Thursday, January 16, 2014

Night Owls With No Mission. Valencia St. San Francisco, Ca

Date night at the adorable Foreign Cinema

Drinks before dinner

Never too old for a bathroom selfie

In wonderment of the sequined gold jumper


Graffiti art appreciation



A Hidden Door


One cold January evening, one of my besties and I reunited for a belated holiday dinner date. She had (finally!) come back home (to our Bay Area) for break from grad school in Boston. All hail the conquering graduate! We decided on dinner in the Mission District of San Francisco, a once dangerous (still is in some areas) neighborhood known for its gang violence, but has now changed into a trendy night spot welcoming the cool. The district is also known for it's large Latino population: the area is rich in culture as it's many alleys and buildings are painted with murals that each tell a powerful story. While I admit to basking in the new cute spots in the neighborhood, I'm alarmed at how rapidly the area has changed (I haven't lived in Northern California in five years). The last thing I would want is for the old residents to be completely wiped out and the gritty yet colorful life that once thrived to only be a thing of the past; a cookie cutter neighborhood "The Mission" should never be.

But I set my feelings aside to traipse about on a cold winter's night with an old friend. Dinner at Foreign Cinema set the festive tone of our holiday dinner (your wallet won't be so festive after your meal though. Just a warning). But the ambiance is spectacular! You'll enjoy fine food under romantic starry string lights and a movie playing against a far wall. This is definitely an eatery to visit. After dinner we set out in search of a nic nacs boutique where they sold Jane Austen band aids (the store ended up being closed). But along the way we were lured by the sight of a 6'2 blonde drag queen from inside a restaurant and bar where we subsequently made a pit stop to quench our thirst (the allure of a drag queen is never easy to resist. She was aloof though, but no matter!). Our last random stop before heading home was at an Indian restaurant where we picked up delectable tandoori chicken and a chicken wrap to share.

The only plan for the night was dinner at Foreign Cinema and the rest was ... whatever we felt like doing. It wasn't a crazy night, by any means, but it fulfilled a mentality that I and many of us had when we were younger or in college. I'll admit that nights like this are rare for me now, but when they happen, I cherish them. We should cherish them.

*Point of interest when visiting San Francisco's Mission District:
Balmy Alley

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