Coveted: Blazer

Yorkshire tweed blazer with leather elbow patches straight from the UK! Are those ducks printed on the liner? That is just too much.

Lets each get one and go apple picking this weekend.

Things I Love Today: Carving Sets

Cooking your first Thanksgiving turkey next week? This vintage antler handle carving set would be the perfect accompaniment to your perfectly roasted bird. It's $24 from Etsy.

Things I Love Today: Beaujolais Nouveau

Midnight on the third Thursday of November (tonight!) is the official start of Beaujolais Nouveau season. In France, the arrival of the season's first wine also marks the start of the holiday season.

I was in Paris for the arrival one year and was amazed by the number of signs and posters all around the city. Kick off the holidays tonight with a glass of young wine!

Stock up: Pajamas

We had our first frost warning of the winter this week. Colder temperatures call for adding a down comfortable to the bed, cranking up the radiators and switching to more substantial sleepwear. I'm a huge fan of the classic pajama set but they seem harder and harder to find in good quality each year.

Luckily, I have had a very good week in my ongoing pajama hunt. First, I picked up the softest pair of satin pajama bottoms at H&M for $12. Second, thanks to a sudden hatred for my credit card company prompting me to cash out all my points, I splurged on a pair of Brooks Brothers broadcloth pajamas.

I'm looking forward to future winter mornings in these classic PJ's - drinking coffee, reading the paper, wearing Rob's glasses, unwrapping Christmas presents.

What to Wear: Biking in Fall

After four months of riding the tandem bike to work, I've finally got a good handle on how to dress. It's actually easier to wear a lot of the heels that were gathering dust in my closet when I was walking to work. This outfit is inspired by my new favorite:





















Skirt - A high-waisted mini with pockets and a slit in front. Mine is from Bloomingdale's in a dark, almost denim fabric with a pleat instead that I found on sale. The slit or pleat is key for riding comfortably. And the
Tee - A gray long-sleeved tee shirt tucked in to the skirt.
Pashmina - A winter must-have.
Jacket - This cute tweed coat is under $40 from Forever 21.
Shoes - Black shoes with a wood heel are easy to match with either black or brown.
Earrings - Pearls from The Met.

Add on a pair of driving gloves and an old, rickety tandem bike - you're set!

First Clementine of Winter

It has begun. The first clementine of the season!

The first crack at the peel took me straight back to winter memories. Making pomanders, peeling for holiday brunches...all sorts of good things.

Lovely painting by PainterNik on Etsy.

Clip: An Affair to Remember

Possibly one of the best movies ever. Funny, glamorous, sad, a bit racy, great clothes, packed with adorable kids (I always thought the little blonde girl in the choir looked just like my little sister) and of course...you can't beat Cary Grant.

Since it ends at Christmas, I think it should be an official holiday movie.

To Do: City Guides Walking Tours

San Francisco City Guides leads free historic walking tours every day thanks to the public library sponsorship and an army of volunteer tour guides.

On the average Saturday, you can choose from 15 different routes including Chinatown, Pacific Height mansions, swanky hotels, North Beach and Sutro Heights. The tours are led by San Francisco natives and long-time residents who have great insight into the city's history.

And each tour is about half tourists and half locals!

Weekend Round-Up: Chinatown

I've been consciously trying to take it slow these last few weekends -to savor the break between a crazy summer and the holidays. It's been lovely!

On Friday, Rob and I went to the movies downtown after work. We saw The Men Who Stare At Goats, which was disappointing and strange. The director should have decided if the film was going to be either a comedy or a poignant anti-war tome...both didn't work out so well.

On Saturday, we had breakfast at home early on the drizzly day. Rob had to be at his bike coalition volunteer gig at 9:00 and I had to be in Chinatown by 10. Susan and I met for a walking tour promising to show the "real Chinatown." We walked with our groups through all kinds of hidden alleys filled with the clinking sounds of mahjong tiles for two and a half hours. Even though I've been a few times, this tour was all new to me.













After our tour, Susan and I had lunch at a Cantonese place and shared an enourmous messy salt and pepper fried crab.

















From lunch, we walked to pick up my repaired wedding ring at Lang's and ogled t the jewelry. And then went to Gump's and ogled the holiday displays - the city is in full Christmas mode already. A quick stop at H&M and Bloomingdale's and then home on the train before four. A good adventure!

Rob came home shortly after - all scraped up from a mountain bike ride with his buddy at Glen Park. We had a warm bath and a mellow dinner watching Away we Go (another slight disappointment here - did anyone else find the characters in this movie annoying?). Luckily, An Affair to Remember was also on that night...much better!

Up early on Sunday morning to have breakfast at a cafe down the street with the Sunday Times. Brrr...a freezing morning and our first "two radiator" day of winter at the apartment.
















Rob left for another quick volunteer session. I read, cleaned, painted, organized cabinets and relaxed at home while he was away. At 2:30, we met up and took the tandem bike out for a fast ride. Down Valencia Street, over to Glen Park, up to Twin Peaks with the tourists and back home on the windy street pictured below.













Another hot bath to warm up from the cold day. A bit of blogging and a hearty dinner at Home. You can see more photos from the weekend here.

To Do: Chinatown

I'm going on a little Chinatown adventure tomorrow morning. It's a whole different world, even though it's smack in the middle of the city. A mini vacation...with sandalwood soap!

Have a great weekend!

Vintage-style photo from gas3d

Things I Love Today: Fireside Candle

I was given this lovely candle for my birthday in the Fireside scent.

It smells like cedar, pine and a warm fire in your imaginary cabin. And it would fit just right in the bottom of a Christmas stocking.

Things I Love on Wednesdays: Waffles

Another day, another new food obsession. Rob and I passed by the Belgian waffle truck at the morning Civic Center farmer's market for the past a few weeks. This time, we finally stopped on our way to work.

Crispy on the outside and melty on the inside thanks to a roasting hot iron. Mine was powdered sugar, Rob's was Nutella. Waffle Wednesday is official!

To Do: $1 Oysters

Woodhouse Fish Company has $1 oysters on Tuesday nights. I wasn't a fan previously, but I'm hooked now thanks to the fresh selection served on a bed of ice at this local spot. I suppose turning 30 and all the "sophistication" that comes with that milestone helped too (groan!).

Not yet sold on trying oysters? This Hemingway quote may help you make them a favorite for fall:

"As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”

- Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast