Alemany Farmers Market

Today I learned that there are two types of farmers markets: snooty and hippy. No, I probably already knew that. I have been to a couple of FMs in San Francisco, and this classification is not exactly a secret. You remember my posts about the Ferry Building and the Castro FM, right?  I would classify both of those as snooty. At the Ferry Bldg, everything was organic, and as a result it’s all ridiculously expensive. And at the Castro, I felt like a second class citizen because I buy produce at Safeway. It’s like people went there because they want to be seen shopping at a farmer’s market. Ya know what I mean?

Today I went to the Alemany Farmers Market (A-leh-main-ee), and it was the complete opposite of the other two. It was totally casual and low-key, with no status or social connections whatsoever. Everyone I saw was a regular joe like me, who just wanted to enjoy a sunny day and eat tangelos.

Unfortunately, since there are only two categories, this one would be labeled as a hippy market. You know… you’ve been there… The smell of “incense” wafts through the air, the continual thump of bongos plays in the background, and nobody has on shoes. This was definitely one of those kinds of markets, but I didn’t mind. I was so happy to be able to shop and taste free samples without being judged. And honestly, it was more fun to be with those laid-back people and just “hang out” anyway.

the drums were not for sale

The market was set up with two rows of permanent pavilion structures, each with 20 bays… it’ll be easier if I call them booths. The booths had parking on one side and sidewalk on the other. That way, the farmer could back his truck right up to the booth and unload his wares, and the shoppers walked on the other side, under cover from the weather. And each spot was painted with beautiful colors so the whole market was colorful and fun!

In addition to the 40 permanent booths, there are 50 or so tents with vendors set up around the perimeter.

here's what one of the bays look like

The Alemany Farmer’s Market takes place every Saturday from sunrise to sunset. I found it on Alemany Blvd at the intersection of Hwy-101 and I-280 (google maps. there is no website). I was there at 2:00 today and the market was pretty quiet. But I imagine it’s a hoppin joint in the early morning.  There was a lot of free parking, clean bathrooms, and several vendors selling meal-type items. So that means I could’ve shopped for a while and then get tacos, or pizza for lunch. Yeah I could have, but today I just ate tangelos.

they have a clay oven for pizza!

I love @cremebruleecart!!

Lately, I’ve had no inspiration to write. The problem is that I’ve been focusing on the bad and overlooking the good parts of San Francisco. As far as I can tell, I live in a city where no one is able to drive, there are no trees, the sidewalks are dirty, and everything smells like urine.

In times like this, it’s very important for me to take a step back and think about the positives. Like for example, I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I can go out and get amazing food from any country I want. And hello, the beach!!

I didn’t realize how discouraged I was feeling until I encountered the most positive young man in the whole city. This is Ellis. I’m pretty sure he’s homeless. He stands on the corner of Market and Castro and plays his banjo and he LOVES this city! Every time I see him, he greets me with a smile and a cheery hello. And he makes the city a better place with his music. I saw him today, and I was reminded how awesome it is to live in SF!

I want to introduce you to someone else. This is Chris. Isn’t he adorable? He works in the Creme Brûlée Cart, a food truck that sells only creme brûlée, in many different flavors (@cremebruleecart)! But the most striking thing about Chris is his personality. He is so friendly and happy, and he makes me smile!

I am writing about Ellis and Chris because they have restored my love of this city. In one night. I mean, how can I be depressed when I live in a city that has a creme brûlée truck? And how can I be sad when even the homeless are happy? So I think I need to adjust my outlook pronto, and be thankful that I live in such a great place!

The Writing on The Wall

Every once in a while, SF city officials get all motivated to crack down on graffiti. They hold meetings and press conferences and use phrases like “respect for the city” and “frivolous gang activity”. Typically, some big project is announced to deter graffiti artists, walls are all painted white, and everyone gets their hopes up for a clean, beautified city. Then two weeks go by and all the fresh white is once again covered in spray paint. And the city officials give up.

