Thursday, October 3, 2013

Randy's Guide 3-5-8

Music 
But when you break up
Sky's falling
And no one is on your side.
  -- "Dyin' Bedmaker," by Andrew Bird (19K views, Aug '13 upload)

The Chicago-based singer-songwriter, with a penchant for whistling, brings his annual “Gezelligheid” performance for the first time to the West Coast, to San Francisco's Congregation Sherith Israel on December 16 and 17. He also has regional shows lined up at Davis' Mondavi Center (Nov 14), Santa Cruz' Rio Theatre (Nov 15-16), Humboldt State (Nov 18), and Cal State Chico (Nov 19). 

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); Same Love (Macklemore + Ryan Lewis, feat. Mary Lambert); Safe and Sound (Capital Cities); All-American Boy (Steve Grand); Entertainment (Phoenix); Your Drums, Your Love (AlunaGeorge); Garden (Lost in the Trees); Royals (Lorde); The Mother We Share (Chvrches); High School Lover (Cayuca); She Keeps Me Warm (Mary Lambert).


Current Event 
The San Francisco Public Library's main branch has significant usage of its ground-floor restrooms, including a recent incident of a naked woman doing puzzles inside a stall on the floor.

"We figured if she wasn't bothering anyone, we would let her be."
 -- Richard Mathews, one of 59 on the custodial staff

"It's deplorable. If you go in there on any day... you'll see a mess."
 -- Carol Dimmick, 69-year-old library patron


Food 
Mua Lounge 
2442 Webster Ave. (at 25th St.)
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 238-1100 
Yelp 

The sheer expanse of the warehouse interior is a first, powerful impression. The crowd is bustling, the food bodes well for sharing, and drinks are expertly crafted. It's yet another fried chicken / mac-n-cheese place, though there exist other dishes such as the lamb cheeks or brown butter brussels. 3-1/2 stars - 1168 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; Mission Pie; El Metate; V-105; Kitchen Story; Frisco FriedRange; Suzu Noodle House; The Codmother Fish & Chips.

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); Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe (Oakland/Emeryville).

Previous North Bay picks: Bouchon Bakery (Yountville); Della Fattoria Bakery (Petaluma); Sol Food (San Rafael/Mill Valley); 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); Snow City Cafe (Anchorage); Starling Diner (Long Beach).


Nightlife 
Heart and Dagger Saloon 
504 Lake Park Ave. (at Lakeshore Ave.)
Oakland, CA 94610
(510) 444-7300 
Yelp 

A fine counterpart to San Francisco's Lucky 13 or Zeitgeist, this dive bar is considerably cleaner and warmer and more affordable. The pool table and pinball games provide some merriment, but I think the real appeal is the spacious back patio. The establishment even let us store our road bikes out back ("just this once"). 4 stars - 251 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; The Revolution Cafe; Trick Dog; The Hot Spot; Hi Tops; The HomesteadThe Phoenix Bar & Irish Gathering House; Fillmore Karaoke;
Musee Mechanique. 


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); Prizefighter (Emeryville).

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); 49th State Brewing Co (Healy AK); Goat Hill Tavern (Costa Mesa).


History 
Oakland Athletics 
(1901-present)

True, there have been a couple of location changes, from Philadelphia (1901-54) to Kansas City (1955-67) then to Oakland in 1968. Almost immediately in the early 1970s, the team won three consecutive World Series, led by Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, and Rollie Fingers. The 1989 team (highlighted by the large earthquake), with Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, was the last to win the Series. More recently, the team's record-setting 20-game winning streak was vividly portrayed in the film Moneyball. The team - ranked 26th this year out of 30 teams in terms of total payroll - has won its division for the second consecutive year, and the first-round playoffs start on Friday against the Detroit Tigers. 

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; Shotwell's; Castro Theatre; Kezar Stadium; Nathaniel Lyon; Playland at the Beach.

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; San Gregorio General Store; William Kimball.

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; Gay Nineties Pizza Co; Joseph Emery. 

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); William Seward (Alaska); Seal Beach Pier.


Charity 
Charity: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Later this year, reader Justin D. is participating in the Out of the Darkness Community Walk up in Portland, Ore. He'll be fundraising for the third consecutive year in memory of his cousin. Similar walks will be held in San Francisco, Oakland, Cupertino, Santa Monica, and Irvine. 

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; and Re-volv.


Weekend Weather 
Looking pretty good for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Fleet Week, and the Castro Faire!

Coast: upper-60s
SF: mid-70s
Bay: upper-70s
North Bay: low-80s
South Bay: low-80s
Inland East Bay: mid-80s


Free Activities 
1. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 
Friday 10:30am-7pm, Saturday-Sunday 11am-7pm
The 13th annual free festival typically draws hundreds of thousands of music goers to six stages in central Golden Gate Park. The lineup is broad: MC Hammer, Martha Wainwright, Calexico, Bonnie Raitt, String Cheese Incident, Chris Isaak, Katey Sagal, and Steve Martin. 

2. Castro Street Faire 
Sunday 11am-6pm
The 40th annual festival draws a lot of creative costumes, drag queens, DJs, and carnival acts to the heart of San Francisco's Castro district. Benefits over two dozen local organizations, including the Castro Country Club, Bay Positives, and Queer LifeSpace.

3. Port Fest 
Saturday 10am-5pm
With the cancellation of the Navy parade and Blue Angels display, this looks like the next best option for aquatic marveling. Free boat rides, harbor tours, kiteboarding demo, and live music will be at Redwood City's Port.

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