The San Francisco Thread

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Originally Posted by Robin

We all might be sharing a hotel room, so I really don't want to mention that as an option.

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Do you know much about the major neighborhoods? There is probably general agreement amongst the board that north beach is terrible but it does tend to be the most "festive" (read: young) atmosphere for those on a whirlwind tour without plans to come back. If you want to venture elsewhere then you'll probably get debate as to where best to go. If they have no designs on chasing tail then I'd suggest the Mission for a decent mix of indoor/outdoor casual hipster spots. SOMA for a very slightly more "upscale" crowd and closer to clubs. Lower Haight has a decent little stretch of dives/irish bars, don't bother with upper Haight. Stay away from downtown. And of course Castro for when your friends get drunk enough to surface their latent urges.

Pick a couple and you'll probably get a flood of suggestions.

goddammit what the hell is it that you want?

I really don't know the area at all.
Nix the upscale and clubs.
Prob want something more lowkey, and an area where we can just walk (or crawl) bar-to-bar.
Looking for more of a pub atmosphere.

North beach.
You'll find plenty of "pub" like spots around grant & green and generally around washington square park.


btw the word "clubs" spans a very wide spectrum in SF. They're generally a lot smaller than and low key than what you'll find in most large cities, but there are some big obnoxious ones too. But if youre not into dancing then there's no reason to explore that.

Pretty much the standard neighborhood descriptions but some work went into the postcards, and some are worth a chuckle

im coming up for pride. guess i'll check the SF show thread to see if there's anything worthwhile after i drop my friends off at the hotel and cleaned some of the puke off them.

Boo. I'd like to meet you, Jorge, but I'm away that weekend. Saw your post on the other thread, and you can count on there being plenty of shows during that weekend.

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Originally Posted by jackstraw94086

Pretty much the standard neighborhood descriptions but some work went into the postcards, and some are worth a chuckle

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I love how all these types of guides just completely ignore the Richmond. No, I really do love it. That's probably at least part of the reason I can afford a 1,000 square foot apartment without leaving SF. :-)

So I really need some help and suggestions from you guys. I've been living in Emeryville for about 3ish months now and i'm really not digging east bay like I dig the city. Understandable. But I get the strong feeling that theres a lot going on here that im missing.

So I would love some Oakland/Berkeley tips, places to check out, mailing lists I should be on, events to look for. At least a point in the right direction. Thanks!

HOMEROOM MAC N CHEESE!

If anyone knows of any places in the city hiring please let me know! I need a job. :)

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Originally Posted by chiapet

Boo. I'd like to meet you, Jorge, but I'm away that weekend. Saw your post on the other thread, and you can count on there being plenty of shows during that weekend.

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would love to meet you too. boo, next time for sure! I usually make it up there at least once in the fall too. I'm sure there will be many drunk plans made with my friend once i'm up there for Pride. only a week and a half away.

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Originally Posted by sbessiso

So I really need some help and suggestions from you guys. I've been living in Emeryville for about 3ish months now and i'm really not digging east bay like I dig the city. Understandable. But I get the strong feeling that theres a lot going on here that im missing.

So I would love some Oakland/Berkeley tips, places to check out, mailing lists I should be on, events to look for. At least a point in the right direction. Thanks!

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Its been a long time since I lived out in Berkeley but here were some things and places I liked to go.

- Indian Rock in Northern Berkeley is a nice spot where you can rock climb [various skill levels] and has good panoramic views on top [there are stairs to get to the top if you do not want to rock climb].

- Tilden Park is great. On the way up you can stop at Lawrence Hall of Science's parking lot and see the whole Bay Area on a that rare crystal clear day. Tilden Park itself is pretty big with trails, lots of wildlife and a golf course.

- Botanical Gardens is on the way to Lawrence Hall of Science/Tilden and is run by UC Berkeley. It has all the different plants of the world if you are into that kind of stuff [I had to go for a class and enjoyed it].

- Fire trail hike is just past the stadium on the road to the Botanical Gardens/Lawrence/Tilden. About three miles total and drops you off on Panoramic Rd which also has great views of the Bay

- Cal Football [during fall]. Don't have to go to the game, there are always people drinking at the bars watching football hanging out. A definitely unique college football gameday experience. Also will give you an excuse to go to Rasputins and Amoeba.


