Art, history and the outdoors all come together at this little known attraction in Richmond CA…read more I'd say the Rosi memorial was a shining moment in the history of our country. I take every opportunity to talk to older generations of women that were a part of woman's equality. No, no, not this third wave feminism that is going around lately but about treating people the same regardless of the bits and pieces they happened to be born with. Things these days got way off track. Its madness. I wanted my Rinks to see the true and pure form of feminism - and I assigned Rosi the Riviter to be her hero the same way I made Sweets look up to Otto the bulldog. Yes thats what a helicopter parent does. An older lady next door - an attorney - told me she was bewildered and disappointed in the young generation of women. Entitled, easily offended and using men as body guards is the new norm. She told me 'our generation did all the work - they don't have to do much.' Both she and I felt that the women's movement was taking a step backwards the past 10 or 20 years. Take a look at Rosi and I think its easy to see the above being true. Talk to 70 or 80 or 90 year old women as much as you can and learn the history before its too late. I like history. Old stuff. Old cars.... old houses. Teach our youth the best you can and make sure they have somebody to look up to.

This is the G. I. Jive Man alive…read moreIt starts with the bugler blowin' reveille over your bed when you arrive Jack, that's the G. I. Jive... Excuse me while I listen to Benny Goodman's band play "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" and do the jitterbug with my gal one last time before I get shipped out. But don't cry for the girl I left behind, no-sir-ree, because she became Rosie the Riveter, one of the brave women who worked on the home front during World War II while I was dodging hand grenades overseas. Surprisingly, this is the first memorial fully dedicated to the dedicated contributions of these women, and the minimalist design by visual artist Susan Schwartzenberg and landscape architect/environmental sculptor Cheryl Barton is on the subtle side. At first, you think it's just a piece of a ship's hull you're looking at with photos, letters and memorabilia laminated on the enamel panels (photo: http://bit.ly/2xSG7QG). But then you realize the walkway marks the timeline about the home front activities at the time and includes quotes from Rosies chiseled into the white granite. There are also pieces of stainless steel that suggest unfinished sections of the warships they built. This gives you a realistic depiction of the challenges the Rosies faced back then with discrimination, hazardous working conditions, and child care. Two adjacent rose gardens complete the grounds. V for Victory, Rosie! Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me Anyone else but me, anyone else but me No! No! No! Just remember that I've been true to nobody else but you So just be true to me...

I almost hesitate to post this because of how fantastic and "classic SF" it feels but I do think…read morepeople should know about this amazing starcase walk near Coit Tower. I actually found this trying to visit Coit Tower but it wasn't open early enough whereas these stairs are basically 24 hours. We arrived around 8:30 am on Friday and there are 3 parking spots right at the bottom of the stairs. During peak times I'm not sure where you can park that is closer but there is a lot of metered street parking in a 1-2 block radius around it. My 75+ aged parents were able to climb and descend the 300 steps but it did leave them winded and we had to stop a couple of times. The payoff is definitely the top area near the houses. If you go to the right "off-trail" you'll find these amazing public areas covered in trees, greenery, sitting areas, and art installations that will feel like you found a Secret Garden. This is a perfect and quiet place to blast off and on the way back there was a guy about to shoot up sitting on the stairs.

It's quite a workout with 384 stairs across 3 different landings up to Coit Tower…read more The first leg the stairs are the steepest and looks very foreboding. During the summer this part has wild blackberries in bloom. From there the stairs turn into a path that goes alongside some small gardens and houses. In the spring expect to see roses, lavender, and bougainvillea. In the winter rainy season, it looks very green. There are always lots of bird chirping and it feels so peaceful, like a little retreat. There are a couple of other legs of stairs before arriving at Coit tower with killer views of the Golden Gate and Bay bridges. Greenwich stairs are parallel to the Filbert stairs so basically you walk up one and down the other. They are both equally awesome, but it seems like Filbert gets all the attention. From the base to Coit tower and back is about a mile but to make it longer and add more stairs I'd advise to walk through North Beach to Ina Colbrith Park or the top of Lombard street. That will tack on an extra mile each way and it's always fun to stop in North beach at an Italian café, pizzeria, or Washington Square Park.

Is it a Garden Park? Or is it an Art Park? It's 2, 2, Two Parks in One!…read more This is a hidden gem in Oakland. I happened to come across it while I was heading to a beer brewery. "What is this place?" I wondered out loud. "And what's it doing here?" It is hard to describe this little, narrow park, in a residential area. Check out the photos to better understand. I found it to be a delightful, quirky place. I bet you will like it also. The front of the park has a little free library. The day that I visited it had lots of books inside. The park has several nice places where you can sit and enjoy your free book. The park has lots of creative artwork provided by the community. Me thanks this community has a lot of artistic talent! Don't forget the big totem pole. Well okay it's not really a totem pole but you get the idea. I believe it's the largest art object in the park. Much of the art includes hubcaps. That part I confess I did not understand. Maybe some store had a good deal on hubcaps that day. There is easy parking on the street. Keep in mind there are no facilities. No water or restrooms. But it does have a totem pole.

