August 5, San Francisco, Dogpatch neighborhood

Today, after breakfast, we made our way to the Dogpatch area of SF, an area roughly half industrial and half residential.  Initially, it was a gritty working class neighborhood, but it has experienced a rapid transformation since the 1990s.  It now boasts an upper middle class working professional neighborhood.  Our first venue was the Museum of Craft and Design, located on Third Street in Dogpatch.  Admission was free, as it was a Tuesday, and there were several exhibits of jewelry, wooden sculptures, as well as installations by several current artists.  The gift shop, laden with pieces by local artists, was equally fascinating.  From there we explored the rest of the Dogpatch area, including two artisanal chocolate places, Pico Dolce and The Little Nib; Olivier's, a French butchery; Fromagerie, an artisanal cheese shop; some winetasting establishments; several galleries where artists not only exhibited their wares, but also had a space to work and create, and, for lunch, to the Piccino Cafe, where Maureen had a salad and I had a turkey-vegetable soup.  We ended the afternoon by driving to and visiting a wonderful nursery called Flora Grub, where we viewed plants and flowers which I had never seen before, as well as wonderful seating arrangements for the garden and colorful planters.  It was almost like being in a park.  Afterwards, tired, we returned home, took a little nap, and then prepared dinner, which consisted of Asian rice soup with lemongrass, an assortment of two cheeses, and crackers.  After dinner, Maureen told me some wonderful stories about her youth, and then we took a spin to McLaren Park, the second biggest park in SF after Golden Gate Park.  Some amazing views of the city were to be had from there.  Now we are back home for the evening.  A fine day!