Graffiti flowers rule! And one helluva sandwich.

This semester I have office hours (contact hours for students) Wednesdays 1:00-3:00, so unless I have to be on campus earlier I take this opportunity to walk downtown, weather permitting (and for the last month or so it’s been very permitting, gorgeous springlike weather), have lunch somewhere and then hop on the C-Train to get to my office. En route today, I spotted some heart-warming (really!) graffiti on the side of a dumpster- this is one off 11 St by Kalamata Grocery:

Painting flowers? Who’s doing what now? THIS is what the thankful person is referring to:

These are all over town, maybe 3″ in diameter and they’re cuter than hell. They’re painted, as the note of gratitude says, not done with a vulgar Sharpie or with less-vulgar but not as … artistic spray paint. I’ve seen these flowers everywhere and to spruce up the side of a smelly dumpster, it’s just sweet beyond words. I thank you too, flower person.

And so that was a nice little surprise, a little humanity in the cold urban realm. Anyway, I made it downtown ahead of the lunch rush, around 11:15, and headed to Caffe Artigiano (see “places I like” for location and hours) for what I hoped would be a leg-of-lamb panino. But they had none in the case today, so I opted for a roast chicken one instead. And WOW what a fantastic sandwich! Big chunks of real, sliced off the bone roast chicken, lots of steamed (or sauteed?), not raw and distracting, veggies (zucchini, spinach and bell peppers I think) and a schmeer of ricotta with something aromatic and garlicky in there too (garlic, I guess), on big slices of sourdough and finished in a panini press as only Artigiano seems able to do- warmed and a little crispy but not burnt and brittle. It was delightful. $8.25 and worth every penny.

After that repast I got a macchiato made by assistant manager and barista extraordinaire Zane- at his recommendation, a “single Artigiano macchiato in an espresso cup.” Poured not scooped. It was outstanding.

Office hours start in two minutes- perfect blog timing, eh?