful way and a lifestyle that inspires me. These are selfish things, I know, but they're changes I want for my own life that haven't happened. Yet. And as much as I want to believe this can all happen simultaneously, it just seems that God/Obama/the rest of us have a hell of a lot on our plates.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">And so despite all that doom gloom talk I wrapped myself up in, I decided to stop moping and force myself into some art. A trip to the <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://www.sfmoma.org/pages/departments/photography"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">SFMOMA</span></a> almost always shakes me out of a lull and this time was no different. The thing I most appreciate about art is that it allows us to both escape and embrace the time we're in & the emotions we face. It honors the pain & the joy and also <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">supersedes</span> them and allows us to escape them.<br /><br />Aside from the many great photography exhibits I saw, the thing that moved me most was a book I stumbled upon in the bookstore on my way out the door. The book is called "<a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://www.3191ayearofmornings.com/">A Year of Mornings</a>" by Maria Alexandra <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Vettese</span> and Stephanie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Congdon</span> Barnes. These two women, who met through their online blog/website presence, collaborated to document 365 mornings last year and share them with each other. They live 3191 miles apart (one in Portland, Oregon and one in Portland, Maine). The images in this book are beautiful glimpses into the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">mundane</span> intimacies each woman faced each day. They pay homage to routine, to ritual and to taking the time to notice the quieter moments. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I feel a bit guilty that a book on morning photographs has allowed me to forget the current world crisis and my own loneliness in it, but at the same time, I think it's a true example of how I want to handle the next few years. It's going to be messy. It's going to take time to heal. And in the process of that recovery, it's all we can do but to find joy in the lives we're trying to lead, the love that we are building and the morning moments we receive each day that bring about a fresh start, the change we are seeking.</span><br /></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-5075956770246520822008-12-08T12:17:00.000-08:002008-12-08T14:45:21.139-08:00Italy In Our Hearts<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">This past April, I ventured across the globe to Tuscany and spent a week at <a href="http://www.fattorialaloggia.com/hospitality.htm"><strong>La Loggia</strong></a> with my favorite poet, <strong><a href="http://www.davidwhyte.com/">David Whyte</a></strong>, and a group of 30 strangers. What transpired over that week was a string of small and large miracles, adoption into an "instant family" and dozens of meals, hikes & conversations that are still emblazed in my heart. The hardest part of a great trip though, is keeping that trip alive long after you've returned home again. It's easy to forget the perfection of fava beans and goat cheese at a simple picnic table, the peace of mornings around a fireplace reading poetry, the quietly changing angles of sun over landscape. There is a certain kind of vulnerability that arrives when you travel and disappears when you get home. It's that exact vulnerability that allows the miracles to happen. It's so easy to forget how to stay open and how to receive. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Eight months after we all returned home, I am happy to say that I've stayed close with my new Italian family and have been especially blessed to live in the Bay Area with a few of them. And last night, in all her beauty, Italy came back to us. Our fellow David Whyte-follower, Eric, was in town visiting from Seattle. Dee, Ward and I met him at my favorite family-run Italian restaurant, <strong><a href="http://tommasosnorthbeach.com/">Tommaso's</a></strong> in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. We tucked ourselves into a cozy booth, shared glasses of a beautiful Super-Tuscan red wine and nibbled on fresh mushroom pizza. We let ourselves truly reminisce -- the kind of reminiscing you can't do with people who didn't take the journey with you. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">We also reminded each other of how important and influential that trip to Italy was and how valuable an investment travel can be, especially within the backdrop of poetry, agritourism and philosophy. This is the kind of travel that matters. These are the kinds of trips we all need to be taking.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I'm lucky because I work for a company who's main goal is to inspire travel. I realize that some travel experiences have been more accessible to me than to others. For all of those trips, I am deeply grateful. It is my wish for 2009 that those closest to me can experience an amazing trip of their own - a trip that rocks your core, a trip that brings you closer to yourself than ever before. It doesn't have to be across an ocean to Italy. Sometimes it just takes a drive down Highway 1 or a weekend painting retreat. Whatever your dreams are, let me know about them - I'll do anything within my travel expertise to help you make them real.</span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-27841185389721448952008-11-10T16:02:00.000-08:002008-11-12T12:48:11.437-08:00The Old World<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">In a culture that places a huge amount of value on speed, productivity and general new-ness in all that we buy, I've been digging deeper for the old. I've been searching for the antique keys, the scribbled vintage postcards, the historic, un-changed buildings. I want to go back in time when things were slower. I want to go back before the ipod. Heck, before electricity. