San Francisco is My Home

30
Nov

Ice skating and baby bears

Author: kris, Category: Landmarks

I’ve been wanting to go to the zoo lately. They’ve got new grizzly bear cubs (feeding is at 10 a.m., and my parents report that it is both exciting and adorable), and I am a sucker for baby animals of all kinds.

Now, just in case the promise of adorable man-killers doesn’t draw you in, the San Francisco Zoo has apparently opened a new ice skating rink. And they have real reindeer there!

I feel a little ishy about this, like when Marine World Africa USA, the local animal theme park, was acquired by Six Flags and suddenly became more about rides and less about seeing a handler walking a baby jaguar on a leash through the park. Still, the rink is only open for the holiday season, and might bring in some customers to the zoo. Say what you like about the moral issues involved with zoos — and there is a lot to think about in that regard — the animals still have to eat, so it’s good they’re bringing in money.

30
Nov

Mayoral candidate charged with misdemeanor

Author: kris, Category: News, Politics

One of the opponents in the recent mayoral race (won, in the predictable landslide, by current mayor and all-around honey Gavin Newsom) was a homeless taxi driver who –

I’m sorry, I need to take a moment to enjoy that idea. Okay. The candidate, Grasshopper Alec Kaplan –

Nope, still not over it. The homeless taxi driver, Grasshopper, who ran for mayor, was charged with a misdemeanor two weeks before the election for, as the Chron puts it, “allegedly playing guitar naked while atop his purple van outside the San Mateo Expo Center.”

Anyway, he failed to show up for his court date, and here is what the Chron says about that, which is maybe my favorite part of the whole thing:

“If we don’t do something, it’s basically saying, yeah, he can sit out on his van playing his guitar naked anytime he wants,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. “I think that might infringe on other people’s pursuit of happiness.”

30
Nov

Yoshi’s comes to SF

Author: kris, Category: Bars and Clubs

There’s a new Yoshi’s open in San Francisco, a sister to the restaurant/jazz club that’s been thriving in Oakland’s Jack London Square for ten years. Reportedly, the new club has a similarly intimate vibe, though the premises are larger.

If you’re interested in checking it out, the Charlie Hunter Trio will be playing from December 12 through the 16th. I saw them at the Oakland Yoshi’s a few years ago and highly recommend it.

Yoshi’s has no relation to the kick-ass Super Nintendo game Yoshi’s Island, even though I really want it to.

30
Nov

Planning your holiday party

Author: kris, Category: Bars and Clubs

‘Tis the season to be planning holiday parties for your company. In a past life, or anyway a past job, I worked in the sort of positions who get tasked with planning corporate holiday parties, so I know a bit about this.

The best holiday party I’ve ever attended was at Bimbo’s; the company rented the whole club for the evening. If you’ve got the budget, it makes an excellent party venue. There’s a stage in front of a large area with many tables and chairs, a game room, a separate room with a photo booth, the bar of course, and a good space to set up food tables. It’s also close to some other good places for after-parties.

Photo courtesy of the Bimbo’s website.

29
Nov

Housing prices drop

Author: kris, Category: News

The housing situation around here is starting to get interesting.

Of course, it’s been interesting for a long, long time. I was interested in the astonishingly high prices being asked — and paid — for houses in the city, to say nothing of the Bay Area at large. I was interested to see that a nice, fairly ordinary three-bedroom apartment in a decent, but not mansion-y, neighborhood (my neighborhood, in fact) sold for over $1 million. I was only mildly interested, of course, because that sounds normal to me. Yes, you should definitely have to pay $1 million or more to be near more than one bus line and more than one restaurant.

Except I am pretty sure this is not normal for most of the country. I went and looked at some listings in other places I’d be willing to live — Denver, Seattle, Portland, etc. — and they don’t seem to be this high.

Anyway, since this business with the subprime loans, home prices have been steadily dropping in the city. I mean dropping in an exciting way, like to the point where my fellow and I could almost maybe afford to buy something halfway decent in an okay neighborhood, possibly.
Since the housing bubble began, more and more families, artists, blue collar workers and all those groups that give a city a feeling of holding many diverse lifestyles cupped in its hilly hands have been priced out, moving to Oakland or Antioch or farther out. It would be exciting to see these people returning to the city. Imagine the improvements we could make to the school systems if more kids were here; the new art scenes that would spring up if more artists could afford to stay. I would find that very interesting indeed.

