San Francisco is My Home

24
Mar

Weekend preview

Author: kris, Category: Out of town, Outdoors, Weekend preview

The Monday weekend preview rolls around again, but today I’m a little stumped. You see, friends, I am going out of town starting Friday. Usually just knowing I’m going to be in the city over the weekend makes me peripherally aware of stuff that’s happening — you can’t help taking note of flyers and things around town and thinking “hm, option.” But this weekend, no such luck.

Instead, I’d like to draw your attention to a few stellar out-of-town options for a weekend away.

Option 1: Sand and sun

Northern California has almost everything you could ever need, from our indie-rockin’ beanies right down to our smug, self-satisfied little toes. However, sometimes you find yourself wishing you didn’t have to wear three layers of clothes to visit the beach. At those times, I recommend a quick weekend in the south of our fair state. Head to Monterey for some of the state’s most stunning coastal landscapes, which can be interspersed with a trip to the outstanding Monterey Bay Aquarium when you’re tired of lounging on golden sands. (Lest you think this is one of those touristy, semi-dull museum experiences, think again. The Aquarium is actually exciting, gorgeous and surprisingly fascinating for a warehouse full of cold-blooded critters and invertebrates.)

Option 2: Mountain dew

Not the drink; the landscape. The Sierras are a perfect place to backpack (although you’ll need some serious cold weather gear if you go now). You can also find lovely hotels in Tahoe or Yosemite. For example, the Yosemite View Lodge features semi-affordable suites with jacuzzi tubs overlooking the river; I highly recommend it.

Option 3: Party

You can always find cheap flights to Vegas or L.A. if you want to go somewhere a bit more people-oriented. It will tell you something about me that the closest I’ve been to L.A. is Disneyland and I’ve never been to Vegas at all. When I want to party I usually head to Santa Barbara, where the plethora of drunken underage co-eds letting their hair down can supply you with anecdotes for a month. If you want a slightly more adult holiday down there, check out San Ysidro Ranch, the uber-luxury spot where celebrities like Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck stay when they come to town. I could never afford to stay there, but I did get the insider’s tour and stood in one of the fancy-pants bathtubs.

11
Feb

For romantic times, make it mini golf times

Author: kris, Category: Kids, Out of town, Outdoors, Sports

I don’t know what your plans are for Valentine’s Day, but you might consider mini golf. I just played at Golden Tee Golfland and was reminded why this is the best of sports: bright colors, sunshine, no skill required and a limitless potential for fun picture taking.

The romance of mini golf is not immediately apparent, but that is of course what makes it so romantic. By taking your significant person to a mini golf course, you’re saying “Baby, we don’t need $60 entrees and fancy chocolates (half of which are the gross, jam-filled kind) to get our seduction on.” You’re also saying “Baby, I can’t afford to buy us a weekend stay at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara,” but he/she probably already knew that.

Golden Tee Golfland has a reasonably well-maintained course, and the obligatory arcade. Also, it’s in Castro Valley, which almost guarantees you’ll have a sunny day, even in February. If you want something a little more impressive, you should check out Scandia in Sacramento, which has much fancier obstacles spread over two courses, and also bumper boats, batting cages and more.