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">While San Francisco boasts gorgeous Victorian and Edwardian architecture and a plethora of historic buildings and landscapes, I still have trouble finding old, homey hangouts that authentically feel like they are from another era, that they haven't been changed.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Thankfully, I've befriended a few lovely British friends who introduced me to the Pelican Inn, just a short drive north of San Francisco beyond the Golden Gate Bridge. Located just steps from dramatic Stinson Beach, <strong><a href="http://www.pelicaninn.com/location.html">the Pelican Inn</a></strong> is an incredibly homey (and ancient) English pub and inn (with just 7 rooms). I don't think it's changed much since it was built in 1855 and locals couldn't be more thankful. On Sundays, the Pelican Inn hosts its weekly "Sunday Roast" where you can enjoy a bottomless plate of roast, mashed potatoes, salad & local blue cheese. The cider and beer flowly freely, as does the whiskey and live music. This is how a Sunday should be spent.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">What I love most about the Pelican Inn was the feeling that the building radiates. She's unapologetic and graceful all at once. Her carpets are worn straight through but their faded colors are comforting. It's drafty and dark when you're not near the fireplace but you've never been cozier in a wool seater. Single, dripping candlesticks line each table without pretense. The cloudy windows turn sunlight into single, lemony beams that streak the dusty air. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I'm not sure how we passed 5 hours there on Sunday afternoon. We moved in and out of the main room at the dining table & spent time sprawled out on old quilts on their lush lawn. We ordered pint after pint of cider and held the old mugs tightly as the sun got lower. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Later, at sunset, we walked down to the beach and watched the pelicans glide low in their perfect lines against the horizon.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Then, it was time to go home.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-4769519958887951422008-10-19T18:15:00.000-07:002008-10-20T15:15:34.209-07:00Querencia<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I spend a lot of time seeking miracles outside my home, whether it's the perfect graffiti message, inspiring local events or the tiny magic places no one knows about.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Maybe it's because autumn is really starting to settle down in my bones and the early edge of winter and darkness is here. Maybe it's the foggy-gloom that makes home feel more homey. Either way, the past few weekends in San Francisco have reminded me not to overlook the Urban Miracles that exist in my own home and the <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">querencia</span> that can be found in this funky Victorian apartment above Church Street. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">In the Spanish language, the word <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">querencia</span> describes the feeling of home, "the wanting place", the place in which we are most ourselves.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> I am learning how to build and re-build querencia in my life every single day.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I recently started reading <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Vegetable-Miracle-Year-Food/dp/0060852550"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Animal, Vegetable, Miracle</span></a> by Barbara Kingsolver and it's rocking my world. The general basis behind the book is a story of a family (the author's) who chooses to spend a year living off the land in the southern Appalachia Mountains. Their goal is to eat mostly locally-grown food (their own or their friends') and to truly get in sync with the earth, mother nature and her seasonal gifts. They explore, in their own way, the idea of designing their own Querencia from the land they live on. Along with her own, her husband's and her 19 year-old daughter's narratives, Kingsolver includes the seasonal recipes she creates as she watches her land turn from spring to summer, autumn to winter.<br /><br />Reading this book has pushed me to spend a bit more time at the Noe Farmer's Market which is held each Saturday down the street in the (only) parking lot in my neighborhood. It's prompted me to seek out seasonal recipes and to turn the stove back on. It has reminded me of the power that a home-cooked meal, good wine, and friends can have on a drained spirit.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Last weekend, I gathered the ingredients for my favorite autumn recipe: </span><a style="FONT-FAMILY: verdana" href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=435"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Roasted Garlic, Potato & Leek Soup</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> (thank you, Whole Foods). I found every single ingredient at the farmer's market and spoke to the farmers who grew them. I now know most of them by name. The soup cooked on the stove all day and friends stopped by whenever they could for a warm bowl and fresh bread. The whole house was enveloped in the earthy-sweetness of simmering leeks & garlic. Some people burn sage to turn negative energy into good. I cook leeks. And drink wine.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">There's something truly magical about leaving a pot cooking all day, filling the house with music and watching the fog roll in across the Twin Peaks hilltops. There's something incredible about living with, and a few houses from, close friends. There's something to be said for slowing down...and staying home.