The San Francisco beach scene isn’t one usually included in the tourist brochure. Nor are there TV shows about lifeguards in skimpy swimsuits at Ocean Beach. Due to its cold weather and even colder water, San Francisco beach goers usually reserve beach trips for three things: bonfires, sunsets, or the occasional mid-day sunbath. While traversing San Francisco’s arctic beaches can seem daunting, with an adventurous spirit and a heavy jacket, one can tease out their magic.
Let’s begin with the most obvious, Ocean Beach. Spanning the length of the city, this is where you’ll end up if you simply turn west and walk. Wide and expansive, but with rough waves, this beach is best for sunsets, bonfires, and dolphin watching. At Kelly’s Cove under the Cliff House, where allegedly a man named Kelly served up soup during the Depression years, you’ll find brave-the-cold surfers flirting with the waves. For the common beachgoer, however, Ocean Beach is best reserved for romantic sunset walks.
North of Ocean Beach (and across from Robin Williams’ house) lies China Beach, in my opinion the best beach in San Francisco. With its ancient sunbathers, toilets, and showers, this is a prime mid-day sunbathing beach. There are waves but swimming is good beyond the break. Surrounded by cliffs, and with great views of Mile Rock and the Golden Gate Bridge, it is quiet, picturesque, and convenient.
Finally, if you want San Francisco diversity, head to Baker Beach in the Presidio. Crowded on nice days, this is a see-and-be-seen beach, especially beyond the northern rocks where clothing is optional. Great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and a wide sandy beach characterize this spot.
So next time you’re craving some Californian coastline, pack a picnic, a towel, or even a swim suit, and head for la côte d’SF!
Choosing your cat
Choosing your cat is important. While kittens are cute they are also not house-trained and can cause quite a bit of havoc. Go for a full-grown cat or try choosing a kitten that has been fostered (and consequently house-trained). It is also difficult to determine a kitten’s personality until they are several months old. Look for playful and friendly rather than just good-looking. If the cat comes to you to be petted at least you know it’s not skittish. Most of all use your intuition. Most cats get chosen because their owners felt that the cat called to them in some way.
Necessities
There are several things you will need before you bring kitty home. Try patronizing your local pet store, such as B & B Pet Supplies, rather than the chain stores. Here is a list of recommendations based on tried and true testing:
- Cat bed such as Four Paws K-9 Keeper Sleeper Crate Pad (18.5″ x 14″)- B & B Pet Supplies
- Clevercat top entry litterbox – Petco
- Go Cat Cat Catcher toy- B & B Pet Supplies
- Food and water bowls
- Cat brush such as Tender Touch Slicker Wire Brush – B & B Pet Supplies
- Nail clipper such as Jw Pet Company Gripsoft Delux Cat Nail Clipper – B & B Pet Supplies
- Double Wide Cat Scratcher – Trader Joe’s
- Pine cat litter – Trader Joe’s
- Natural, high-quality dry food such as Bench & Field Holistic Natural Feline Formula – Trader Joe’s
- or Nature’s Variety Prairie Cat Food – B & B Pet Supplies
- Natural, high-quality canned wet food – Trader Joe’s
- or Wellness canned cat food – B & B Pet Supplies
- Cat carrier such as Camo Pet Carrier Backpack (folds easily away and cat can sit upright) – http://www.collectionsetc.com
- Vet – Especially Cats Veterinary Hospital
Where to adopt from
While the SFSPCA looks great and it’s nice to know that the cats get to watch TV, try adopting from next door at the San Francisco Animal Care and Control Center, aka the pound. While the SFSPCA has a 97% Live Release Rate, the combined Live Release Rate with SF/ ACC is only 87%. Additionally the SF/ ACC gets first choice of abandoned animals, and usually has more to choose from since their animals are kept in smaller cages. More information can be found here. Additionally, it might also be worth checking out the Urban Cat Project which is run solely by volunteers.
All that’s left is a little TLC and new kitty and you will be on your way to the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
basically… we guaranteed our banks instead of bailing them out or letting them fail. At the time the banks approached the government and more or less said, we will all fold by morning unless you do this, everyone the economy will shut down. It looked like a good idea but it assumed that the banks were being honest about their liabilities and balances.
and asked for government interference in the market to save their asses. The people who believe in low taxes, no social welfare, private hospitals etc..well they fucked up and are now demanding we take care of them. By doing so the IMF comes in and gets to impose a Chicago school system on us, the very cause of the problems, while ignoring the fallacy from their viewpoint of government market interference to help the big boys. It shows idealogy means nothing, it is just a means to an end.
September. Harvest moon, indian summer, and long long legs!
There is a time in one’s life when you finally make that real move. The one out of the studio, shared apartment, or Mom’s house and into a real space -with multiple rooms that are not turned into bedrooms. This is right around the time when you’re not necessarily looking for the cheapest option, but the right balance between convenience and the second cheapest option. Time and energy has become limited and far more precious.
