Julie Michelle Impassioned Observer

What are you up to these days? Taking lots of photos: wedding, engagement, and event photos, via my photography business juliemichellephotography.com; and portraits of San Francisco residents for future I Live Here: SF posts. My friend William Taylor Jr. has a book of short stories that came out on October 31 called An Age of Monsters, and I've got 15 photographs in the book, so I'm helping with setting up book readings.

What event will we find you at this week? I'll be enjoying the "terror and titillation in San Francisco’s noir-stained history" at my friend Eddie Muller's (a.k.a. The Czar of Noir) stage production of Fear Over Frisco. 

Where would you have your last meal on earth? The soup dumplings (xiao long bao or "XLB") at Shanghai Dumpling King in the Outer Richmond. I'd fill up on a steamer of those soupy bundles, along with an order of Lion's Head Meatballs in gravy and some of their incredible fried sugar egg puffs for dessert. 

Where do you get your local gossip? The Bold Italic. I appreciate the variety of stories and writers brought together and I feel like I get information about SF I can't find elsewhere on my own.

Where's your go-to date place? Hands down, the Castro Theatre. This theater is one of our city's treasures and I hope it always remains so.

What's your favorite under-the-radar SF restaurant? The Lime Tree, in my 'hood at 5th and Irving. Very reasonable prices and delicious food, and the owner Ming is the nicest man ever.

What's next for San Francisco? Surviving or enjoying our next mayor. I hope We the People don't get the fuzzy end of the lollipop stick this time around.