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-85698196948025741262008-10-14T17:08:00.000-07:002008-10-14T17:10:57.274-07:00New Photography Site Is Live!<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">...don't forget to check back with the Urban Miracles blog for more inspiring happenings around the world...<br /><br />But in the mean time, my very own photography website is live and in need of some open eyes and tender hearts to view it.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.sarahroosphotography.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">http://www.sarahroosphotography.com/</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><br /><br />Enjoy!</span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-16142103519837823432008-10-02T09:47:00.000-07:002008-10-02T09:59:34.005-07:00Photography Show This Weekend!<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Thanks to San Francisco's <strong><a href="http://www.sfmapp.com/live/">MAPP organization</a></strong>, which I've blogged about previously, I have my very first opportunity to host my own photography show this weekend.<br /><br />My space will be at Harrison and 24th St. -- stop by the Red Poppy Art House around 7pm to get a "MAPP" of the participating locations/studios and you'll be directed to my spot (there are 17 total).<br /><br />Pending a dry evening, the show will be in a lovely garden, surrounded by twinkle lights, candles & a cozy chiminea. My new friend Jorge will be providing the live jazz/world music with a group of his friends.<br /><br />Hope to see you all there!</span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-50192894179442600982008-09-24T07:29:00.000-07:002008-09-24T07:55:50.092-07:0020 Slides x 20 Seconds<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">You can say anything you want. It's great if you stick to the evening's theme. It's fine if you don't. You get 20 slides at 20 seconds each. 6 minutes total. Not a second more.</span> </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">That's the structure for Pecha Kucha.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Last night, I had the chance to experience my very first <a href="http://pechakucha-sf.com/"><strong>Pecha Kucha</strong></a> night here in San Francisco. Pronounced "pay-cha-ka-cha", Pecha Kucha nights were born in 2003 by a small group of designers as a place to pitch their ideas and projects to each other within the guidelines of a short presentation infrastructure. Given how long-winded artists and designers can be about their work, the structure of the evening gives everyone a chance to have the spotlight for 6 minutes. The word Pecha Kucha means "the sound of conversation" in Japanese which aptly describes the buzz in the room of 400+ people listening to each other's ideas.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Today, Pecha Kucha nights can be found in hundreds of cities around the world and have expanded far beyond the scope of design projects. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Each Pecha Kucha event centers around a certain theme, which can be used for inspiration but is in no way required. Last night's theme was "Verde, Verte" which some used as a platform to talk about urban green design projects. However, you certainly don't have to be a designer or architect to present. In fact, some of the more interesting speakers last night were photographers and community activists sharing their work that was completely unrelated to the theme. The blessing and the curse of the event is the strict 20-slides/20 seconds guideline, which gives you just enough time to pitch an idea but not enough time expand upon it and/or lose your audience's attention.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Starting a Pecha Kucha evening is fairly easy and fully supported by the organization. Most major U.S. cities already have their own Pecha Kucha chapter -- <a href="http://www.pecha-kucha.org/"><strong>click here</strong></a> to see events from your city. I'm considering presenting in the next San Francisco Pecha Kucha, providing I can muster the courage to be the center of 400 people's attention for 6 entire minutes. Stay tuned!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-66054077738503981852008-09-02T20:32:00.000-07:002008-09-03T10:03:39.042-07:00Come to the Table<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I realize now that I'm one of the lucky ones. I've been a Slow Foodie for 27 years. I grew up in (fairly rural) Western New York with parents who really cherished family meals. I'd go with my mom to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spoth's</span></span> Farmer's Market and help her pick out locally-grown produce for lunches and dinners. We prepared the meals together, each with our respective tasks (I'm a really good salad-maker, by the way). We didn't watch TV during dinner, we didn't answer the phone. We all helped clean up. But the reality is, our view towards meals was an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">anomaly</span> compared to most American families. In a country that provides more fast food options than farmer's markets, that often seems like the easier path. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">A few years ago, I stumbled upon the international </span><a href="http://www.slowfoodusa.org/"><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Slow Food</span></strong></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> website. The movement, which started in 1989 in Italy, was founded "To counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world." However, at the time, the movement had not gained a lot of momentum in the U.S., especially not in Florida, where I was living.