Merry Christmas to all!
Music
18 wheels and 18 miles to Tucumcari
Just me and Billy Graham and the Bibles that I carry
Me, I'm not just any other Dick or Harry
I got a big cross painted on the side of my rig
To remind the Devil that he ain't so big and scary
-- "Truck Stop Gospel" by Parker Millsap (77,000 views; Sep '14 upload)
The 22-year-old Americana singer from small-town Oklahoma grew up singing
in a Pentecostal church and surrounded by blues music. He brought his
two albums to last year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (what a
performance!), and now he opens for The Devil Makes Three at Oakland's
Fox Theater on January 22 and 23.
Previous
songs: Against Me! - Thrash Unreal; Alabama Shakes - Hold On; Alison Krauss - Down to the River to Pray; Alt-J - Breezeblocks; AlunaGeorge - Your Drums, Your Love; Alzara & Brother
Spellbinder - Speed of Sound; Amy Hānaiali`i Gilliom - Aloha `Oe; Andrew Bird - Dyin' Bedmaker; Andy
Grammer - Keep Your Head Up; Anuhea - Higher Than the Clouds; Asleep at the Wheel - The Letter That Johnny Walker Read; Ataris - In This Diary; Atlas Genius - Trojans; Au Revoir Simone - Sad Song; Avicii - Levels; Balmorhea - Remembrance; Band of Horses - Knock Knock; Banks - Beggin' for Thread; Basia Bulat - Tall Tall Shadow; Bastille - Pompeii; Bebe Rexha - I'm Gonna Show You Crazy; Ben Sollee - A Few Honest Words; Black
Keys - Lonely Boy; Blackbird, Blackbird - It's a War; Bleachers - I
Wanna Get Better; Blind Pilot - Three Rounds and a
Sound; Brandi Carlile - The Story; Broken Bells - The High Road; Broods -
Bridges; Capital Cities - Safe and Sound; Caribou - Odessa; Cathedrals -
Unbound; Cayuca - High School Lover; Chet Faker - Talk Is Cheap; Chvrches - The Mother We Share; Crocodiles - Sunday; Crystal Castles - Celestica; Darkness - I Believe in a Thing Called Love; Decemberists - O Valencia!; Dillon
Francis, feat. DJ Snake - Get Low; Disclosure,
feat. Sam Smith - Latch; Dodos - Black Night; Dr. Dog -
The Truth Don't Stop; Echosmith - Bright; Ed Sheeran - The A Team;
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Man on Fire; Empire of the Sun - Alive; Family Crest - Love Don't Go; Father John Misty - Nancy
From Now On; Field Report - Home (Leave the Lights On); First Aid Kit - My Silver Lining; Fitz and the Tantrums - Out of My League; 5 Seconds of Summer - She Looks So Perfect; Flying Lotus - Never Catch Me; Foals - Inhaler; Frail - Back to Me; Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger; Frazey Ford - September Fields; Fun.
- Carry On; Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting on You); Geographer -
Kites; George Ezra - Budapest; Glass Animals - Gooey; Glitch Mob - We
Can Make the World Stop; Gotye - Easy Way Out; Hamilton Leithauser - Alexandra; Holy Ghost - Dumb Disco Ideas; Houndsmouth - Sedona; How
To Dress Well - & It Was U; Hozier - Take Me to Church; Hunter
Hayes - Wanted; Imagine Dragons - It's Time; Jake Bugg - Lightning Bolt;
Jake Shimabukuro - Bohemian Rhapsody; Joe Pug - Hymn #101; Judah and the Lion - Rich Kids; Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone; Killers - Miss Atomic Bomb; Klingande - Jubel; Knife - Heartbeats; Kraftwerk - The Robots; La Luz - Call Me in a Day; Laidback Luke, feat. Project 46 and
Collin McLoughlin - Collide; Lila Downs - Zapata Se Queda; Lorde - Royals; Lost in the Trees - Garden; Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears;
Lumineers - Ho Hey; M83 - Midnight City; Macklemore + Ryan Lewis, feat.
