Photos from a ride last night, enjoying a foggy, windy day in the Marina but calmer and sunny close to downtown. It’s a new perk to commuting- meet up with a friend, fit in a few miles of riding, and get dinner. The wind and fog were moving so fast, at one point, up Polk at Bay, I could see the fog travelling low to the ground.
Incoming! The parachutists landing along the bayfront from Marina Green to the Ferry Building between noon and 3:00 today are part of a promotion for T-Mobile’s new phones.
And Radio Shack, which is going to try to re-brand itself as “The Shack” (good luck with that!), will put up “giant laptops” in San Francisco’s Justin Hermann Plaza and New York’s Times Square and invite C-list celebrities to lead audiences in both locales in bi-coastal games. The picture at left is an artist’s rendering of what the event is supposed to look like; click on the photo to be taken to the large, very creepy-looking and unintentionally hilarious hi-res version of what they imagine the event will look like, complete with multiple images of the same computer-generated peeps standing in the same pose at several places in the image.
The “giant laptops” are really just screens and cameras set up to beam SF’s image to NY and vice-versa; unfortunately the keyboards are not functional, a spokesperson told me. The “laptops” will be set up from Thursday to Saturday.
[Image via.]
Well, the 44th annual Big Book Sale hosted by the Friends of the Public Library started yesterday, but have no fear — the sale will continue today and tomorrow from 10 to 8, and on Sunday from 10 to 6. All books on Sunday will be priced down to $1 or less! The Friends contend that it’s the largest book sale on the West Coast, and I’d believe it. It’s being held, as usual, at lovely Fort Mason, in the Festival Pavillion. Just go to Fort Mason — you can’t miss it!
This sale is truly staggering, by the way. The picture above is of last year’s sale, and it nicely conveys the scope. (It comes from this great post on the anonymous blog, Tea & Cookies.) You could easily pick up a year’s reading for less than $50. Normally I’m such a restrained person in bookstores: because of the relatively high cost of new books, I almost never purchase one unless I’m certain I will benefit from it. Fifteen bucks per paperback adds up, never mind hardcovers! But at library book sales, all prudence goes out the window. Not only are the books cheap, but according to the Friends page, all the proceeds “fund education programs that promote literacy for children, teens and adults. Last year, over $250,000 was raised for San Francisco’s libraries.” How can you resist that? It’s a license to splurge. Last year my wife and I took public transportation specifically to limit the amount we could bring home, and we still ended up staggering up the big hill to our house with a huge bag stuffed with books. But it was worth it, I think. I’d be more certain of that if I could still remember what we bought.
A Sketchy Character
In case Opera in the Park last Sunday didn’t satisfy your hankering for high culture in the great outdoors, this Sunday features Shakespeare in the Park. The price is free, the play is the little-produced Pericles, Prince of Tyre, and it will take place in the Presidio, at the Main Post Parade Ground Lawn. (Man, that’s about all the alliteration I can handle.) Apart from its low cost, outdoor pretentiousness has one huge advantage over the indoor variety: a picnic lunch with several friends and almost as many bottles of wine. (If that’s your style. Tea is awesome too.) Pericles is not a well-known play, but I remember enjoying the Shakespeare Santa Cruz production back in — gulp — 1996. Oy vey.
Anyway, the show starts at 2:30, but you’ll probably want to get there early to lay your blanket out in a good spot. Dress in layers — but I don’t have to tell you that.
[Image by this guy.]
Not long ago I blogged about Festival of Sail. If you haven’t seen this yet, check out the impact a different fleet had on San Francisco: the Imperial Fleet.
[Via Kevin Kelly’s article, The End of Video as Evidence of Anything.]
The Golden Gate Bridge was closed in both directions following a head-on crash that happened around 3:15 pm.
Update 5:05 pm: Lanes have just reopened. Nevertheless: Check traffic conditions before heading that way.
Following the jump, the gory details.
