Randy's Guide CCCXXII (332)

Music

I'm a man on fire
Walking through your street

With one guitar
And two dancing feet
Only one desire
That's left in me
I want the whole damn world
To come dance with me.

 - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (1.5 million views)

Previous songs: Down to the River to Pray (Alison Krauss); Three Rounds and a Sound (Blind Pilot); Chicken Fried (Zac Brown Band); The Story (Brandi Carlile); Lucky One (Pure Bathing Culture); Easy Way Out (Gotye); Hell or High Water (William Elliott Whitmore); Hymn #101 (Joe Pug); Midnight City (M83); So American (Portugal. The Man); Carry On (Fun.); Remembrance (Balmorhea); Miss Atomic Bomb (The Killers); Take a Walk (Passion Pit); Closer (Tegan and Sara); It's Time (Imagine Dragons); Higher (Matt Nathanson); Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second (STRFKR); So Many Details (Toro Y Moi); Ho Hey (Lumineers); Winter Winds (Mumford & Sons); Wanted (Hunter Hayes); Levels (Avicii); The A Team (Ed Sheeran); Hold On (Alabama Shakes); Don't You Worry Child (Swedish House Mafia); Lonely Boy (The Black Keys); It's a War (Blackbird, Blackbird).

Current Event

Issue: Expansion of cell-phone availability to lowest-income Californians.

"Everything will be different now.... I can finally be able to get a hold of people to do what I need to do in a timely fashion."

 - Romonica Grayson, public housing resident of Sunnydale

"We are very excited by this.... It will empower them, and we in San Francisco are going to be a model city for this program."

 - Bevan Dufty, director of Housing Opportunity, Partnerships and Engagement

"The rules for the Lifeline program are meant to make sure that the program is protected against waste, fraud, or abuse, but a rich kid could call 911 unnecessarily just as easily as someone who is poor."

 - Mark Wigfield, FCC spokesman

Food

Radio Habana Social Club

1109 Valencia St. (at 22nd St.)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 824-7659
Yelp

Great date spot. It's filled to the brim with eye-catching artwork, photos, and knickknacks. The food feels as if you're sitting in a little cafe in Cuba... or, better yet, a distant relative's home. I cannot comment on the popular sangria, but I can confirm that the ropa vieja  and empanadas are excellent and affordable. 4 stars - 138 reviews

Previous San Francisco picks: Radius; Limon Rotisserie; Art's Cafe; Little Star Pizza; Yamo; Breakfast at Tiffany's; Humphry Slocombe; Tu Lan; Foreign Cinema; Zanze's Cheesecake; San Tung; Katana-Ya; A La Turca; Boxing Room; Frances; Saigon Sandwich; Brenda's French Soul Food; Park Tavern; Broken Record; Rosamunde Sausage Grill; Curry Up Now; Yasukochi's Sweet Stop; Lime Tree Southeast Asian Kitchen; Firefly; Red Door Cafe; L'Ardoise Bistro; Pluto's; My Tofu House; Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous; Walzwerk; Good Luck Dim Sum; Amber India; Sotto Mare; Sweet Maple; Shanghai Dumpling King; Super Duper; Kokkari Estiatorio; Olea; Bodega Bistro; The Chairman Truck; Molinari Delicatessen; Wayfare Tavern; Wexler's; Thorough Bread & Pastry; Lers Ros Thai; Helmand Palace;  HRD Coffee Shop; Fat Angel; Aperto; Pho Huynh Hiep 2; Ted's Deli; Zero Zero; Zazie; Shalimar; Swan Oyster Depot; Dottie's True Blue Cafe; La Taqueria; Chez Maman.

Previous Peninsula/South Bay picks: Curry Up Now (San Mateo); Little Lucca Sandwich Shop & Deli (Burlingame/South SF); Falafel's Drive In (San Jose); Sunny Bowl (Mountain View); Back A Yard Caribbean Grill (Menlo Park); Pluto's (Palo Alto/San Jose); Ramen Dojo/Ramen Parlor (San Mateo); Amber India (Mountain View/San Jose/Palo Alto); Nini's Coffee Shop (San Mateo); Kabab and Curry's (Santa Clara); Fiddler's Green (Millbrae); Alana's Cafe (Burlingame); Sushi Sam's Edomata (San Mateo).

