Life in Everybody's Favorite City

The Crocker Art Museum - Put it on your list of things to do in Sacramento

The Crocker Art Museum is in downtown Sacramento (216 O Street, Sacramento, CA) and is one of many reasons to visit Sacramento (alongside river rafting, the Capitol, the Kings while we still have them, the State Fair, Thanksgiving 10Ks, the Crest Theatre, the River Cats, the Delta King, gold mines, Old Sacramento, lots of trees, amazing wine tasting and the crooked mile at Fairytale Town in William Land Park, among things). 

I frequent Sacramento to see my family and together we recently visited the museum, reminding us of its vast offering of works by California artists and the beautiful architecture of the original stately home in which the museum began. We also made a video.

 

Heavenly weekends in the Sierras

At Heavenly Mountain Resort, skiers and snowboarders alike are thrilled with varied terrain that spans the California-Nevada border and includes rolling glades, terrain parks and challenging technical steeps.

via www.skiheavenly.com

One of the many benefits of San Francisco life is the close proximity to the Sierras and the opportunity to ski or snowboard from Thanksgiving to Easter. Heavenly is a great introduction to the South Lake Tahoe snow sport scene.

A few tips:

1. Invest in lessons if you're a beginner. Speaking from experience, they are well worth it. Also, Heavenly and apparently Sierra at Tahoe are green/blue friendly.
2. Buy lift passes (and lessons) at least 7 days in advance if possible and collect rewards on the Peaks pass.
3. Use PackLate to book a cabin, or try the Diamond Resorts, and stay close to the main drag of Lake Tahoe Blvd where free bus lines are available.
4. Have a beer at the Brewery at Tahoe.
5.  Do not underestimate the potential for cold weather and the need for a neck / face covering. Sure, the weather during President's Day weekend was in the mid-60s and there wasn't even a need for a warm coat, but that was then.
6. Drive to or from SF in the morning on a Friday or Monday. It will take 4-5 hours from the city and the one day off work can make for a less exhausting journey.
7. Stop for lunch at Aldalbertos if you're hungry during the trip and happen to be nearby the Sunrise Exit on 50 in Sacramento.

 

 

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Rickhouse - Reviving the punchbowl concept

Great centrally located bar - Financial District area. Shortish line outside around 10PM. Fun atmosphere with bartenders dressed as 1920s newsies and on the menu are 'punchbowls' (literally a punchbowl of cocktail with multiple glasses for friends to share at a table). Brought to us by the founders of Bourban and Branch.

www.rickhousebar.com

246 Kearny Street

San Francisco, CA 94108

(415) 398-2827

AYCE Artisan Pizza Sundays at Local

All you can eat gourmet pizza Sunday nights at Local, located at 330 1st Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. http://www.sf-local.com/ Great way to get a sample of what Local has to offer in a relaxed, sophisticated environment.

Read the full review at food writer Ashley Lyon-Foster's bar and restaurant reviews site Your Next Bite. Preview:

Whenever it's Sunday night in San Francisco, treat yourself to All You Can Eat Artisan Pizza for $12.95 and $15 Draft Beer Pitchers at Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant in Rincon Hill. My friends and I certainly did, even after spending a weekend getaway eating our way around San Francisco – and it was the best deal in town.

via www.yournextbite.com

San Francisco 'Collective Buying' Coupon Services & Aggregators

Couponing services dedicated to city-specific offers are a great way to try new things and save money. Here is a video on how they work: http://vimeo.com/2112924 Living Labs posted a great summary of the services available:

Here in San Francisco, we have at least nine of the services including Groupon, HomeRun, BloomSpot, LivingSocial, Liquor.com, TownHog, Special Deals, Joffer, and Zozi. Predictably, this market expansion has created a new market: aggregation services. Yipit and LocalOfferLounge allow you to sign up for just one daily email containing all the local deals that pertain to your categorical interests (restaurants, yoga, spas, city tours, etc.).

via www.livinglabs-global.com

Given how many there are to review (Social Buy is another such service), the aggregators such as Yipit and Local Offer Lounge appear to be a relatively efficient way to quickly scan them all. They will probably pick up new services as they crop up so you won't have to deal with signing up for more emails.

Groupon is the only service I've actually tried and so far so good - I've purchased and successfully used Duck Tour tickets for some recent out of town visitors and a restaurant Groupon.

A summary of some of the daily deals on offer will now be available, updated via RSS on the SF Daily Deals page - enjoy!

vin12: Your Urban Wine Retreat

Welcome to VIN12, California's largest monthly wine event. VIN12 is a monthly urban, hip retreat for the wine enthusiast where the traditional and new meet. Each month, you'll taste a selection of great wines from around the globe in one of San Francisco's dynamic, intimate and beautiful spaces, The Solarium. VIN12's commitment is to let you know the local retailers and restaurants where you can easily enjoy or access these wines. Educate yourself... visit with old and new friends... VIN12 is the monthly event you will not want to miss!

via www.vin12.com

Consistently great night out - highly recommended. The San Francisco event happens one Thursday night per month from 5:00PM to 9:30PM at 55 Second Street between Market & Mission, San Francisco.

To book: http://www.vin12.com/

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ING Bay to Breakers - A race for some, a mobile street party for most

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Official race site: http://www.ingbaytobreakers.com/

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Strawberry "Pop-Tarts": Foreign Cinema Recipe : bonappetit.com

This homemade version of the childhood favorite is absolutely incredible. Flaky pastry, strawberry preserves, and powdered sugar—what's not to like? For step-by-step photos, see our Test Kitchen tip.

makes 8

by Gaylie Pirie and John Clark

via www.bonappetit.com

After enjoying the strawberry pop tarts as part of brunch with friends at Foreign Cinema, I was pleased to be informed by my sister in law and Bon Appetit subscriber that the recipe had just been published by none other than the restaurant's own celebrity chefs Gayle Pirie and John Clark. I haven't tried making them myself, and I'll always recommend going if you have the opportunity, but for those of you who can't - do try the recipe (and let me know how it goes).

Full recipe here: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/04/strawberry_pop_tarts#

If you are able to go, try brunch outdoors on a sunny day - bloody marys are on the menu. Dinner at Foreign Cinema is also consistently excellent - interesting menu which changes fairly frequently, apart from oysters which are a staple.

Live Music, Latin Jazz, Salsa, Merengue, Samba, Cuban Music, Salsa Dancing

The Cigar Bar & Grill is a leading San Francisco venue to hear live music. We are committed to providing mainstream & Latin Jazz from leading Bay Area Musicians. Don't miss out on a truly unique San Francisco music experience!

via www.cigarbarandgrill.com

Great venue for live music and dinner, cigars or not!

Address: 850 Montgomery St San Francisco, CA 94133-5118  Phone: 415-398-0850

Sam's Chowder House - Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay is a great destination for a short escape from the city and there is no shortage of food and drink options along the shore. Sam's Chowder House is one such option and it comes highly recommended. Call ahead to book a window-front table - +1 (650) 712-0245.

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