29
Nov

Movie preview at the Metreon

Author: kris, Category: Events, Movies

The Metreon is showing a sneak preview of The Golden Compass this Saturday, December 1, at 7:00 pm.

Now, why do we care about this? After all, we hate the Metreon, with its 10 minutes of commercials before you even get to the previews; we hate it so much that we nicknamed it The Metronome and we call it that in a mean voice even though it isn’t really a mean or even a logical nickname.

And anyway, The Golden Compass is officially being released on December 7. Is a week really so long to wait?

Well yeah, kinda, if you really liked the book even though you are maybe a grownup who should be reading Nabokov or someone. However, some of us have a trapeze show to go to. But if you cannot make it to the show in Oakland, and you cannot wait until December 7, and you cannot be affected by 10 minutes of commercials, then this preview is for you.

29
Nov

More standup at Blake’s

Author: kris, Category: Comedy, Events

Local standup crackup Sean Keane is hosting another Heuristic Squelch Comedy Experience at Blake’s in Berkeley. It’s all happening Wednesday, December5. Show starts at 8:30, and it’s 18+, $8 at the door.

Keane is also featured in this week’s East Bay Express. Check out the article here.

28
Nov

A day in the Park

Author: kris, Category: Landmarks, Museums, Nature

Today is one of those perfect days when all the city’s microclimates agree with one another and it is sunny everywhere. My dad and I had lunch at the cafe attached to the De Young Museum, which has a nice outdoor patio facing a small lawn dotted with sculptures and toddlers running circles around their parents. (Lest you get a screeching, Disneyland vibe from it, let me clarify that there were only a few kids, all adorable and none screaming, and the general vibe is very calm.) The food is way better than what you’d find at an average museum cafeteria, and you can buy beer, wine and champagne along with standard sodas and hot drinks.

Afterwards, stroll across the street and wander through the Botanical Gardens, which are full of Zen-ish little nooks and crannies decorated with benches and brooks.

27
Nov

She floats through the air with the greatest of ease

Author: kris, Category: Events

Looking for something to do Saturday night? Come check out “A Night of Glamorous Flight” at Trapeze Arts in Oakland, where several different trapeze artists will dazzle you with their astounding air flipping and breathtaking bar feats. Want a small preview? Check out this YouTube video of Tracy, one of Saturday’s performers, making it all look easy.

The show will be held at Trapeze Arts at 1822 9th Street in Oakland. It’s all happening on Saturday, December 1. Show up at 7:30 to calm your nerves at the champagne reception, or just come for the show at 8:00 and be prepared to grip your seat and hold your breath in amazement.

The show is 18 and over and tickets are $15. Come support these amazing local athletes.

26
Nov

The Fashion Exchange

Author: kris, Category: Shopping

I recently decided I need to dress like Natalie Portman in Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (wow, do you ever not care about this, but stay with me). Unfortunately, all the stores are filled with clothes for Natalie Portman in The Darjeeling Limited, so I had to hit the thrift stores, which are all I can really afford anyway.

So it was that last week saw me sniffing around The Fashion Exchange, currently my favorite used store because it’s near my house. Also because, unlike the really grotty and exciting thrift stores like Goodwill, The Fashion Exchange only accepts higher-quality clothes, so I don’t spend an hour sorting through soup-smelling flannel dresses before I find something useful.

(I have just outed myself as a thrift-store-come-lately, I know. True afficionados relish the soup scent, and some even brew batches of soupy perfume to maintain that faint chicken noodle scent all the time.*)

Because it’s on the edge of the Castro, The F.E. has a hefty guy wardrobe, but naturally I gravitated towards the skirts and stuff. Here is what I like about the girl side of the store: many things are shiny, there is a decent selection of colorful clothes in addition to the standard boring blacks, browns and taupes, and lots of stuff comes in normal sizes instead of grandmother-huge or little-sister-wee.

Of course the prices are not rock-bottom like a good thrift, but there is more than enough affordable stuff that you can browse right by the more expensive labels. Unless you like that kind of thing, but then what are you doing here?

*That is a lie. Or, I don’t know, maybe they do.