Relocating Phyllis

It is not uncommon for a Pigeon to wander in to one of our Boulanges…no doubt tempted by the crumbs of almond croissants that sprinkle the floor underneath our sample platter, and so the staff knows to walk towards them and usher them in the direction of the front door….coaxing them back outside where they belong. Occasionally, the coaxing does not work, and the birds decide to take flight. Typically, this means someone has to catch them to send them on their way again. I’ve seen this scenario play out enough times to not be surprised by it.

At our Polk street store, we’ve been introduced to a particularly cheeky pigeon. She figured out quickly that if she flies up into the spacious loft-style windows above the entry, then no one can easily get to her and she can watch the comings and goings of the busy Boulange undisturbed. She’ll occasionally fly a lap around the dining room, but seems content to perch at the front of the store more often than not. The staff at Polk street has named her Phyllis, and much to our dismay, she has grown more and more comfortable over the last week or so. We were fearful that her lazy circle around the dining room might begin to include a dive-bomb snatch and grab style attack on a dining table, or that the pastry case might be a future target, and so we could not continue to let her feel so welcome. We decided to take her to Golden Gate Park.

Yesterday, when she sauntered in and made her morning appearance, we set to the work of capturing her. We set a ladder below the window she’s most comfortable in, but every trip we made to the top of the ladder resulted in a stressful escape attempt by her, sending her into the windows and then circling the dining room. We have to replace the step ladder we’re using with a larger ladder that will get someone up on the platform where she likes to stay, and we wait.

Watching while we wait for her to get comfortable seeing the ladder beneath her, a curious customer wanders up and asks, “So, do you think she’ll just climb down the ladder?”

“Actually, that would be nice if she did,” we reply. No such luck.

Levi, the lucky one going up the ladder, ingeniously ties an apron to the end of a pole, and as he ascends, he slowly lowers the apron over Phyllis, until her flapping attempts of escape subside. She is cornered and her attempts to fly out the windows are met with thuds. Watching him, you might think he’s done this before….He hops up to the platform and gently wraps her in another apron until she’s bundled and brings her down. She went for a brief ride in Levi’s truck before being safely deposited in the park.

This morning, on my visit to Polk, I look up to the window where Phyllis liked to perch, feeling victorious. We didn’t hurt her and she will no longer be a fixture……and I see a new pigeon has
picked up where she left off.

Cheeky, cheeky pigeons.

On Strike

It’s that time of year again…when the sun starts going down a little earlier, and kids are headed back to school with fresh notebooks and new backpacks. No doubt, there will be a first day writing exercise where they are given 10 minutes to write about, “what I did on my summer vacation.” I remember that assignment…particularly, looking longingly out the window at the remaining days of summer and wishing it wasn’t quite over yet. And now, years later, I look around at the rest of the “grown-ups” in the room, and we are all still looking longingly out the window, missing those days of summer vacation.

So… in the French spirit of August and all things summer, today I strike.

I am not setting my alarm clock. I will leisurely sip my latte (from a bowl, of course) and splurge with a slice of croissant bread pudding at my dear boulange. I will complete the crossword puzzle. And once the fog burns off, if the fog burns off, I will do what people on vacation do in San Francisco. Okay, so I’m not going to Pier 39 or Alcatraz, but I will have a picnic in the park (I have a baguette in my bag already) or taste my way through the Ferry Building. And if the fog lingers….I’ll take a nap.

One thing I did learn this summer, while traveling, is that when you learn to count on a morning ritual, it is a rarity to find something that compares to what we have at home. And although, on the road there are exceptional treats and new and different things to taste, the folks behind the counter don’t know my name, or that I prefer my latte extra hot. So while it is easy to long for a getaway, it is so nice to get back home and into a routine. This is not to say that sometimes, while looking out the window, we won’t begin to miss the days of summer.

Like I said, today I’m on strike.

Did You Hear the Drop of the Pin?

Situated on the sunny (well, usually) corner of Polk and Green streets, I’m perched in the window seat at La Boulange de Polk. I love coming to this location because in addition to the line-up of open-faced sandwiches and delectable viennoiserie, this Boulange has a full kitchen and beer and wine, which means that I can have frites with my lunch or a mimosa with my Sunday morning scramble. Très important. I also like the people watching quality of Polk street. There is always a great mix of San Franciscanites including men and women in suits, rushing to work, ladies who lunch with their pups on a leash, and folks in fitness gear who’ve just left Crunch and have earned their croissant bread pudding.