Mary Lambert - Same Love; Magik*Magik Orchestra and John Vanderslice -
Promising Actress; Martha Wainwright - You Cheated Me; Martin Garrix -
Animals; Mary Lambert - She Keeps Me Warm; Mastodon - High Road; Matt
Nathanson - Higher; Mika - Big Girl; Mowgli's - San Francisco; MS MR -
Hurricane; Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds; Muse - Uprising;
Neighbourhood - Sweater Weather; Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You;
Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers - I Can't Go For That; Of Monsters and
Men - King and Lionheart; of Montreal - Wraith Pinned to the Mist; Orwells
- Who Needs You; Panda Bear - Boys Latin; Passion Pit - Take a Walk;
Phoenix - Entertainment; Portugal. The Man - So American; Presets - If I
Know You; Pretty Lights - Around the Block; Pure Bathing Culture -
Lucky One; Ra Ra Riot - Dance with Me; Rachael Yamagata - Even If I
Could; Radiation City - Zombies; Rancid - Ruby Soho; Rita Ora - I Will
Never Let You Down; Rufus Wainwright - Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk;
Sara Bareilles - Brave; Say Hi - Devils; Seven Lions, feat. Kerli -
Worlds Apart; Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way;
Sharon Van Etten - Taking Chances; Sky Ferreira - You're Not the One;
Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals; Sophie B. Hawkins - As I Lay Me Down; St.
Lucia - Elevate; Steve Grand - All-American Boy; STRFKR - Rawnald
Gregory Erickson the Second; Stromae - Papaoutai; Surfer Blood - Demon Dance; Swedish House Mafia - Don't You Worry Child; Tanlines
- All of Me; Taylor Swift - Blank Space; Tegan and Sara - Closer;
Thermals - Now We Can See; Tokio Hotel - Feel It All; Tokyo Police Club -
Tessellate; Toro Y Moi - So Many Details; TV on the Radio - Will Do;
twenty-one pilots - Holding on to You; Trophy Fire - Tired Eyes; Vampire
Weekend - Step; Vance Joy - Riptide; Vetiver - Wonder Why; War on Drugs
- Red Eyes; We Are Scientists - After Hours; WestJet - Christmas
Miracle; Wild Nothing - Paradise; William Elliott Whitmore - Hell or
High Water; William Fitzsimmons - It's Not True; X Ambassadors - Jungle;
xx - Angels; Zac Brown Band - Chicken Fried; Zedd, feat. Foxes -
Clarity; Zella Day - Hypnotic.
Food
The Crema Cafe
322 Main St
Seal Beach, CA 90740
(562) 493-2501
Yelp - 4 stars (1189 reviews)
Brunch
is not just a San Francisco phenomenon. The sleepy coastal suburbs has
scored a bona-fide winner, with its massive patio, usually good weather,
popular dishes such as eggs benedict and French toast, and free coffee
for those long waits. Strollers, bikes, flip flops, teenagers. . . all
are welcome.
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 Fried; Range; Suzu Noodle House; The Codmother Fish & Chips; The Front Porch; Blue Plate; Chomp N' Swig; Piccino; La Mediterranee; Ken Ken Ramen; Tommaso's Ristorante Italiano; 1760; The Richmond; Nick's Crispy Tacos; Cinderella Bakery; The Little Chihuahua; Zuni Cafe; Bistro Central Parc; Old Skool Cafe; Starbelly; The Sandwich Place; Primo Patio Cafe; Pearl's Deluxe Burgers; Boulevard; The Sausage Factory; Tommy's Joynt; Truly Mediterranean; Tadich Grill; Little Nepal; Roxie Food Center; New Eritrea Restaurant & Bar; Vega; Mitchell's Ice Cream; Marcello's Pizza; Olive Garden; Burmese Kitchen; Citizen's Band; Velvet Cantina; Brenda's Meat and Three; Guddu de Karahi; Shin Toe Bul Yi; Miyabi Sushi; Señor Sisig; Marcella's Lasagneria; Taqueria Guadalajara; Mission Beach Cafe; Ike's Place, Alta CA; Volcano; Goat Hill Pizza; Taqueria Cancun; Pete's Barbeque; Balompie Cafe.
