Hi Everyone!
Happy Tuesday! Now that I've regained some strength after Outside Lands, I should tell you all about the weekend.
First up – I'm old. It didn't really hit me too much until Sunday, but while this year's OSL wasn't my first rodeo – I was totally astounded by how little some people were wearing. Booty shorts and tank tops in 55 degree weather?! Let's just say I learned my lesson back in 2012 and now swear by furry jackets, pants and comfortable shoes.
Every Outside Lands I love getting to the park early – around 11:00 a.m. when it first opens. There's something so exciting about being at the festival grounds when no one else is around. It's sleepy, there are no lines, and it's the best time to just get excited about who's playing for the day.
That being said, I loved all of the earlier acts each day. Friday was all about St. Lucia, Miike Snow and LCD Soundsystem. Saturday morning came early where I forced Ittai to refuel for the day ahead at Plow. We got there around 7:45 and while we still had to wait, it was only for 5 minutes. After we stuffed ourselves silly, we got to the park around 11:30 to see Fantastic Negrito (so good!!), The Knocks, Big Grams, and my all-time favorite – Beignets and Bounce with Big Freedia. If you haven't seen her and her crew perform – it's honestly a must see. EVERY YEAR.
As for the food, well – it was a standout. Every year I'm completely shocked and so excited to see so many vendors at the festival. From fried to organic, Outside Lands has it all. Needless to say, my tastebuds were excited to participate in the festivities.
Friday I started off with Mozzarella Sticks from Merigan Sub Shop (located in SOMA) and honestly, I couldn't have thought of a better place to start my food festival adventures. I washed it down with a Veggie Ramenburger from Nombe (Mission) that didn't disappoint. For dinner we had vegetarian ramen from Itani Ramen (Oakland) and it was the perfect complement to the chilly San Francisco summer.
Saturday was bouncing from one stage to another and unfortunately, the weather wasn't on our side. Luckily, I loved Itani's ramen so much that I came back for seconds. YUM. In terms of beverages, my drink of choice for the weekend was Sierra Nevada, but I had this INSANE berry and basil cocktail that I'm still dreaming of. I sipped that (half frozen) while ending the day with Radiohead so I consider that an OSL Day 2 success.
Rounding out the festival on Sunday was a trip to Wise Sons (Mission & Pacific Heights) for Everything bagels and schmear – I tried this insane roasted tomato spread with some greens on top. Added another beer, a Chinese Chicken Wrap, and ended the weekend the right way – with Rich Table's (Hayes Valley) Porcini Doughnuts.
Needless to say, I ate well.
Outside Lands, you were one for the books. And for my diet.
Cheers!