San Francisco Bay Area: Your favorite things to do or places to go
02-17-2018
, 04:38 PM
Dan,
Oliviers has a wider selection of exotic meats and cuts and some amazing long dry aged steaks. But for standard American steaks, Costco has the unbeatable combo of the best steaks at the lowest price.
Prime tomahawk bone-in ribeyes $13.99/lb, caps and eyes $18.99/lb.
So good:
This weekend they have some great looking prime tri-tip for $7.99/lb.
Oliviers has a wider selection of exotic meats and cuts and some amazing long dry aged steaks. But for standard American steaks, Costco has the unbeatable combo of the best steaks at the lowest price.
Prime tomahawk bone-in ribeyes $13.99/lb, caps and eyes $18.99/lb.
So good:
This weekend they have some great looking prime tri-tip for $7.99/lb.
02-24-2018
, 03:46 PM
Joe,
Bummer. I go to Fieldwork Berkeley prob a couple times a month, and I can't remember anything on the draft list not being available. Also, looks like the Monterey and San Mateo lists suck compared to Berkeley and the other ones. Coconut Milk and Eliza are my two favorite from the current list, and El Cortez (new) sounds great - none of those available at Monterey.
Berkeley:
Monterey:
Bummer. I go to Fieldwork Berkeley prob a couple times a month, and I can't remember anything on the draft list not being available. Also, looks like the Monterey and San Mateo lists suck compared to Berkeley and the other ones. Coconut Milk and Eliza are my two favorite from the current list, and El Cortez (new) sounds great - none of those available at Monterey.
Berkeley:
Monterey:
03-05-2018
, 02:37 PM
Trip Report--Mar 1-4
Not sure if these TRs are welcomed, but wanted to share a few pictures and memories from quick trip to SF this past weekend.
Thursday, March 1. The birthday.
I've been with Anne for around two and a half years and for her last birthday I got drunk early (without her), picked a fight at dinner, and passed out on the couch.
This year I was determined to raise the bar.
So, when I got an email from Southwest a few weeks ago advertising cheap fares from LA to SF, I decided we'd go to SF for her birthday.
We'd talked about taking a trip to SF before, but never got around to it. Anne didn't know it, but part of the reason I was reluctant to make the trip was because of another girl...Laura. I had dated Laura for several years of my mid to late twenties. She was from Walnut Creek and we visited her home and SF often to be with her mother who was dying of cancer. We must've made ten trips between 2006-2008, and I hadn't been back since we split up.
In one of his stories, JD Salinger once wrote: "Probably for every man, there is at least one city that sooner or later turns into a girl....she was there, and she was the whole city, and that's that." And for me, Laura was San Francisco.
But time passes and even though the feelings never go away, they recede. So I booked our flights, packed our bags, and we flew to San Francisco last Thursday, March 1st. Anne's birthday.
We flew out of Burbank around noon, and the flight was empty. We got a whole row to ourselves.
I read a bit. I've been getting back into book collecting and picked up a first edition of Cathedral a few weeks back. Got through a couple of stories. One was good, one wasn't.
After fifty five minutes of flight time we landed in SFO and ordered a Lyft. I had booked us at Hotel Vitale, mainly due to location, so I punched that into the app and we headed downtown. Anne fell asleep again on my shoulder.
We stopped on the way to our hotel so Anne could run into a Lush store for a few bath bombs. She got a gift certificate for her birthday and she loves taking baths. It sounded like a good idea to me, so she ran into the store while I chatted with our driver about the difference between being a cab driver, driving for Uber and driving for Lyft--he had done all three. I also ran into a liquor store and grabbed a cheap bottle of wine.
We went to our room, which they were nice enough to upgrade from Full-King--City View, to Full King--Water view. We had a cool view of the Bay Bridge:
The concierge had also ordered some flowers for our room that were waiting for us when we walked in.
By this time it was about 4pm. We decided to kick back and use one of the bath bombs Anne had just picked up. It smelled like cardamom (so I was told) and turned the water black. Flecks of gold got everywhere, but we got in, drank the wine and talked. The wine wasn't very good.
