First Crush!

My darling friend Marisa (one of my very first friends in grad school) moved to New York this summer, which made me very sad.  But she's back here visiting, guest teaching, doing readings, etc. (cause she's a big shot and her first book was published this year! Check it out here).  Last night, we met at Union Square for a dinner date and some Christmas shopping!  Shopping at Union Square with Marisa is one of my very favorite things to do in December.

San Francisco's Union Square Christmas tree

We met at 6:30 outside the Powell St. train station and headed to First Crush, where we had a delightful (and long-overdue!) dinner date.  

cutest name for a restaurant/wine bar ever!

I promptly ordered a (delicious) cucumber gimlet, and Marisa had some sort of old-fashioned whiskey drink.  So good!  We split some appetizers and a cheese plate and caught each other up on the past 5 months.  She works at an office on 5th Avenue now--doesn't that sound straight out of a romantic comedy?

not our best shot but it's all I got!  And I promise Marisa's not a Cullen

it's just an overexposed picture.

We had roasted fall vegetables, swiss chard au gratin, and the very fancy cheese plate.  And a baudy zinfandel. :)  First Crush only serves California wines, and they create specialized flights for you based on what you're eating!  

We lingered too long over dinner to get any real shopping done, but I did get a tiny thing for this girl and a funny stocking stuffer for my sister.  Maybe I subconsciously didn't get much Christmas shopping done so that I'd have an excuse to go back to Union Square pronto . . . I loooove it there at Christmastime!  Lights and Christmas music and the big tree and coffee shops!  So festive. ♥

And for kicks, here is our favorite picture of the two of us:

Claire and Marisa, Sleepover Friends, 2005