San FranCelia

To be a true San Franciscan, you must be a fan (at least in part) of the Giants.  Now I’m not going to pretend that I’m that into watching baseball on TV – I mean, come on… it’s about 10 minutes of actual play time, and the rest is just watching what I like to call “fat athletes” – think golfers (yeah, you know what I mean) – stand around looking intense and only slightly interested in the game at hand.  However, when I go to AT&T Park on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, the game takes on a whole new feel.  You walk up to the stadium, which is located in the SOMA district of the City, and the huge brick structure of the stadium feels reminiscent of a time when baseball truly was America’s favorite pastime. It’s extremely beautiful, and very welcoming in a way.  Right on the water, it’s easy to see the ocean from your seats, which adds a very luxurious and unique feel to the game.  Being such a new stadium – it opened to the public in 2000 – everything has that shiny and fresh feel, which is always fun.  A night at AT&T Park is the perfect event for almost anything.  You can go on a date (makes the men happy as clams when you make sporting events dates, don’t ya’ know), work get-togethers, or family outings.  You can get extremely cheap tickets in the bleachers, which aren’t even bad seats.  In fact, that’s where the home run balls head most of the time.  Definitely makes for an enjoyable night.

I went to the park for their game against the Marlins recently (we won!), and it was such a perfect night at the ballpark.  Being on

the water, it can get chilly, so the food vendors have wised up and started selling things in the crowd like hot chocolate and warm cookies.  Not what you think of normally for a baseball game, but this is San Francisco, after all – it’s all about being comfortable and contemporary.  Of course all of the regular options are available, so we decided to go with the old stand-bys – hot dogs, peanuts, beer, and kettle corn.  Delicious!  It’s pricey of course, but well worth it while enjoying the game.  Everything comes in large portions, so it’s best for your wallet and your waistline if you share.  The group I was with – my honey’s work colleagues – was super fun.  One of his co-workers visiting from India hadn’t ever seen a game before.  What a fun treat to be at his first game!  He was explained the rules, and from that point on was glued to the diamond’s action.  It’s fun when you see someone light up from a baseball game – it’s truly an enjoyable  American sport where the ambiance and thrill of the stadium, food, and crowd takes you away for awhile.  It certainly gives me motivation to watch sports. 

A definite must, hit up a summer game, as not only is it a San Francisco tradition, it’s also a blast for everyone involved.  The long summer nights make for a really fun way to spend not only a weekday evening, but a weekends night, as well, as most people go out afterwards in the area making the scene both casual and rowdy (especially after a win!).    With this type of experience at the game, you really might not care if you ever get back.  Enjoy!

Peace and love Xo

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Happy 4^th of July everyone (even if it’s slightly in the past)! One of the best parts and reason to live in San Francisco is it’s close proximity to everything wonderful.  California is lucky enough to have some of the most beautiful and complex climates in the world, and from San Francisco, all are within about a 3 hour away radius; dry deserts, mountains full of fluffy snow and fresh water lakes, and beaches so unbelievably gorgeous, it’s like you’re in another space and time.  For the 4^th this year, we went up to Lake Tahoe, and for anyone who hasn’t been, all I can say is go.  No matter what, go.  This stunning fresh water lake is home to several charming small towns that are picturesque, and for the 4^th of July, it explodes with people.  You’ll want to make sure you get your cabin early, and even if you camp, which we did, you’ll want to call early to get a site near the Lake’s waterfront. 

The weather was perfect, around 85 degrees with a slight breeze.  We left early Friday, and headed straight to the Truckee River.  I purchased River Rat large inner tubes before we ever left the City, and that turned out to be the easiest way to simply get there and go.  If you go about four miles up the river past River Ranch Lodge Bar and Grill, there are several gas stations dedicated to raft filling and are across the street from the river entrance point.  For the next 3 – 4 hours, you can float down the sometimes slow, sometimes fast moving river.  With outside temperatures reaching the 90s, you couldn’t ask for a better view or feel.  A helpful tip is buying a tube

with a mesh bottom so you can throw in your water shoes (helps you avoid the ever popular “water sock tan”), zip lock baggy for money/keys, etc, and of course your beverage of choice.  Avoid cans, as those are frowned upon by the rangers.  After your trek down, you’ll end up at River Ranch and can order food and more adult beverages – it’s a really fun, casual, and lively spot. 

