An Orange and Coconut Water in Golden Gate Park

More specifically, I was in the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, in Golden Gate Park. They were beautiful, even on a cloudy day. I didn't have much time to spend there, as I am not a very seasoned visitor to San Fran and forgot to bring an extra layer. I got too cold and left early.

Anyways, I picked up the coconut water at an over-priced natural food store right near the park, on Carl Street. I walked about 4 miles from the house I was staying at, in Bernal Heights, to the entrance I was told I must use, Lincoln Way and 9th Avenue (I also highly recommend that area, as you are led straight to the entrance to the Botanical Gardens). I was pretty thirsty by the end of that, so finding the natural food store was nice. I have been slightly obsessed with coconut water ever since my last trip to New York. It's a great drink; not only is it coco-licious, it's actually incredibly healthy for you. It's got a ton of potassium and minerals, natural isotopes and is super hydrating (it's a naturally isotonic beverage). Heh...and check out this crazy long list of benefits I just found online (now it's starting to remind me of kombucha...mmm...kombucha):

• Low in Carbohydrates
• 99% Fat Free - Contains No Cholesterol
• Low in natural occurring sugar
• Contains organic compounds possessing growth promoting properties
• Cures Malnourishment
• Effective in the treatment of kidney and urethral Stones
  
  
• Natural drink for feeding infants suffering from intestinal disturbances
• Excellent oral re-hydration medium, an all natural isotonic for all ages
• Re-hydrate naturally, free of added sugars or chemicals
• More hydrating to the body then water
• Lower arterial pressure
• Relieve spasms and stomach pain
• Ease burns
• Natural diuretic
  
  
• Presence of saline and albumen makes it an excellent drink in cholera cases
• Maintains the human body's natural fluid levels
• Can be injected intravenously in emergency cases
• Helps in carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells
• Eliminate swelling in hands and feet
  
• Normalize the intestinal function and raise metabolism
• Heal damage induced by antibiotics and toxins in the digestive tract
• Boost poor circulation

Wow! Well, I don't know about all of this stuff, but it is damn tasty and definitely makes me feel pretty good after drinking it. It accompanied my orange quite well (man, and it had been such a long time since I had had an orange), though I was pretty starving by the time I had a chance to eat dinner, which was no where near as healthy as this lunch-time snack ... uck.

At the Coffeeshop

The Veg-Hed Bagel Sandwich
...is what I got at Nervous Dog Coffee, a comfy cafe in Bernal Heights (near the Mission District) in San Francisco. Nathan and I are staying in this area with his brother and I'm spending the day doing what I've been aching to do since arriving back in the states three weeks ago - staying cooped up in a cafe with my laptop, playing around on the internet...all day. It's privileged and luxurious, yes, and quite wonderful.

I was hoping this place would have food, and it does! And it's tasty!! And with vegetables!!! Exclamation points!!!! The sandwich was very satisfying, one of about four of their special sandwiches (though you can build your own, too). The bagel was toasted (they had run out of a lot of their bagels by one, when I arrived, but thank god there were still some Everythings left), and the sammich was piled with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, spring lettuce, and maybe some other stuff. It had a lemony hummous that was pretty yummy, and some cream cheese, which was a nice touch. I was surprised it wasn't messier. I am notorious for being a mess with certain foods (tacos, give me a stack of napkins. A STACK.), but sandwiches can be hit or miss in the messy department, you know? But this sandwich was prepared with a clear consciousness for the consumer - stacked thicker in the middle and thinner around the rims to help facilitate pinching the sammich at its borders in order to keep the innards contained. Genius! The handling of such a sandwich is a sweet trick I learned from a master sammich-eater (who only showed me the trick because of how much I was grossing him out), and clearly this good samaritan preparer was trying to nudge customers in the right direction, as well. Fortunately I was already in the know, but it was nice to see a sandwich taken seriously. For once! (I have no idea what I'm talking about.)

The Kettle chips I got were totally unnecessary, but it's so hard to resist the crunch factor they provide when sandwich-munching. I'm a sucker for the crunch factor, and Kettle chips do provide a good crunch.

The chai was suuuper good. It had a great name - Pirate's Chai! Argh! I'm not sure why it was named Pirate's Chai, but I loved it. It was a green tea chai, not too sweet, a cool green color, and the same price as the regular boring chai. Too bad I don't live in this area; I would totally frequent this place.

They also had some yummy looking egg breakfast sandwiches (you could get it with a bagel or english muffin), and some breakfast turnovers and lunchy quiches, none of which I actually had. The drink selection looked pretty good, and the prices were not quite as expensive as what I've been seeing in the area, well, not as expensive as the one other coffee shop I've been to since in San Fran at least. Meh.

All in all it was pretty darn good.