D is for: Dolores Park & BiRite Creamery

When I first moved to San Francisco after living in San Diego for almost five years, one of the hardest things to get used to was the weather. I had grown accustomed to keeping a set of beach chairs in the trunk of my car and heading to the beach whenever I found myself with a free hour or two on a sunny day. And let’s face it…in San Diego, it’s sunny almost every day.

So imagine my shock when I learned that, not only is cloudy and foggy most days in San Francisco, but the beach seems like another world away. And if you do happen to venture out to it, half the time it’s windy and cold by the time you get there.

And then I discovered Dolores Park. San Francisco’s version of the beach, a convenient little oasis smack dab in the middle of the city.

I definitely appreciate sunny days more now that I’ve been here for four years. And trust me, when the temperatures approach 80, it’s almost required that you drop your plans and head to a park. We had one of these days last Saturday, so my friend Andrea and I decided Dolores was a necessity. We packed up some cold beverages, grabbed a sandwich at Ike’s, and made our way to the park.

Another rite of passage in San Francisco on hot days is BiRite Creamery. Only problem is, everyone has the same idea and the line literally wraps around the corner. However, since I’d never been, we decided it was important that I try the famous salted caramel ice cream. It definitely didn’t disappoint. We each sampled one of the other flavors…I got honey lavender and Andrea got some sort of vanilla concoction. (I forget which one). She told me my honey lavender tasted like bath soap, but I happened to enjoy it immensely. Of course, the real star of the show is the salted caramel, which lives up to the hype. After reading reviews on Yelp, I would also love to try the Balsamic Strawberry or the Roasted Banana next time. Or maybe the Earl Grey. Or the Orange Cardamom. Or maybe all four. MMMM….can’t wait!

So next time you find yourself in the city on a hot and sunny day, stop what you’re doing, call in a sandwich order at Ike’s, and make your way to the Mission. Brave the line at BiRite and get yourself a big ice cream cone (or two). You owe it to yourself as a resident of San Francisco!