jeffrey + upstairsloft

The bit where Steven Heller parallels design to be the circulatory system of the written word… well… genius.

An idea is the heart of every book; writing is its blood, and design its circulatory system. Design cannot be underestimated. A book that is merely composed according to a template, rather than with forethought and imagination, may be adequate for reading yet lacks the quality that makes savoring a book a complete experience. While a great text will conjure mental pictures, a great design—the marriage of type, typography and image—will give the reader added levels of perception that encourage cognition and appreciation. Even the most rudimentary design components—the texture of the paper, the kiss of a fine cut of type, the style of the running head or feet—are much more than aesthetic niceties. For this and other reasons the book must not only be appreciated, it must be revered.

» Read It Here

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Kate and I are living in our 2nd neighborhood in San Francisco. We love each of them for their very own reasons—which in fact are for the same reasons. The food. And despite running into people who try and shove it down mine and Kate’s throats that the Inner Sunset and the Inner Richmond are “out there,” I believe this to be the opposite. Fun fact. San Francisco is 7 sq miles; so “Out there” is irrelevant. It’s not like we live in Brisbane.

I digress.

The food. Yes. We live in pockets among pockets of delicious ethnic food. And our hood is quaint with the right amount of buzz. We, too, like residents in North Beach, The Haight, Nob Hill and in The Mission, hear the buses, the light rail, belligerent drunks, crackheads and car horns. Just not at 3:30am. And we’re blocks away from Golden Gate Park, a couple of miles away from the beach and more importantly we are steps away from our favorite grubbing spots.

Kate and I now have a place in our apartment to sit down and eat (and even face each other! Those who’ve visited us at our last apartment know about the box we lived in). So we’re cooking lots more and being pretty mindful of our dining budget. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t racked up a handful of places we love.

San Tung
The chicken wings! The black bean sauce noodles! The cherry fried pork!

Curry Village
Just across the street and 2 months since they’ve opened. But the saag paneer, chicken tandoori breast, bhuna chicken and fish curry are a few of our faves.

Nan King
The honey sesame chicken and hot pepper beef are awesome. And it’s tons more delicious than its greasier counterparts from other Chinese food joints.

Other faves include:
» Arizmendi Bakery
» Yumma’s
» Perilla
» Roxie’s Market & Deli (the sandwiches!)

All these places are within a 3-block radius. I’ll have to save 19th Ave/Irving for another blog. Aside from food, The Inner Sunset still has a bit of quirkiness and edge. The Academy of Sciences and the de Young Museum are footsteps away. The N-line still manages to bring in a few San Francisco eclectics. And there’s random cool things like (maybe you’ve heard of them) Craigslist. Oh! And we have a graphoanalyst. Yeah. I love the neighborhood.

I’m sure me and Kate would have gotten along just swell if we met each other as kids—on some Cory and Topanga shiz. Glad to see the wifey rocks the same ol’ jolliness that she had as a kid. From pudding cups to a Jack Daniels flask. Haha.

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