I didn’t know where to start since I was all over the world for the last 3-4 weeks or so… but I’ll start with the timely things so you can still check it out!

I visited Levi’s Workshops while I was in San Francisco — a community print shop! During July and August, they will be teaching classes on classic letterpress machinery, screenprinting designs, setting type etc. How awesome is this?! I was so excited to see the whole place really active and everyone just creating and printing.

Vandercook press in action.

“Keep Calm and Press On” — I would love to have this!

A couple table-top presses.

Stamps! There were so many cool ones, I played around a bit, too ;)

You can also make photocopies and make art here. Love the wall full of work.

and of course, the screen printing area. It was pretty busy looking so I couldn’t take pictures of the machine, but it was pretty big.

Walls with printed work. Love this “I’m Just Sayin’” series, so fun :)

and more posters on the wall.

If you are in San Francisco and if you haven’t already, please go check it out, just feeling the creative vibe is worth the visit!

Posted under Inspiration, SF, art, letterpress

I have been missing San Francisco a lot lately (it’s been almost a year since my last visit… that is too long :( ) and when I saw this poster (?) over at we love typography, I knew that it was San Francisco even from a tiny thumbnail image and as soon as I clicked to see the larger view, I was in love. Entitled “The Literary City,” the whole city is covered with handwritten quotes about San Francisco from all sort of literature. And where each quote is placed makes perfect sense geographically, too!!

But I could find out where this is from or anything… I hope it is available for sale…?

If anyone has any information about this, please let me know. The link that they gave at we love typography was this link. I tried to search from it, but no luck… Thank you in advance!

*UPDATE: Thanks to Angela, here is the original article and the artist’s website — it’s not for sale, though! bummer…

Wishing you all a happy Friday… xo

Posted under SF, typography

Velvet da Vinci in San Francisco is having an exhibition of jewelry, prints and paintings called “Ford + Forlano: Forth + Back” starting May 1st (oh my god, it’s tomorrow! May already?!) to May 31st. When I saw one of the images from their prints, I was so amazed and wanted to look more. I thought it was sensational! Interesting thing I found out is that the artisits, Steven Ford and David Forlano live in coast to coast, collaborating by sending unfinished work forth and back between them. So these prints (and all the other work, too, of course) traveled between Philadelphia and Santa Fe. You can read more from their website, but their work is truly a collaboration, that is how it takes their pieces to a next level. I wish I could go see this exhibition… if you are in SF, check it out and let me know how it is! Velvet da Vinci is an awesome gallery space, I miss going in there.

Here are some of their print work:

*images are from Velvet da Vinci website

Posted under SF, art

When I was back in San Francisco last October, I went around the city and took as many pictures as I could – and this shot of Embarcadero center made it to Schmap San Francisco Guide!!

Do you see that it says “Photo: Hijiri K. Shepherd”? I feel like I’m a little photographer now!

Schmap Guide is an online travel guides and they have lots of city guides from all over the world. If you are traveling somewhere and you want to explore the city before or during your stay, I would suggest looking around Schmap guide. They have a desktop version and a phone version, too!

Thank you so much, Schmap Guide people, for including my photo!

Posted under SF

I watch for hand-lettering things wherever I go or whatever I see, and sure, I found some in San Francisco while I was walking around town.

This chalk board menu I saw at a cafe is with not only great hand-lettering, but also great illustrations:

A sign by bike parking lot at Berkeley station – I like that phrase:

Polk A Dot Stationers on Polk Street – these are actually made by cut out paper! Very nice.

Their window had great vintage books that had nice typefaces, too. I never been inside this store and it was too early it wasn’t open… next time!

Cheese store chalk board (I couldn’t avoid the reflection…):

Very nice hand-lettering!

Wishing you a happy Friday, everyone!!!

See you on Monday!

Posted under SF, typography

I’ve always loved Tommy’s Joynt wall graphics as well as their food. I was staying at a hotel that was a few blocks away from here so I walked by few times and took some pictures and we went in for late night dinner one night, too. It is always the same atmosphere, same big meaty food, same great wall!

From Van Ness:

From Geary Street:
(click to view larger image)

Inside is filled with old beer signs and drink signs, it is like a museum.

My corn beef and cabbage dinner:

Tommy’s Joynt
1101 Geary Blvd. / Van Ness
San Francisco CA 94109

Posted under SF

It was short, but fun trip to San Francisco, the weather was beautiful, nothing has changed since we moved away, I knew exactly where I was, where to go, how to get places… it was weird that we don’t live there any more and made me realize how unique, special and beautiful the city is!

I will start my post with some of the art installations in San Francisco, I couldn’t go everywhere so this is just the ones I happened to pass by, but I hope you enjoy!

One of the “Hearts” in Union Square:

(They had a whole art installation project called “Hearts in San Francisco” back in 2004 — that was my favorite art installation projects! Kind of like Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” there were hundreds of “hearts” throughout the city then.)

Right by Civic Center:

There was this cool chalk / stencil art on the ground also by the Civic Center, they were amazing!

In Hayes Green:

This was new installation, I used to live right by this park, they always have different art installations.

Embarcadero Center — Villancourt Fountain:

(I always loved the fountain, so cool!)

Embarcadero Center:

Posted under SF, art

I am going back to San Francisco this weekend (leaving in 4-5 hours or so!) — oh my god, I am so excited! We’re going to see lots of friends, going to see Haruki Murakami speak, I’m stopping by my old agency and see everyone there, going to many places I love, eat lots of yummy food… I’ll come back with lots of San Francisco coolness and inspirations so please come back again on Wednesday or Thursday next week. (I have to go right back to the agency when I get home late on Tuesday night so) Wishing everyone a happy weekend!

Here are a couple images that I took on my last day in San Francisco back in December 2007. I’ll come back with more so just a glance here…

California Street:

Ferry Building:

and I know exactly what this song means now (hehe):

Posted under SF

We ordered 2 more bags of Blue Bottle coffee online the other day and they came today! I didn’t realize until I moved to NY that I had been spoiled in SF not just by mild weather, but by good coffee. It is so hard to find a place with good coffee here. Especially, if you have tasted Blue Bottle coffee, it gets harder to find the equal quality coffee. Some diner here serves the worst coffee. Oh, I’m not sure if this is an east coast thing, but at some cafes, they ask you if you want milk and sugar and they actually pour milk, add sugar and mix it for you before you pay for it. I don’t think any cafes would do that in SF… at least I haven’t been to one.

We lived 1 block away from the Blue Bottle kiosk in Hayes Valley and it was getting so popular that we had to be in line for 30 minutes+ every time to get one cup of coffee so we started buying beans instead and brewing it at home. They do a drip coffee, which is the best, but the beans are the same so it still tastes great at home! Yes, we are addicted.

Randy’s favorite “Giant Steps”

Posted under SF

Today was the warmest day ever since I moved to NYC. It was so sunny and nice and it was in 63 degrees! I even saw a guy wearing shorts!! I had to double look and see if he was really wearing shorts. I used to see people with shorts every day in San Francisco throughout the year, but due to the extreme winter weather in NY, I haven’t seen anyone wearing shorts for 2 months so it was weird at first, but I was happy to see that. Warm day like today reminds me of San Francisco.

The picture is from Twin Peaks in San Francisco – I took the picture on my last day there. Click to see larger image.

Posted under NYC, SF