Happy Hour Friday - Parque Juarez and the Jardin

Sam and Ann-from-Baltimore have started a Friday afternoon tradition of having happy hour in Parque Juarez, and are gracious enough to always invite us. As Ann says in the about-me part of her blog, "we had to get out of the States before organized sports destroyed our ability to host happy hour on Friday afternoons". These are the people you want to spend Fridays with. So we plan Fridays around happy hour.

Fernando and Romy, Bryce and Laurel's friends and kids of Liz and Fernando, were slated to spend the night with us, so we all met at the bus stop and had comida right away, as the kids were hungry and a little crazy. We went to another branch of Ten Ten Pie on Stirling Dickinson, which has about eight tables in a patio area, and a mesquite barbecue where they prepare all the food. I wasn't expecting much, but we had a great meal, including chicken kabobs, grilled fish, grilled vegetables, choripan (a chorizo and cheese sandwich for Laurel), and the most delicious Mexican style baked potato you've ever eaten with butter, sour cream and bacon served in tin foil. The owner was gracious, and the food and service were wonderful.

From there, off to Parque Juarez. Fernando chico and Romy had a last minute dental appointment scheduled, so they went off and then would meet us later at the park. Ann was there when we arrived, and promptly called Sam to bring Sangria for everyone. We met a new family from Paso Robles who landed here three months ago. Brian was a school teacher, and he quit, packed up everything, moved the whole family here and bought a house. Impressive. The park was busy, but not overwhelming, and the kids had free run while the parents socialized.


Happy hour Friday in Parque Juarez

We hung at the park for a couple of hours until Fernando and Romy returned with Liz, as their quickie dental appointments ran long. After more time at the park, it was clear that these kids needed some more running around, so we went off to the Jardin as dusk approached. They got ice cream, then played for another hour and a half in the Jardin, while Sue and I chatted with the Eurhythmia teacher from the kids school who was also there enjoying the crowd. At about 8:45, Sue and I got cold and decided it was time to head home.

Here's a kind-of-dark video I took of the goings on in the Jardin early on a Friday night. You can get an idea of the crowd, the mariachi music, as well as see all four kids playing together:



I really enjoy the days that have a loose plan, but leave themselves open to random encounters and new friends. The vibe of Parque Juarez and the Jardin make this happen more than anything. No matter what, there's always something going on in the Jardin, and everyone has fun. This central meeting place of town is something that I'd love to have in San Francisco, even though it's probably impractical in such a big city with a modest population of weirdos. I'll just have to savor the experience while I'm here.