Reasons I Love SF: Hanging Out in my Neighborhood

There are so many great things coming to the area around the 9th Avenue and Irving Street corridor in the Sunset. And, some of the coolest shops and restaurants from other neighborhoods in SF just keep coming. First it was Nopalito and Ambiance... then Martha & Bros. coffee.... and now, San Franpsycho.

These folks are hand screen-printing t-shirts, sweatshirts, and skivvies. Plus, they have live music on occasion in their cool space on 9th. Check out one of my new tees! I'm into it.

Burn Season

It's that time of year when San Francisco empties out. Burners have been building human-sized cat trees or gigantic flaming metal sculptures for months and are ready to transport them to Black Rock Dessert for the annual burning of the man. This year is no different. There are Burning Man virgins in my circle making the trek, pulling their costumes together and buying their goggles.

But, what is different about this year is that there is a real serious burn happening, too. The Rim Fire, as its been touted, is ravaging the Sierra Nevadas and wreaking havoc on my family and thousands of other residents of the area. While I remember many summers when fires affected the area - it is a dry climate after all - the fires never got so close. Scary.

Reasons I Love the Park: Dahlias

It had been awhile since I'd seen the Dahlias in bloom. The last few times I walked through the garden tucked next to the Conservatory of Flowers it was foggy and there were just green stems sticking up from the plot of land. So, drearsville. Not this time! On a walk home from a doctor's appointment in Laurel Village, I decided to take the Arguello Gate into Golden Gate Park and cut through the dell. What a marvelous surprise!!!

Bay Area Ridge Trail Challenge: And So It Begins....

My best friend and I have been doing hikes around the Bay Area for years. This year we concluded a challenge that she had set for herself, namely traversing every trail in Redwood Regional Park. While I did not hike every route she did for that challenge, I did the majority of them. This time, we have vowed to do the entire Bay Area Ridge Trail together. With 550+ miles, this could take us years...

We have already bumped up against the trails on some of our other hikes on the Peninsula and in the East Bay. Now, we will consciously follow the maps in our recently purchased book on the series of trails around the Bay. For our first foray, and in preparation for my friend's impending Mt. Shasta climb, we went to Tilden Park to do a hike starting at Inspiration Point, winding down toward Don Castro Reservoir, and back to our starting point. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Bay Area Ridge Trail requires hikers to have a permit to trek through the portion of our hike that would have taken us to Don Castro...

So, we didn't really get a chance to cover much mileage for our challenge... As in, 550+ miles still to go... But, we were able to walk along the ridge, curl down through Wildcat Canyon for a bit, and loop back. The ridge afforded amazing views of the Richmond area as well as San Francisco. And, at times we were walking in perfect summer heat and at others, we were bundled as the wind and fog whipped past. In other words, it was exciting! Plus there were cows. How cute is that?

More to come....

Reasons I Love SF: When the Sun Comes Out, it Means it

When all of July looks like this, in San Francisco (or in this case, Pacifica on the drive home)....

When it looks like this, it is more AWESOME than awesome! Thank goodness we had an evening like this, today. It compelled me to stop off at Ocean Beach, stare at the surf, catch a kite-surfer, and enjoy the warmth from the setting sun.

Reasons I Love SF: Woodside, Who Knew?

Woodside is a little town just next door to where my office is. And, while I spent some time there a few years ago dog-sitting, it is only since I started my job a year and a half ago that I've started to explore all that the super cute haven has to offer.

First off, tucked into the hills along Skyline Boulevard, it has Stillheart. Once called Skylonda, or something along those lines, this new age-y institute is a great spot for taking a weekend or week night retreat at a reasonable price. The grounds are beautiful, with hiking paths, native plants, a pool and sauna, and sprawling landscapes.