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 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); Romolo's Cannoli (San Mateo); Koi Palace (Daly City); Old Port Lobster Shack (Redwood City); Souvlaki's Greek Skewers (San Jose); Gorilla Barbeque (Pacifica); Ramen Dojo (San Mateo); Phil's Kitchen (Menlo Park); Gombei Japanese Restaurant (San Jose); Cowabunga Creamery (San Carlos).
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/
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); Andie's Cafe (Napa); West Brooklyn Pizza Co (San Rafael); Lighthouse Cafe (Sausalito); Bovine Bakery (Petaluma/Point Reyes Station); Fairfax Scoop.
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); Geo
Nightlife
131 Main St
Seal Beach, CA 90740
(562) 493-4500
Yelp - 4 stars (795 reviews)
While there is a restaurant element, complete with brisket, blue cheese grits, and fried pickles, I was more wowed by the beer aspect. You'll find lots to choose from - I'd estimate a dozen or more - at a decent price. On a side note, a larger venue has opened on 3rd Street in downtown Long Beach. Be looking for this micro's brews popping up at a craft store or beer bar near you!
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 Homestead; The Phoenix Bar & Irish Gathering House; Fillmore Karaoke; Musee Mechanique; Royal Cuckoo; The Phone Booth; The Bitter End; Dear Mom, Eureka Lounge; Elbo Room; Specs' Twelve Adler Museum Cafe; Amelie; Buckshot; Greens Sports Bar; The Hearth; The Armory Club; Vinyl Coffee & Wine Bar; The Willows; Barrel Head Brewhouse; Third Rail; 440 Castro; Shotwell's; 83 Proof; The Dark Horse Inn; Hopwater Distribution; Novela; Twin Peaks Tavern; Great American Music Hall; Elixir; Topsy's Fun House; Wild Side West; Social Kitchen & Brewery; Triple Voodoo Brewery & Tap Room; Valley Tavern; 500 Club; The Mix; Redwood Room; The Plough and the Stars; 21st Amendment; Urban Putt; Bar 821; NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences; The Riptide; Pilsner Inn; Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar; Third Rail; Spitfire Rose; Mission Bar; Dogpatch Saloon; Cellarmaker Brewing Company; Showdown; Knockout; Gestalt Haus; Noc Noc.
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); Grape & Grain (San Mateo); Freewheel Brewing Company (Redwood City); Cinebar (San Jose); Devil's Slide Taproom (Pacifica); The Dutch Goose (Menlo Park); The Branham Lounge (San Jose); Devil's Canyon Brewing Company (San Carlos); 7 Mile House (Brisbane).
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 (
Previous North Bay picks: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma); Bear Republic Brewing Co. (Healdsburg); Tourist Club (Mill Valley); Mill Valley Beerworks; Billco's Billiards & Darts (Napa); Cline Cellars (Sonoma); No Name Bar (Sausalito); William Hill Estate Winery (Napa); Petaluma Hills Brewing Company (Petaluma).
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); Avanguardia Wines (Grass Valley); The 1up (Denver); Fall River Taphouse (Redding); The Abbey (Seal Beach); Marble Brewery (Albuquerque); The Far Bar (Los Angeles); Epic Brewing Company (Denver); The Firkin & Fox (Carson City, NV); Berryessa Brewing Company (Winters); Brewski's Bar (San Diego); 49ers Tavern & Grill (Long Beach); San Diego Beerworks; Epic Brewing (Denver); Nellie's Sports Bar (D.C.); Fullsteam Brewery (Durham, NC); Twisted Chile Brewing Company (Socorro, NM); Eberle Winery (Paso Robles).
Nooks & Crannies
Mile Square Regional Park
Fountain Valley, CA
The park, over 600 acres in all, offers a little of everything: archery, two fishing lakes, three golf courses, three soccer fields, three baseball diamonds, paddle boats, tennis courts, and basketball courts. It originally was a landing field for a nearby Naval Air Station.