(hard to tell, but the water's black. Anne brings candles whenever we stay in a hotel. They make her 'feel like she's home.'
We got out of the bath and I called Saratoga to make a reservation. We put some robes we found and headed to the rooftop terrace to have a smoke. The view was pretty good.
We headed back to our room to finish getting ready. A few minutes later we were in a car headed for the Saratoga.
We walked in and I was impressed by the layout. The bar was huge and full of whiskies. Unfortunately, the place is wildly popular and we were sat in between two other couples right next to the bar. I could barely hear anything she said, so I asked the server if she could move us. She frowned, then scampered off. Everything was booked. But, if we'd be willing to wait a few minutes, another table was about to leave and we could sit there when they did. I said that was fine and walked back to our table.
We ordered a couple of cocktails to sip on while we waited. I got a Gin Highball that I was impressed by, and Anne got some tequila-based cocktail that was OK. We were moved before we could finish them.
Next table was in a corner--the only place I ever feel comfortable--and I felt more relaxed. Anne went to the bathroom and I took a couple pictures.
I generally don't take pictures, even though I love photography. I warned Anne I'd be taking a lot this trip so I could make a trip report after. I only like candids with few exceptions, so most the pictures you'll see are candids. The bewildered or disinterested faces are the result of that.
We started with a Hamachi crudo dish that was amazing. You can see the remnants of the sauce on our plates here:
There was a young couple eating next to us that seemed to be on a first date. At one point, the guy got up to go to the bathroom and he took his beer with him. A little odd, sure, but their waitress (our waitress to) walked up to the girl and said:
"He took his beer?! What a weirdo, like, what does he think you're going to roofie him? (laughs). So strange..."
That kind of pissed me off. And sure enough, right when the poor guy got back his date asked him why the hell he did that.
I'm trying to remember all we got....I liked the chicken dish, Anne didn't care for it too much. We got a few other dishes to split, but nothing was as good as the hamachi crudo.
We were both kind of tired, but I wanted to check out Bob's Donuts so we decided to walk to Polk St. and check it out. It was sprinkling a little bit, but I didn't mind that.
About half way we stopped at a smoke shop so Anne could try to find this strange brand she likes. I took another picture:
Eventually we found Bob's. It was everything El D said it was. Apparently, they specialize in crumb donuts, which are my favorite. I ordered three of those and a glazed. Anne wanted an apple fritter.
It had started to rain a bit heavier, so we took a Lyft back to Vitale. I think it was around 1am when we finally got back to the room and fell asleep.
Not sure if these TRs are welcomed, but wanted to share a few pictures and memories from quick trip to SF this past weekend.
Thursday, March 1. The birthday.
I've been with Anne for around two and a half years and for her last birthday I got drunk early (without her), picked a fight at dinner, and passed out on the couch.
This year I was determined to raise the bar.
So, when I got an email from Southwest a few weeks ago advertising cheap fares from LA to SF, I decided we'd go to SF for her birthday.
We'd talked about taking a trip to SF before, but never got around to it. Anne didn't know it, but part of the reason I was reluctant to make the trip was because of another girl...Laura. I had dated Laura for several years of my mid to late twenties. She was from Walnut Creek and we visited her home and SF often to be with her mother who was dying of cancer. We must've made ten trips between 2006-2008, and I hadn't been back since we split up.
In one of his stories, JD Salinger once wrote: "Probably for every man, there is at least one city that sooner or later turns into a girl....she was there, and she was the whole city, and that's that." And for me, Laura was San Francisco.
But time passes and even though the feelings never go away, they recede. So I booked our flights, packed our bags, and we flew to San Francisco last Thursday, March 1st. Anne's birthday.
We flew out of Burbank around noon, and the flight was empty. We got a whole row to ourselves.
I read a bit. I've been getting back into book collecting and picked up a first edition of Cathedral a few weeks back. Got through a couple of stories. One was good, one wasn't.
