2023....Downtown San Francisco boost! With #LetsGlowSF art illuminations, this is where you want to…read morebe each evening Dec 1-10. A Holiday spectacular for free. Each venue (Ferry Building Clock Tower, Hobart Building, old Pacific Stock Exchange, Leidsdorf Landing/Commercial St @Montgonery or One Bush Plaza) is a showpiece for international artists from companies in France, Belgium and the USA.

The Sephora, Banana Republic are quiet. So if you hate crowds, I would suggest come to this side of…read moretown to shop. It was nice to see a few people walking around. But some how it kind of feels eerie still.

An often overlooked WINE COUNTRY near the SF Bay Area. Livermore refers to itself as the oldest…read morewine region in California! It's also the gateway to the Central Valley as well. A good amount of effort has been put into downtown. If you are a vino or just a Wine fan, Livermore is a great destination to visit with plenty of wineries to visit! "Founded in 1869, Livermore is California's oldest wine region, framed by award-winning wineries, farm lands, and ranches that mirror the valley's western heritage. Located in Alameda County, the City of Livermore (pop. 91,411) encompasses 26.44 square miles and is the easternmost city in the San Francisco Bay Area; the gateway to the Central Valley. Protection by the coastal range provides the Livermore Valley with a mild climate that enhances the pursuit of a more relaxed, less congested lifestyle." Stolen from... https://www.cityoflivermore.net/about/default.htm

More liver? No. Livermore? Yes…read more I've been a handful times, and I'll go several more. I like it. It's developed into a nice wine country and features a nice little quaint Downtown. If you can't get to Napa, this will give you a fix. They have street parades and holiday festivals along with a wonderful farmers market Sunday mornings and seasonally Thursday nights. Things to do: 3.5/5 Safety: 4/5 Cleanliness: 4/5 PLACES TO STAY: ============== There needs to be, but isn't a bonafide nice hotel in the downtown or wine country area. However, off the freeway, there are Livermore-esque chain hotels: Hilton Garden, Home2 by Hilton, Courtyard, etc. TOP WINERIES IN THE LIVERMORE REGION: ==================================== There's over 50 wineries in Livermore! Yes! I love Wente, but there's others to explore (and sip): Concannon, Retzlaff, Page Mill, Nottingham Cellars, Darcie Kent Vineyards, Ruby Hill, Steven Kent, and more. LOCAL EATS: =========== * Sauced BBQ, Range Life, Demitris Taverna, First Street Alehouse, Rebel Kitchen, The Last Word, Star Anise , Lemongrass Thai, Zephyr Grill, among others.

I always enjoy coming to Piedmont Avenue!!…read more One would think that Piedmont Avenue is, you know, actually in Piedmont? But no, it's in Oakland. Plenty of restaurants and local businesses here to choose from, and walking around here is the best way to not miss anything. I especially like RNR Sushi, Shimizu Sushi , Dr Comics & Mr Games, Spectator Books, Piedmont Grocery, and GNC!! Fenton's Creamery is very popular here, especially on sunny warm weekends. That line snakes out the door regularly during the summer!! Parking is usually an issue here, but there is a public parking lot with meters behind CVS Pharmacy, I usually find a space there.

This area has a great variety of restaurants and shops…read more Local business and some chain businesses. Nice area to have brunch or dinner or get some ice cream or boba. Take a walk and enjoy the day Only draw back is the PARKING.... Parking can be difficult to come by.

Oakland would be Five Stars but I admit I haven't been here in years. I have childhood friends…read moreliving here and very dear Yelp friends. My favorite place was always the Oakland Coliseum where I saw some classic performances like Crosby Stills and Nash. There's been many historic events over the decades. I just love this city unconditionally because the historic happenings were my generation. I lived in san Francisco and Berkeley but loved to go to Oakland. Shout out to my Yelp friends from Oakland whether living or deceased.

I too grew up in Oakland and have been through the many ups and downs yet it remains a very diverse…read moreand resilient city. It bothers me so deeply that people who haven't spent time here are fearful of coming here and make hateful jokes which have only caused the hardworking local businesses to suffer. Let's not forget about all the hate crimes that have affected by own people in Chinatown. Celebrate the amazing diversity that Oakland has and come to support the locals. Explore a new neighborhood, explore a new food. Explore! Walk the Lake and take it all in!

