![]() ![]() When my friend said let's go to The Muse I couldn't drive fast enough. Sadly he hasn't been there the past few weeks. We love the atmosphere and always have a good time. Had the privilege to meet Jordyn & Jamie, bartenders during the day and Mr. Not your regular bar food here.Food is top shelf like it's drinks. I ordered the creamy shrimp pesto for my main dish, my wife ordered the Muse Cheesesteak. I didn’t need much money for entertainment I spent most of my free time walking around like a tourist, taking in the sights.We ordered the calamari for the appetizer. I learned how to play the guitar and wrote songs. San Francisco, with the challenges it presented, ignited my creativity and became my muse. I worked part-time as a personal assistant and, funnily enough, wrote résumés for people looking for office jobs. I designed window displays for local stores, such as Beyond the Sea, a bath and beauty store in Noe Valley. I cobbled together a living by restoring old furniture at Muzzy’s Attic, a consignment shop two doors down from Simple Pleasures that sold all kinds of vintage treasures. Since I didn’t want to work in an office again, I had to get creative to make ends meet. I found a studio in the Richmond for $1,000 per month. Most of all, I missed my cafe, Simple Pleasures.Īfter three years, I quit my comfortable job to pursue a dream I couldn’t yet put into words and moved back to San Francisco. What I knew for sure was that I missed the city-the ghostly sound of the foghorns singing across the bay, the hum and snap of Muni buses rolling by, the colorful buildings beneath tangles of overhead wires. I didn’t know exactly what that “something” was, but I knew I wouldn’t find it cooped up in an office. San Francisco, with the challenges it presented, ignited my creativity and became my muse.īut as I cheerfully answered the phone and greeted students, professors, and staff, I felt like I was missing out on something. The people were sweet and interesting, and my work schedule was a completely sane nine-to-five. The school offered classes such as “Women’s Spiritual Development” and “Altered States of Consciousness.” I loved it there. I got a job as a receptionist at a tiny graduate school called the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Peet’s and Starbucks were the only cafes. The only “action” in town after 6:00 p.m. Women wore full makeup to the grocery store, along with pristine white tennis shoes and perfectly styled hair. People in Los Altos were cordial and reserved. Los Altos is just a 45-minute drive away from San Francisco, but it was a world away culturally. I wasn’t sure what to do career-wise, so I moved back to my hometown. I graduated from college in 2000, near the end of the first dot-com bubble. “Simple Pleasures Cafe” © 2019 Robin Galante And Rachelle was right: the raspberry rings are amazing. But many are still here, and Simple Pleasures is alive and well - one of the last true Bohemian cafes in the city. Some of the regulars have passed away some have moved. I would walk through those doors for the next 20 years (and counting). I would go there almost every day, walking through the maroon doors after I got fired, after I got promoted, and after my mom died. And I would get to know all the regulars: Two-Time Tony, who sat outside in a top hat and layers of sweaters and repeated every sentence twice Dae, the dreadlocked barista with an apartment upstairs Helena, the next-door neighbor who lovingly tended to the flowers in the planter boxes outside Bruce, the electrician and math tutor who always had a joke to tell Ahmed, the owner, who always welcomed his customers with a smile and a hug. I would end up spending countless hours on the comfy couch in the back of the cafe, studying, sketching, and writing in my journal. ![]() It was comfortable and casual, and filled with people young and old. The place seemed to glow inside, with the hum of conversation and live jazz music spilling out onto the sidewalk, where people sketched in notebooks, smoked cigarettes, and played chess at the outdoor tables despite the damp, cold air. Rachelle parked in front of our destination, Simple Pleasures Cafe. ![]()
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