After fifty five minutes of flight time we landed in SFO and ordered a Lyft. I had booked us at Hotel Vitale, mainly due to location, so I punched that into the app and we headed downtown. Anne fell asleep again on my shoulder.
We stopped on the way to our hotel so Anne could run into a Lush store for a few bath bombs. She got a gift certificate for her birthday and she loves taking baths. It sounded like a good idea to me, so she ran into the store while I chatted with our driver about the difference between being a cab driver, driving for Uber and driving for Lyft--he had done all three. I also ran into a liquor store and grabbed a cheap bottle of wine.
We went to our room, which they were nice enough to upgrade from Full-King--City View, to Full King--Water view. We had a cool view of the Bay Bridge:
The concierge had also ordered some flowers for our room that were waiting for us when we walked in.
By this time it was about 4pm. We decided to kick back and use one of the bath bombs Anne had just picked up. It smelled like cardamom (so I was told) and turned the water black. Flecks of gold got everywhere, but we got in, drank the wine and talked. The wine wasn't very good.
(hard to tell, but the water's black. Anne brings candles whenever we stay in a hotel. They make her 'feel like she's home.'
We got out of the bath and I called Saratoga to make a reservation. We put some robes we found and headed to the rooftop terrace to have a smoke. The view was pretty good.
We headed back to our room to finish getting ready. A few minutes later we were in a car headed for the Saratoga.
We walked in and I was impressed by the layout. The bar was huge and full of whiskies. Unfortunately, the place is wildly popular and we were sat in between two other couples right next to the bar. I could barely hear anything she said, so I asked the server if she could move us. She frowned, then scampered off. Everything was booked. But, if we'd be willing to wait a few minutes, another table was about to leave and we could sit there when they did. I said that was fine and walked back to our table.
We ordered a couple of cocktails to sip on while we waited. I got a Gin Highball that I was impressed by, and Anne got some tequila-based cocktail that was OK. We were moved before we could finish them.
Next table was in a corner--the only place I ever feel comfortable--and I felt more relaxed. Anne went to the bathroom and I took a couple pictures.
I generally don't take pictures, even though I love photography. I warned Anne I'd be taking a lot this trip so I could make a trip report after. I only like candids with few exceptions, so most the pictures you'll see are candids. The bewildered or disinterested faces are the result of that.
We started with a Hamachi crudo dish that was amazing. You can see the remnants of the sauce on our plates here:
There was a young couple eating next to us that seemed to be on a first date. At one point, the guy got up to go to the bathroom and he took his beer with him. A little odd, sure, but their waitress (our waitress to) walked up to the girl and said:
"He took his beer?! What a weirdo, like, what does he think you're going to roofie him? (laughs). So strange..."
That kind of pissed me off. And sure enough, right when the poor guy got back his date asked him why the hell he did that.
I'm trying to remember all we got....I liked the chicken dish, Anne didn't care for it too much. We got a few other dishes to split, but nothing was as good as the hamachi crudo.
We were both kind of tired, but I wanted to check out Bob's Donuts so we decided to walk to Polk St. and check it out. It was sprinkling a little bit, but I didn't mind that.
About half way we stopped at a smoke shop so Anne could try to find this strange brand she likes. I took another picture:
Eventually we found Bob's. It was everything El D said it was. Apparently, they specialize in crumb donuts, which are my favorite. I ordered three of those and a glazed. Anne wanted an apple fritter.
It had started to rain a bit heavier, so we took a Lyft back to Vitale. I think it was around 1am when we finally got back to the room and fell asleep.
03-05-2018
, 06:39 PM
Day 2- Bumming around in the rain/Chinatown/Bars
We're late starters generally (she more so), but both of us got up and downstairs in time for the complimentary breakfast that was included with my room. Actually, it's a $50 credit towards breakfast, which came close, but never fully covered, the three breakfasts we ate.
We started walking down Mission St. towards the city. It was starting to rain, and it was cold, so we hopped into a 7-11 to try to find a cheap umbrella. Which we did for $5.99.