Previous Nooks: The Secret Garden (SF); Cal Park Hill Tunnel (San Rafael); Mount Olympus (SF); Watts Towers (Los Angeles); Seward Street Slides (SF); Bison Paddock (SF); St. Ignatius Church (SF); Albany Bulb (Albany); Feather Falls (Oroville); Wolfe Ranch (Brentwood); South Park (SF); Castle Rock State Park (Los Gatos); Sutro Baths (SF); The Dish (Stanford); Bernal Hill (SF); Little Giant Gold Hydrant (SF); Redwood Valley Railway (Berkeley); Howard Langton Garden (SF); Philosopher's Way Trail (SF); Point Reyes Lighthouse; Sundial Bridge (Redding); Bay Bridge Trail (Oakland); Berkeley Rose Garden; Moraga Steps (SF); Angels Flight (Los Angeles); Grandview Park (SF); Corona Heights Park (SF); Lake Chabot (Oakland/Castro Valley); Friends of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (San Antonio, NM); Heron's Head Park (SF); History Park (San Jose); Runyon Canyon Park (Los Angeles); Cataract Falls (Fairfax); Coyote Point Recreation Area (San Mateo); San Pedro Valley Park (Pacifica); Ano Nuevo State Park (Pescadero); Redwood Regional Park (Oakland); Laguna Honda Reservoir (SF); Joaquin Miller Park (Oakland); Holly Park (SF); Belden Place (SF); Swetsville Zoo (Fort Collins, CO); Treasure Island (SF); Temescal Alleys (Oakland); Kite Hill (SF); Cascade Falls (South Lake Tahoe); Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (Stanford); Pier 39 (SF); Mountain Lake (SF); Ring Mountain (Corte Madera); Vermont Street (SF); The Armory (SF); Vacaville Premium Outlets; Kezar Stadium (SF); Botanical Building (San Diego); Musee Mechanique (SF); Armstrong Redwoods State National Reserve (Guerneville); Murphy Windmill (SF); Pinnacles National Park (Paicines); Mission San Francisco de Asis (SF); Grace Cathedral (SF); Flora Grubb Gardens (SF); Lake Merritt (Oakland); Diego Rivera Mural Project (SF); Baker Beach (SF); Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (Huntington Beach); Botanical Building (San Diego); Pier 70 (SF); Dipsea Trail (Marin County); Mount Evans (Colorado); Transamerica Redwood Park (SF); Waterdog Lake Park (Belmont); Stow Lake (SF); Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial (D.C.); International Civil Rights Center (Greensboro, NC); Cow Palace (Daly City); White Sands National Monument (New Mexico); Garfield Square (SF); 826 Valencia (SF); Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery (San Simeon); Huckleberry Botanic Regional Park (Berkeley); Hunters Point Shipyard (SF).
Charity
Congrats to Westside Community Services, the latest Randy's Guide charity donation.
Youth Tennis Advantage
San Francisco, CA
The youth development program focuses on scholar athletes in inner-city communities through tennis and academic tutoring. Area locations are on the UC Berkeley campus, Oakland's Mosswood Park, and two in SF (McLaren Park and Hunters Point).
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 (Wes S), Re-volv, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Prevent Blindness, Hamilton Family Center, Rocky Mountain Wild, Plant SF, Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing (DISH), City Slicker Farms, SCRAP, Good Karma Bikes, Milo Foundation, Rising Sun Energy Center, Vida Verde Nature Education, J-Sei, Westside Community Services.
Free Activities
Christmas at the Jewish Museum
Friday, 11am-4pm
It had been a tradition the last few years I stayed in San Francisco for Christmas. The museum is a lovely space, and oh the line for the Wise Sons delicatessen!
Kwanzaa at the African Diaspora Museum
Sunday, noon-5pm
Celebrate the first day of Kwanzaa with drum rhythms, a luncheon, and a tour of the downtown museum.
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