FoundSF is a collaboration between Shaping San Francisco and San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. The site contains tons of articles about the history of San Francisco and allows anybody to contribute to the site. You can pick a random article, or browse by timeline or neighborhood. Check it out.
I read this in the NYTIMES:
My boyfriend and I are flying to Los Angeles via San Francisco, and we have a four-hour layover.
The writer goes on to recommend taking BART and going to the Fisherman’s Wharf. GAFFAWWWWWWW.
Ok, so here is the real deal on a four hour layover in San Francisco. DO NOT take BART, that will eat up an hour. If there are two of you, you can get to the Ferry Building for $30 bucks, and you’ll be there much faster. Sorry, not the PC thing to say, but clearly you are on a schedule.
The author then says to go straight to Fisherman’s Wharf. Ahhhhhhh! No. Stop! Just go to the Ferry Building. Nosh on some delicious food. Have lunch. Fsherman’s Wharf is one of the places with Crazy T-Shirt shops and wax museums. BARF!
The author then says to take the cable car ride from over by Buena Vista Cafe. Again, WTF? Has this writer seen the lines there? It is a 40 minute wait just to get your Irish Coffee. Skip that, on my plan you are still at the Ferry Building, where you walk across to where the California St. trolley starts and there are never any lines. You take that to the end, wait and then come back and get off at the Chinatown gates. Doing this, you see Grace Cathedral, fabulous views of the city, and you might even get a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge, I am not sure about that.
Walk through Chinatown and maybe go to House of Nanking for lunch, if there is no line. Walk down Columbus and go to Cafe Greco for a cappuccino. Hail a cab and you’re on your way back to the airport.
That’s a more realistic 4 hour layover. Remember you are going to be going through security again.
Also with this plan, you can jump in a cab at any point and get back to the airport. In the NY Times plan, you are in a line frustrated that you spent an hour on BART and you know you need an hour to get back so you can’t possible wait in that line anymore so you give up, go back to the airport hungry and angry.
Skip the sea lions and save seeing the GG bridge until you can ride across it on a bike.
I’d rather point out the good than the bad, so here they are. Front burner means they are newer to me and I want to frequent them more. Back burner means they are solid fall backs and always on the list. Some of these are because they are in my hood. Also, not focused on fancy night out places. Just value and goodness.
Front Burner
Limon Rotisserie
Neighborhood: Mission
1001 S Van Ness Ave
(between 21st St & 22nd St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 821-2134
limonrotisserie.com
We went here because we love the flagship restaurant, but it has been closed for so long. We had a half chicken, steak, a bunch of sides. Everything was delicious, including the four sangrias we had. When the bill came, it was around $44 bucks. So this is a seriously good bet.
Pizza Nostra
Neighborhood: Potrero Hill
300 De Haro St
(between 16th St & 17th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 558-9493
pizzanostrasf.com/
This is a true gem. The guys from Chez Papa and Chez Mama dragged the pizza chef from the streets of Italy. When I heard the story, I started to get worried “What if he hates San Francisco, what if he decides to go back, what will we do?” Well, everytime I go in to order the Fritto Misto and the pizza with egg on it, I ask if the chef is still loving living here and so far so good.
Anchor Oyster Bar
Neighborhood: Castro
579 Castro St
(between 18th St & 19th St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 431-3990
www.anchoroysterbar.com
You know, what can I say? This isn’t a new place. I just can’t eat enough oysters lately. And as winter rolls in, what could be better than some chowder at Anchor? What the tourists don’t realize, is this is the place to go in San Francisco for that seafood experience they are dreaming of. Has, is and will always be bomb-diggity awesome goodness.
Back Burner
These are all the restaurants I haven’t been in a while but are always on the list.
(415) 431-3990
Check out Urban Baby, a great site for baby friendly restaurants, events, etiquette and funny stories.
This should have a lot of hand drawings of Mickey Mouse in frames…..but the one thing that I am super excited to see is the scale model of the original vision for the theme park. I love this stuff! Check out the Sneak Peek.
Raise a Roof
Sunday 10/4, 2-4:30
I.M. Scott Parking Lot
935 Minnesota St. San Francisco
Friend of Potrero Hill Nursery are building a new home at I.M. Scott. the oldest school house in San Francisco. Come join the party. They are having chalk artists, pedal-powered live music, kids activities, refreshments and a resident historian speaking about the rich history of IM Scott, as well as displays of historical photos and new renderings of what they hope to transform the buildings into—a preschool and a new family center.
For more information, you can visit their web site: www.fophns.com
Somebody actually built a house of of Lego, but you can’t tell me that demolishing it wasn’t the funnest part.
Kevin Koss – Will Keep You From Freaking Out
Selling and Buying a house is SO STRESSFUL! If anything can bring on a freak attack, that’s it. So, when you sell a house or buy a house, there are three things you need in an agent, patience, support and analytics. There is one thing you don’t need - a cheezy real estate agent. OK, you know what I mean, that gum-chewing, perfectly coiffed(and when i say perfect, I mean it looks like they single-handedly bumped up the stock price for AquaNet), Sears portrait taking agent, with that “lemon-scented” four door vehicular version of a Naugahyde couch. Enough about what you don’t need. Back to what you should look for:
Patience for all the crap you will put them through
Integrity to shoulder the burden, and trust that you’re shouldering it off to the right person
Analytical to help make practical decisions based on your goals and what the market will bear
I know this criteria because I put my house on the market this year looking to downsize… After interviewing nerd after nerd, I found Kevin. First of all, he drives a mini. Seriously, a mini is the perfect car to zip around SF to find the condo of your dreams. OK, I’m a tad bit biased because I too drive a mini. But like any true San Franciscan, he has a Prius too. Don’t hold that against him.
As I entered into this journey, I was freaked out. I loved my house, but I really wanted to downsize. If you are any way emotionally attached to your home, you really need someone with patience and perseverance to see you through those agonizing moments when some schmuck wants to buy your house for a ridiculously low price, after you sunk $20k into it. In this market in particular, you need someone with patience. You also desperately need someone who can crunch the numbers, while also considering the “soft costs” of selling your house. Someone who can be analytical about the entire process, someone to answer the tough questions about how much your house is truly worth given market conditions, the marketability of your house, and what your goals are. Lastly, you need integrity. In my mind, I liken real estate agents with used car dealers. They want to get it off the block as fast as they can at the highest level of commission possible. You absolutely should NOT hire an agent if they don’t have that certain je ne sais quoi – ie… integrity.
Kevin has all these qualities, but the one that I trust and admire the most is his integrity. I put my house on the market in January, I wanted to move from a house to a condo – less to manage. Well, the market took a dive, then a dump. Through that whole progression, Kevin was right there, continuing to identify what my true goals were against what the market and house would bear. In the end, I kept the house, although it took me much longer to pull it off the market than what he suggested. In the end, he was right, my downsizing goal would be best spent if delayed. His recommendation put him out of a pretty huge commission check, not to mention all the hours he dedicated to getting it ready and selling it. Kevin doesn’t tell clients to sell or buy just so he can get a commission check. This isn’t the best way to make a fast buck, but I believe in the long run with this approach he will develop a loyal clientele.
Oh, and one more thing – he is an awesome chef.
Dana Loof
Took this picture off the back patio. As the inland areas cool off, the fog retreats and San Francisco starts our version of summer.
