San FranCelia

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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In San Francisco, there is nothing hairy, fat, old men like more than finding a parade and walking around naked.  Bay to Breakers – San Francisco’s annual spring race from the Bay side of the City to the ocean breaks at Ocean Beach – is of course, no exception.  I love San Francisco, because there is no where else on Earth where you will see costumes, stilts, drugs and booze in abundance, and much more, let alone the naked micro-penis flaunting men walking around the Panhandle.  Bay to Breakers is a feast for the senses – music flowing from every orifice of the crowd, dancing in the street, loud and bright clothing, vibrant people, booze flowing, everyone in a good mood, and this year, 80 degrees, so unbelievably perfect.  Bay to Breakers, for the true racers, starts quite early and even ends early, as it’s not a very long race, just the length of the City.  For the rest of us, however, you can start your day around 9am or 10am (some do earlier, but I’m a night owl – mornings are not my friend).  I ended up walking to the Panhandle from the Richmond, which was the smart move, as the buses were over-crowded and slow and you can forget about driving. 

Luckily, this section of town is in the center of the City, so walking to it isn’t really that bad from anywhere.  As I weaved my way in between the colorful and exuberant crowd, I realized I was far behind in the drinking game – first order of business when I met my friends was to grab a beer.  They had gotten there in the early morning to ensure enough lawn for our stuff and our friends.  This is always a good idea at large park events in San Francisco.  Drinking that early, however, can be a problem if you tend to get sleepy after you drink.  Some people were napping on the lawn by 11am.

ING, the sponsor this year, tried to shut down the floats and several other fun additions to the parade, but unfortunately for them, this is San Francisco, so the uninhibited displays of peace and love, along with conspicuous substance abuse, was in full effect.  This is actually how I prefer it.  It isn’t enough to live an average day-to-day life – sometimes you need a little flavor!  Only in the City would a typical weekend race (of which there are many) be reason enough to celebrate and dance in the streets.  The organized chaos is just what the doctored ordered to get everyone out of the winter doldrums. 

At about 1:30pm or so, the police and cleaning crew slowly push everyone into Golden Gate Park while they clear out the Panhandle for traffic.  This is the time when many grab something to eat, so places around can be a bit crowded.  I went to Lucky grocery store (budget friendly!) with some friends and we picnicked outside while enjoying the amazing weather.  Most people are pretty liquored up, so most anything will do for food while at Bay to Breakers, even for a foodie. 

If you haven’t experienced the amazing madness, definitely check it out next year.  This annual event is a true San Francisco tradition that brings you closer to those in the City around you – in one way or another! 

Peace and love Xo

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Sometimes I’m at different events in San Francisco, I sit back, and I realize how lucky I am to live here.  Today was a beautiful day in Dolores Park in the Mission.  This park is such a pivotal part of San Francisco.  It’s in the middle of one of the hottest sections of the city – and while it’s hot in the sense of trend, it’s also warmer than most of the rest of the City.  Today was an eighty degree day, which, for anyone who lives here knows never happens, and if it does, you’re willing to take a PTO day off of work to mess around the City enjoying the rare feeling of bare shoulders.  We started out going to The Phoenix for lunch, and while it looks like a divey little Irish Pub, it actually has really good food.  Hearty and refreshingly different from what pub food can be, it’s a real find.  I had the garden burger and fries, and while that was really good, it wasn’t a super adventurous choice.  I tasted everyone’s food, however, and the veggie hash scramble and the different eggs benedict styles were very delish.  Cool spot that actually turns into a bar after hours (where’s I’ve been to in the past, but didn’t realize it since it’s so different at lunch time – or maybe it was the beer I had when I was there before… hmmm???). 

 Stepped out of The Phoenix, and decided we wanted to just “be” in Dolores Park for awhile – you could seriously get a tan today it was so out of character.  Every type of person comes

to this park.  To our left were a few girls hula-hooping, to our right there was a DJ booth, with a soccer game straight ahead and a few people on stilts walking through all the blankets.  It gets so busy when the weather is nice, and it’s just like eye candy everywhere, especially if you like to people watch.  Sunglasses are practically required, so it’s a good show for sure.  I love how everyone is drinking and playing Frisbee with their dogs and friends alike – so chill.  You can practically feel the happiness caused by the sudden influx of good weather.  Liz and I decided we wanted to dance, so we headed over to the DJ booth.  It turns out it was a fundraiser for AIDS, and they were showcasing a bunch of local rap artists.  So cool – we danced to some old favorites and then got to hear some guys flowing.  They were actually pretty good – a local celebrity, Audio Angel, was among the artists at the booth, so that was amazing.  One girl from this old choir I was in was also dancing – this really is such a small town.  Everyone was in their swimsuits and no one was shy… you get the impression everyone’s really happy when they are hanging out here; it’s always so warm, the vibe kind of rubs off. 

 We then decided to head over to Sushi Bistro on 6^th and Balboa.  This spot just moved from about half a block away, because it’s gotten so popular that it needed to expand.  It went from being a small, tropical looking place, to “very New York” as my friend Michelle said.  It’s true – everything is chocolate brown and warm lighting.  It’s a great date spot, I’ve been there for that at night, but during the day, I’d prefer if there was more light.  The food is amazing, though, so it kind of doesn’t matter.  We got so many rolls it’s hard to remember, but some standouts were the Rock N’ Roll, the Caterpillar Roll, and the Spicy Crunchy Roll.Everything there is extremely fresh and tasty, so you really can’t go wrong.  Definitely a spot you will want to make yourself a regular at.

It was too nice out to just go home, so we headed over to Ocean Beach to check out the

sunset.  There were so many people out – unreal.  Every fire pit was taken and there was no stopping the crowds, even at 7:30pm.  We watched the sun go down, and just hung out in the surf for about an hour.  What a gorgeous spot.  The beach gets a bad reputation since most of the time it’s about four degrees and covered in trash and homeless people, but it’s got a breathtaking view of the Marin Headlands that can’t be beat. 

What a fun day in the City!  The best part is that you can be in so many different neighborhoods throughout the day since it’s so small – this is awesome, because each has a different vibe and feel to experience.  Today, for example, was just an average Sunday, nothing out of the ordinary.  There is always something to do, people to see, cool spots to check out, even when it’s not a festival weekend.  See… I’m so lucky!

Peace and love Xo

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