Sanfrancisco Sightseeing Shuttle Tours

I head toward Chinatown, walking through the produce markets, medicinal herb vendors and stalls stuck with edible ingredients I don't identify. Each time I visit the street markets, their scene is different, reflecting fresh seasonal ingredients.

Now it is snow pea shoot season. These stunning green leaves are the young shoots from snow pea bushes, and I expect they will appear on many neighborhood menus. They taste much like spinach but sweeter.

I start toward North Beach, the same of New York's Little Italy for a fabulous cup of creamy, froth-capped espresso. After enjoying a fast caffeine pick-me-up, I walk through the street lined with tiny Italian trattorias and enjoy the aroma of caramelized garlic, apparently everywhere.