Second, there are some pretty great restaurants for only having a handful of options... Alice's at the top of Woodside Road and Skyline Boulevard, allows you to sit outside, check out the cyclists of all kinds, AND get breakfast for lunch. Who doesn't like breakfast for lunch?! Mountain House, going in the other direction on Skyline, doesn't look like much but, offers high quality fine dining in the midst of BIG trees. Plus, they have some really good Prosecco...

Last, the people are just so nice. For being so close to the heart of Silicon Valley madness and the Stanford brain-trust, the people feel like they are straight out of a town hundreds of miles away. It seems strange that one could just drive 20 minutes up a hill and feel like they are so far removed from the hub-bub but, it happened....

Reasons I Love SF: Sailing

Tiburon is a quaint little town on the coast of the North Bay, with a cute downtown, running and walking paths, and probably residents have a really great quality of life. Especially because they have to have money to live there... At any rate, I enjoy taking periodic trips up to Tiburon, either to visit Angel Island or to just make a day of it, taking in the sights, sounds and drinks of the town.

On this trip, I was able to stay at the Water's Edge, a great spot overlooking the harbor and San Francisco sky-line for some. You can see my view (at 5:30am no less) in the photo set below. In addition to taking full advantage of what the hotel had to offer, including a great wine and cheese happy hour, I went running along the lagoon with a friend, ate at Sam's (of course), and went for a sail on the Bay. It was dreamy...

Reasons I Love SF: Nerds!

Last weekend, I met up with some current and old co-workers for a mid-afternoon soiree that was supposed to last for an hour and a half and ended up going deep into the night for me and another friend from work.... Many glasses of wine and bourbon later, I was lurching home on the N Judah. It's been a long time since that happened.

At any rate, it was yet another quintessential San Francisco evening in the Mission. The sun was up late and fighting its way through the fog that was trying to roll in over Twin Peaks. We were on the third floor of a walk-up down the street from Dolores Park, overlooking Sutro Tower. And, the group of us were discussing Game of Thrones and the books it is based upon, my imminent graduate degree program, and the merits and demerits of program officer candidates recently met. A colleague strummed on the guitar and the hostess answered abundant questions about the secret ingredient in her Giada de Laurentis white bean dip. This is a day in the life of me. And, I love it.

The reason I love it most is that these are all very nerdy things to do on a Saturday afternoon... or any day for that matter. In other words, I'm surrounded by nerds like me in this wonderful city. Every day. There are people who are excited about this list of places, from San Francisco magazine, that incubate/"accelerate" new projects in the Bay Area. There are also people who enjoy talking about the last great book they read over lunch, like my colleagues and I do on a regular basis. And, there are people who want to join courses where they can learn nerdy things like human-centered design. So, we all sit around talking about these things and geeking out on how cool we think they are.

Reasons I Love SF: Celebrations are HUGE

In light of the history made last week, just in time for Pride in many cities, I decided I needed to partake in some part of the festivities this weekend. According to many of the friends I met at Dolores Park, this was the biggest march ever. And, I don't doubt it. Check out these snaps of the crowds:

I am proud of the Supreme Court and everyone who helped make true marriage equality a reality. For all of my relatives, friends, and other loved ones. Amazing!

Reasons I Love SF: People Support Each Other's Art

The weekend before last, I mentioned an artistic experience called He Moved Swiftly but Gently Down the Not Too Crowded Street. As I might have also mentioned, it was a five hour program and I was only able to do half of it. This weekend, I had a friend visiting from Eau Claire, WI and she was game to follow a couple hours of the performance from the beginning and catch some of the acts that I had missed, and one that I wanted to see again in the sunshine.

Upon our arrival at 32 Page Street, I saw a former colleague and mutual friend of my co-worker that was performing. And, tons more participants than the week before. The weather was much warmer than the weekend before which may have contributed to the turn-out. It was great to hear on Monday that the crowds apparently grew throughout the second weekend of shows (June 21 - 23). Recently, a friend of a friend mentioned that Oakland feels more like a community to her. But, being there with old friends and new, supporting an artistic soul, felt very San Francisco.

