San FranCelia

Not necessarily in that order of course. Haha! I went to the Academy of Arts and Sciences weekly Night Life series last night, and it was such a great time! What a cool concept, and a great way for the Academy to make some extra money. You get a ticket for a mere $10 online, and it’s your pass to hang out with a ton of other people from the Bay Area, look at the amazing exhibits that the newly remodeled Academy has to offer, all while drinking! Hello! Why has no one thought of this earlier?! The drinks are a little pricey, but that’s nothing new in San Francisco. And if you feel like having a domestic beer, it’s only $6, which isn’t so bad – it is cash only, however, so do be aware of that before you go.

You literally walk into this amazing structure (which from my youth I can remember looking like a 70s multi-purpose room – think tans and yellows as the motif with weird background animal noises on a looping soundtrack), and you view this stunning new design of steel, glass and cement. In the center there is a new lounge area which is surrounded by glass walls and looks out to the entire Academy building – it feels circular in design with various off-shoots (even though

it’s a square structure). The place is packed and they are blasting what I kept referring to as Russian Club music (really the Bay Area’s own “nu- school funk master” DJ Malarkey, but what do I know) – when you go, you will understand. The bar lines weren’t even that horrible, so it was completely bearable. I was worried about all the animals being subjected to the drunken revelry of the crowd, but the open tanked/open caged animals were held elsewhere so no one could accidentally try and touch then in a drunken stupor. I mean, can you imagine? If there were any douchy guys there, that SO would have been a bet… “Hey dude… bet you can’t touch Claude the albino alligator!” haha! As it turned out, you had to be more concerned with all the pseudo-intellectuals who would normally do this trek in the day, but now were doing it at night with a few glasses of Cabernet in them. I actually overheard one guy saying to some girl… “Let’s talk a little more in depth about Columbia…”, and then I had to turn around for fear of laughing at the guy in such close proximity because he so would have knows it was directed at him… So thankful my friend Michelle was there, because she looked at me and we just started cracking up. So funny, but where else can you get that, right? It was totally worth the laugh after all. Exhibits to check out? The aquarium – it was so incredible! They have every type of exotic fish in these massive tanks that go from floor to ceiling. After a few cocktails, you seriously just zone out while starring at the world’s largest bass, and think, “This is the coolest thing ever!” No joke.

I totally recommend this for any given Thursday night when you can’t think of something fun to do after work – way better than happy hour and it goes from 6pm – 10pm. It’s going through October 29^th, so there’s still plenty of time to partake of this cool new San Francisco tradition. Check out their website here to get tickets.

Peace and Love XO

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Recently, a friend of mine in PR sent me samples of the Zola Açai Berry Smoothie line, and it’s amazing!  We have all heard of açai berries and the benefits of drinking it’s juice regularly (hello Oprah!), so this will really excite anyone who is looking to get healthier in an easy, tasty way.  Zola’s signature Açai Juice is already in stores, but coming this April, they will be launching a new smoothie line, and lucky me, I get to taste them before they are out and let you all know what’s the deal with them and, more importantly, how they taste!  Below are all four different blends:

 Energy Smoothie

 This smoothie is light and refreshing.  Tastes like fruit punch with a kick!  It’s naturally caffeinated with a boost of yerba mate and guaraná seed, so you do actually get pumped, which is so great, because it’s actually healthy for you in regular intervals (as opposed to my daily latté – bonus!).

 Antioxidant Smoothie

 What a berry blast!  Tastes like you are drinking pure blackberrys (or some sort of dark berry) but it’s actually full of purple açai berries that deliver more free-radical fighting antioxidants than any other fruit in the world.  This, as I recently found out, helps with cell damage, so everything in your body gets, well… better!  Pretty impressive, and so is this delicious smoothie.

 Immunity Smoothie

 This was a particularly useful and tasty blend, as I had a cold while trying all of these juices.  It’s a super tart mix that almost tastes like a delicious pastry… is that weird?  Haha!  It’s a scrumptious mix of acerola cherries, camu and açai berries.  It contains antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and of course Vitamin C.  You will definitely be feeling healthier (or in my case, less sick) after drinking this blend.