Fillmore varies quite a bit so it's hard to rate the street as a whole but I have been along it's…read moreentirety for various reasons and lived not too far from it and it's a solid SF street. The 22-Fillmore is a great bus line too that goes the full length and more and is the best way to see the whole stretch. Recently hit up the Fillmore Street Fair/Jazz Festival and that was a lotta fun. The northernmost end is pretty bougie but when you get down to the bottom it abuts the Castro and in between you've got the Lower Haight/Nopa stretch that is nice and home to one of the few remaining Popeye's

Amazing Park on the edge of the Oakland / Berkeley hills. I guess you could call this an urban…read morepark, although after a short walk on the trail, you feel like your deep in the forest. This is another one of the hidden gems in the San Francisco Bay region. Probably not worth a special drive for a hike here, because it's relatively short. But I recommend a little exploratory walk from the Claremont.

I know some people say that people here are soft because they complain about the elevation. It is…read moreno joke! A friend and I met up for a walk and we decided to meet at Garber Park. Based on the reviews here, we designated a meeting spot (Evergreen Lane) which is crucial since there are multiple entrances to the "park". Also, it's not much of a "park" - it's a few different fairly vertical trails. That would be okay if that's what we were looking for....but we were looking more for a casual amble. It's also tough to chat because the trials are narrow and you typically have to walk single file. That being said, it's a nice, vigorous hike that's fairly accessible and easy to get to.

Our day trips to SF always include lots of eating while visiting friends and relatives…read more So I try to balance our caloric intake with some scenic incline hikes. Today we did a 1 mile out-and-back hike at Corona Heights. Park on Ord Street Go up Vulcan Stairway Left on Levant Street Right on Lower Terrace Right on Michael Sullivan Steps Left on Clifford Terrace Left on Upper Terrace Right on Mt Olympus Stairs Sit and rest on a cement bench under the obelisk to enjoy views from the center of San Francisco. Then reverse back the path.

I really liked viewing the backyards of houses on Vulcan Stairway. It was rustic and backyards…read more It's hard to find and somebody led a hike and we took the stairway towards Corona Heights park after Mt. Sutro. It's a fun adventure. Hadn't done it in all this time.

This is a very nice neighborhood in Oakland. There are many…read morerestaurants, cafes and shops to visit. The homes in this neighborhood are beautiful. If you are having dinner here or shopping, parking can be hard to find.

Rockridge is one of the early Oakland neighborhoods that drew unique upscale eateries, shops,…read morecafes, boutique retail. there's a built in customer base in the area to support them. one can live here and be content never to venture beyond these boundaries to pursue essential servies. it's possible but not realistic. the grass is always greener on the other side or so it seems. rockridge hasn't change much physically over the decades. the rockridge shopping center was a change awhile back. there's been more commercial developments in recently in nearby blocks. residential areas haven't experienced major changes.

I was wondering where all the party extras from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" went to after the cops…read moreraided Holly Golightly's apartment. They come here to the funkiest part of Oakland the first Friday of every month. Boho types are alive and licking here in their various states of dress and degrees of piercing. All they need is Mickey Rooney in full Asian make-up shouting, "Mizz Go-rightry, I must protest!" Lots of cool gallery spaces. Johansson Projects is a particular must-stop with the grass growing on the ceiling. Lots of very skinny people in Shields-and-Yarnell haircuts. Art is meant to make the soul search, though some of the pieces I saw made the head scratch. The best part of the event has to be strolling through the Art Corridor on 23rd Street near Telegraph. Singing. Performance art. You name it...it's here. Find your inner bohemian, man.

The art murmur is definitely a great end to your friday nights…read more Location: Super convenient you can hop off 19th street bart and walk up telegraph. I would recommend public transportation as parking can be insane!! Although you can pay up to $15 for event parking or muscle you way through a residential areal nearly 10 blocks way and walk to the event. If you have children i would recommend attending this event earlier in the day bc as night falls most folks are pulling out liquor and recreational drugs. And this event is known to have crime and violence. However the event coordinators are aware so there is security in place maintaining safety. (whatever that means) THE ART: prices range from $1-$1,400 depending on the vendors/museums. You may have a young entrepreneur selling T-shirts that they screen printed themselves or local/ out of town street artist who create masterpieces out of legos or spray paint or charcoal or sharpie pens. The options are endless. I mean you can get some hand made body oils/ body butters or you can grab you some hand made jewelry. The sellers here are supper talented. I just saw a business man in a suite and tie beat boxing as i left the event. THE FOOD: At the end of the strip they have all types of food trucks. The cuisine ranges from sweet, oriental, bbq, mexican, sea food and so much more. An added bonus is that the local food joints are open for business so you can always dine in and vibe out to some live music.