Tag: San Francisco

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Baghdad by the Bay: The Show

It is official! I have decided to expand for the new year by not just writing about San Francisco, but also I’ll have a podcast available in iTunes of interviews with the famous, infamous and unknown people in and around San Francisco offering their take on what life in San Francisco is all about for them.

This will probably start on a monthly basis, but expand as time goes on. If you have something to say about San Francisco and are interested in being on the show then by all means contact me.

First, the show will be audio only, but as time goes on I may add video to the show as well. It will be available through iTunes and as always, sponsors for the show are always willing to be considered. Hopefully, you’ll be a San Francisco based business since the website is dedicated to San Francisco.

Here’s a little promo you can listen to, or if you’re a podcaster and use it on your show make sure to let me know so that I can give your show a plug back as well. Enjoy!

If you could, please click on my sponsors ad below. You don’t necessarily have to purchase anything unless you want to, but at least the click will add money to my daughter’s schooling fund, or if you like you can click on our donation link and donate even a dollar.

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The House of Shields Returns!

Way back when [1908 to be exact] the House of Shields opened its doors to customers. It was a place I last got to visit sometime in the late 80’s early 90’s. It had a feel to it like a Bogart movie. Over the years it retained some of the Victorian dusty feel with a bit of an art deco upgrade from the 20’s.

The food was old school. I remember my meal there. Pork tenderloin medallions with mashed potatoes and gravy and some sort of sauted vegetable that was probably there more for decoration than eating. When was the last time you saw that on the menu. I also remember our waiter, “Vinny” in his tuxedoed waiter’s uniform suggested them. He was right. They were great and I think that might have set me off on my now well developed love of pork.

House of Shields was classic San Francisco, Herb Caen and Charles McCabe used to write about it frequently in their columns, yet when it closed it didn’t look closed. It looked more like, “we aren’t open yet.” I haven’t been back since it opened in mid-December, but I think I might make a trip back for old times sake. While I hear a lot about their chef in the press I don’t see any menu on their website and it seems they’re mostly focused on the bar which has now been taken over by retro hipsters ordering appletini’s instead of the old days of, “Gimme something big and strong”  which meant a double scotch, no ice. You didn’t call out a brand name, you didn’t even need to call out what kind of liquor your were ordering.

During prohibition what is now their private dinning room served as a speakeasy that dinner guests could sneak off to for “something big and strong” in between bites of their meal. I have a sneaking suspicion that while the House of Shields is back in operation and the inside has been restored, the new hipster crowd might just kill off that old Bogart movie feel, but you never know.

I noticed that they feature live music on weekends and the bands get to keep 90% of the $5 cover charge at the door. Not too shabby for musicians and definitely not like the pay to play of the 80’s for bands.[mappress mapid=”8″]

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The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown Down!

I was issued a challenge today for the site from my friend Mike Gunn. He suggested that I travel the 49 mile scenic drive throughout San Francisco and add some pics and video clips. I like the idea because it will give me lots to talk about and at least 49 different posts so that should keep things going for quite a while. I accept the challenge!

For those of you who aren’t aware of this it was started on September 14, 1938 in anticipation of the 1939 World’s Fair that coincided with the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge which was good because otherwise you would have had to take a ferry to get to the fair. Not a bad idea, unless you’ve ever been out on the bay in bad weather. Even I can get seasick from a cruise when the winds kick up as you get close to South Beach harbor.

Rex May designed the sign that you might still see around in a few places many of which have been stolen by vandals even though a reproduction of the sign and be purchased at the City Hall Gift Shop. The route starts at Hayes and Van Ness and travels all around the city to show off to tourists how great the city is ending at former fairgrounds for the 1939 World’s Fair on Treasure Island. I’m not sure how long it would take to drive 49 miles within San Francisco, but something tells me it’s going to take more than an hour. Next week I’ll start things off and I like the idea because I haven’t been to Treasure Island in almost 10 years.

If you click on the picture you’ll see a map of the route courtesy of Google. Thanks for the idea Mike!

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Shhh…Don’t tell everyone.

I just found out recently that the San Francisco Public Library has a cool offering for parents. It’s a free pass to any one of a huge number of places to go in San Francisco like The Aquarium of the Bay, California Academy of Sciences, Cartoon Art Museum, California Historical Society, Exploratorium, The Walt Disney Museum and much, much more.

Now some of these places would cost you over $50 to take your family, but with your library card you just clic on the logo to the right and it’ll take you to the sfkids.org website where you can ask for the pass. You then go to the local branch and pick it up and you’re set. When you’re done you just return the pass card to any library.

We all know that times are tough and when you have kids it costs big bucks to entertain them. These free passes are a little known fact that I just came across when my wife and I visited the main library and now you can access everything to get you to these places online and remember…it’s free!

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Nuts to you!

Morrow's Nut House
"Morrow's Nut House"

Today is a bit of a sad day for San Franciscans. Morrow’s Nut House and it’s crazy owner Jackie Helbert have announced that they will close their doors for good on January 1st.

For those of you who haven’t visited I would suggest you do before the end of the year. Jackie was the loud & crazy woman who ran the place for the past 37 and had taken over from her mother. This is one of those family owned businesses that had just enough odd about it to make it truely a piece of SF history. While our local government is trying to keep all the Wal-marts and large corporate chains out of San Francisco to keep us special we still have those special odd little places like Morrow’s to keep us on our toes. Unfortunately we now only have a few more days to enjoy this little place where they roast their nuts daily. I think I’m going to take a little break from work here and walk over there just to remember the smell and to get some nuts.

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Welcome to San Francisco!

I think I’m one of the few people left in San Francisco who was born here. My mother’s one, my daughter is one, but I’ve spent 46+ years in San Francisco and now I’m back living in the same house I was raised in. In all my years I’ve managed to learn my way around San Francisco so that I can get to just about anywhere without having to say, “Where’s that street?”

I like the city so much I decided that I have to start writing about it. Herb Caen, rest his soul wrote about the good, the bad and the ugly in San Francisco and I want to be like Herb Caen. Rumor has it that he said when he died and walked into heaven his first words to god would be, “It’s nice, but it isn’t San Francisco.”

So you’ll be seeing me writing about the places to go, places not to go, eat drink and party in SF [never, never call it ‘frisco]. I would also appreciate any comments you’d like to add in with. Now it’s time for me to pour me a tall glass of hand brewed root beer made at the beach by theBeach Chalet and take a seat out on my deck and watch the waves of the ocean curl onto the beach. Ah, it’s great to live here. 😉