 Superfood Smoothie

 This is the earthiest tasting of all four smoothies, and definitely takes the most getting used to if you aren’t a true “foodie” as we say in the Bay.  However, it does really grow on you, especially when you hear the benefits.  It is (of course) full of free-radical fighting açai, but also contains Vitamin B packed graviola and anti-aging (yes!) cupuaçu.  This will help you feel super alert and energized when you are on the go, plus help you stay young looking for years to come… awesome.

Alright peeps… check these out in April.  They will be at Whole Foods in the Bay Area to start, and then moving into other health food stores and high end grocery stores (think Andronico’s) later.  Check out their YouTube link to get Zola’s full story:  2009 ZOLA ACAI

 Happy (and healthy!) drinking!

Peace and love!  XO

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What a great weekend in San Francisco! Busy, busy (as always!) with a touch of rain for effect. I had a great time (of course!) going to the movies and checking out several new restaurants.

First let me tell you about the movie I went to see – “Push” starring Dakota Fanning and several other actors I have never heard of. It looked

like it has so much promise but let me tell you… no. Just, no. Don’t go see this movie. The premise is that there’s a world full of people with psychic abilities that the U.S. government (why isn’t it ever like, the Polynesian government?) is trying to use as lab rats to create a superhuman army. One group of them tries to stop this with their various abilities (Dakota’s character being able to see the future, for example). It had a couple of interesting plot twists (it wasn’t a horrible train wreck, just close), but for the most part it was bad acting with of touch of bizarre 13 year old sexual tension (and may I add, it was with a 28 year old… weird). I think Dakota Fanning only took this role because she got to act like she was drunk in one scene and didn’t have to play a 10 year old again. What a Friday night date night bummer. Dinner, however, was MUCH better.

Went to Naked Fish on Chestnut for sushi and it was delicious! The staff was super nice and welcoming and the ambiance was wonderful. Plus, for the guys, and even some girls…myself included, the Warriors game was on (but not distracting or intrusive), so that was cool. Everything was incredibly fresh and when you watched the sushi chefs making the rolls, you could tell how much of an art it was for them. Try the Dragon roll and the Firecracker Spicy Balls in particular – they were both to die for.

The next spot on my weekend restaurants tour took me out of the city. I went to La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant in Novato, just 25 minutes North of San Francisco. It was authentic and delicious. Was a fun spot – the staff is great and so is the décor (there’s a whole wall mural that is gorgeous)! They have all the tasty authentic Mexican fare such as burritos, flautas, and fish tacos, and of course the great true Mexican touches such as Jarritos and Horchata. I definitely recommend this place. It’s the best Mexican food I have had in California (not as good as Arizona, but close). Check it out if you can make it out to the burbs.

Two more places to let you know about (because everyone should know the go-to spots). Magnolia, on Height and Masonic, although a very cool location and great service, was overpriced and heavy. I ordered a burger, took one bite, and it’s like an entire glass of water spilled out. It was juicy alright – too juicy. The fries were undercooked and the whole meal was just “blah” – I also feel like I gained 20 pounds (so not fabulous). It was very, very pricey too – I paid $25 for a burger, fries, and iced tea. Hey, at least the iced tea was great.

Last spot was The Grove on Chestnut in Cow Hollow. I had the Mac and Cheese and the Tomato Basil soup, and both were delicious! The

Mac and Cheese was especially amazing with several types of cheese and this awesome crust on top that just made it all the better. I definitely

recommend this place. There are two locations (one on Fillmore) and it’s an amazing spot for a rainy day to play cards or Scrabble (they provide the games), reading, doing some work (wifi ready), or just hanging with friends. The atmosphere is great and the crowd fun. As a bonus, they serve huge lattes that can seriously last for like, three hours.

Hope these spots give you a few places to try. Check them out and comment on what you think if you have an opinion, as you know I do. J

Happy eating!

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