SF International Poetry FestivalAmiri Baraka, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Hirschman. There’s a roster of 20 or so excellent, world-class poets coming to the city for the SF Poetry Fest. Reading take place all afternoon on Saturday at the Civic Center Plaza. And Sunday the North Beach Poetry Crawl runs throughout the day, capped with a street party in Jack Kerouac Alley adjacent to City Lights Bookstore. Continue reading Four things to do this weekend (July 28-29)
Renegade Craft Fair, Fort Mason
This is a solidly DIY affair, with etsy type vendors from around the US gathering at the Fort Mason center to sell and display their crafts. The artists are juried, so there’s quality control, and with live music, food trucks and several tables laden with supplies for making your own goods, there’s a greater than average chance for fun. Continue reading Procrastinator’s guide to the weekend (7/21-22)
Well, look at that. I’ve been such a good procrastinator I almost missed the entire weekend. Thankfully there’s still Sunday, the day-of-last-chance for redeeming oneself from a disappointing weekend. Continue reading Procrastinator’s guide to the weekend (7/15)
1) Parades
Even though it’s a national holiday, the Fourth of July is really all about community. Small towns especially seem to shine with civic pride on this day. And what better way to celebrate than with a tiny-flag-flying, marching-band-playing, politician-waving, candy-tossing, drunk-shriner-fez-wearing parade. There’s lots to choose from in whatever part of the Bay Area you happen to live. Continue reading 5 things to do this July 4th
Beer and oysters. That’s a pretty good reason to head to Golden Gate Park on Saturday for San Francisco Oysterfest (11am-6pm). It’s a little pricey at $40, but there’s a large stage set up for live music, including Minus the Bear and Young the Giant, so think of it as a music festival with beer and oysters. And bonus for the park setting. Continue reading Procrastinator’s guide to the weekend (June 30-July1)
Pride week/end is one of those times where I kind of wish I were gay. This is San Francisco’s biggest party of the year, our Mardi Gras, a wild and wacky celebration of the wonderful world of LGBT (and sometimes Y not!). There’s a few events during the week, such as the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, but the action gets ramped up with countless events on the weekend. For starters, on Saturday morning you can help install the giant pink triangle at Twin Pinks just below the huge radio tower, while the Dyke March festivities get going in and around Dolores Park at noon (with the actual march at 6pm). The Pink Saturday block party in the Castro starts 5pm, or check out one of the Lady Gaga flash mobs in locations around town. The main/official SF Pride celebration takes place Saturday (noon-6pm) and especially Sunday (11am-6:30pm) throughout the Civic Center area of downtown, with multiple stages featuring musical acts, performances and speeches, while the Pride Parade starts 10:30am Sunday down Market. After hours parties abound. Continue reading Procrastinator’s guide to the weekend (June 23-24)
Depending on your interest, you’ll either want to get up early to stake your claim at whatever green or gallery you want to join at the U.S. Open golf championship, or steer as clear of The Olympic Club and the western half of San Francisco as you can to avoid the predicted traffic snarl. For Bay Area sports fans, you won’t get a better opportunity for an up close and personal view of golf’s biggest stars, from Phil Mickelson to Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods to K.J. Choi. This is the biggest event in golf, and one of the biggest sporting events to hit the city since the World Series in 2010. Of course, you’ll either have to scalp a pass or sneak passed security, since tickets have been sold out for some time. Continue reading Procrastinator’s guide to the weekend (June 16-17)
You may not need a reason to enjoy all the incredible nature at our disposal, but if you do, here’s a gentle nudge: on June 9, a number of national parks in the state are free for Get Outdoors Day, including our own Muir Woods just a short jaunt north of the city in Mill Valley. The 554-acre park has one of the last old growth Coast Redwood stands left in the state, nay, the world, and a 1.5-mile trail to enjoy it. The $7 fee is waived for Saturday, and you can even park and ride the Muir Woods shuttle, which also picks up/drops off at the Golden Gate Transit bus stop and Sausalito ferry if you choose total car freedom. Continue reading Procrastinator’s guide to the weekend (June 9-10)
Though not as dramatic as the solar eclipse two weeks ago, the planet Venus transit across the sun today is a far rarer event, not occurring again for another 105 years. The transit begins today locally at 3:06pm and is viewable until sundown. You can either build a special viewing box or buy a pair of welding glasses from your local hardware store to watch the transit without permanently damaging your eyes (which happens when you look directly into the sun for too long). Continue reading Viewing the Venus transit without going blind
Well, it’s Friday afternoon, time to start thinking about options for the weekend. I see that Union Street Eco-Urban Street Fest is running all day Saturday. But unless they drastically improved it from last year, there’s nothing either eco or urban about it. It is on Union Street though. It’s just your basic street fest, with the usual suspects selling beer, barbeque, gyros, artsy-crafty stuff, and a few disappointing eco booths tossed in for effect. A woman selling honey last year seemed lost and really out of place. Union Street denizens seem largely indifferent to it, stumbling through for a beer, or gathering instead at one of several popular bars, like any other weekend. The best thing about it is the price: free. Continue reading Procrastinator’s guide to the weekend (June 2-3)
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