The portions that we caught seemed to be about belonging and carrying history and "landmarks" with you. They were beautiful pieces in beautiful settings.

 

An actor, playing Ed Mock in the window of Zuni Cafe 

 

 

 A beautiful use of space at Salle Pianos and Events on Market at Rose Street

Spoken word about forgotten landmarks at Picaro

Reasons I Love SF: Amazing Musical Acts Come Here

On Friday night, a colleague from out of town asked me to join her for a show at the Independent. It's been years since I've been there but, the video of the Staves my colleague sent me caused me to think it was a show I wanted to see. And, I was not wrong.

We started off with another colleague at Beretta for bites and fancy cocktails. I did a very unusual thing, thinking we were going to have to wait for hours, and lied about our entire party being present... While our third didn't show up for maybe 30 minutes, we were not asked to leave our prime table location, thank god. People don't get seated immediately on a Friday at Beretta... ever.

Then we cabbed over to the Independent and caught the show. My colleague co-runs Sofar Sounds (a super cool series of intimate musical shows in people's living rooms) in Mexico City and so we stayed behind to talk with the sweet ladies of the band, afterwards. Their tracks are now on repeat in my apartment whenever I'm here... Brilliant!

Reasons I Love SF: High Brow Entertainment

A colleague of mine is dancing and singing in a free city walk of performance art called He Moved Swiftly but Gently Down the Not Too Crowded Street, a tribute to Ed Mock. Mock was an important leader in the dance community during the 70s and 80s, in San Francisco. And, the pieces that have been constructed throughout the Mission are beautiful and interesting and one of a kind.

Some other colleagues and I joined in the walking tour, cutting in and out as we saw fit for food and drink. One colleague mentioned that it was one of the weirdest but, best days in San Francisco in ten years of living here. I nodded in whole-hearted agreement. The event was made up of performances in mattress and piano stores, restaurants, alleyways, and in the middle of Valencia Street. After a few hours, we joined in a Second Line parade down Shotwell Street, singing along with the singer/dancers goading us along. The neighbors came out to their balconies, much like during New Orleans's Mardi Gras. Despite the socked in weather, our troop was sharing the light of a very special man all over town.

It all ended with a disco, a beautiful song sung by my co-worker in the lobby of ODC Theatre, where pictures of Ed Mock were displayed. And, more dancing in the street. I'm going back for more next weekend.

Reasons I Love the Park: And

There are so many reasons that I love Golden Gate Park that I thought I would just start delving deeper into them as just another way to express why I love San Francisco...

The "And" in this post's title is in reference to a series of Ford commercials that have been playing somewhat incessantly as of late. But, the premise behind them is that "and is better than or". And, I have to admit, that is probably almost always true. Not to belabor the point but, in the ads, they compare Bed and Breakfasts vs. Bed or Breakfasts and sweet and sour vs. sweet or sour. You get the point. In the case of Golden Gate Park, there is art AND nature AND lots of places to run AND actual wildlife AND people.

This evening, I was running (something I've recently reintroduced to my life) towards Ocean Beach when there was the tell-tale sign of people stopped and taking pictures. This has happened before so, I've learned that where there are people standing and snapping photos there is probably something unique going on. I slowed and sure enough, out of the brush across the street, saunters a coyote. Not a domesticated dog. Not a feral cat. Both of which are also frequent visitors to the park. But, a coyote. Lincoln Avenue traffic was not even a short city block away and there was a coyote... Pretty cool.

I sauntered away myself, back in the other direction.

Reasons I Love SF: Hop Skip and a Jump Away

My parents live (and I spent summers in my childhood) an hour west of Yosemite and so, I've been there more than a few times. Recently, my aunt and uncle from Chicago came for a tour of beautiful state and federal parks in parts of inland California and made a stop at my parents'. As such, we spent a Friday afternoon enjoying Yosemite. Namely, Glacier Point and Hetch Hetchy.

