People in Bat costumes, and a few live bands. It's all goin down RIGHT NOW until Midnight. I'll be there around 10 to see Filter and Bob Schneider.
DID I MENTION IT'S FREE?
KLBJFM Stage North end:
Bob Schneider & Lonelyland 11:00 - 11:59pm
Nakia - "Final eight on the voice!" 9:00 - 10:30pm
Bat Costume Contest 8:15 - 8:45pm $200 CASH PRIZE! ADAM WEST appearance
Suzanna Choffel 7:00 - 8:00pm
Akina Adderley & the Vintage Playboys 5:30 - 6:30pm
White Ghost Shivers 4:00 - 5:00pm
101XFM Stage South end:
Filter 10:30 - 11:59pm
Alpha Rev 9:00-10:00pm
The Black & White Years 7:30-8:30pm
Eyes Burn Electric 6:00-7:00pm
Indofin 4:30-5:30pm
I just sent my mother an email listing my favorite email coupon services, so I guess I should do the same here. Obviously I favor those catering to SF and Austin, so if you're in or frequent either or both, you're in luck! All (except scoutmob) are the kind of coupons that are actually vouchers. You buy them online, and redeem wherever they are.
First off, I must mention DailyDibs because I just found them tonight and am pretty darn stoked about it. They go through most of the sites I'll list below and show the daily deals all in one place! So if you don't want to get all these straight to your email, you can select your city from the drop down (pretty sure they've got everywhere) and see the list.
Scoutmob
Scoutmob is my absolute favorite. They have iphone and android apps, and unlike the others I shall list, you don't buy a voucher; you present the coupon to the cashier and they give you that % off your purchase. Just like a coupon should be, right?
Groupon
This guy is the big one, I guess. Everyone knows about it, so why don't you? Where have you been? They, too, have iphone and android apps. Dig it. They are everywhere. Almost all major cities around the globe. Go get it.
LivingSocial
No, I don't mean the game that was on MySpace and Facebook where you vote for which of your friends is the biggest nerd, or whatever it was. This guy has lots of fun things, like rock climbing and burlesque classes. They're also in most major cities in the US, and also in Canada (where I'm not allowed to go, but that's a whole other story). Go climb some rocks!
I have forgotten my password for this site and had to reset it 3 times now. I always use the same password though, so I'm not sure how this happened. Curious. Anyway, I'm not going to link to 62 goddamn cities (some of those being in Canada), so go find yourown.
SF Station (SF)
Obviously this is only relevant to those in SF. They have a lot of VIP table services, contests for VIP tickets to concerts, and speed dating vouchers. OH LOOK- that's what they have up on their site tonight. Go figure.
MyBART (SF)
Again, only relevant to those in SF. You don't have to ride BART to get deals from them. They have some pretty rad contests every week (usually 3 contests at a time, and you can enter all 3 once a week), as well as suggestions for free things to do around the city, and coupons (not vouchers, coupons) redeemable at places near BART stations.
Localiter (Austin)
I just started getting emails from these guys, and haven't gone for any of their deals yet. They're only in Austin for now, and coming soon to Boca Raton, Waco, Melbourne (FL), Charleston, Bellingham (WA), Port St. Lucie, and Fayetteville. Did someone working there get a map of the US and randomly point to a few cities and say "Yes, let's do that one"?
Pinchit (SF)
This one is only available in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Maui, but their facebook page is only for SF, and they also appear to have a deal at Shasta, Costa Rica, and India... They have this comment feature where you tell them your favorite spots, and they go get deals for you. I'm skeptical as to their success rate, but intrigued. Too bad I don't live in SF anymore. Someone else should try it and tell me if they come through.
I haven't personally used or signed up for these others, but I'll throw 'em out there anyway because they seem to be legit:
DealOn
They've got 57 cities, but not Burlington (yet). I say this because it's the only city under their "coming soon" tab.
Dealster
I guess they have badges? The whole reason I use Foursquare is for the badges! They don't have a list of what cities they're available in, so type in your zip code and see what's up. Gogogogo!
TravelZoo Local Deals
Available basically everywhere.
I'm SURE there are probably others, but seeing as it's currently 2am I should probably get off this light box.
