The red lanterns create a warm glow against the buildings lining the streets in San Francisco Chinatown. During Lunar New Year, the glow adds to the festive atmosphere of the bustling shoppers and packed shops.
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| San Francisco Chinatown, Lunar New Year - 2/2026 |
CoWaBunGA
During the holidays, Forge Pizza in Oakland decorated their stunning main dining room with decorations that accentuated their dramatic ceiling. It's a little late, but I finally got around to sketching this beautiful room. Forge Pizza was originally at Jack London Square, but is now in the Rockridge neighborhood in Oakland. Their wood-fired pizzas are fantastic.
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| Forge Pizza Oakland, 2/2026 |
CoWaBunGA!
After stopping at the Roundhouse Cafe next to the Golden Gate Bridge, I slowly realized that I was too early for a morning coffee break while riding the FatBob. Checking what other coffee shops were nearby opened at that hour, I noticed that one coffee shop had a 911 Porsche parked in its lobby. Well, that was an easy decision...
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| Motoring Coffee, SF, 1/2026 |
CoWaBunGA
It's been a little cold here in the Bay Area recently. When I get chilled, my favorite warm up food is ramen. In Oakland's Temescal neighborhood, a favorite is Marufuku Ramen on Telegraph. If you sit at the bar, you'll get to watch the ramen chef work their magic.
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| Marufuku Ramen Oakland, 1/2026 |
Stay warm folks and enjoy your ramen.
CoWaBunGA!
HaPpY NeW YeaR!
Enjoy the new year with a pistachio latte and Dubai Chocolate cheesecake at Sana'a Cafe in Oakland. Inspired by Yemeni culture, Sana'a Cafe serves authentic Yemeni coffee, tea, sandwiches, and desserts. There are two Sana'a Cafe locations in Oakland; the Temescal location features comfy banquette seating with fluffy throw pillows that you can form into a cozy niche for yourself and your laptop. However, it's the cheesecakes that are calling me back...
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| Sana'a Cafe, Temescal Oakland, 1/2026 |
CoWaBunGA!
Unfortunately, our local Chinese restaurant "Little Shin Shin" closed during the pandemic. In its place, Mensho, an award-winning ramen chain from Tokyo, opened up around 2023. We were reluctant to try Mensho because of its association with the loss of Little Shin Shin and the huge crowds waiting in line to get inside. But, we decided to give it a try this month and we were pleasantly surprised.
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| Mensho Ramen, Oakland, 12/2025 |
CoWaBunGA!
The DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, presents a survey of Manga art from the 1970's to recent works. The art of manga encompasses many genres, from sports to fine dining to historical mythology. One artist that caught my attention is Araki Hirohiko, whose manga "Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure" is a mix of contemporary fashion and 1980's music with an action-adventure storyline.
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| Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure, Part 5 Golden Wind, Hirohiko - 12/2025 |
CoWaBunGA!