It never fails, no matter how many times I see these places... I'm always in awe at the beauty that still exists in the world. And, the fact that it's just over three hours away from San Francisco is just another added perk.

Of course, these photos do not do the magnificence of these places any justice but, alas.... it's all one can do to capture them....

Reasons I Love SF: Reuse Can Be Art

My former boss and I met up on Friday at Crissy Field since I was working from home. It had been a long time since I'd gone beyond my former employer's building or off the path to the Golden Gate Bridge and I had missed that Doyle Drive is close to being complete (at least the tunnel is open). But, better than that, SF MOMA has an outstanding exhibit throughout Crissy Field for the next year featuring huge metal structures by Mark di Suvero, made from the remains of the former Doyle Drive overpass. We wandered in amongst the sculptures, took a bunch of photos (see below), and sat on Are Years What? for quite some time just enjoying the sunny day. What a brilliant idea to create things of grand beauty out of garbage...

Elusive Couch: Living Room Refresh

Now that I've decided I'm not moving, it's time to re-evaluate my living space. It has been two years since I spent any time doing big decorating projects, and since I found the awesome couch that is one of the focal points of my living room. It has been two years of living in a space that isn't quite finished but, has become awkwardly lived in. Those boxes have got to go!

So, as I mentioned in a post from last week, I've begun searching for all the right things to fill my apartment with. And, I have the following issues to solve: 

1) My desk is actually just a dining table and I still have a bunch of boxes in the corner of my living room

2) I don't have enough storage in my apartment

3) There is an awkward and unsightly exposed closet space next to an enclosed closet in my bedroom

4) My clothes are stowed in the storage drawers under my bed and in an open shelving unit in my bedroom

5) I have a LOT of books and despite my best efforts, continue to collect more

The first project I'm undertaking is replacing my "desk" with a desk and ridding my living room of storage boxes. Please bear witness to the before shot below...

 

Now, check out the almost after shots below. I got that awesome desk from CB2. And, the boxes have been replaced with plastic bins that I can see through and have been relocated to my garage space down the street. I still need to figure out the situation with the files (currently on the right side of the fireplace), the printer (on the floor to the right of the desk), the contents of the big green box (stationary and wrapping paper, mostly), and the binders. Billy bookshelves and a cute filing cabinet will hopefully do the trick.

It's getting there!

Reasons I Love SF: The Beach is Walkable

My friend needed a getaway so, has come to stay for a couple of nights. It is great to have a companion with me during the week and tonight we were moved to enjoy all that my neighborhood has to offer: Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, and delicious Pho.

On our walk through Golden Gate Park, the flowers were in bloom, the greenery was lush, and the sun was getting low in the sky and casting that lovely aura over everything we saw. By the time we reached the beach, the sun was setting, the almost full moon was at the sun's opposite, and sand was flying into all of our exposed orifices. Tired and hungry, we wandered back toward my apartment and found a rather popular Pho restaurant where we slurped up noodles and meat and warmed ourselves inside and out.

Reasons I Love SF: Vacations in the East Bay

This weekend, I went on a vacation in the East Bay, which I do from time-to-time. I spent time with one of my best friends, enjoyed the warm East Bay weather, and got some health and well-being out of the deal, as well.

Saturday afternoon, we stepped out and shopped on 4th Street, in Berkeley. I got to wear one of my dresses, which is rare. And, I began purchasing items for my apartment redecoration project (blogs on this to come soon, under the label the Elusive Couch). As a first step, I bought this desk at CB2.

We ate at Tacubaya where they make amazing guacamole.

After a good night's sleep, we dined on green juice, picked up burrito bowls from Chipotle, and then did a five-hour rigorous hike in Redwood Regional Park. We came upon swarms of ladybugs in the valley, a beautiful sight to behold. And, we petted a llama, there for the day and spending time in the shade. I'm not sure exactly how many times we ascended and descended but, we had to climb up a final hill which just about did us in. There may have been crying as we trod uphill...