Historic milestones: 141 years since the opening of the first underground tube railway (London); 143 years since the certification of the 14th Amendment (African-American citizenship and due process); 175 years since the dedication of Paris' Arc de Triomphe.
Reader's PickReader Oth K. recommends a benefit performance of "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Lost My Virginity." It's on to the FringeNYC Festival after this. Check it out on Monday (8/1 8pm) at the Exit Theater. I'll be there!
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/186126
Local Food PickKatana-Ya
430 Geary St. (at Mason)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Its central location (Union Square) and tasty hot ramen bowls are the perfect accompaniment to a day of shopping or a night at the theatre. The only downside is that the restaurant is quite small, so you may have to be prepared for a brief wait. 4 stars - 2090 reviews
Previous picks: Radius; Limon Rotisserie; Art's Cafe; Little Star Pizza; Yamo; Breakfast at Tiffany's; Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen; Humphry Slocombe; Tu Lan; Little Lucca Sandwich Shop & Deli; Foreign Cinema; Zanze's Cheesecake, San Tung, Asmara.Charity: The Bike Kitchen. Winning community awards since 2004, this nonprofit is entirely run by volunteers who teach people how to fix their own bicycles. Riders can rent tools and get on-site help for a daily $5 rate, or $40-80 annual fee (or six volunteer hours). The organization even has made sizable financial assistance this year to both CELLspace and Lyon-Martin Health Services. Address is 650H Florida, San Francisco CA 94110. www.bikekitchen.org
Previous organizations Randy's Guide has spotlighted and donated: Common Ground Relief, LYRIC, Aldea Inc., Glide Memorial, City CarShare, Maitri, Loaves and Fishes, Friends of the Urban Forest, Farm Sanctuary, Bay Area Community Services, Blue Energy, My New Red Shoes, College Track, Foundation for the People of Burma, Vital Life Services, Little Angel Fund, San Francisco Health Services Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, Bay Localize, San Francisco Women Against Rape, Sustainable Conservation, Ashoka, Old Skool Cafe, Darfur Sister Schools, Rebuilding Together San Francisco, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, Urban Solutions, San Francisco Suicide Prevention, The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, Shanti, Curry Without Worry, SF Neighborhood Theater Foundation, La Cocina, and Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California.
Bay Area Weekend Highs
Seasonally warm inland, cooler on the coast with periodic fog.
Coast: low-60s
SF: upper-60s
Bay: mid-70s
South Bay: mid-80s
North Bay: upper-80s
Inland East Bay: low-90s
Movies {domestic revenues for July 22-24}
1. Captain America: The First Avenger (PG-13): $65.1 million [3715 theatres; $17,512 per theatre]
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (PG-13): $47.4 million [4375 theatres; $10,839 per theatre; $273.5 million overall; 2nd weekend]
3. Friends with Benefits (R): $18.6 million [2926 theatres; $6,364 per theatre]
4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (PG-13): $12.1 million [3375 theatres; $3,571 per theatre; $325.8 million overall; 4th weekend]
Mainstream films:
- Cowboys and Aliens (PG-13): Western sci-fi; co-starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Sam Rockwell; directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man)
- Crazy, Stupid, Love (PG-13): Comedy; co-starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, and Kevin Bacon
- The Smurfs (PG): Animated live-action; co-starring Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria; co-voiced by Katy Perry, George Lopez, and Paul Reuben
Art-house films:
- Another Earth (PG-13): Drama
- Attack the Block (R): Sci-fi
- Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (NR): Documentary
- Gunless (NR): Comedy
- Life in a Day (PG-13): Documentary
- A Little Help (R): Drama; co-starring Chris O'Donnell
- The Names of Love (R): Comedy
- The Tree (NR): Drama; co-starring Charlotte Gainsbourgh
Randy's DVD Pick: Inception (PG-13): An incessantly invigorating mind trip, Inception manages to baffle, surprise, and entertain simultaneously... and then some. Director Christopher Nolan scores a huge winner here, in his follow-up to Batman Begins. High-caliber character actors Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have a field day. Winner of 4 Oscars (nominated for 8). Domestic box office: $292.6 million; foreign: $533.0 million.
Cracker concert [Thu 5:30pm]: '90s artist. In Plaza de Cesar Chavez (San Jose). www.sjdowntown.com
Chris Marker XC: Three Times Thirty [Thu 7:30pm]: French intellectualism. At the Exploratorium (SF). www.exploratorium.edu
Film Night in the Park [Fri-Sat 8pm]: 20th annual. Dirty Dancing on Friday and Casablanca on Saturday, both at San Anselmo's Creek Park. www.filmnight.org Dancing Under the Stars [Fri 8:30-10pm]: Foxtrot lessons, followed by a live band. At Jack London Square (Oakland). www.jacklondonsquare.com
Alameda Festival [Sat-Sun 10am-6pm]: 27th annual. Two music stages, petting zoo, mimosas, and more. Along Park St. www.shopparkstreet.com Berkeley Kite Festival [Sat-Sun 10am-5pm]: 26th annual. With kite-making activities, kite teams, and kite fights. Along Berkeley Marina.
www.berkeleykites.com
Benicia Festival [Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 11am-6:30pm]: 4th annual. Car show, jazz music, wine/beer garden, local artists, and more. Along Benicia Waterfront. www.beniciamainstreet.org
YBCA Conversations [Sat noon-8pm]: 25+ artists will participate in Bay Area Now 6, with performances and discussions mixed in with beach festivities and free mimosas. At YBCA Forum (SF). www.ybca.org
Really Really Free Market [Sat 1-6pm]: Every last Saturday of each month. At Dolores Park (SF). www.reallyreallyfree.org
Summer Pops San Jose [Sat 7pm, Sun 5:30pm]: Classics with Attitude on Saturday, and Family Adventures on Sunday. At San Jose State University.
www.symphonysiliconvalley.org
Shakespeare in the Park [Sat-Sun 7:30pm]: Cymbeline. At Pleasanton's Community Park. www.sfshakes.org
San Francisco Marathon [Sun 5:30am]: Come cheer on the nation's best endurance runners as they wind along the Embarcadero, through the Presidio and Golden Gate Park, and amongst residents in Haight-Ashbury, Hayes Valley, and Dogpatch.
Dore Alley Fair [Sun 11am-6pm]: Leather, bondage, and fetish enthusiasts gear up for the pre-Folsom Fair event. Along Dore Alley, Folsom, and 10th St. (SF). www.folsomstreetfair.org/alley
Golden Gate Park Band Festival [Sun 1pm]: 129th season. Theme: The Music of Latin America. At the Music Concourse (SF).www.goldengateparkband.org** Stern Grove - San Francisco Ballet [Sun 2pm]: Four set pieces, two modern and two classical (Bizet/Bach). At Stern Grove (SF). www.sterngrove.org
Villa Sinfonia [Sun 2pm]: At Union Square Plaza (SF). www.jewelssf.org
Free Museum Days! [Tues / Wed]: Cartoon Art Museum, de Young, Legion of Honor, SF MOMA, and YBCA on Tuesday. Exploratorium, SF Zoo, GLBT Museum, and Bay Area Discovery Museum on Wednesday.