People have argued about graffiti for ages. Is it vandalism? Is it art? And the argument isn’t limited to San Francisco. Cities all over the world have to deal with this problem and each one has it’s own approach. My husband spent a summer in Barcelona, and he says that the graffiti over there is considered art; a kind of cultural expression. Much of the street art is political or social commentary and it’s kind of a ritual that mixes in with the character of the city. But in Rome, he says every wall in Rome has graffiti on it and it makes the city look trashy.

Three years ago, when SF was really geared up to wash out the graffiti, The Mural Project was created to be the hero for our beautiful city. The Mural Project hired local artists to paint murals on large, easily accessible, walls, in hopes that vandals would leave the wall alone. There are now 23 murals in the city of San Francisco, the most murals of any city in the United States. There’s one on Laguna St near hwy-101, and there’s another behind this shady gas station at Market and Duboce.

Another time, the city hired a bunch of workers to be part of a painting team. You can see these guys walking down the street with their cart of brushes and rollers, stopping every couple of yards to paint over something written in spray paint. This is a great idea, because it creates jobs, but at the same time, it’s kinda of an effort in futility. Just as soon as something is painted over, it’s almost immediately re-tagged with graffiti.

I drove around today taking pictures of the murals and the graffiti, trying to decide how I feel about it. I guess I think some of the street art is beautiful, and some of it is meaningless and should be painted over. But you can’t create a law that says “pretty vandalism is allowed but the ugly stuff is prohibited”. You have to accept all of it or none of it. So, if I have to choose between all the graffiti or none, I choose to let it stay. It’s a form of art and expression, under appreciated as it may be. And it adds to the character of this city.

Several websites are devoted to honoring the work of street artists. You can find more info and lots of pictures here:
http://www.fatcap.com/city/san-francisco-1.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cassidy/sets/58512

Tahoe: Same Place, Different Weather

Last weekend I got the chance to go skiing at Lake Tahoe. I have been to Tahoe before, but that was over July 4th weekend. So the activities this go round were completely different.

First off, this is a beautiful area all. year. The lake and the mountains and the scenery are unlike any I’ve seen before. And in February, there is snow everywhere. Being from Georgia, I haven’t had much exposure to snow, so I am ever in awe of how serene and perfect the world looks when covered in snow.

This weekend I stayed with a group of people in a cabin in South Lake Tahoe. I have observed that there are many lodging opportunities: cheap hotels, nice hotels, cabins, houses, etc. It’s set up so you can come for any length of time, and with any number of people.

On Saturday, I got up bright and early to hit the slopes with my group. Apparently, the snow is better for skiing in the morning. I was at the Sierra Mountain Resort (www.sierraattahoe.com), which is a few miles west of downtown South Lake Tahoe. I was able to rent pants, jacket, boots, and skis all from the resort.  I was glad I could enjoy myself and  didn’t have to buy any of those big ticket items. I took a ski lesson and learned all the ins and outs, like how to stop, how to stop, and how to stop.

I worked up quite an appetite during the lesson, so at that point I took a break and got lunch with my group at the ski lodge. After lunch, I spent the afternoon falling down the hill, losing my skis, and using muscles I didn’t know existed. But the view was so gorgeous that it was worth it!

A week ago, I was very scared of skiing. But now I can say that it’s actually a lot of fun! And South Lake Tahoe is beautiful this time of year! There are all these snow people walking around in their wool caps and drinking hot cocoa. It’s this wonderful mountain escape!

The Sunset is the Sunniest

The Sunset District is one of the prettiest neighborhoods in San Francisco. It’s located on the Pacific coast in the southwest corner of the city. It’s known to be a surf-y community with a small-town feel. I’ve heard it called SF’s “urban suburb”. I went down there last week and took pictures right at sunset.

