Bay Area | July, 2023

We started July in Calgary, and we toted home some of the souvenirs below: a stack of records, and some dove-shaped coffee filters!

And the next day, we stopped by Matt Horn’s fried chicken spot Kowbird in Oakland on the way to Napa.

Wine tasting at Ashes & Diamonds

And a wedding rehearsal for Whitney & Ryan!

Whitney & Ryan’s wedding day! Spying on Courtney & Jackson behind the scenes…

I’m in the wedding instead of photographing it this time!

Then we rushed back to San Francisco the next day so that Alex could make it in time to get this Hello Kitty giveaway shirt, haha. And then we went to a screening of Joy Ride hosted by the Asian American alumni associations of all the Ivy Leagues plus Duke. Very fun movie, extremely raunchy.

What a month of events! Then we were down in San Jose for a Quakes game with Dan and Jeri! Now we’ve watched basketball, football, baseball, and hockey together all over the Bay! What’s next???

Sharks win! Pretty fun!

Back to San Francisco, time for a summer symphony concert.

We got to sit on the terrace, behind the musicians on stage! Loved being back, and I’m looking forward to more symphony concerts all season long.

My friend Chris was visiting California, so we went to Zuni Cafe for their famous roast chicken. Chris said that was a staple recipe for him during the pandemic, so he wanted to try the original. Very delicious, of course. Also, I picked up my first fruit CSA box from Frog Hollow Farm. Stone fruit season!

A lovely dinner at Chisai Sushi Club.

Brought Alex along to my Bernal Heights session, and we also found Cassie photographing a session there, haha. Afterwards, a visit to Anchor Brewing, which announced they were closing permanently after 127 years in business.

A morning meetup with Paul. We waited in line for Arsicault, browsed the Clement Street farmers market, and got lunch at a Chinese noodle spot.

Same day! Cookbook Club at the Valentes’. This month’s theme was Spanish tapas. Alex made a prawn tapas with deviled eggs, and I made candied egg yolks.

Alex starts his Lake Louise embroidery project! He has never done anything like this, but here he goes!

Meanwhile, I’m knitting my last drawstring bag to hold our wooden mahjong tiles.

Knitting while waiting in line for the Anchor Brewing merch sale. I got a whole bunch of things, including a box of Christmas Ale, a box of Anchor Steam, a couple t-shirts, and a Giants-colored jacket.

Check-in call, featuring an upside down baby.

On the 50th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s tragic passing, the Chinese Historical Society of America offered free admission to their Bruce Lee exhibit.

It was a bit of a community gathering, featuring lion dancers and Miss Chinatown too.

We had just recently started watching Warrior on HBO. It’s pretty good! A modern-day series inspired by Bruce Lee’s writings, it’s set in 1800s San Francisco Chinatown.

And of course we picked up some tea from Yi Fang and a couple baked goods from Good Mong Kok to take home.

My teeny tiny Tatung came in! Yun Hai sells these (not really electric, but real stainless steel that you can steam in), as well as real, full-sizzed Tatung steamers. Plus, a manicure + lunch date with Cassie.

Dinner (a mano) and a show (Les Mis).

Visiting our local library for a records + needlework session.

Alex is making progress on his embroidery!

Bring an Alex to Muir Woods, plus dinner afterwards in Sausalito.

Cheering on the San Francisco Marathon runners as they come by the ballpark! Some of these folks are ultramarathoners who have been running through the night for 12 hours. WILD. Also, sesame noodles for dinner after baby Leo’s Costco-themed birthday party, at which we won a rotisserie chicken, haha. 

Finished my drawstring bag! Using my teeny tiny Japanese scissors to finish it off.

Brunch with the Garrisons, including Buster.

Followed by a yarn-winding session, turning these skeins of yarn into little balls for a nice baby shower activity!

And then mahjong, and more food, of course. Alex smoked some ribs!

A Taiwanese “sakata” melon from my in-laws. 

New club experience at the ballpark! We got to visit the Cloud Club for a day, thanks to our season tickets rep with the Giants. Very cool! It’s all you can eat, with hot foods and a full dessert bar. Teeny tiny crazy crab sandwich!

Sporting my Anchor Brewing jacket, next to the Anchor Brewing suite. And apparently this is what the inside of a baseball looks like.

Pretty good for nice heated seats with a view of the game.

We had a great Cloud Club experience!

 

And that completes the month of July. Such a delight!

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She compulsively documents and blogs all of her daily adventures. Follow her on instagram and view more of her professional work at annawu.com.