Excellent Gourmet Ghetto Tour for my family visiting from Europe. They had fun discovering the…read moreBerkeley food extravaganza while I was at work. They loved lunch at Cesars. Naomi is funny and a great culinary guide. Great for houseguests and other friends you want to inspire.

I did the Silicon Valley Sprint Triathlon in july and it was well organized but there was one…read moreissue, they should have kept non-competitors out of the transition area. I have a crappy bike, but I'm sure other people may have been worried about random people hanging around their things. This past weekend I did the California Sprint Triathlon in Pleasanton. The swim was too short unless I miraculously transformed into Michael Phelps and the run was wayyy too long. It was around 5 miles rather than a 5k(due to a paucity of course officials toward the end.) It's not a pleasant surprise after swimming and biking. It was good training i suppose, but its a lot of money to spend on a race that you can't even compare to your past races because the distances are inaccurate. I enjoy doing the events, but I would like to get what i sign up for. I hope they learn from their mistakes.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me…read more A little about me: I'm no pro triathlete. I run with my age group and usually finish somewhere at the bottom of my age group, but I'm just there to have fun and finish. I've participated with a few other racing companies around California and Nevada, and USA Productions really stands out with their incompetence. The first time I've dealt with USA Productions was when my friend wanted to try a triathlon a little further away, so we met in San Jose and did the Silicon Valley Sprint Triathlon in 2012 at the UVAS Reservoir. At the last second, they moved the triathlon from Lake Almaden to the UVAS Reservoir because of health issues with the water. To be brief here, the experience wasn't 100% pleasant with a lot of the problems repeated in 2014. Now fast forward to 2014 I've moved to Sunnyvale, and I see they have a Super Sprint at Half Moon Bay. Ironically, they moved it from the UVAS reservoir to HMB because of the drought. The distances were super short, and I didn't put much training time in, and I wanted to see HMB, so I decided that they probably patched their issues in 2 years and signed up. My biggest issue in 2012 was waiting forever to get my T1 bags back, but T1 and T2 were only 6 miles apart, so what's the worst that could happen? Since this was a short race, I finished around 9:30am. I left the expo to get my bag since it was supposed to be coming "soon" (I didn't get my bag until 11:45am). It's not like I missed anything at the expo, since there was no food setup and barely any vendors there. After the first batch of bags came in at 10:30am, the lawn area outside T2 became a miserable camp site of people waiting another hour to get their bags. Next time, just make a post race bike race from T2 to T1 to get our own bags... it would've been much faster. Other problems I had *T1 had the same entrance and exit, so those in the back had a really long transition *Long run barefoot from swim end back to T1 (some of it was covered by carpet, some if it wasn't) *Not enough room on the racks in T2 *Crossing the highway three times *The Sprint race was delayed by 30 minutes (not totally their fault, but still annoying to deal with after you wake up extra early to get there on time) *Nobody was checking numbers at the run turn around. I know triathletes are generally more awesome than the average person, but someone could easily cheat and turn around early. So after reading other reviews and going through my experience with USA Productions, they haven't gotten their act together, so I'm not going to waste any more of my training and weekends with them anymore.

Just this past weekend the Studio for Urban Projects had a kimchi contest. It was a blast!…read moreOrganization and layout was very well done, although the space was a bit packed with people. The woman at the front door is super friendly. Live music as well. Kimchi was great. The better ones really stood out from the overly garlic ones.

Workshops, talks, film screenings and food... to foster civic dialog. Its always fun and thought…read moreprovoking at the the Studio for Urban Projects. Near Dolores park and Birite creamery/grocery.

I have to say that I just loved the location of this event! The Craneway Pavillion is…read morebreath-taking! There is so much light, so much space...And, the boardwalk was just what everyone needed after tasting a few craft brews. With the sun beating down and the crisp air, it was so relaxing. Although I do enjoy the Craneway Pavillion, it seemed to be such a grand space for the Chocolate & Beer Festival. I spoke with a few guests who actually pointed this out as something that pleased them, so it might just be my taste of small, intimate gatherings. There was so much space in between the beer and chocolate!!! And, there seemed to be quite a bit more chocolate booths than beer selections. The Chocolate Nut brew was my top pick, for sure. Everyone was super friendly and social! I LOVED tasting the various brews and chocolates! From the chocolate side of things, I enjoyed quite a few chocolates. First, I am always a fan of Galaxy! I tried their chocolate cups of fluffy mousse at La Soiree--just delightful! Landru had some fruit jellies AND chocolate! Clarine's Florentines brought some snazziness with their sliced almond brittle on bittersweet chocolate, for sure. There were many others as well! The chocolate was such a nice sweetly loved snack, but it did leave me craving something more... Since it was a beer and chocolate festival, I understand that there would only be beer and chocolate (plus, food and wine for sale). However, I felt people dropping off the taster map as they had a drink or two. Beer pong was fun! That was definitely the fun crowd. I felt a bit of confusion surrounding the tokens and the tickets in my party and in the crowd. Some guests were under the impression that tastings were included in the price of the ticket, not that they would need to purchase extra tokens to taste. This could have been more clearly stated. Overall, it was a very enjoyable day. The band was entertaining and fun, Chloe and Rob were easy to find and super informative! The sound was a bit difficult to hear in the back, but if you were hanging out near the stage, all the speakers were knowledgeable and interesting as well.

