Tag: Sunset

San Francisco: Coffee & Tea in the West Side

Kamilla2 Comments

Recently I found myself in a slump. At my lowest, I was binge-watching shows during the day (a sunny one, mind you) instead of taking nice walks around the city. So, in an effort to be productive one weekend, I packed up my kindle, my Moleskine, and my Swell bottle (am I proving to be too millennial? How about too SF lifestyle?) and walked to a nearby coffee shop—away from the tv.

I love exploring the city and finding new spots. My favorite kind of spot: coffee & tea. What makes me like a certain spot? Well, for reading, I have three parameters:

  1. Taste: If I can finish the drink I ordered, we are good. I’m not the pickiest person, but sometimes I just have to accept that I don’t like something.
  2. Space: Are there enough tables? Are the tables big enough to set my drink and my kindle plus my notebook and pens (and pencil case)? Is there enough space that I won’t feel ashamed of staying too there long?
  3. Relief: Please tell me there’s a restroom and that it’s clean because I will be sipping on my beverage(s) and will eventually need to relieve myself.

The fourth parameter is Connectivity i.e. wi-fi availability, but I don’t usually bring my laptop to coffee shops, so consider it a bonus, a cherry on top (although I hate preserved cherries on desserts), if they do have wifi. That said, I don’t think I’m asking for very much especially if I’m being charged ~$5 per beverage.

Here’s a list of some cozy and possibly underrated coffee shops in the west side in case anyone else is also in a binge-watching slump like me:

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My friendly neighborhood Books on the Park

Kamilla4 Comments

One of the sweet, sweet treasures of the Sunset is Green Apple Books on the Park. It’s on 9th Ave between Lincoln and Irving. It is my favorite bookstore. Ever. (Yes, I say ever because I always seek out indie bookstores when I travel.)

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Green Apple Books on the Park was my third* indie bookstore. I started with City Lights Bookstore (because, of course, it’s a San Francisco treasure), which I went to on particularly difficult days at work. I then discovered Green Apple Books (the OG one, which I am *counting as separate because it is, physically, its own store) on Clement after I had feasted on some amazing Asian dishes in the Inner Richmond. Both bookstores always left me overwhelmed. There were so many books calling out to me simultaneously; I never knew where to start. The bookstores are physically big, too. (Green Apple Books on Clement even has an Annex for its sci-fi, fantasy, et al collections.) Come the day I entered Books on the Park, possibly after feasting on glorious Asian food (most likely San Tung) as well, and it was love first sight.

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