That column in the middle of Union Square, it’s topped with the goddess of Victory on top. Well her Greek name is Nike, and this weekend below her a whole tent city has been set up for thousands of athletic women from all over the country that are in town to participate in the 2007 Nike Women’s Marathon.
There’s an “expotique” built up around the concepts of fun & fitness, and Nike’s offering runners free manicures, massages, and a heads up on all sorts of Nike related whatnot. This popular and completely sold out annual event has brought in heap loads of dough for Luekemia & Lymphoma related causes, an estimated some $40 million in the first three years. This year, the event’s 4th, is expected to pull in over 18 million alone, from the efforts of some 20,000 participants, up from 15,000 last year, registered from 11 countries & all 50 states. All the slots were filled in just 3 and a half days, and I even saw registration spots being auctioned on Ebay.
Like the sneakers, this isn’t a one size fits all race, so there’s also a half marathon for those who don’t feel up to the whole 26 mile challenge.
On Sunday, the runners leave Union Square at 7 am and head through the downtown financial district past the TransAmerica tower, along the Embarcadero past the Wharf, and Marina Green into the Presidio and out to the Great Highway, through Golden Gate Park and south along Lake Merced, finishing just north of the Great Highway along the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, event organizers have even set up randomly placed DJ stations, and live entertainment options to keep the runners entertained all the way to the sea. If you’d like to see the 26 mile course breeze by in about 11 high speed minutes via streaming video, click on the windows media file link below the jump:
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This month, as spring begins it’s mighty reign over hill & dale, local hopped beverage lovers have additional reasons to rejoice including the 24th Annual San Francisco International Beer Festival at Fort Mason on April 28th . 
Ye need not wait that long though, as a week long repeal of prohibition anniversary bash is ongoing at North Beach’s Rogue Ales Public House now through Sunday.
Indeed many frothy quaffs await yer presence all over the region with details after the jump. In addition to the 27 ales Rogue has on tap, they now have their own spirits line including a hazelnut spiced rum, and on Tuesday debuted the first pours of their Spruce gin. They also have grub including Kobe beef burgers, and on Friday they will feature a pig roast.
Things really get rolling this weekend with Saturday’s Rogue Olympics where entrants celebrate the repeal of prohibition by competing in activities like the Washington Sq tricycle obstacle course, beer pong and a root beer chug off. Sunday Rogue wraps up their weeklong anniversary bash with a pajama party bloody mary brunch and the swearing in for dogs into the thirsty & esteemed Rogue Nation, an honor once reserved only for people.
Other info on brew related local events coming up this month, including the Meet The Brewers dinner at Edlo’s for the occasionally hungry & unusually organized beer enthusiast after the jump…
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The absolutely astounding weather we enjoyed through Thanksgiving day amazed all of our group of 11 who convened in SF from points south and east. After a day of feasting, we ventured out to take advantage of the diversion of the throngs towards the shopping malls to enjoy a ‘touristy’ traipse around the nature sights of the city.
A drive through GGPark and up through the Presidio found us at Chrissy Field, and the still, sunny weather motivated us to take a stroll down the gravel path towards the Warming Hut.
It was great to see the family clusters at the picnic stations along the route, but what I really appreciated seeing were the many people lining up on the extended boardwalk jutting out into the bay. Folks strolling, sunbathing and fishing in jeans and shortsleeves.
I often lament about missing the beauty of Fall in the Pacific Northwest, but on Friday, cruising around my new city, I revelled in the beauty of a sun-drenched post-holiday afternoon, and was very glad for it.
(of course, then came today, but that’s another post)
Just got back from a bike ride. It’s so nice! Two jet skis were out, along with a sailboat pulling an inner tube. Started in North Beach and went up to the Bay Bridge, then back along Embarcadero to the Golden Gate Bridge, then back via Marina to North Point Park. Beautiful weather from tip to tip- summer is here (for a brief, fleeting moment at least!)
T-shirt all the way and sat near the Warming Hut for awhile without a chill. Really beautiful.