This was a pricey event. Luckily, we got our tickets for super cheap from living social ($9 for…read moreVIP!) so the price wasn't too bad, but I feel sorry for the people who had to pay full price. The admission was $15-25 and didn't include any beer or chocolate tasting. They had a VIP package for $60 that included admission, a beer glass, 2 chocolate samples, 2 beer samples, parking and a poster. Additional beer samples were $6 and chocalate samples were $2-4. I think the beer glass was $10 if you didn't get the package. They filled the glasses (16oz) up if you had them or else you'd get beer in a plastic cup (12oz). There was an area set up for beer pong, a staging area for music and a bunch of benches in the middle. There was double the amount of chocolate vendors to beer vendors. The stand outs were tea infused chocolate, chocolate covered brittle, and quinoa bonbons. My favorite beer was a locally brewed Indian beer that's only served in Thai and Indian restaurants. I wish i could have bought a 6 pack of that! Sadly the only chocolate stout there was just meh. I liked that there was a lot of space and no ridiculously long lines. Apparently the event was a clusterf**k last year. Overall It was fun and a great way to try out some local breweries and chocolatiers. I would go again next year, but definitely not at full price.

Friends are always asking me "Tracey, how did you find out about (insert event here)?" to which I…read morefrequently reply with a simultaneous shoulder shrug, "I read." It sounds smug, I know, but if you have an interest in going out and seeing and doing certain things you find a way to learn about those things and where they're happening. I barely understand how people don't hear about them. Because of this I was genuinely surprised to first learn of Lost Landscapes of San Francisco in this, their 9th year of putting on shows. Admittedly, those shows are usually only once annually but I'm still surprised that this show didn't cross my path sooner. Lost Landscapes of San Francisco is a show curated by Rick Prelinger, an archivist who collects and assembles film and video footage of San Francisco. By the title, you might surmise that he's not assembling footage circa 2014 and you'd be correct. Though some footage appeared to be as recent as the 1970s, most of it is treasure from longer ago than that. All of it, circa whenever, is a view into the City's dreamy past. The premise here is that Mr. Prelinger mans the microphone and can tell you a bit about what you're seeing on screen but aside from that, the audience is the soundtrack (there is no narrative voice-over). Shouting out of comments, questions, and humorous remarks is encouraged though much of what is said may not be heard by all. The Castro Theatre is big (seats 1,400) and sells out for this show. Tickets are kept to a reasonable $15 (+ a small service charge, available through Brown Paper Tickets). You already missed the big show this year but there's another show, a fundraiser, on December 19th for which $15 tickets are still available (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/941006). Lost Landscapes is somehow associated with the Long Now Foundation, an organization whose mission I've completely failed at decoding. It doesn't really matter. The only thing you need to know is that this show exists, is updated and changed regularly, screens annually, and generally sells out within 24 hours. If a view into San Francisco's unique and beautiful past sounds like something that interests you get tickets and go this year or get on their mailing list for future years. And when your friends ask how you found out about it just shrug your shoulders and tell them "I read". And: * An article which explains this event better than I can is here: http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2014/12/02/forgotten-footage-illuminates-san-franciscos-lost-landscapes/ * More information about this year's show is here: http://longnow.org/seminars/02014/dec/04/lost-landscapes-san-francisco-9/ * And because I've been unable to discern a web-site (short of becoming a Long Now member) you can presumably learn of future shows by becoming a fan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/591669327628193/

This place is right next to the Musee Mecanique and the only reason I noticed it was I stopped to…read moretake pictures of their green, two liter plastic bottle drapes. I thought it was part of the Musee but my husband stuck his head in the door and shouted back, "Hey, Diane Arbus! It's something about a boat made out of used plastic crap!" How could I resist? I wish we had spent more time in here, it is large and informative and a really great idea. Partnered with Hewlett Packard, a group of people are building a catamaran made of recycled plastic and that is just the bare bones of what is going on. It's really interesting the way they are building this thing and what will be on it. I am not doing it justice. If you go to the Musee Mecanique (which you should, it's fun and they have a Pole Position game) don't miss this. It's door is to the right of where you go in for the Musee. They're there Wed-Sun 11am-4pm. I only took a postcard embedded with wildflower seeds but they had a lot more information about what they are doing and I hope someone will come along and write a review that does this place justice.

