Friday, May 2, 2014

Randy's Guide 3-8-6

Special Notice - Bike to Work Day (Thursday)
It's the 20th anniversary of this event, which I credit as being the main catalyst for my bike commuting starting three years ago. For the second consecutive year, I helped stuff 6,000 canvas bags for the event. Stop by one of 26 booths for pastries or coffee, ride with your area supervisor, and sign up to be a Bike Coalition member.


Music
The room still looks like you
It's a mess
All the pictures on the shelf
Are dusted off by someone else
To keep me company
I haven't told her that your thought still lingers on
 -- "It's Not True," by William Fitzsimmons (1.4 million views, Mar '08 upload)

Raised in Pittsburgh by two blind parents, Mr. Fitzsimmons learned the pipe organ, piano, guitar, and trombone during grade school. He has worked as a therapist and earned a master's in counseling. His sound roughly falls in line with Iron & Wine and Sufjan Stevens. Catch some tunes from his sixth album at The Independent on May 22.

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); Dyin' Bedmaker (Andrew Bird); Zombies (Radiation City); Bitter Rivals (Sleigh Bells); Tall Tall Shadow (Basia Bulat); Sunday (Crocodiles); Pompeii (Bastille); Breezeblocks (Alt-J); Sweater Weather (The Neighbourhood); Hurricane (MS MR); Trojans (Atlas Genius); Animals (Martin Garrix); Promising Actress (John Vanderslice and Magik*Magik Orchestra); Lightning Bolt (Jake Bugg); San Francisco (The Mowgli's); The High Road (Broken Bells); Call Me in a Day (La Luz); I Can't Go for That (Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers); Black Night (The Dodos); I Learned the Hard Way (Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings); The Robots (Kraftwerk); We Can Make the World Stop (The Glitch Mob); The Truth Don't Stop (Dr. Dog); & It Was U (How to Dress Well); Heartbeats (The Knife); Alive (Empire of the Sun); Holding on to You (twenty-one pilots); Tessellate (Tokyo Police Club); After Hours (We Are Scientists).


Current Event
The Hook-Up Truck makes its virgin stop into the Bay Area this weekend, with stops in Oakland and San Francisco. For up to 30 minutes, customers are able to rent out the truck, which is outfitted with a mirror, a bench, a bar, and camera.

"My friend was telling me about his use of Grindr, and how he had sex with someone in a driveway. I thought, 'What if I started some kind of service for people on the go?'"
 -- Spy Emerson, The Hook-Up Truck founder

"It's like Uber for your genitals."
 -- Laura Stampler, Time Magazine journalist


Food 
Zuni Cafe
1658 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 552-2522
Yelp

Keep it simple and fresh. That's been the mantra for Judy Rodgers since she became head chef in 1987. Let me rattle off some must-try items: Caesar salad; shoestring potatoes; roasted chicken; bread salad; house-ground hamburger. Once, I sat perched above the open kitchen - what a vista! And now, I find out a friend of mine got a sweet gig there... score :) 4 stars - 1881 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; The Front PorchBlue Plate; Chomp N' Swig; PiccinoLa MediterraneeKen Ken RamenTommaso's Ristorante Italiano1760The Richmond; Nick's Crispy Tacos; Cinderella BakeryThe Little Chihuahua.

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/San Jose); 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); Mua Lounge (Oakland); Grand Lake Kitchen (Oakland); Shan Dong Restaurant (Oakland); Taste of the Himalayas (Berkeley); Korea House (Concord); Miss Ollie's (Oakland); Gather (Berkeley)Phnom Penh House (Oakland).

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); Masa of Echo Park (Los Angeles); Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs (Denver); Philippe the Original (Los Angeles); Han Bat Sul Lung Tang (Los Angeles); Jayne's Gastropub (San Diego); Quinn's (Seattle); George's Greek Cafe (Long Beach).


Nightlife 
The Willows
1582 Folsom St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 529-2039
Yelp

Spacious SoMa bar? Impossible. You'll find booths, long picnic tables, board games, and quite a few fine taps of beer. The other room offers a full bar, along with key bar bites such as pork belly donuts, deviled eggs, veggie sloppy joes, and lamb sliders. 4 stars - 79 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; Royal Cuckoo; The Phone Booth; The Bitter End; Dear MomEureka LoungeElbo Room; Specs' Twelve Adler Museum Cafe; Amelie; Buckshot; Greens Sports Bar; The Hearth; The Armory ClubVinyl Coffee & Wine Bar.

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); Heart and Dagger Saloon (Oakland); Dogwood (Oakland); Bar Three Fifty-Five (Oakland); Triple Rock Brewery and Ale House (Berkeley); Fauna (Oakland); Ben & Nick's Bar & Grill (Oakland); District Oakland.

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

Previous Other picks: 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); El Prado (Los Angeles); Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey (Denver); Angel City Brewery (Los Angeles); The Hermosillo (Los Angeles); Polite Provisions (San Diego); Sun Liquor Distillery (Seattle); Alex's Bar (Long Beach).


Nooks & Crannies
Seward Street Slides
Seward St & Douglass St

A teenager built the slides during the 1960s, then the community banded together to save the land from development and convert it into a park in 1973. Bring cardboard (or hope for some leftover there), and come during daylight (9am-5pm). It's super fun!

Previous Nooks: The Secret Garden; Cal Park Hill TunnelMount OlympusWatts Towers


Charity
Plant SF

The nonprofit, founded by architect Jane Martin, is approaching nine years of transformative work in San Francisco. Efforts to convert sidewalk into permeable drought-resistant plant gardens have been widespread, from the Bayview and Potrero Hill, to the Outer Sunset and the Tenderloin. The group has numerous volunteer opportunities for those who are inclined.

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; Re-volv, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Prevent BlindnessHamilton Family Center, and Rocky Mountain Wild.


Free Activities
1. Saturday Reading!
California Book Store Day
Free Comic Book Day
Stop by your friendly local bookstore, many to choose from... Books Inc. or Green Apple or Booksmith or Moe's. Each store will be hosting a party of readings, nibbles, signings, and more. Or if graphic art is more your thing, hundreds of comic book shops around the world will be passing out free comics and have specialty events of their own.

2. Hunters Point Open Studios: Saturday-Sunday, 11am-6pm
Over 125 artists in 7 buildings will present their work at the Hunters Point Shipyard. It's the 25th anniversary, so expect some great live jazz and tasty food from the Bayview Underground Food Scene Pop-Up Market.

3. SFMade Week: Monday-Sunday
San Francisco's manufacturing sector continues to thrive. Speakeasy Lagers, Rickshaw Bagworks, and Kika's Treats are among the companies offering free tours and/or tastings. I've already RSVP'd my participation!

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