Life in Everybody's Favorite City

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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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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Gorgeous weekend walks - The Presidio, San Francisco, CA

On a sunny weekend, take the opportunity to explore the North side of San Francisco's beautiful and rugged coastline. The Presidio is the area located just below the Golden Gate Bridge, encompassing beach front property on either side. Many trails are available - however, the Batteries to Bluffs Trail is particularly stunning with panoramic views to the West and the Golden Gate Bridge to the Northeast.

Recommended as a must-do-at-least-once experience.

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General info:

http://www.presidio.gov/

http://www.nps.gov/prsf/index.htm

Great trail map:(includes Batteries to Bluffs)

http://www.presidio.gov/NR/rdonlyres/A26635BC-AE79-4EDA-846B-BF5700B926A5/0/TOMap.pdf

Muir Woods

Right, so it isn't technically in the city (the Muir Woods National Monument is located North of Golden Gate Bridge off the 101 off the Stinson Beach exit), but a visit to beautiful Muir Woods (aka Endor*) is certainly something I recommend for city dwellers and visitors to the area alike.

Muir Woods is nearly 300 acres of breathtaking scenery, huge ancient redwoods, flora and fauna. It's a magical place that thankfully was preserved by a local Congressman and his wife in 1905 when the surrounding areas were being stripped by the logging industry. See the National Park Service Muir Woods site for more information: http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm

* Muir Woods served as a set location for George Lucas' Ewok Village in Return of the Jedi

 Photographs taken by Jacklyn Franklin

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Chinese New Year Parade - Jan-Feb

Gung hee fatt choi

Chinese New Year is celebrated in San Francisco with a colorful parade featuring floats and performances by a mix of participants, including Chinese performing artists, elementary and high school groups and members of local government. For example, during the 2010 parade, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was walking along crowds of spectators, shaking hands and exchanging brief quips. 

The parade is a free cultural event worth experiencing at least once. It takes place in part of San Francisco's Chinatown, of course, which happens to be the largest Chinatown outside of Asia. Because the celebration is based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, the dates range between the end of January to the middle of February. In 2011, the year of the rabbit, the new year will be celebrated on February 3rd. See the relevant wiki article for future dates. 

Official Chinese New Year Parade site

Pictures below courtesy of Jacklyn Franklin, photographer and advertising art director  

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Ferry Building Marketplace

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is a California certified farmers market operated by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA). The market is open on Tuesday and Saturday.More

via www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com

  

The Farmer's Market on Saturdays and Tuesdays is a San Francisco 'must do at least once' experience. Offering excellent locally-sourced, organic and original products, the market is good for a shop or simply to look around and people watch. It is obvious who lives nearby - they make a bee line for a few choice items and quickly leave. Plan for a few hours there to take it all in and enjoy a champagne brunch or lots of small quick items (e.g. falafel with jalepeno hummus).

Must try:

Blue Bottle Coffee (really good, popular, not sure if it was worth the 15 mins I had to wait in line though. Good thing there were New York Times papers available to read)

Slanted Door. Apparently the Hamachi is amazing. Long line queuing for the lunch service.

My new challenge:

Shop more at the Farmer's market instead of Costco or Safeway. Only buy meat products if it is possible to confirm the animal had a happy life, and look for locally-sourced fruit and veg that is in season.

 

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P.S.

You'll notice I bought pork sausages. More on the hunt for the perfect sausage later.