I think the houses in this area are so fun! They’re all painted bright colors like pink and yellow; it reminds me of South Beach in Miami. And all the houses touch and that makes these adorable streets with picturesque houses along each side. The neighborhood is divided into four subsections: the Inner Sunset, the Outer Sunset, Parkside, and West Portal. Each of these has is own charm and personality, and is worth a blog article of their own.

Some other cool things include the streets are in alphabetical order: Hugo, Irving, Judah, Kirkham, Lawton, Moraga, Noriega, Ortega, Pacheco, Quintara, Rivera, Santiago, Taraval, Ulloa, Vicente,Wawona, Xavier and Yorba. Also, the HQ of CraigsList is in this neighborhood.

West Portal Lutheran Church

from http://static.panoramio.com/

In case you’re wondering, yes the zoo is in the Sunset. In full disclosure, I’ll admit I took all these pictures the same day I visited Banana Sam. I thought it was a really fun way to spent the day: start by visiting the animals at the zoo, then finish your day with a sunset picnic on the beach. Trust me, you’ll love it!

It’s all happening at the zoo!

What a beautiful day in San Francisco!! It was sunny, 60 degrees, with no wind or fog. Perfect! A day with perfect weather is very rare, and one that falls on a Saturday is practically unheard-of. You know, I had to get outside and enjoy it!

San Francisco Zoo

I spent my sunny afternoon at the San Francisco Zoo (www.sfzoo.org).  It’s a pretty typical zoo: the animals are arranged by continent, and you have to walk 10 miles in order to see them all. The African giraffes, zebras, and antelopes are right up front in their big giant savanna. The four giraffes were massive and majestic at the same time, and also very camera shy. I told the giraffes that my readers would want to see them, but they didn’t care and chose to stay in hiding.

Banana Sam

The most popular animal is Banana Sam, a squirrel monkey who was kidnapped from the zoo last month. Reports say that the thieves cut through the gate and stole the monkey in the middle of the night. Two days later, someone found him a mile away in the bushes. The whole city was relieved when Banana Sam was returned to the zoo, scared but unharmed. Now the people flock to his cage to show him sympathy and affection. He seems to be fully recovered, but won’t stop you if you still want to pet him and say “poor baby”.

Chinese New Year at the Zoo

This week is the Chinese New Year. The SF Zoo is holding a special event tomorrow, Jan 29, that will feature Chinese food, music, acrobatics, and of course, lion dancers. There will also be a zodiac tour through the zoo with a visit to all the animals on the Chinese calendar. Since this year is the Year of the Dragon, the zoo’s bearded dragon, Tully, will be on display, and anybody born in The Year of the Dragon will get in free. To save you a google, I’ll just tell you the years: 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988 and 2000.

The zoo is located on Sloat Blvd at Great Hwy, right by the beach. It costs $12 for CA residents, $15 for non-residents, and the first Wednesday of every month is FREE! It’s open from 10am-4pm every single day of the year. Parking is $10, but I recommend you take the L-bus because it stops right in front of the entrance.  www.sfzoo.org

The World is Flat

I just found a collection of pictures taken by Dan Ng that shows what it would be like if the streets of SF were flat. You can see all the photos at The Streets of San Francisco…But Flat?

San Francisco is known for it’s hills, and I think Dan has a funny way of showing them! I was inspired by his work, so I walked around my neighborhood today and took some flat photos of my own.

This is the street I live on. Most days I whine about this hill, but today it was perfect for my Dan Ng-esque pictures! Enjoy!

My Favorite Restaurant

My favorite restaurant in San Francisco is Tres Agaves. This is a very significant statement considering that there are over 4,000 restaurants in this city. Last time I wrote, I told you about the awesomeness of the fish tacos. Today I’m gonna talk about Carne En Su Jugo, which means meat in its juice in Spanish. My husband ordered this when we ate there last week. It was a bowl of meat, black beans, jalepeños, and bacon in beef broth. It came with tortillas and he made little beef tacos. He said it was awesome, and he wanted to make sure I told you guys about it.

