Part of being an empty-nester is being able to spend more time with your spouse. And for Dear Husband, that seems to involve seeing a Sondheim production whenever possible 🙂 This time, we ventured into San Francisco. And he lured me in with the promise of lunch in North Beach.
We started by parking near the Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco. If you’ve been following the news in SF, you know that parking can be a dicey proposition these days. There are innumerable reports of car windows being smashed and cars being stolen all over the city. We even saw it ourselves when walking in Golden Gate Park.
Taking BART isn’t a much safer option, with all the crime and the overall lawlessness of the system. So it was with some hesitation that we left the car in a paid underground lot at the Embarcadero. We crossed our fingers and headed out for lunch in North Beach.
Original Joe’s for lunch in North Beach
Our lunch choice, Original Joe’s in North Beach, is about 20 minutes away from the Embarcadero by foot.
We were lucky to arrive at a time when the brunch menu was available, along with the normal lunch menu. I ordered a bit from both- a delicious bowl of minestrone and the crab cake eggs benedict. Dear Husband had a steak and a martini. We each had the special jelly donuts- they were a bit too sweet for my taste. And too much jelly!
Original Joe’s, 601 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94133
“Merrily We Roll Along” in Jackson Square
It was a gorgeous day in SF, so we walked from lunch in North Beach to Jackson Square for the theater. I love that area of SF; I used to work nearby when I first moved to SF and there are so many memories. Luckily, we didn’t see much evidence of the homeless/drug addict problems plaguing SF.
In fact the only thing we did see was a very silly parade through North Beach. I think they were celebrating April Fool’s Day? But it wasn’t entirely clear…
The Sondheim musical, “Merrily We Roll Along”, was interesting- definitely thought-provoking. After seeing a few Sondheim productions over the past few months, I’m picking up on the main themes of his work. Aging, reflecting on your life’s choices, regret…the inevitability of (some) disappointment in how your life has turned out. They all resonate with this aging gal!
And in defiance of all common sense, the theater required masks! This irks me to no end. When will the madness cease? The things we do for our loved ones 🙂
We walked back to the car, which was thankfully intact. And drove back home to ensure that sweet Cheddar got his afternoon stroll. Next up: “Into the Woods” with Dear Husband and Sophie. I’m off the hook! 🙂
