Waheeb Thabit

  After advances in artillery technology during the Civil War, brick and mortar forts were replaced by earthwork batteries. The first of those in San Francisco was built in 1873 at Presidio Battery West and armed with twelve 15-inch Rodman cannons. Since then the batteries have been decommissioned. The winds are very high here all year round but on a clear day you can see the sun set to the west of the batteries and clearly see the Golden Gate Bridge to the east. Baker’s Beach and Marshall’s Beach can be seen below the batteries on the western side of the bridge.

  Located in the South of Market district (SoMa) in San Francisco, CA, Delah Coffee opened its doors in July 2022. The yemeni coffee craze spread throughout the US but had never quite reached the San Francisco Bay Area until Delah opened up. Omar Jahamee and his uncle Majed Jahamee and soon after followed up with a second location in Oakland and a third location near Chinatown. “Delah” in english is “coffee pot” and the logo is fashioned to look like the traditional coffee pots used by Arabs since the mid-17th century. While at Delah, I ordered their latte and their bee bites. The latte was very similar to the latte I tried at Qahwah House but the presentation was lacking. The bee bites were cream cheese stuffed balls baked into large round pastry and cut into pizza slices. This was then topped with black cumin and sesame seeds with a drizzle of hot honey. One thing this place lacked was the yemeni cushions which are common in many yemeni coffee shops. The parking at this location ...

  Cowell Beach is located just off the Santa Cruz Wharf in Santa Cruz, CA. In the picture above you have a direct view of Seal Rock in the distance. This rock was named Seal Rock due to the colony of Pacific seals that frequent location. Many use the rock to to sun themselves. Cowell Beach is a great place to play some beach volleyball, surf, or enjoy a nice bonfire during the warmer summer months. The sunsets are beautiful as you can watch the sun dip below the surface of the water.

  After trying coffee in the United States, Ibrahim Alhasbani was not impressed. Since he came from eight generations of coffee farmers in Yemen, he decided to open up his own coffee shop in Dearborn, MI. Qahwah House was meant to be third space to bring people together through coffee. And it became just that. The Williamsburg location opened in November 2020 in the widely white and Jewish neighborhood of Williamsburg for that exact reason, and is constantly packed with people of all faiths and backgrounds. While at Qahwah House, I tried their latte and sabaya. The latte was a perfect mix of milk and coffee and the latte art was beautiful. Even with the high price of $6, they do give you a good amount of coffee. Sabaya is a multi-layered pastry topped with sesame seeds and black cumin and served with a drizzle of honey. The sabaya at Qahwah house was made fresh and honey served hot. Definitely tasted as good if not better than the ones I have eaten at home. Overall Review Latte - 1...