Food/Beer Recommendations while in Berkeley
-Zacharys [Solano & Rockridge Bart]
-Cheeseboard [Philz Coffee nearby]
-Gregoire
-Chez Panisse [if you're fancy]
-Brazil Cafe
-Cafe Strada [Not so much the food but great people watching during the day especially when school is in]
- The Albatross Pub was a good dive bar with free board games and such

Events
Occasionally DT Berkeley will have a street fair or march/protest of some sort. DT Oakland/Jack London Square also will have events/food trucks. Not really sure where to discover these things though.

Hope this helps a little.

Thanks for the day off BART fire

that does help a bit, thanks roast!

Hey people - so, believe it or not, after living here since '95, I am finally heading to Big Basin for some camping next week. I would love any tips/suggestions on hikes, setting up, what to bring (that you can't get nearby), etc. It's been a while since I've been camping so any insights will help bust off some of the rust. We're in the Wastahi Campground. Cheers.

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Originally Posted by sbessiso

So I really need some help and suggestions from you guys. I've been living in Emeryville for about 3ish months now and i'm really not digging east bay like I dig the city. Understandable. But I get the strong feeling that theres a lot going on here that im missing.

So I would love some Oakland/Berkeley tips, places to check out, mailing lists I should be on, events to look for. At least a point in the right direction. Thanks!

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Hey...my friends have this cool place in Emeryville - http://www.roomorange.com/

Go check out some stuff over there when you get a chance....Super good people.

what exactly is it? the site doesnt look like its been updated in a bit

When I was up in SF for Thanksgiving last year, I had the absolute best French Dip of my life at Hillstone, on Montgomery across from the Alcatraz Ferry area. Has anyone else been there?

you up there every year for the holiday? we spend it in danville and usually make it into the city for the macy's tree lighting/shopping on friday.

No, just every now and then. We rotate who hosts among my many uncles.

Anybody know why they're tearing up all the roads and adding jutting cut-outs to the curbs?

to keep cars away from the corners, improve sight lines for traffic and pedestrians, create room for ramps perpendicular to the sidewalk (as opposed to the diagonal one that forces wheelchairs and blind people to veer off path and into the street to find them)

Why are they jackhammering at close to 8pm? because they're fuckheads.

I was in San Fran today. Lovely weather. Such a break from the 110 in Palm Springs. I stopped by the new Ghiradelli's Chocolate store in the Westfield Mall.

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Originally Posted by sbessiso

So I really need some help and suggestions from you guys. I've been living in Emeryville for about 3ish months now and i'm really not digging east bay like I dig the city. Understandable. But I get the strong feeling that theres a lot going on here that im missing.

So I would love some Oakland/Berkeley tips, places to check out, mailing lists I should be on, events to look for. At least a point in the right direction. Thanks!

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Just came across this article. Hope it helps!
http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Oakla...-the-East-Bay/

"The Guest Chef" is a cool concept... I'm sure it's really hit or miss.. but I'd be up for trying that place sometime. Also, uhmmmm BACONIZED bloody marys, I'd come over to the east bay for those. (Never mind that I could make my own bacon and my own bloody marys).

That said, while that list is interesting, it's almost all food & drink places, and I get the feeling he was not looking for restaurant and bar recommendations. That's not really an 'activity'. It seems like he's struggling to find things to do for fun without spending a lot of money or coming in to SF. I know it wouldn't be fair at all to say that there isn't much going on in Oakland -- I'm sure there is -- but it definitely seems like it's less on the radar than similar events and activities in SF.

Anyone visit the mighty this past weekend?

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Originally Posted by PotVsKtl

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Holy. Crap. A Ford Fiesta? What the hell did he do to that thing? It's incredible. And my god, that looks like so much fun... the streets of the city, all to yourself...

most of that is fake.

Filmed over four days, but still...

I had a Ford Fiesta once, long ago. To put it mildly, not my favorite vehicle, but it also didn't have a "2.0-liter turbo four capable of producing as much as 600 horsepower and 665 pound-feet of torque, depending on configuration". Hmmm. Wouldn't mind trying one out like that now.