I am writing about this place again because I have an update. The restaurant has changed its name to Tres. I’m not sure if they’re trying to be trendy, or if they’re trying to avoid confusion with the margarita mix. Either way, it’s important to mention that the new web address is www.tressf.com. The street address is still 130 Townsend.

My second favorite place is Ike’s Place. You may think that I’ve run out of things to talk about, so I’m just redoing old posts. Well that’s not true. I’m revisiting my favorites because last week was my birthday, and I always go to my fav places on my special day. I am an Ike’s Place member, which means I’m on their mailing list. That also means that I got a FREE SANDWICH for my birthday!! If you were hesitating to declare your love for Ike’s and become a member, I’m here to tell you that being a member is very rewarding.

Did you know that weather.com has info on average temperatures and rainfall? I didn’t know that until today! I’m gonna tell you all about the average weather for San Francisco because, well, I need something to fill space.

Average temperature by month:

Average rainfall by month:

Goals for 2012

hello from the GGB

You know… It’s that time of year when people make goals…. stop smoking, lose weight, clean bellybutton, etc. So I am making some goals for 2012 myself. I hope I can stick to these better than my weight-related goals of the past….

view from Fort Point

1. Use fewer parentheses.
It is a popular blogging motif to use parentheses when making a joke or a side comment. Sometimes it can be really funny, but I have employed this method too much (and most of what I say isn’t funny anyways). Aww crap! Parentheses!!!

alcatraz

2. Publish new content once a week.
Thank you to all my faithful readers who frequently check this site for new articles. I really appreciate your support and loyalty. And to show my gratitude, I will make an effort to be more consistent with new posts.

intersection: douglas and duncan

3. Use only my own pictures.
This past year, I have written a few articles that required outside assistance for visual aids. But in the new year, I will only post about things that I have seen with my own two eyes, and captured with my own camera. That way, you know that I’m giving honest information about places and not just hearsay.

same intersection. can see bay

Ringing in the New Year

image from sf.funcheap.com

I don’t normally write about “fun things to do today”. The  responsibility of event information belongs to http://sf.funcheap.com. I depend on them (and their weekly newsletter) to keep me informed of activities in my city.

But I am straying from the norm, and I’m telling you about a few great ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve tonight. I am going to list the five events that appeal to me, but I assure you that there are many many more possibilities. If you are into the clubbing scene, there are hundreds of clubs hosting parties with young people dancing to techno music. I feel like every city has techno dance parties on NYE night. I’m going to try to show you some interesting ideas that are unique to San Fran.

1. The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Grace Cathedral
Grace Cathedral is this beautiful church in downtown SF that was built to look like Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. So what better place to watch the movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame? This is not the Disney movie that we all know and love. This is the silent film from 1923. The movie is showing at 7 and 10pm tonight, and tickets are $20. More info.

image from goldensilents.com

2. Midnight Hike and Fireworks Show
Meet at the Ferry Building at 8pm (and bring a flashlight!) for a hike through the San Francisco hills that ends with a picnic and a great view of the fireworks. Oh, and it’s FREE! Call (510) 530-3565 if you’re interested. More info.

3. Winter Wonderland Amusement Park
This amusement park is in San Jose, so it’s a little bit of a drive. But it’s a whole carnival decorated with holiday lights to give it a cozy winter-y feel. The park itself is free, and unlimited ride tickets are $15. Open until 1am. More info.

from pathosphotos.com

4. Free Rides Home
Tonight only, between the hours of 10pm and 2am, all cabs and buses are FREE!! I was pretty impressed when I found this. It’s like the whole city got together and agreed that safety is more important than money. More info.

5. Fireworks
Don’t worry, there will be fireworks tonight.The fireworks will be released from a boat in the bay that’s kinda close to the Ferry Building. But don’t go to the Ferry Bldg to watch them. You need to go to Treasure Island, or to Sinbad’s restaurant to view the show. More info.

Everybody be safe tonight, and happy new year!

courtesy of sanfranciscosentinel.com