A few weeks ago we were out with a small group at The Alembic. Our crew included visitors from Australia and the UK, and the discussion turned to how to spend a day in San Francisco. Here, in no particular order, are our suggestions from that night that I scribbled in my notebook.

Bluebottle Coffee (Hayes Valley)
Flora Grubb Gardens (Bayview)
Seward Slides (Noe Valley)
Greenwich St. Steps to Coit Tower (North Beach)
Bimbo’s 365 Club (North Beach)
Land’s End Trail (Outer Richmond)
Papalote (Mission)
Vermont St. (Potrero Hill)

There’s a lot of talk of jobs getting chopped and savings being slashed. In the interest of spreading positivity, let’s focus on chopping and slashing vegetables, instead!

My awesome product designer friend Jeff Beene (nerveaction.com) and his business partner Chris Raia (christopherraia.net) have designed a new line of kitchen tools that I’m swooning over.

I do seem to spend a sizable chunk of my time dismembering vegetables, and the Cut & Prep System looks like it will make that process faster, safer, and more pleasurable. And isn’t that the ultimate goal of any thoughtful design?