This is also around the time when the idea of asking your friends to spend a whole weekend lifting heavy objects for some free beer and maybe dinner begins to seem ridiculous. Also the thought of them asking you to do the same thing seems daunting, not to mention everyone’s various aches, pains, and injuries.
This is when you make that milestone transition to hiring movers. Recently I riskily choose a moving company off Craigslist called Mygrate Movers. They came in at $100 an hour for 3 strong men and one large truck, about $50 less than regular movers. Fortunately it turned out to be about the best thing I could have done. Polite, respectful, and beyond that the strongest men (not men, beasts!) I’ve ever encountered, they were hard working and tireless. Hire them if you plan to move. Also plan to spend 4 more hours moving then you had originally, inadequately, planned.
The key to moving. Is boxes. And labeling the boxes with what’s inside and which 
room it belongs to because unpacking and deciding where to put things takes 1000x longer than packing. Many shops or groceries will give you free boxes otherwise Lowe’s or Home Depot have them for about $1.50 a box. Begin at least a week in advance. But a month beforehand it’s important to begin purging and getting rid off all the things you don’t want to take with you or haven’t used in a year. Believe me, it’s a spiritual experience.
Finally for all you piano players out there. No piano moving problem is too big for Golden Gate Movers. Yes, it might cost more than the entire rest of your move, but hey, you own a piano.
You know when you wake up with a song in your head and it reels over and over in your mind until you actually play it? This morning’s song was Crimson and Clover. In this fashion I discovered my awkward-growing-out haircut was actually a rockin’ Joan Jett haircut!
She, however, probably cut it herself, whereas I spent $70 on looking like I cut it myself.
It’s true that the guys and gals at Oxenrose know what they’re doing. I have seen all types, from suited Marina-types to my mother, go in there and come out looking fabulous. They exude the right too-cool-for-school atmosphere, are professional, and have pleasant conversation. But cool in this case comes with a hefty price tag.
However, if you are unskilled in the art of cutting your own hair, like me, you know the importance of a quality cut. They grow out nicely (like into Joan Jett haircuts), and come with free bang trims (also an important underrated skill).
Still when I see my self-cut friends I have to admire the rock n’ rollness of it. Unprofessional, messy, and choppy, it equates to a very sexy-i-don’t-give-a-damn look. Best of all it was free. More money to spend on albums. And what could be more rock n’ roll than that?
Sometimes you meet your friends at a show because they came all the way from Oakland and because it’s at The Knockout. Then, you run into your other friend coming out of the bathroom only to find out that it’s her band playing that night! This excites you, this, and also drinking with your friends on a week night.
When your friend’s band takes the stage you’re impressed at how good they’ve gotten over the years, and you feel happy for them. Then they are joined by Bridget St. John (in 1969 John Peel formed Dandelion Records in order to release her records) and the performance hits masterdom level. You become entranced and all of a sudden, in the presence of great art, life becomes beautiful.
Bridget’s performance had all the characteristics of a master musician. Her performance, voice, and playing were flawless. The clarity of her voice as well as her annunciation impressed me. However, I felt her that own lyrics lacked, the rhyming becoming distracting, but this was only a slight flaw in an overall great performance.
There’s nothing like getting more than what you paid for, especially when it’s unexpected, but when you go to a $7 show that exceeds your expectations by a long shot, that’s priceless!
I used to live in Ireland for many years so often I have travelers coming to visit me for weeks at a time (the Irish have a mandatory 28 days paid vacation!). Over time I’ve developed this road trip as a suggestion for potential guests. Everyone, from lack of knowing better, wants to drive to LA for a visit, but what they don’t know is that on the I-5 you’re not really getting the best of scenic California. Also, a trip to LA usually means you need to devote 70% of your time to sitting in a car.
In this itinerary travelers will get to enjoy beautiful San Francisco, sleep in the Sierras, find solitude in a ghost town, see where LA used to steal their water from, go to a castle, and ride on the death defying Hwy 1. A little bit of the best of California is included.
Day 1 – To start, head from San Francisco (if not my floor, I like to suggest staying in the Hotel Queen Anne) to Yosemite (where you have booked your accommodation well in advance, 4 hr drive).
Day 3 – Stay a couple of nights then drive through Yosemite to visit Bodie (a ghost town, 2.2 hrs) and Mono Lake in a day. Then head south on Hwy 395 (wild, beautiful, and empty!) and stay in quiet Bishop (Bodie – Bishop, 2 hrs) for the night. Or save money and stay here.
Day 5 – The next day stroll around San Luis Obispo in the morning before heading north on slow and scenic Hwy 1 to lunch in picturesque Cambria. After lunch continue on to Hearst Castle in San Simeon for a 2-3 hour tour of the grounds (Hearst Castle is 1 hr from San Luis Obispo).
