Destination Run: Dynamo Donuts

Recently, my roommate and I have started this trend of running for food. And I don't mean to imply that we are working out more so that we can eat more in the future. I literally mean that we run to food. Which I guess fits both scenarios. But I digress.

So far we have run to a brunch at Dottie's True Blue Cafe in SOMA, we have trotted across SF to Brenda's French Soul Food in the Tenderloin, and we repeatedly hike Twin Peaks to reward ourselves with breakfast burritos. Each time, we try and stop a few blocks before to cool down prior to arrival. And although we arrive a tad bit sweaty, I have come to love this strange new tradition. Firstly,  the common stereotype in San Francisco (especially notable in neighborhoods such as the Marina and Pacific Heights) is that girls are always in yoga pants and Patagonia sweaters. So as long as this is socially acceptable, I am going to take advantage and at least use these exercise clothes for their properly intended design. Secondly, San Francisco is not that big. It's just not. Complain about walking all you want (Please complain about the hills! No seriously, the hills are ridiculous). But the city is 7x7 people, you can pretty much run anywhere, and it will be just as fast/faster than Muni, cheaper than Lyft/Uber, and it will give you some exercise!

One of our most recent adventures, that was not only a solid run, but had a solid destination, was to Dynamo Donuts on 24th Street in the Mission. This is a great destination run for pretty much anyone in San Francisco because the Mission doesn't have hills. So if you live anywhere in Nob Hill, SOMA, the Haight, Hayes Valley, Inner Sunset, Castro, etc. the run is either downhill or flat! How perfect.

So put on your running shoes and nike leggings and run on over. The first stop was Philz on Folsom and 24th Street (although there are a ton of coffee shop options for your liking) for our morning caffeine boost. We then strolled down 24th Street to Balmy Alley. Balmy Alley is a block long and covered with murals focusing on artist frusturation's over political and human rights abuses in Central America. Many of the murals are quite beautiful, and it is a lovely stroll to take with a warm coffee in hand (and it is also on the way to the final destination).

After exhausting your Instagram account, continue on down 24th Street towards Potrero Avenue. Here we arrived at the main destination, Dynamo Donuts. Dynamo Donuts is a specialty, artisanal donut shop that has flavors ranging from Caramel de Sel to Huckleberry to Carrot Cake. I personally ordered the Maple Bacon and the Lemon Rosemary (left). My roommate also got the Maple Bacon along with the Vanilla Bean (right).

I thought that I would have favored the Maple Bacon, but was actually a bigger fan of the Lemon Rosemary donut. It was a heavier donut, more like an old fashion, and the flavors went together wonderfully. Whereas, I thought the Maple Bacon donut wasn't as cohesive. The bacon could have been integrated better into the donut, instead of just having pieces placed on top. Similarly, my roommate preferred her Vanilla Bean donut, noting that it had a delicious and noticeable vanilla flavor throughout.

We took our donuts and our coffees and sat in the quaint backyard, away from the burgeoning morning chaos of the Mission. It was a lovely backyard and the perfect spot to sip our coffee.

Overall, it was a solid morning. I love coffee and I love donuts. Although, I do think Dynamo is a tad overpriced (even for SF standards), because the donuts are rather small. It was definitely worth it as a treat, especially for a donut fan like myself. 

Dynamo: an extremely energetic person. How could we not have made this a destination run?