Golden Gate Transit sucks, and boy do they suck hard. Today I missed my ferry because it left 10 minutes EARLY. Oh, and I wasn't the only one! No, two other people ran toward the premature gate closure to find the ramp already lifted and our only hope for getting to work on time leaving us behind.
See ya later alligator!
The entire city of San Francisco is aware of how hard MUNI sucks. There are entire blogs written about it (Muni Diaries, Bay Area Transit (SF Gate), Fog City Notes, M Ocean View Journal, Rescue Muni, to name a few). I've written about several accounts I've had on MUNI, GGT and Amtrak via various internet avenues and shall share with you my favorite tweets (of mine, of course. Did you forget I'm narcissistic?)
In all honesty, I'm going to miss riding Bay Area public transportation. The drunks on the 22 and 14, crackheads on the T-line, father/mother-time looking asian people on the 8x, the severely obese man on the 67... I've had quite the multitude of adventures riding SF busses.
There is one thing (probably more than one) that is allowing me to run to Austin with wide open arms and a heart full of excitement: free (!!!) bus fare. Austin Community College and UT Austin students ride the buses for free. TAKE THAT, SAN FRANCISCO! Plus it's considerably flatter than SF, allowing me more bicycle usage.
Though, in all likelihood, I'll end up getting a car. It is Texas, after all.
My calender has been filling up with activities and goings-on of San Francisco this summer, so I'll probably post events each month on here for yalls enjoyment; maybe even an events calendar widget. I won't be attending everything, but you might as well go and tell me all about it. Of course there are thousands of other events, being the beginning of summer and all, but here's the highlights:
May 1st (Sunday)
I will not be attending any of these, for I will be at the ballet in the afternoon!
Glen Park Street Fair
Last year; photo courtesy of www.glenparkfestival.com
This festival has been around since 1997 but I had never heard about it until I saw it on funcheap.com in the free section. It looks to me mine a regular ol' street festival with the normal food, community leaders in booths, flea market jewelry, and the like. Apparently they have life music, "great food" and raffle prizes... tell me how it goes? [clicks here dude]
Boat Parade
Opening Day Boat Parade
It's a friggen parade of boats! Get yourself down to Fishermen's Warf (or anywhere on the Embarcadero), get yourself some lunch/cocktails, and watch the boats float by.
How Weird street faire
Never been, but a little intrigued. The about page is much to long for me to attempt reading at this juncture, but yall are welcome to tell me the cliff notes. I'm guessing it's full of the normal SoMA freaks that make their way outa the houses once in a blue moon, in which case, I'm there! I'll probably stop by for some eats and tunes after the afternoon ballet. (look at me, all cultured n shit, goin to a ballet!) Apparently if you donate $10 you get a MAGICAL STICKER! As if getting a fucking sticker wasn't enough, it's magical? I sure hope it gives me the superpower I've always wanted: understand and speak/write in any and every language in the universe.
May 5th (Thursday)
it's a thursday, and I'm a responsible student (teehee) so I probably won't be celebrating too hard, which means I haven't really researched all the fantastic mexican events in the city. I do, however, know that FREE cab rides will be available...
Free cab rides
Yeah, that's right kids! It happened on New Years, it happened in St. Patty's day, and it'll happen again for Cinco de Mayo. Berg Injury Lawyers apparently want you to get home injury-free, so they're paying a shit-ton to cater to the bay area's need to drink and get home (without driving, duh). Deets: San Francisco: (Within city limits only) call Luxor (415) 282-4141 Alameda, Oakland, Berkeley: (Within city limits, and home to SF) call Veterans Cab (800) 281-4488 Rules
Rides available from 3pm-3am
Cabs must be requested by phone
When calling the cab, tell them Berg Injury Lawyers are picking up the tab
Rides are not guaranteed for everyone (worth a shot though)
Must be picked up at a bar/restaurant (not somebody's house) and taken straight to your house (or where you're going to sleep that night)
Maximum fare $35, you pay the difference over that
Not only is it my sister's birthday, but plenty of fun shits goin down in the mission. I'll be at Great America, so have fun without me!
Cinco de mayo @ Dolores park
10am-6pm at Dolores Park
if you don't know where that is, you don't belong there.