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Fast forward to this past weekend, 4 years later. San Francisco was honorably chosen to host the first ever Slow Food Nation gathering in America, a huge step for the Slow Food movement and its influence on Americans. The 3-day holiday weekend was full of events that celebrated locally grown food and shared community meals. The Slow Food Tastings, held at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center, provided a rich and incredible taste of all kinds of Slow Food providers, from artisan cheeses to pickled chutneys, to local honey, to organic cucumber vodka. Each tasting station was designed by a local <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">architect</span> to capture the feeling and inspiration of that food group (ex: The "spirits" tasting was held under a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">back lit</span> canopy of huge, white drink umbrellas, the pickle tasting was held under a cascade of gold mason jar lids, etc.).</span><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/2824161400_883a80852b.jpg?v=0"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img style="WIDTH: 346px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 190px" height="157" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/2824161400_883a80852b.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></span></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2824145662_8da0cfd9e2.jpg?v=0"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img style="WIDTH: 330px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 217px" height="181" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2824145662_8da0cfd9e2.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></span></a></p><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/2823331289_e9ddd6b481.jpg?v=0"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img style="WIDTH: 330px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 228px" height="169" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/2823331289_e9ddd6b481.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></span></a></p><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">While the Tastings were attached with a $65 ticket price, there were dozens of other free events held throughout the city. The Civic Center Plaza held the Slow Food Farmer's Market where you could talk to local farmers and providers and purchase their food. It also held the Slow Food Victory Garden, which was was planted in the spring to be harvested for this event. Victory Gardens began around World War II era and were sustainable gardens that produced food for families during times of economic and national crisis. All of the produce grown in Slow Food's modern Victory Garden was donated to food shelters in the Bay Area. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Monday was reserved for community meals, where dozens of impromptu picnics and potlucks could be found throughout the city, the largest of which was an <strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35496909@N00/sets/72157607086239435/show/">"Eat-In"</a></strong> held in Dolores Park. Over 400 people gathered at the summit of the park, overlooking San Francisco's skyline, to share a potluck meal. The tickets were free - you just had to bring something to share. The (very!) long table that curved around the upper <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">perimeter</span></span> of the park and was even set with formal linens and glassware. This was not your normal urban picnic - this was truly a community celebration.</span><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/2823374449_2dbc766fc8.jpg?v=0"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img style="WIDTH: 421px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 233px" height="176" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3057/2823374449_2dbc766fc8.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></span></a></p><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Although the Slow Food Nation events in San Francisco have come to a close, Slow Food continues to hold smaller events throughout the country, and world. Check out </span><a href="http://www.slowfoodusa.org/"><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Slow Food <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">USA's</span></span> website</span></strong></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> for events near you. And maybe even more importantly, try giving the Slow Food founding principles a try in your daily life. Do what you can to buy from your local farmer's market, gather your friends and family and share any and all meals that you can. Turn off the TV. Let the food, music and conversation be your entertainment. Work on savoring meal time together, the one sacred place where we can combine some of our favorite things (delicious food and loved ones) into one special event, held daily.</span>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1566336226637486024.post-80332358402575125522008-08-28T00:10:00.001-07:002008-08-28T18:35:48.420-07:00Under the Sea at the Castro Theater<div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">What do you get when you combine 1400 eclectic people in San Francisco's famous Castro neighborhood, a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">juried</span> mermaid costume contest (for adults and children), 1400 pearl necklaces and 1400 jars of bubbles?</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYprIbBKyAuuL2riLkr8O_M0QoNAssq3MfJ451aHz1HUFUTC7Ed3mI8qSLgY79TtH6g6nDkmQuYqmiM96uJSiqxXgQ1fAMCruKmhSuzpYeD0X39ZU9se0z__78OCEgfuRzErV0Dp0OKPU/s1600-h/DSC_0121.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYprIbBKyAuuL2riLkr8O_M0QoNAssq3MfJ451aHz1HUFUTC7Ed3mI8qSLgY79TtH6g6nDkmQuYqmiM96uJSiqxXgQ1fAMCruKmhSuzpYeD0X39ZU9se0z__78OCEgfuRzErV0Dp0OKPU/s200/DSC_0121.