Some nice favorite gems at the Inner Sunset [San Francisco]…read more I don't come to the Inner Sunset often except for one thing... mainly FOOD. Inner Sunset is located south of Golden Gate Park next to the UCSF campus. Many of the businesses are clustered on Irving Street and 9th Avenue... there are a lot of amazing places to eat at the Inner Sunset, maybe not as hoity-toity as the Marina District but the following are some of the places we've enjoyed and visited: * Tartine Inner Sunset [Irving Street] - this Tartine location is open for delivery and takeout only. Online ordering was easy and my bag of goodies was ready in 30 minutes (notifying me by text). My daughter enjoyed both the Lemon Cream Tart and the Lemon Cranberry Pistachio Teacake. I was also happy to see the Pain Au Chocolat Croissant available. Fresh and yummy... but pricey. * Mahalo [9th Avenue] - we ordered the Hawaiian macaroni salad. It's a favorite in our household. Delicious and authentic! * 16th Avenue Tiled Steps - we stopped by this beautiful tiled steps just west of Grand View Park. This popular steps is popular among tourists. There are 163 steps... heading up has a nice view of stars and sea design. There are a few landings in between sections (to catch your breath). The plants alongside the steps are well maintained by the community. Street parking. * Hidden Garden Steps - beautifully tiled stairway. The stairway is between a Kirkham and Lawton Streets. It's easy to miss these steps because the stairs are narrow and very steep. We got lucky at the time... no tourists! I love these steps! The ceramic tiles are colorful with beautiful designs and once we reached the midpoint of the steps there were some great views to be seen of the city. Truly a hidden gem. Next on my list to visit (not necessarily in this order): Arizmendi Bakery Hometown Creamery San Tung "Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul." - Jaime Lyn Review #2061

When I moved to San Francisco, I spent a good month looking for a place to live. I knew where in…read morethe city I wanted to live (where I eventually ended up living), but more importantly, I knew where I didn't want to live. Or at least I thought I did. There were also plenty of places that I would live if I had to, but they weren't high up on my list of places to check out. One of those places was the Inner Sunset. At the time, I was generally a Richmond boy, if only because my brother had mostly lived there, except for when he first moved to San Francisco and lived in the Outer Sunset near Polly Ann's (https://www.yelp.com/biz/polly-ann-ice-cream-san-francisco). In my mind, if I were going to live in the Sunset, I needed to be closer to Polly Ann's, so the Inner Sunset didn't do anything for me. Well, I was wrong. So so so so very wrong. So wrong, in fact, that when I had to start apartment-hunting again this past winter and into spring because my San Francisco home of almost 20 years burned down, the Inner Sunset was a preferred neighborhood, not just one that I would put up with living in. Ninth Avenue by itself is worth everything. But there's so much more, and sometime between my moving to San Francisco and my flat burning down, my brother had moved to the Inner Sunset, and then he moved even innerer into the Inner Sunset. The one place I was interested in seeing during my 2003 housing search was on Irving Street, between either 9th and 10th, or 10th and 11th. This was back when photos on Craig's List either weren't allowed or were few and far between, so all I had to go by was the potential future roommates' descriptions of themselves and the apartment. It sounded wonderful, as did they. But when I showed up for my appointment five minutes early, no one was home. I dutifully called and waited 20 minutes outside, and then called again, but no one ever got back to me. This might seem like par for the course now, but it was the first time, I believe, I had ever been ghosted. I'd been stood up before, of course, but there had been subsequent fake apologies or whatever. This time? Nope, neither of the potential roommates ever called or emailed me or responded to my polite email asking whether they need to reschedule. Ghosted. In 2003. By people I'd never met in person but had had a nice phone conversation with. It bothers me to this day, and sadly, I think I've held that aggravating experience against the neighborhood, if only a little bit. But you know what? Even if Canvas Gallery is long gone (and that's OK, because I really used to like Pacific Catch before it got so corporate), there's still Gordo and Green Apple and Arizmendi and Hometown Creamery and Sunflower Garden and the gelato place and so many other favorites, and again, that's just on a three-block stretch of 9th Avenue. I also love Hugo Street. And here's an important San Francisco-locals-only question for you: Is Hugo the "H" street of the Avenues, or is Hayes? Or maybe it's Haight? I have serious history with Hayes, but despite that, I vote for Hugo. What do you say? Compliment or message me with your true and final answer.