Anne complained a bit about being cold, so I suggested she take a Snus. "It'll warm you up"
She rolled her eyes but took one anyway...love this girl
We walked around...just people watching really..until we decided to check out Mission District. We wanted to walk around the shops and maybe grab a bite to eat.
We debated taking a Lyft, but ultimately chose the Metro. Well, I wanted to take BART, but after spending way too long trying to figure out the web of maps, it appeared as though the Metro was our best bet.
The ride started underground but the next thing I knew the train was outside. I was glad to see that it was sunny.
We got off near Dolores Park and walked into a cafe for a couple drinks. She got hot tea and I grabbed a Modelo Especial.
Here's a ****ty picture of Dolores Park.
We headed up Valenica St. because there were a few book stores I wanted to check out. She found a couple indie jewelry stores she browsed. After a bit of walking, we got hungry and walked into an Indian joint that was pretty well-reviewed.
The server was really high and forgot our order a couple of times. But the portions were big and it was warm inside so we had no complaints.
It was getting a bit later in the afternoon and we wanted to chill in the room a bit before dinner so we just grabbed a Lyft and headed towards our hotel.
On the way Anne wanted to stop off at a dispensary which sounded like a good idea. There was one a few blocks from our hotel that used to be a medicinal clinic, but had converted to recreation once 2018 rolled around.
I haven't been into a dispensary except in Colorado once, and I don't feel comfortable inside. I don't really care what we get, but the clerk seems anxious to go into painful detail about every variety of edibles and strains. We ultimately decide on a joint of Blue Cookie and some sour candy edibles.
We walk back to the hotel and stop at another liquor store for another bottle of wine. She finds one she wants and we get back to the room. Time for another bath, with our souveniers.
This one is running a bit long--I'll finish Friday and then do saturday when I get some more free time....thanks for reading.
We're late starters generally (she more so), but both of us got up and downstairs in time for the complimentary breakfast that was included with my room. Actually, it's a $50 credit towards breakfast, which came close, but never fully covered, the three breakfasts we ate.
We started walking down Mission St. towards the city. It was starting to rain, and it was cold, so we hopped into a 7-11 to try to find a cheap umbrella. Which we did for $5.99.
Anne complained a bit about being cold, so I suggested she take a Snus. "It'll warm you up"
She rolled her eyes but took one anyway...love this girl
We walked around...just people watching really..until we decided to check out Mission District. We wanted to walk around the shops and maybe grab a bite to eat.
We debated taking a Lyft, but ultimately chose the Metro. Well, I wanted to take BART, but after spending way too long trying to figure out the web of maps, it appeared as though the Metro was our best bet.
The ride started underground but the next thing I knew the train was outside. I was glad to see that it was sunny.
We got off near Dolores Park and walked into a cafe for a couple drinks. She got hot tea and I grabbed a Modelo Especial.
Here's a ****ty picture of Dolores Park.
We headed up Valenica St. because there were a few book stores I wanted to check out. She found a couple indie jewelry stores she browsed. After a bit of walking, we got hungry and walked into an Indian joint that was pretty well-reviewed.
The server was really high and forgot our order a couple of times. But the portions were big and it was warm inside so we had no complaints.
It was getting a bit later in the afternoon and we wanted to chill in the room a bit before dinner so we just grabbed a Lyft and headed towards our hotel.
On the way Anne wanted to stop off at a dispensary which sounded like a good idea. There was one a few blocks from our hotel that used to be a medicinal clinic, but had converted to recreation once 2018 rolled around.
I haven't been into a dispensary except in Colorado once, and I don't feel comfortable inside. I don't really care what we get, but the clerk seems anxious to go into painful detail about every variety of edibles and strains. We ultimately decide on a joint of Blue Cookie and some sour candy edibles.
We walk back to the hotel and stop at another liquor store for another bottle of wine. She finds one she wants and we get back to the room. Time for another bath, with our souveniers.
This one is running a bit long--I'll finish Friday and then do saturday when I get some more free time....thanks for reading.