Plenty of booze, food, and latinos running around the mission. What else is new? This is sure to be a grand ol' time. Stop by, see what's up, eat some great food for me.
icee hot loft party
Kitsch Gallery is closing! They're planning 3 fairly large events, so at least they'll go out with a bang! Icee Hot is their first of the series, featuring fabulous DJs with beards and aliases. Go drink booze and jam till "late" for $5. Bargain!
[I'll post about the other events when I know more]
May 8th (Sunday)
Sunday streets (mission)
Sunday Streets is basically just a day where a major street is closed to traffic to promote walking, biking, and skating.
But what exactly is it? From the website:
Sunday Streets is a series of events put on by the City of San Francisco to encourage health, community and fun, inspired by similar events in cities throughout the world. A Sunday Streets event creates a large, temporary, public space by closing off stretches of a neighborhood’s streets to automobile traffic, and opening them to pedestrians, bicyclists, and activities for several hours on a predetermined Sunday.
This Sunday Streets will be held in (where else?) The Mission. I mean, really. Do I ever talk about anyplace else? Aside from Austin, of course. Valencia will be closed off (except to cross traffic on the even numbered streets) from Duboce to 24th, and 24th st will be closed from Valencia to Hampshire (except to cross traffic on major streets). Streets will be closed from 11am-4pm. Will I be there? Yeah; the fuck kinda question is that? You better be too.
May 15th (Sunday)
Gee, what on earth could be happening on this day?
Bay To breakers
This would not be a complete San Francisco summer list without Bay to Breakers, Pride, Outside Lands, and free shit. This year is the 100th anniversary of Bay to Breakers and in honor, San Francisco has the finest celebratory change planned: no booze and no floats. I've also heard no unregistered runners allowed, but I'm not entirely sure this is correct. On the subject of booze-less B2B, yeah go ahead and bring your cleverly concealed liquor in eco-friendly bottles ironically labeled "water" and the like, but be warned that this years volunteers are on the prowl for violators of the new order. Anyone caught with alcohol will be a) arrested b) fined c) cited or d) all of the above. On that note, here's a map of liquor stores along the B2B route, though some might be closed in honor of the new rules. Oh and if this is all jibberjabber to you because you've got amnesia from drunken accidents at the last B2B and don't remember wtf it is, click here. My friends and I will go dressed to the friggen 10s. That's right, 10s, not 9s. Cause thats how we roll.
This is also the anniversary of my rabbit's adoption day, and because I rescued her and nobody knows her birthday day, we'll be celebrating her 2nd birthday on this date. Happy birthday, Kitty!
May 21st (Saturday)
movie night @ duboce park
The Rock is among the 4 movies I can tolerate spending any amount of time with Nick Cage (the other 3 being Grindhouse, G-Force, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High). Have you ever been to Duboce Park? This will probably be my first trip over there, but well worth it to hear Sean Connery say "Your best? Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fuck the prom queen." Yeah, we we we so excited.
Event is free! Movie starts when it's dark, probably around 8ish. This won't be as crowded as the Dolores Park movie night.
May 27th (Friday)
Pride night @ Great america theme park
(this will be the highlight of my month)
Robyn (that adorable chick from the '90s that sang Show Me Love) is headlining because apparently she's popular again? At least she is with all the gays in SF. Whatever. DEV IS GOING TO BE THERE! With the Cataracts, of course! Plus all the rides will be open (except the children coasters and water park, but who does those at night anyway?) and it'll be gay central! Night starts at 6pm and ends at 2am. I'm going with a special lady and a few friends. Buy tickets here or win them at various Castro parties. I believe they raffle off a ticket at Ladies Night @ Trigger every tuesday, but I could be making that up. Did I mention the event is all ages? See ya there.
How cute is Dev? She's my guilty pleasure. She could bend any straight girl.
Apparently this song came out like 3 years ago, but I just discovered it and have had it on repeat for the past week or so. Robyn is adorable.
May 28th (Saturday)
if you're not too hungover from last night...
Carnaval
Carnaval is a pretty low-key event for the Mission; unless you want it to be chaos, in which case there's plenty of booze, culture, food, and people to make it that way. Last year I brought my bunny to the parade on a harness and I was the belle of the ball. This year I'll try to make it, but no promises. The pupusas are glorious and well worth the trip. The parade starts at 10am on Bryant & 24th street, and heads down 24th to mission to 17th st. The festival goes all day along Harrison.
