"I am hungry and I want some luncheon!" "Then we'll return this afternoon." There was determination in his voice.
"We will hardly have time if we visit Luis Argüello's home at the
Presidio," I objected.
"All right, we'll take it in tomorrow, then."
Hastening on, we were soon in the midst of the huddled houses of the Latin quarter. Tucked away between two larger buildings, we found a quaint Spanish restaurant. As we opened our tamales, my companion again referred to Portsmouth Square.
"Tell me about it," he demanded. "Does it date with the Mission and
Presidio?"
"No, it is of later birth, but still of equal interest in the history of San Francisco. The city grew up from three points—the Mission"—I pulled a poppy from my bouquet and placed it on the table to mark the old adobe—"the Presidio"—I moved a salt cellar to the right of the flower—"and the town of Yerba Buena," this I indicated by a pepper box below the other two. "Roads connected these points like the sides of a triangle and gradually the intervening spaces were filled with houses."
"Go on." He leaned back in his chair, but I had already risen. "It will be more interesting to hear the story on the spot tomorrow," I assured him as I drew on my gloves.
The Presidio
The Spanish Fortifications and the Love Story of Concepcion and Rezánov
The Presidio Past and Present