Randy's Guide 3-4-7

I'm back from the Last Frontier!  :)

Music

When I was in the third grade I thought I was gay

'Cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight

I told my mom, tears rushing down my face

She's like, "Ben you've loved girls since before pre-K, trippin'."

 -- "Same Love," by Macklemore X Ryan Lewis, feat. Mary Lambert (51.9 million views, Oct '12 upload)

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); Man on Fire (Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros); Big Girl (Mika); Step (Vampire Weekend); All of Me (Tanlines); King and Lionheart (Of Monsters and Men); Celestica (Crystal Castles); Angels (The xx); Out of My League (Fitz & the Tantrums); If I Know You (The Presets); Dumb Disco Ideas (Holy Ghost!); Even If I Could (Rachael Yamagata); Tired Eyes (The Trophy Fire); Knock Knock (Band of Horses); Around the Block (Pretty Lights); Brave (Sara Bareilles).

Current Event

SEIU 1021 and ATU 1555 have given the public 72-hour notice of the impending strike set to begin on July 1 for BART and AC Transit.

"We believe that we can reach a fair agreement that recognizes the extraordinary work that our members perform to maintain BART's outstanding service record and high customer satisfaction ratings."

 -- SEIU 1021

"We certainly expect to be back at the table negotiating, as they said, to avoid this."

 -- Rick Rice, BART spokesman

"How do you get around to look for a job if they trains aren't running?"

 -- Dan McClure, unemployed Oakland resident

Food

Snow City Cafe

1034 W 4th Ave. (at L St.)
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 272-2489

Yelp

The hour-long wait on a warm Sunday morning proved worthwhile. Reindeer sausage and benedicts with crab or salmon cakes are the highlights. It's a funky, young atmosphere befitting the disclaimer that it's won best breakfast ten years running in Anchorage. 4 stars - 282 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; Radio Habana Social Club; Tony's Pizza Napoletana; Hard Knox Cafe; Shabusen; Ragazza; Morty's Delicatessen; Hawaiian Drive Inn #28; Just For You Cafe; Woodhouse Fish Co.

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); Shanghai Dumpling Shop (Millbrae).

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); First Street Ale House (Livermore).

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); Mon Ami Gabi (Las Vegas); Fox & Goose Public House (Sacramento); La Bonne Soup Cafe (Sacramento).

Nightlife

49th State Brewing Co.

Mile 248.5 Parks Hwy

Healy, AK 99743
(907) 683-2739
Yelp

Tucked into the woods near Denali National Park, this brewery has numerous outdoor tables to bask in the endless summer sun. When we visited, it was about 80 degrees out... at 8pm. Juneau's Alaskan Brewing Co. has made better inroads to Lower 48 markets, but I'd say this in-person experience was the most memorable. You'll find their options available across Alaska on most tap menus. 4-1/2 stars - 9 reviews

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; Doc's Clock; 15 Romolo; Thee Parkside; The Social Study; The Page; Rye; Bloodhound; Azucar Lounge; The Residence; Tommy's Mexican.

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

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); Altamont Beer Works (Livermore).

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); The Garage (Las Vegas); The Shady Lady Saloon (Sacramento); Mercantile Saloon (Sacramento).

History

William H. Seward(1801-1872)

The New Yorker graduated from law school and entered politics as an abolitionist Senator under the Whig Party. He then served as Secretary of State under Lincoln and Johnson. His crowning achievement was the purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million (about $118 million in today's dollars). Though mocked at the time, Mr. Seward's purchase proved not to be a folly once oil was discovered. In Alaska, the coastal town of Seward and route 9 are both 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; Thomas Starr King; Minnie Ward; Rosalie Stern; Carlton Goodlett; Phillip Burton; Jose de Jesus Noe; Frederick Funston.

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; William Ralston; Paul Trousdale.

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; Joaquin Miller; Robert Livermore.

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); Betty Willis (Las Vegas); Esteban Munras (Monterey); John Sutter, Jr. (Sacramento); James Marshall (Placerville).

Charity

Charity: Re-volv. Quite simple, really. Individual donors contribute to a solar funding pool. The pool then helps build solar energy projects at community centers. The community centers lease the solar equipment, with the payments reinvested into the solar funding pool.

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; The Coming Home Project; Urban Tilth; Queer Lifespace.

Weekend Weather

The sun will shine down on the Pride Parade and its scantily clad revelers.

~ Friday-Sunday ~

Coast: near 70
SF: near 80

Bay: near 85

South Bay: near 95

North Bay: near 100
Inland East Bay: near 100

 

 

Free Activities

1. Pride Weekend

- Trans March: Friday, 3-7pm

- Pride Festival: Saturday, noon-6pm; Sunday, 11am-6:30pm

- Dyke March + Rally: Saturday, noon-6pm

- Macy's Pride Party: Saturday, 1pm

- Pink Saturday Block Party: Saturday, 5:30-10:15pm

- Pride Parade: Sunday, 10:30am start

- GLBT Museum: Sunday, noon-5pm

All events are free and open to the public. Expect hundreds of thousands to converge on Civic Center, the Castro, Market St., and Dolores Park this weekend.

2. Shakespeare in the Park: Macbeth

Saturday-Sunday, 7:30pm

The SF Shakes' 31st season kicks off its summer production at Pleasanton's Amador Valley Community Park for three weekends. Cupertino, Redwood City, and SF will host subsequent weekends.

3. Space Fest

Saturday, 10am-4pm

Novato's Space Station Museum hosts astronaut Dan Bursch in a celebration of the 44th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. Check out lunar artifacts, an F-11 Tiger cockpit, and NASA's Kepler Telescope.

Traffic Reminder

Pride festivities will cause street closures around Castro, Mission, and Civic Center - plus the Sunday parade that travels down Market Street, from Steuart to 8th St.