Blue Danube Coffee House in the Inner Richmond has long been a favorite stop for cappuccinos, iced lattes, and morning egg bagels. It’s a great place to take a book for an hour or stop by after a stroll through the Sunday farmers market on Clement. They have an extensive food menu with tasty soups, sandwiches, and sweet treats. Inside, a bohemian aesthetic comes through in the lived-in furnishings and local art hanging on the walls. A steady background buzz of conversation fills the room due to an eclectic crowd: some hanging out for a chat, some journaling, and a few working on laptops. The mix of customers helps maintain the social, relaxed feel of the cafe.

The second location of Blue Danube is now open at 2942 Lyon St., and the new cafe is charmingly reminiscent of the original interior’s blue and yellow color scheme, its large black menus with white lettering, and its tables covered with superheroes and the Kansas Jayhawks mascot. The menu remains largely the same, featuring Batches Bakehouse bagels alongside a few additions like chicken salad and Vietnamese iced coffee.

The new Blue Danube location will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with plans to extend closing time to 7 p.m. in the future. Laptops are welcome, Wi-Fi is free, and beer and wine will be served soon.

We recently took a walk through the Presidio to the Mess Hall in Tunnel Tops Park. We had read reviews of opening-day delays, so we decided to wait and visit on a Monday. The interior looks sharp, featuring plenty of indoor seating and outdoor picnic tables with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island.

The Mess Hall houses three distinct restaurants: Dayboat Seafood, Breadwinner, and Boda. Dayboat Seafood features a raw bar and cooked seafood dishes, Breadwinner is all about sandwiches and burgers, and Boda serves Korean fried chicken and other Korean street food. Breadwinner also serves breakfast sandwiches before 10 a.m. You’ll also find a Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters, Breadbelly pastries, and a small market selling fancy picnic supplies.

Unfortunately for us, we found out that orders had been halted for the day when we arrived at lunchtime. We were only able to order coffees from Wrecking Ball, so we ended up grabbing pizza and lasagna at nearby Il Parco. The concept of the Mess Hall is exciting and it certainly drew an eager crowd. Hopefully, they will have the operational kinks worked out by the time we return for some fried chicken.

On Saturday, August 15, I strolled over to Clement Street to check out the Heart of the Richmond District Night Market. This would be the last of four night markets that were held between 22nd Ave and 25th Ave this summer.

The event featured dozens of booths and two stages for live performances. The main performance stage featured mostly dance performances, but there was also a pet costume contest later in the evening. The smaller stage was focused on live music, and featured performances from local musicians, including Dave Ricketts and Analog Dog.

There were many vendors serving up food and beverages, including Dragon Beaux, Braid Bakery, and Sourdough Sara, as well as representation from businesses like Fleetwood, Blick Art Materials, and the highly anticipated T&T Supermarket. I spoke with the folks at the T&T table and they were actively hiring. They also let me know that the store now has an official opening date: November 5th.

Also at the festival were representatives from various city offices, including the SFPD, SFMTA, SF Fire Department, and the Public Utility Commission. I snagged some cool hyperlocal swag from the SFMTA table, including this limited edition Geary 38R tote and sticker set. Jealous?

On the political front, representatives from the Wiener and Chan campaigns were present to speak to Richmond District voters about the CA-11 race. Earlier in August, we wrote about Scott Wiener’s newly opened presence in the Richmond District. I noticed they also had a table at the Heart of the Richmond District. Not to be outdone, Connie Chan’s campaign volunteers were circling around the night market carrying signs, and also had a table at the Clement Street farmer’s market the next day. I spoke to one of Connie Chan’s volunteers, who made it a point that people should be upset about the ConnieChan.ai chatbot, calling it racist and sexist. I personally didn’t like the chatbot either, but for different reasons that I will write about in the future.