This is a lovely and unique art installation by the Exploratorium's Studio for Public Spaces, lead…read moreengineer and designer Colin Wang. A musical exhibit made up of oversized chimes and rocking chairs, which create sound with the drop of a hammer mechanism, located in downtown San Leandro in the Safeway plaza near Joaquin Avenue. Music quotes by Ray Charles and Sun Tzu are attached to the seats, though some words are missing due to vandalism. And the musical feature was definitely in working order this past weekend, at least for the few seats that we tried, creating a pleasant sound with each chime. The walkway where the exhibit is situated was deserted when we visited around sunset, though the plaza parking lot was full on a Sunday. Definitely a creative piece worth checking out if you're in the area.

I read a cute magazine review that made me want to visit. The shops in the review existed but they…read morearen't clustered together so either prepare for long walk or drive down this street.

Shopping and parking on Clement Street can be stressful, akin to playing an adult version of…read moremusical chairs. Will you effortlessly cruise into an open parking spot or circle multiple times? Will you blink in disbelief there isn't a long line at the register on Market Day or groan when you see it? The sidewalks, stores and restaurants aren't overly crowded- this isn't Manhattan- but expect to be jostled, pushed, elbowed, ignored and sometimes helped and given a smile. Clement Street is one of my favorite destinations but the owners make you work for it like you're a suitor and they're Scarlett O'Hara at the barbecue at Twelve Oaks. I love a challenge; I will be liked! I'll smile sweetly and whisper "thank you" when they secret free shrimp eggrolls and sesame balls into my bag. But for my very favorite shopping, Clement Street is worth a trip to buy fresh and inexpensive produce. I secretly pump my fist when 3 stalks of lemongrass cost $0.59 (versus $6 at Whole Foods) at Yin Xing. The sight of deeply hued bok choy and brightly gleaming clementines makes me giddy. I marvel at the open bins of bean sprouts that cost next-to-nothin' and begin mentally shredding my menu plan as I strategize where I can fit a Viet soup recipe into the rotation. Restaurants range from strictly take-out, good and ridiculously inexpensive (Clement BBQ, Good Luck Dim Sum) to moderately priced and worth standing in line for 30 minutes (Burma SuperStar, talkin' to you). I've burned a few brain cells and flirted up a storm with soccer players from a random UK team at the Plough and the Stars (and made out with a good-like lookin' guy from Ogilvy & Mather/Japan after too many Black & Tans but that was a dozen or more years ago, sssh). Every bank has a branch so you can shop, dine, drink and grab cash to satisfy the many cash-only mom 'n' pops dotted along Clement. With prices so low, you respect merchants can't pay to process credit cards- they're passing the savings along to you. Stop grumbling. The sidewalks are dirty, they're always unloading produce, you can watch a fresh fish go from swimming in the tank to gutted and wrapped up in 90 seconds. Farm-to-table has nothin' on that spectacle. Clement Street is a slice of San Francisco you really shouldn't miss if you're a local or tourist. Just go!

It's always fun getting to visit San Francisco and it was such a gorgeous day to be there…read more We were in town to visit the DeYoung Museum and have a picnic lunch in Golden Gate Park. I love looking at all the colorful houses all stuck together. It's nice to see the residents taking pride in their homes and keeping everything so beautiful. We passed by a nice flower stand on a corner street that's been there forever. There are many hidden gems within these neighborhoods like this flower stand and mom and pop eateries and markets. Golden Gate Park was so lovely. We enjoyed our lunch sitting at one of the park benches under a tree, people watching and enjoying the water fountains. The DeYoung museum was amazing as usual. We had the best time. San Francisco is always a good time. There is so much to do and see. I feel really lucky to live in the South Bay, which is about 90 minute drive into the city. It works perfectly for visiting and having fun for the day.

San Francisco is a unique and AMAZING city…read more There is so much to see, do, and experience here that you'll need several days to truly get a feel for the city. My family and I recently spent four days in the city, and after visiting so many places, we only saw a quarter of what we had planned. In four days, we ate at great restaurants, visited Fisherman's Wharf, attended a San Francisco Giants baseball game, explored four museums, visited the San Francisco Aquarium, saw the Sea Lions at Pier 39, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge multiple times, shopped at various stores, drove down Lombard Street, explored Chinatown, and much more. We truly had a BLAST and made wonderful family memories. We loved the cool weather, the unexpected rain during dinner, the strong winds starting around 2-2:30 each day, and the many amazing people we met from countries all around the world. We also visited several towns just outside downtown San Francisco, all of which were beautiful and special. This was definitely a GREAT, fun, and relaxing trip for my family and me.