All posts tagged: San Francisco

Weekend Unexplored: Gatsby Afternoon

Published by

Held annually on the second Sunday of September, the Gatsby Afternoon picnic attracts hundreds of American 1920 and 1930 enthusiasts to the Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate in Oakland, California.  From approximately 1 pm until 5 pm, revelers can immerse themselves back to the time of flapper dresses, the foxtrot, and fashionable hats.  New York may have its own version of this event on Governors Island but it pales in comparison to the event hosted by the Art Deco Society of California and its East Bay residents. All guests must be in vintage-style attire.  It’s required, meaning there are no spectators.  Only participants are allowed on the grounds.  Maintaining the vintage atmosphere is indeed enforced:  no jeans, shorts, sneakers, polo/tee-shirts, baseball hats, pantsuits.  If an attendee arrives without appropriate attire, he or she is directed to the Costume Closet, a vintage rental/sale station on-site.   I arrived early before the gates opened to grab one of the front spots in line at the entrance.  Wearing a printed vintage style dress, I dressed it up with white …

Weekend Unexplored: Kayaking on Tomales Bay

Published by

North of San Francisco, Tomales Bay is a destination that I’ve driven to a handful times when guests have come to visit.  The main purpose of these trips is to eat oysters by the shore.  After claiming a picnic table at Hog Island Oyster Company or Tomales Bay Oyster Company, one can order various sizes of Pacifics to shuck and enjoy raw or cooked over one of the open grills.  The staff sells oyster knives and shucking gloves for use.  And if asked, they will even show a novice how to shuck her very first oyster. In my mind, I always equated Tomales Bay with weekend picnics, warm sunny days, and of course, oysters.  Thus, when a friend asked me to go to Tomales Bay for kayaking after sundown, I was not sure what to expect.  Kayaking has become a popular recreational activity on the bay.  According to the National Park Service, Tomales Bay is the “largest, unspoiled coastal embayment on the coast of California.” Most of the kayaking trips that I have found in …

A Weekend Unexplored: San Francisco

Published by

FRIDAY, 5PM: It was the evening before Valentine’s Day when I took BART to the Embarcadero stop to grab dinner at the Ferry Building.  Inside the Marketplace, I joined the flow of locals and tourists stopping for chocolate tastings, hors d’oeuvres,  and wine from various merchants that lined the transit hall as part of the 9th annual “Food from the Heart” event.  My final destination lies at the very other end of the Grand Nave where I could hear tango music playing in the distance above the chattering crowd around me.  With the music of Di Sarli drawing me closer, I saw a group of tango dancers moving elegantly to his orchestra’s sweet serenade. Too often I’ve experienced the Ferry Building Marketplace amid the bustle of daylight grocery shopping.  How different the space becomes at night when the lights soften and romance fills the air for events like this one.    SATURDAY, 11AM: With a Peets coffee in hand, I stumbled upon this storefront while walking down Valencia Street in the Mission.  Valencia is lined …