A while back I wrote about my old favorite – but no longer available – San Francisco sourdough bread, Larraburu.
This morning comes word that another long-time San Francisco sourdough, Parisian is toast — its current owner, Interstate Bakeries (now in bankruptcy), having shuttered both the Parisian bakery and the brand.
Parisian was never my favorite sourdough but I still enjoyed the bright red, white and blue displays of Parisian bread at the market and the airport! Sad to see it go.
For some reason tonight, the memory of the old San Francisco Larraburu sourdough french bread popped into my mind.
Back in the late 60’s-early 70’s, Larraburu was THE sourdough of preference — at least for me! Somewhere along the way, the bakery went out of business — and sourdough in San Francisco has simply never been the same.
Meanwhile, today’s Chronicle reports that Parisian’s bankrupt parent Interstate Bakeries is closing its San Francisco bakery. Parisian, while they “locked up” the “take me home” airport distribution for years, was, in my opinion, the worst of the San Francisco sourdoughs! Unlike Larraburu, Parisian tasted like it came from a corporate bakery!
Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming…!
Finally, we had one of those northern California weekends that we have come to expect! After a very rainy Thursday, the skies cleared Friday morning and both Saturday and Sunday were downright superb — as weather goes. It also looks like we’re heading into a week of great weather ahead. Let’s hope so — it’s about time!
Such a beautiful sunset tonight looking out through the Golden Gate…I just had to blog it!
We’ve had some crazy weather over the last few days — northern California winter in May.
But tonight, looking out through the Golden Gate, it looks like — just maybe –things are settling down and we just might be heading back to spring tomorrow! After such a crazy few days of weather, let’s hope so!
Charles Babcock writes about Silicon Valley and the rekindling of entrepreneurial spirits in the latest issue of Information Week.
The giddy days in the greater San Francisco Bay Area are gone. But Silicon Valley is back, and it just might be more relevant to business-technology managers than ever, as it hosts a new crop of startup vendors that are more focused, more globally connected, and more disciplined than their predecessors.
It’s hard to believe that we just finished the first trimester of 2005! Seems like it was just yesterday that we had Christmas and New Years!
In our family, we’ve got a cluster of birthdays in mid-late April and early May — so it’s a busy and happy time of year. This year, the April showers seemed to last forever, bringing some cold blustery March-like days as well.
Onward to spring! Today looks like May is off to a beautiful start.
For me, the classic San Francisco radio voice has always been Tommy Saunders. Ben Fong-Torres reports in today’s Radio Waves column in The Pink that Tom’s is retiring and will be completing his last broadcast this afternoon on KOIT.
Saunders came to San Francisco about the same time I did — in the early 60’s — and held down the 9 PM to midnight shift on top 40’s powerhouse KYA. Those were my high school years and Saunders was there every night on the radio with his wit and classic DJ voice. Whatever it was, he’s one of those radio voices who’s been so familiar and, as a result, so “at home” ever since. He’s spent the last 24 years — a very long time in radio! — at KOIT, downshifting over the years into mostly weekend shows.
Hope he enjoys his retirement — maybe he should explore doing some podcasting with that great voice of his!
Carol Lloyd writes in the San Francisco Chronicle about the practice of the pre-emptive offer — in the context of buying San Francisco Bay Area real estate.
In the end, the pre-emptive offer is emblematic of the way the real estate market has come to represent the businessification of the average citizen.
Once, buyers were just home seekers; now, if they want to join the game, they are aggressive players in a dog-eat-dog industry.
Meanwhile, this reminder from Robert Shiller as posted on the Housing Bubble blog:
In a bubble, high prices are sustained only by the expectation of more high prices. That is what makes a bubble a bubble, prone to bursting.
The reason we cannot expect a soft landing today is that right now people are willing to pay these very high prices only because they expect them to go up even more in the future.
Prices can’t just level off, because when people no longer expect them to go up, some of them will not want to hold at the high price.
After an intense period at work, nothing’s better than a quick escape to get mind and body recalibrated as to what’s important. And, for me, one of those quick escapes is a weekend in Mendocino. For several reasons, Mendocino has seemed to fit like a glove — and that’s in spite of the intense traffic always experienced on US 101 through Petaluma and Santa Rosa in the struggle to get to Mendocino by car!
Early last summer, we’d found the perfect place to stay in Mendocino: the Stanford Inn by the Sea. The Inn’s just about as good a fit to our needs as we’ve ever come across. The rooms are great, the indoor pool and hot tub are delightful — regardless of the Mendocino weather — and the Inn’s restaurant pleases even me with its gourmet vegetarian fare. Plus, there’s the Massage in the Forest — there’s no better place to get mind and body relaxed and adjusted. Perhaps most importantly, the Inn is uniquely friendly to both humans and pets — and that’s a wonderful difference when you’re trying to get away for some relaxation with your whole clan in tow!
On this trip we discovered yet another reason in Mendocino’s favor: the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. While browsing through the Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino Saturday morning, we discovered a great local book titled “Mendocino Outdoors” by local B&B owner Dennis Freeze that included mention of the botanical gardens. The gardens are about 7 miles north of Mendocino on Highway One — and take you into a whole ‘nother world as they meander out to the stunning views from the headlands above the Pacific Ocean. Wow! I’ve uploaded a photo album with a few pictures from the Garden. Today’s new header graphic is also from the there.
Wow, long-time blogger Chris Gulker (who lives nearby) had a wonderful birthday dinner last night.
Left Bank is our favorite all-time restaurant in the greater Menlo Park environs! Left Bank “at home” is a whole new concept!