If in your lifetime you ever happen to find yourself in Delaware consider yourself lucky. You have stumbled upon the home of the greatest dessert in the world. Yes, even better than Italy’s gelato. This place will blow your taste buds out of the water and continue to do so even after the 5th tasting. The place is called Fusco’s Water Ice and for $1.75 you can get a medium-sized, life-altering experience of water ice. What is water ice? Lemon, crushed ice, and sugar. Now I’ve had many examples of this combination before and believe me, this is perfection! Natural ingredients, in the right combination and with the right consistency? Check! Fusco’s has changed my idea of the perfect dessert forever! It is a must try before you die.
After your life-altering experience at Fusco’s you may want to re-orientate yourself with something a little more familiar. Good, old-fashioned ice cream (now my second favorite food in the world) can be got fresh from the creamery at Woodside Farm. Lick away at the dreamy flavors in this picturesque setting while the Jersey cows happily munch on the grass beside you.
Half-fish, half-monkey, human-skinned mermaid
If, like the rest of the state of Delaware and its environs, you take a trip to Rehoboth Beach’s Funland don’t stop there. While the rides and the people provide amusements the real treasure of the area lies in Fenwick Island above Sea Shell City. There you will find the awesome DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum run by Dale W. Clifton
Jr. This is a one man show featuring about 10,000 artifacts from his dives as a real life treasure hunter. The rotating exhibit is only about 10% of his actual collection while the rest of it circumnavigates the globe in other exhibits. The museum is fascinating and authentic, bringing to life the days of the real pirates of the Caribbean. If you’re lucky Dale will let you try some of his 300 year old English rum, still fresh from the bottom of the ocean. Pick up a $15 pendant made from silver and antique china or a $20 clean-it-yourself mystery coin found in the 200+ year old wrecks.
After a tiring day of treasure hunting relax in pretty Lewes‘s Cafe Azafran. Go on a Tuesday evening where the $23 prix-fixe menu is worth three times that amount. Delicious, filling, and cozy, you can also enjoy half-priced bottles of wine. Take a walk along the water and make a nice evening out of it.
But the best thing about Delaware? The late night Wawa hoagies (aka sandwiches)! After a single pint of good Guinness in noisy Catherine Rooney’s head to the Dead Presidents (next to Fusco’s) for the real drinking. After closing time there’s nothing like heading to Wawa to order a hoagie via the Wawa hoagie ordering machine! Delicious and hi-tech! Then in true Delawarean fashion you can do it all again the next day. And the next, and the next…
Here's to you Fusco's
Ah, LA. Land where everyone is a _ to the stars. Or trying to be one. I, myself, have spent the last few nights admiring them. The old-fashioned kind I mean, in the sky. I have been housed in a somewhat outdoor housing experiment, the closest thing I could describe it as would be a treehouse, in Topanga Canyon. Los Angeles is known for its experimental, out-there, and often minimalist architecture, and this space is nonetheless just that.
Cliff Lee, visionary, architect, and owner has built over 8 wooden structures on his property since the late 1960s. Each one is unique and hand-built. While almost all are rented, there only 4 full-time residents. The one I’m staying in is near the top. A short hike up from the road, through the tall grasses, and past the other structures, it houses a series of decks and steps which are the equivalent to different rooms in a normal house. At the very top is an enclosed cabin-like structure where one can choose to sleep if one does not want to sleep outside on the roof of one of the decks. The bathroom, or more accurately, outhouse, is a little walk around the building where business can be taken care of in privacy. There are no locks and trees grow through the middle of floors accentuating a feeling of harmonious co-existence with the landscape.
While the LAliens hustle and bustle and drive below we sit and relax beneath the boughs of the pine tree and listen to the birds sing their song. The Canyon encircles us and provides us with fresh air, beautiful scenery, and relaxation as it protects us from the noise, traffic, and smog of the outside. It seems for a Northern Californian, a sanctuary, and the only sane place to live in LA.
It is also not without it’s neighborhood gems. Hidden Treasures, for example, is an exotic little spot to find vintage clothes, costume jewels, and household items. Feeling inspired by the proximity of Hollywood, I picked up a stole from the 1940s complete with head and dangling legs and colorful snakeskin pumps to match. All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.
Another key to relaxing in Topanga is the leisurely breakfast. While Pat’s offers a great 2 eggs breakfast for less than $5 as well as fluffy pancakes, if it is someplace truly rustic you are seeking try The Old Place in Agoura Hills, a short hop and a skip from Topanga down Mulholland through the mountains. This old place, housed in an old western general store, has really one of the best breakfasts in the West. Iron skillet cooked and served frittatas, cinnamon rolls, blue corn pancakes with real cinnamon whipped cream. Yum! Being a biker stop they also offer Manmosas (in a pint glass) and local Craftsman beer (my favorite is Poppyfields). Next door is a local wine tasting room and store as well as a French antiques place.
While this LA weekend was initially centered around seeing friends of a friend play the Hollywood Bowl (BYOB and dinner! Sweet!) our focus has shifted. Right now two are napping in the lazy afternoon on the bed outside under the tree, one is reading quietly in the cabin, and me, well, I’m just taking it all in.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-_zgySmt2Q]
Tales From The Barbary Coast 