Outside my window seat, snuggled in next to the flower box and the patio seating, is a five foot tall sculpture of a pin from Google Maps. Google has launched a fun campaign called “My Favorite Places” to let anyone who might be wondering, or even passing by one of the picks, know that somebody who's somebody likes this place. The pin outside Polk, artfully depicting the Golden Gate Bridge, is the signature for a pick from Mayor Gavin Newsom.

“I grab a green tea from this Polk St. pastry shop almost every morning on my way to work,” says the mayor about our Boulange, and we couldn’t be happier. We like it there, too. And we are excited to be listed as ‘un endroit branché’ (a place to be) in San Francisco.

Powerwalking

Last weekend, thousands of San Franciscans participated in the AIDSWalk. These folks, all together…walked and raised 3.5 million dollars to go to AIDS research and medical assistance for those affected. Très impressionnant, non?

As a city with one of the largest populations of people living with HIV/AIDS in the country, this is a cause that sits close to home for many of us. And since this city is our home too, La Boulange just had to have a team to help. Check out those smiling faces in the Boulange blue.

There seems to be an electricity in the air at events such as this where people get together and accomplish something, join a cause and make a difference. Heart rates go up, we get the warm fuzzies in our stomach, and last Sunday was no different. We had a great time contributing to the energy and to the fund.

We don’t just walk, though. In the interest of helping out close to home, once a month we get together and volunteer at a variety of organizations. So far this year, La Boulange has helped prepare and serve meals with Dinners with Grace, Ronald McDonald House, St. Anthony Foundation and the Raphael House. We get to be surrounded by food and friendly folks (two of our favorite things) and we have a blast in the process.

So cheers to everyone who contributed to the AIDS Walk this year. We had a lot of fun, and our feet are feeling better already.

Vive la France!

It’s summer in San Francisco, which is cause for celebration enough, but now that we’ve all recovered from the festivities of the 4th of July, it is now time to turn our attention to the very important upcoming French holiday, le quatorze juillet (14 July). You call it Bastille Day. I call it a really good time.

Without getting into a lengthy history lesson on the subject, this is a day when French people everywhere can celebrate the storming of the Bastille! A moment in history seen as symbolic of the uprising of the majority against the monarchy and the beginning of the First Republic. Vive la France!

In Paris, the streets are lined with flags, people will crowd the Champs Elysees to watch the parade and fireworks will spill out of every surface of the Eiffel Tower and light up the sky above. It is a sight to be seen. But, for Bay Area Francophiles that can’t make it across the pond, there are a few things you can do to join the celebration:

Today, the Alliance Francaise is hosting festivities in Golden Gate Park. A concert from 1-3 in the Spreckles Temple of Music (the bandshell), located between the De Young Museum and the California Academy of Science. Check out their website (www.afsf.com) to get the full scoop.
And then on Tuesday, for the big event….Belden Alley becomes San Francisco’s “place to be” for anyone feeling festive. A collection of French and non-french restaurants band together and have a line up of themed offerings. Reservations at one of the restaurants might be a good idea, but la fete (celebration) will spill onto the streets outside and promises to be a good time for any party animal (un fetard). For more info, go here: http://www.belden-place.com/view/bastille-day/

And at the very least, get your French fill for the day with a baguette, or croissant……I know a good place to pick one up.

Coffee in a Bowl

I’m doing one of my favorite things right now. It’s early morning, I’m sitting at a table on a sunny San Francisco sidewalk and I’m sipping from a vast and seemingly bottomless bowl of coffee. The laptop is open, but I don’t think I’ll work just yet. San Francisco is waking up. Someone just jogged by on their morning run and the local merchants are shaking out their doormats, getting ready for another day.

The thing about drinking coffee from a bowl, is that it is a true commitment. It takes two hands! You can’t take a sip distractedly while you type another email, or check your voicemail. You can’t balance it in one hand while you run to catch the muni. You have to consciously set those thoughts aside, place your palms on the sides of the bowl and lift it to your lips. It takes time, and a willingness to put off your work day and enjoy, for just a few minutes, the feeling of waking up. You Americans….always in a hurry to go here or get there. Work, work, work. If you can’t give it up, you can take your coffee to go in one of those paper numbers with the little sleeves and the lid, head to work with your ipod on and check your messages on the blackberry all at once. As for me? I am closing the laptop and having a pain au chocolat. Today, I claim my independence.