Other May activities
May 3rd (Tuesday) my friend Priscilla will be singing with her band Palavra at Elbo Room. The band is Brazilian and phenomenal. Show starts at 9pm at Elbo Room (Valencia between 17th & 18th). Facebook it. May 14th (Saturday) another brazilian friend (have I mentioned how many Brazilians I'm friends with?) Neto is promoting a dance event at Mist (11th st between Folsom and Harrison across the street from Slims) featuring brazilian DJs spinning brazilian beats. If you know the brazilian scene in the SF Bay Area like I do, you know it's bound to be an insane night. $10 at the door, 21+. Facebook it.
And of course the regular monthy/weekly events that are always present: Whisky Wednesdays @ Benders (19th st & S. Van Ness) every wednesday- I might actually make it to one of these... fingers crossed... haven't been in a couple months... Free Zoo Day for SF residents @ SF Zoo every 1st wednesday of the month (may 4th) - bring proof of residency Free Academy of Science Days every 3rd wednesday of the month (may 18th); and for SF residents - dependent on your zipcode, apparently... my 94134 days are may 27, 28 & 29th. Find yours here. Giants 29 games this month. I might be at the one on the 6th, so who wants to come too?
Anything else I should know about? Let us know in the comments section, por favor!
Fashion. This is a word that to me means: stuff people hang upon their naked bodies to make them relatively less naked. Sure there’s “bad” fashion, Haute Couture, Target/JC Penny wear, etc. but I must highlight my favorite of all: Individualistic. Now this, to me, is a genre of fashion all on it’s own - it cannot be defined by one characteristic, or even many definitive characteristics, individualistic fashion is defined by it’s sheer lack of a characteristic definition. Case in point: a female in my geology class this semester (I say “female” because I feel uncomfortable calling her a Lady, Woman, or Girl because she is a] not classy enough for the “Lady” label, b] Not apparently old enough to be a Woman, c] Though she is not masculine, she is not feminine enough to be called a Girl).
**Clarification: I am in no way shape or form making fun of this poor gal. I do, in fact, admire her courage to stand out as much as she does.
This female (her name escapes me, though I’m sure I once knew) has her hair cut and died in the Skunk style that was popular with “Hipsters” and “Punks” for about a week last year, but it’s so damaged that she actually appears to have a multi-colored skunk atop her head. Her hair is died black (judging by the white-white-white paleness of her skin I must speculate her to be a natural blonde) with a darkish purple died in the mid section and blue adorned throughout. Did I mention this look is a mohawk? Yes, she does have the sides of her head shaved, but so shallow that it doesn’t feel right calling it a mohawk. Reverse mullet, maybe?
On one particular day I took a tally of her entire appearance from head to toe because it was just so phenomenally wacky that I had to remember every detail. In her left earlobe she wore a giant green rose earring reaching her shoulder, and in her right earlobe: a smaller red rose earring with purple ribbon adornment reaching her other shoulder. Upon her neck lay a thin black rope with a fairly large wooden cross pendant and several gold, black and silver chains tangled around the rope. On her wrists she had an assortment of small black bracelets amongst large black wristbands with white skulls. All these bracelets were semi-hidden by her black arm warmers.
She wore a black, velvet peacoat with marching-band-esque buttons and a bright blue fuzzy pen in the breast pocket. Hanging off her shoulders was a purple scarf with large pink polka-dots. Under the jacket she wore a white sweater with big black asymmetrical hearts sewn throughout, a blue-flower green-feathered shirt under the sweater, and a blue strappy tank-top under the shirt.
As if the chaos that was her torso wasn’t enough, Andy Warhol graced her with his presence in the form of multi-colored Marilyn Monroe patterned leggings and (I kid you not) soup can decorated ballet flats. Oh and I mean soup cans. Not pictorial, actual Campbell’s soup cans cut and pasted onto her shoes. On top of all that, she rocked some black, flowered ray-bans and a bright fire-engine-red purse.
I wish I could draw this out for you, but I honestly wouldn’t know where to start. If anybody out there wants to take a stab at it, I’ll let ya know if you got it right. It was a true sight to see.
