Cari Mateo

West Portal

I buy my coffee beans at Peet’s in the West Portal district of San Francisco. It’s a small coffee joint and parking in the area is horrendous but the neighborhood is great and people are friendly. The small shops on this street have a retro charm and there’s a nice selection of café’s and restaurants. There is also a convenient Muni Metro access that takes you directly downtown or to Stonestown Mall and San Francisco State University. 

Homes in this area are larger than the Sunset and detached unlike the Sunset. It’s a great neighborhood to walk during Halloween. They really get into the spirit of the holiday with decorations, a parade and lots of candy. 

I could post a picture of West Portal Avenue but this artist’s rendition illustrates the area far better. 

Photo: © Cari Mateo. All rights reserved.

Urushi

Many of my momentos are stored in a Japanese lacquer (urushi) box that a dear friend once gave me. Since then I’ve been looking for urushi accessories and furniture to enhance my home. I have found the perfect item for my house in this urushi bathtub. 

A hot bath in this lacquered tub designed by Yukio Hashimoto would be a great way to end an exhausting day. Unfortunately, I would have to give up a bedroom just to fit this in my small home. Maybe I’ll just settle for the wash basin.

Doting Aunt

I have very talented nieces and nephews who love to draw and paint. The two designs above were created by my nine-year old niece and aptly titled, “Drippy Mountains” and “Drippy Bottle". 

Please bear with me when I showcase their work on my blog. It is my right after all as a doting aunt. 

Photos: © Cari Mateo. All rights reserved.