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239742100930087506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div></div><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">My friends, you get the Little Mermaid Sing Along at the <a href="http://www.thecastrotheatre.com/index.html"><strong>Castro Theater</strong></a>.<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">Build in 1922, The Castro Theater is an impressive historic landmark here in San Francisco that has hosted Sing Along musicals, along with hundreds of other films and live events, for the last 80+ years. This past week, the theater hosted my all-time favorite cult classic, The Little Mermaid.<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">L and I walked into the theater without expectations. We knew we loved the movie as kids (<em>loved</em> the movie), so that was enough for us. When we were handed a colorful gift bag full of sparkly props at the door by "Ariel" herself, we knew we were in for a real treat.<br /></span><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">The interior of the theater is classically grand -- the huge gold-embossed cathedral ceiling took my breath away. On the stage, an organist in a tuxedo played songs from the movie that reverberated throughout the theater. We took our seats and opened up our goody bags, happy to discover a golden paper crown and pearl necklace to wear right away. We also discovered a glow stick, party popper, small jar of bubbles, a silver plastic fork (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">dinglehopper</span>) and a noisemaker/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">cla</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">pper</span> thingy.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />As people took their seats, I looked across the audience and found myself beaming as I gazed down upon hundreds of gold crowns.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLNuEStAgvIiinqoNN0q06ndppqg9bFGX6cDo6g63wN9MAdhKwNY6p18W0Sbtb0fdE-jM3dKTwIbILGq1v7J79Nap2Aunr0B2X1Pnj0VTkO4T0k74zURyjOMSmRaQltve-9dONbKFzkg/s1600-h/DSC_0130.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLNuEStAgvIiinqoNN0q06ndppqg9bFGX6cDo6g63wN9MAdhKwNY6p18W0Sbtb0fdE-jM3dKTwIbILGq1v7J79Nap2Aunr0B2X1Pnj0VTkO4T0k74zURyjOMSmRaQltve-9dONbKFzkg/s200/DSC_0130.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239742911360776354" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">"Ariel" got up on stage and kicked off the show, which began with a costume contest for children, followed by a costume contest for adults. The most beautiful man I've ever seen dressed up as Prince Eric. My childhood fantasy was brought back to life -- I <span style="font-style: italic;">still</span> want </span><span style="font-size:85%;">to be part of <span style="font-style: italic;">his</span> world.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Finally, after much anticipation, the show began. Ariel instructed to make as much noise as possible - whether through our singing or general "clean" commentary about the events on screen. L and I sat next to a hilariously rambunctious group of guys that didn't hold anything back, cat calling Ariel when she rescued Eric from the exploding ship ("Oh yes she DID!") and booing Ursula every time she appeared ("You are so UGLY I can't even stand it!").<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">We shook our plastic clappers every time Sebastian scurried across the screen, blew our bubbles when Ariel took her grand bath in Eric's castle and popped our party poppers when they FINALLY smooched at the end. Wow. 4,000 party poppers and streamers flying = magical, magical kiss.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />I have to admit how touched I was by the music and lyrics of this movie, now that I'm seeing it as an adult. I didn't understand it all as a kid, even though I knew every word by heart.<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>I'm ready to know what the people know...ask 'em my questions and get some answers...What's a fire and why does it - what's the word? Burn? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">When's</span> it my turn? Wouldn't I love, love to explore that world up above? Out of the sea...wish I could be...part of that world.<br /><br /></em></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">After the movie ended, all 1400 crowned men, women & kids left the theater and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">dispersed</span> along Castro Street with their pearl necklaces still on. I felt like it was New Year's Eve, Halloween and my birthday all in one night. Thanks, Castro Theater, for keeping the kid alive in all of us and the part of us that believes that a true <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">love's</span> kiss is really all it takes. </span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ></span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" > </div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />I speak for everyone when I say that we look forward to many more Sing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Along's</span> together.<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><p style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2E9gJhsfl8dIE9MTc7OFEaZewrdD1thZZbeZ5hVCk4om2FMfvpoU_BFCIYENodWCVEqAHzH6nHlxYXkKL5G39Ep9efu0YRThAI40uoUfPyEL0W_91mOKVRu3iTGYvPOTcFPdtBhU-QSg/s1600-h/littlemermaid.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239683732457095362" style="width: 251px; height: 305px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2E9gJhsfl8dIE9MTc7OFEaZewrdD1thZZbeZ5hVCk4om2FMfvpoU_BFCIYENodWCVEqAHzH6nHlxYXkKL5G39Ep9efu0YRThAI40uoUfPyEL0W_91mOKVRu3iTGYvPOTcFPdtBhU-QSg/s200/littlemermaid.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;" face="verdana"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > </span><div style="font-family: verdana;"></div>Urban Miracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12197403929337506749noreply@blogger.com2