Previous East Bay picks: Little Star Pizza (Albany); Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen (Berkeley); Asmara (Oakland); Keanu's Island Kine Food (Vacaville); Tara's Organic Ice Cream (Berkeley/Oakland); Pluto's (Chico/Davis/Sacramento/Roseville); Bakesale Betty (Oakland); Zachary's Pizza (Oakland/Berkeley/San Ramon); Gregoire (Berkeley/Oakland); Val's Burgers (Hayward); Homeroom (Oakland); Jong Ga House (Oakland); Cheese Board Pizza (Berkeley); Vik's Chaat (Berkeley); Wat Mongkoratanaram (Berkeley); Phnom Penh House (Oakland); Luka's Taproom & Lounge (Oakland).

Previous North Bay picks: Bouchon Bakery (Yountville); Della Fattoria Bakery (Petaluma); Sol Food (San Rafael); Stumptown Brewery (Guerneville); Moustache Baked Goods (Healdsburg); Super Duper (Mill Valley); The Pelican Inn (Muir Beach); Garden Grill (Guerneville); Buckeye Roadhouse (Mill Valley).

Previous Other picks: Shoki Ramen House (Sacramento); Built to Grill (Portland); Freshies (South Lake Tahoe).

Nightlife

Doc's Clock

2575 Mission St. (at 22nd St.)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 824-3627
Yelp

Around the corner from Radio Habana is this immense dive bar amid closed tiendas. Shuffleboard and board games are definite options in the rear half of the bar. Connect Four is grand! I also appreciate the full scale and fair pricing of drinks, particularly craft beers and call drinks.

Previous San Francisco picks: Blackbird; El Rio; Rickhouse; Southern Pacific Brewing; The Hidden Vine; Vesuvio; The Pig & Whistle; Biergarten; Martuni's; Tosca Cafe; Toronado; The Alembic; Trad'r Sam; Sugar Lounge; Speakeasy Ales & Lagers; Lucky 13; Hotel Biron; Bottom of the Hill; Blackthorn; Local Edition; Magnolia Pub & Brewery; Whiskey Thieves; Bourbon & Branch; The Monk's Kettle; Amsterdam Cafe; Aunt Charlie's Lounge; Latin American Club; Two Sisters Bar and Books.

Previous Peninsula/South Bay picks: Antonio's Nut House (Palo Alto); The Oasis Beer Garden (Menlo Park); Rose and Crown (Palo Alto).

Previous East Bay picks: The Trappist (Oakland); Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon (Oakland); The Turf Club (Hayward); Jupiter (Berkeley); St. George Spirits (Alameda); Drake's Barrel House (San Leandro); JC Cellars (Oakland); Dashe Cellars (Oakland); Room 389 (Oakland); Beer Revolution (Oakland); Make Westing (Oakland).

Previous North Bay picks: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma); Bear Republic Brewing Co. (Healdsburg); Tourist Club (Mill Valley).

Previous Other pick: New Deal Distillery (Portland); Stateline Brewery (South Lake Tahoe).

History

Thomas Starr King

(1824-1864)

Inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the New Yorker abandoned high school to self-study for the ministry. The Universalist preacher accepted a position with San Francisco's First Unitarian in 1860. His efforts to promote the Union helped stall California's separatist efforts. Mr. King also organized numerous fundraising lectures in favor of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, a predecessor to the Red Cross. His life was cut short by diphtheria. Cathedral Hill's Starr King Way (which borders the First Unitarian), South Beach's King Street, and Potrero Hill's Starr King Open Space and Starr King Elementary are all named after him.

