Our friend Jimmy in San Francisco is SO funny (which is one reason why we LOVE him so much). He will send us the funniest pictures of places he’s been and things he’s seen. Sometimes, he’ll do it just to make us jealous. Like the picture, below, which he sent in an email tonight with the caption, “Guess where I am?” It’s the server at GELATERIA NAIA, our favorite gelato spot in San Francisco. It made me and Eric laugh SO hard. He knows we would be there every night, if we lived in S.F.
If I'm not mistaken, that's Jimmy's favorite flavor -- pumpkin!
He also sent this picture, asking, “How many more do you need?” That’s because I insisted on saving the cute plastic cups that the gelato was served in. I thought you gave the cups back, so they could be washed and re-used, but they just throw them away. Well, not only am I against that (because I’m into recycling), but they’re so cute and they are the perfect serving of ice cream, sorbet, gelato or pudding, so I washed them and have them in the RV. Jimmy is slowly building a complete service for me (and I didn't even have to register!), because they come in different sizes and different colors. So, if you come to visit you can expect to have dessert in a cute little cup like this!
So here’s how our third day of apartment-hunting went:
We started the day with a big brunch at THE BROKEN YOLK CAFÉ (“We’ve Got Huevos!”). We had wanted to try this place since our last visit, when we first spotted it. I just loved the name! It’s a typical diner, which was VERY hard to find in many places across the country. We’re happy to see they have a great one in San Diego! This restaurant opened in 1979 and was voted “Best Breakfast.” I had the tortilla soup and grilled cheese (on rye with tomato) and Eric had the BLT. Both were really good. The waitress asked us about New York. It seems everywhere we go, as soon as we open our mouths, we give ourselves away. It’s a good thing we’re not on the lam!
So, here’s our day in a nutshell:
1. I plug the address of a prospective apartment/condo/house into Betty;
2. Eric drives us there in our zippy little Kia Rio;
3. We look at the outside of the building/complex/house;
4. I plug the next address into Betty.
We did get to see two apartments on the inside today, since I called to inquire about an apartment and he said he was going over there to show it to someone else and we could come, too. There were two apartments available in one 8-unit building. Both were up a long flight of stairs. The building was in an okay neighborhood on an okay block, but the apartments weren’t that great. They’re fine for young people, because they were clean and nice, but too small for us, and we really want something a little “fancier.” If we were 25 and broke, it would be perfect, because the price was right, but I’m happy we can afford something a little better.
We were a little disappointed, because the place we liked best from yesterday’s search was already gone this afternoon. You have to act fast if you like a place, because the good ones get snatched up really fast.
After five hours out and about, we came back and Eric immediately took a nap while I went on http://sandiego.craigslist.org/ and searched for at least another hour for more apartments we might like. Since I don’t have a printer in the RV (boo hoo), I have to hand-write all the details of the apartments in my little notebook. It’s a lot of work reading every ad and writing down the ones that we might like, but it’s worth it -- if we can find a great place to live!
We are ready to take a break (especially Eric), but I really feel like I have to keep searching, so I may go out on my own tomorrow. I think I can drive the car, program Betty and look at all the places by myself. If I like the buildings, I can make an appointment to see the apartment and then he’ll go with me. This part is really pretty boring, since you’re just looking at the outside of the building. We learned the neighborhoods we like and don’t like, so I’m going to narrow my search dramatically and will only go to the neighborhoods we like best. Wish me luck!