I was so disappointed w/ this event. Perhaps my expectations were too high. For one, I wanted to…read moreexperience Native American food but there was only ONE food vendor (Friendship House itself) that offered only "Indian tacos" (pretty large serving for $7) & bread. That's it. Is that supposed to the extent of their cuisine? And instead of the advertised 150 booths, there were close to FORTY. Another disappointment given that this was their fifth year of doing this event. If there was a carnival, it was not visible to any of my party. The alley had a teepee as an easily recognisasble landmark at each end. One end had the music sound stage & the pow wow was held in the parking lot of the Friendship building. While trying to take pictures of the dancers, I was suddenly struck behind my knees & my messenger bag was jerked downwards. I spun around to see a maniacal woman glaring at me. She was prone on her hands & knees in a freakish manner. I mentioned that if I was inadvertently blocking her view, it'll be nice if she simply said something or simply tapped my shoulder & I'd gladly move aside. She responded by pretending to not speak English then got up & screamed to one of the male dancers, "Have him kicked out because he's not Indian!!!" In English mind you. The male dancer tried to do as she bade him, but I escalated the situation until one of the organisers' attention was gotten. Of course I prevailed as I was the one who was aggrieved. It turns out that this woman had been attacking others as well. In a crowd, if someone is standing is blocking your view, you either move aside or ask if they are willing to. Instead this woman insisted on staying bent over w/ her head about two feet above the ground & could not understand why when people walked by it'll momentarily obstruct her view. And for her to play the "no English" & race card was such a let down to me. This was an event where the Native Americans should be proud to showcase their culture to others & WELCOME them, not chase them away because some maniac orders them to. And for them to make no appearance of fairness by speaking to her really astonished me. There is a big difference between pride & elitism. I really wanted to have a great experience & give this event a rave review (as I did at the well-organised San Francisco Street Food Festival a few blocks away), but was thwarted at every step. How unfortunate. Santa's Yelper sez: "See pics for the evil woman who gives the event a bad review!" :::grrr!:::

Walking down Julian from 16th, I could already hear the drums. I was impressed at the…read moretransformation of the street which is usually - well you know. The turn out from the native community was good, there were lots of dancers in beautiful regalia. Even though there weren't 150 booths, the ones that were there had great items and prices. I snapped up a few gifts for $5 each. On the way out I was distracted by and acoustic guitar set on the side stage, took me another half hour to leave because it was so good. I think the first yelper's expectations were to high. To compare an event like this to the SF Food Festival which has some serious sponsors is unfair. Instead, walk down Julian on a normal day and then think about the hard work that this organization did to put this event on. Also, think about some of how of what you said sounds: "Is that supposed to the extent of their cuisine?". And since when do one or two people represent an entire culture of peoples. Maybe a little research and education would help your expectations next time around.

Its been a while since I've been to a Renaissance Fair, but I'm glad I made it. At first, I felt…read morereally out of place, and after spending fifteen dollars to get in, thought I made a mistake. The crew is completely in character, and then you have just regular attendees who are also dressed up and in character, and I felt like I was transported to a time that I know nothing about. The attitude of the people is incestuous and you get the feeling that at close, it turns into a massive orgy. Heaving bosoms are everywhere, and at times can be overwhelming. Some you wish weren't heaved in the first place, and others you can't stop staring at. The food was ok. I had chicken on a stick, and that was great, along with a veggie roll, but the fried plate combination was absolutely horrendous. My girl's niece got a waffle cone, cookies and cream, and that was excellent. On tap in the beer garden, which was a little too small in size served up wine, and beer (Guinness and Prohibition Ale) and some other honey booze called Mead which i didn't try. The entertainment was fun. We caught the last act of a strange man with a team of trained parrots doing some random crowd interactive fun, There was a group of foul mouthed kids in the front row that really added to the entertainment level. The best part of the entertainment was the joust though. These knights pulled off a real looking action packed duel that had the crowd wanting more. Wood would shatter at impact and the winner declared after each pass. The host of the event was very entertaining and the dedication of those involved really makes you believe that these people (weirdos!) do this all the time. There is nothing out of character. On site there was all sorts of random fun, most of all the bow and arrow range. I could have stayed there all day. It was a cheap thrill. Looking back, i realize that these people who do this are not only nuts, but obviously dedicated to a point where that if you can let your initial guard down, then you can have a lot of fun too. A few ales don't hurt either. Oh, and nothing beats holding a mace and thinking back to that scene in Braveheart when on a horse, Mel Gibson (freak) smashes that dudes face in when he's laying in bed. Mad gramercy yo.

I used to go to the Renaissance Faire in Marin county as a child who was in a madrigal singing…read moregroup. We went in full costume and had a singing guild. This renaissance faire had a few problems, though it was fun. 1.) The directions were awful. Getting off a 34th street was stupid and a waste of time and we backtracked 30 minutes. The directions should have specified to get off at 19th and walk east. 2.) Much of the food was too modern and anachronistic. This was disappointing because I remember whole wheat bread, whole cheese and yummy sausages from ren faires past. 3.) There were too many vendors and not nearly enough entertainment. I DID like the jousting, but it seemed more selling wares than anything else. The site in Marin with the trees was bigger, dustier yes, but it just seemed more authentic and less contrived. 4.) It was too small and there was not enough going on at all. I paid 15 dollars and had seen everything in about 30 minutes. Boo. More characters would definitely have been appreciated. 5.) The bier-garden seemed to have all the action. They should have had more gardens dispersed. I hope next year they expand and figure out a way to make things more entertaining.