Previous San Francisco history: John Geary; Samuel Brannan; Michael O'Shaughnessy; Jasper O'Farrell; Frank McCoppin; Thomas Hayes; Francisco de Haro; Jose Bernal; David Broderick; Henry Haight; John Townsend; Cyril Magnin; Jose Arguello; Keiko Fukuda; John Le Conte; Eugene Schmitz; Theodore Judah; Herb Caen; James Phelan; Lawrence Ferlinghetti; Angelo Rossi; Charles Brenham; Warren Hellman; John McLaren; Dogpatch; Thomas Larkin; Nancy Pelosi; Levi Strauss; John Sloat; Jose Sarria; William D.M. Howard; Edwin Bryant; George Davidson; William Alvord; George Moscone; Jack Early.

Previous Peninsula/South Bay history: Millbrae; Tanforan Racetrack; T. Jack Foster; Leland Stanford; Milpitas; Donald Tresidder; Josiah Belden; Hiram Morgan Hill; Simon Mezes; James Forbes; Henry Coe, Jr.; John Gilroy; Joseph Grant; Henry Naglee; Anson Burlingame.

Previous East Bay history: Charles Tilden; William Hayward; John Fremont; Mariano Vallejo; Ygnacio Martinez; Henry Kaiser; Anthony Chabot; Thomas Caldecott; Laurentine Hamilton; Joel Clayton; Edson Adams; Robert Crown; Samuel Merritt

Previous North Bay history: Cotati; Charles Fairfax; Luther Burbank; William Richardson; Oscar and James Shafter; George Guerne; Frank Doyle; Samuel Taylor; Harrison Standley; Helen Putnam

Previous Other history: Francis Pettygrove (Portland).

Charity

Urban Tilth

401 1st Street

Suite 215

Richmond, CA 94801

(510) 778-5886

Such a cool idea. For seven years, Urban Tilth has worked to bring agriculture to urban areas of Richmond and San Pablo. The program has partnered with schools, nonprofits, corporations, and government and now coordinates 12 small farms and three churches. The Greenway Community Garden, in the heart of the Iron Triangle, and the Kennedy High Farm and Garden are two great examples. Earlier this month, Richmond High hosted a student-run salad bar for lunch by using harvested lettuce and lemons, and student-made salad dressings.

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, Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California, The Bike Kitchen, First Graduate, Lazarex Cancer Foundation (Amy C), KQED (88.5 FM), FabMo Creativity Center; Duboce/Valencia Fire Relief; and The Coming Home Project.

Weekend Weather

Isolated Thursday showers, then a slow warming trend through Monday.

~ Thursday ~

mid-50s everywhere

~ Friday ~

SF: mid-50s

Bay: upper-50s

South Bay: upper-50s

Inland East Bay: low-60s

North Bay: mid-60s

~ Saturday ~
SF: upper-50s

South Bay: mid-60s

Bay: mid-60s

Inland East Bay: mid-60s

North Bay: low-70s

~ Sunday ~

SF: mid-60s

Bay: upper-60s

South Bay: upper-60s

Inland East  Bay: upper-60s

North Bay: low-70s

 

 

Free Activities

1. Bike, with or without clothes. 

- World Naked Bike Ride: Saturday, noon

- East Bay Bike Party: Friday, 7:30pm

Join a global naked bike ride day at Justin Herman Plaza. I'd expect some body paint messaging focused on the City's new nudity law. To get an idea of other cities' efforts, the Tumblr feed speaks for itself. If you prefer to ride in green, check out the East Bay Bike Party, which leaves from West Oakland BART this month.

2. Wear some green.

The Diaries of Two Irish Emigrants: Wednesday, 6pm

Yes, St. Patrick's Day is approaching. Events at the California Historical Society and SF City Hall should help get you in the mood.

3. Take me out to the ballgame.

- Vintage Opening Day: Sunday, noon

I'm quite intrigued with the 1880s-era uniforms, rules, and equipment. The Pelicans play the Pacifics in Golden Gate Park during opening day of the nation's longest-running vintage league.