Next day we headed to the Lakefront at King’s Beach.  What a great spot for all of those who stay on the North Shore.  On the 4^th, there was a great little street fair where you could purchase American flags, tie dye clothes, and dream catchers.  Make sure when you go you get a big spot so you can set up games, coolers, etc.  We were lucky enough to get there early, so everyone could set up their belongings and a corn-hole game board.  As I looked out over the waterfront, the view took my breathe away – snowy mountain peaks in full view with a massive expanse of blue as the Lake spreads out in front of you.  It’s kind of surreal looking at snowy peaks while you are swimming in 90 degree weather.  Nowhere else on Earth is like it, I’m sure of that.  The entire beach was full of people celebrating and having fun, and everyone was relaxed, which makes it a perfect vacation spot.  A lot of San Francisco locals head up to Tahoe for the holiday, so we even met up with friends that were in town.  You are allowed to bring all sorts of food and drinks on the beach (except glass), so it’s the perfect cheap way to spend a holiday.  Many people come up for just the day and then leave, so really, it can be as cheap as gas and food/drinks.  How lucky are we that this is our cheap getaway destination! 

I definitely recommend heading to Lake Tahoe at least once over the Bay Area summer.  As Mark Twain famously said, the coldest winter you can spend may very well be a summer in San Francisco, so this short drive to hot days and cool lake breezes is a definite must.

Peace and love

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It was a lovely weekend in the City by the Bay last weekend – nothing is better than that, seriously.  With perfect temperatures (too rare, unfortunately) we decided it was time to make a pilgrimage to Ocean Beach.  Being at the western most point of the City, it’s always the most foggy area, so when it’s nice, it looks as though someone has left the bread out and the ants have started swarming – people in masses flock there and the beach looks positively speckled with a group so pale it’s a bit funny.  After an hour and a half, we were burnt to a crisp… ah, the traumas of being a San Franciscan who doesn’t carry sunscreen and yet still thinks it’s a great idea to go to the beach because, hey, it’s not even that warm, right?  Ha!

Then over to the Marina to hit up the Apple Store (very Silicon Valley of me, don’t you think?) and grab lunch, and we walked all over the district to find something not only tasty (of course), but also a place that allowed us to eat in a relaxed spot al fresco.  Popular to most, the Bay Area burger chain, Barney’s, is a delicious find whether it’s in the East Bay or Noe Valley.  In the Marina, though, is something special.  First of all, I don’t think you can get a better burger in the City than at Barney’s – any of the chain.

It’s fresh, perfectly cooked to order, and they have about 20 different types to choose from in case you don’t necessarily feel like a regular old cheeseburger (think any type of topping – very gourmet).  We ordered a Caesar salad to split, then also split the Three Cheese Burger cooked medium rare with a side of skinny cut fries.  The burgers are huge, so if you have similar tastes, it’s great to share whenever possible (particularly those of us who are being budget conscious).  This can be hard, because usually the guys can pack these away entirely (who am I kidding… so can I.  Not a bad way to get stuffed though, I say…yum!) 

Why I think the Marina locale, specifically, is something worth making a special trip for (because I really love the Noe Valley location, too) is their back patio.  It’s this gorgeous tree covered and hidden away spot that has both picnic tables and regular tables mixed together to create a really intimate and relaxing place to spend a lazy Sunday.  The crowd is the always present Marina ‘hung over bunch’, and while spending the night at the bars with this group I could usually live without, Sundays in the Marina are always subdued as most people either aren’t awake and coherent, or they just want to relax and recoup (the small minority are up at 6am running and have been more productive in 2 hours than I’ll be all Sunday… but they’re not eating burgers so the joke’s on them).  On a beautiful day, this is definitely a place to go with either a group of friends for an early lunch, or for a late lunch date in the warm sun with your honey.  Right now there are flowers in bloom, so it gives off an especially lovely feel.  The service, too, is great here – no frills and overpowering niceties, but they get you what you need quick and the food comes out delicious and hot.   Definitely a burger place find.  Now all we need is weather like this more often than once in the summer, and we’d be all set.  Happy eats.

Peace and love Xo

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