Kris Kringle Chaos

Now that is a Santa I like and a holiday tradition worth keeping around. A few snaps from Santarchy...a gathering of fun loving Santa's that started in San Francisco (where else) and has grown world-wide.

Crab Season

It is Dungeness Crab season. I can buy them at the Ferry Building for $5.99 per pound or on Clement Street for $3.69. Hum. While the Ferry Building gets all the hype the hot buys are elsewhere.

Here in the epicenter of the local food movement there's one area where almost nobody sticks to their locavore ideals: If you want to serve fish, it pretty much has to be imported. With the collapse of the commercial salmon and herring fisheries and the shortage of petrale, Dungeness crab is the only local seafood still readily available. And that's just barely hanging on. "The confluence of expanding global markets and more assertive local controls has produced dramatic change. One fishery after another petered out in the wild, and regulators curtailed fishing to preserve species," Katherine Ellison wrote in the New York Times today. On the plus side, Tomales Bay oysters seem to be doing fine, and those wild Dungeness are proving hard to decimate. When they go, we might as well pack it up and move to Oklahoma. At least the rents are cheap.

Luggage versus Water Bottles

I know there is the fear over 'liquid explosives' so there is a need to secure airplanes from harmful water bottles. But I say the TSA and the airlines need to crackdown on carry-on luggage size. You see those standard size requirements at the check-in area. If your bag does not fit inside this little box it is too big. Ha! I see bags the size of small sheep on airplanes. Plus a laptop bag and a purse or man-bag (that word annoys me).

And speaking of security when are we going to stop being on 'security threat level Orange'? What a worthless designation. Is the capture or death of Osama Bin Laden going to bring it down to Green? Airport security is so inconsistent it is laughable. I see people go through the trouble of putting their little belongings into clear plastic bags while I have never done this and have yet to be stopped. I carry nail clippers in my carry on. Watch, next time I fly I will be stopped and it will be confiscated.

Lost Vegas

Las Vegas has me confused. Part of me loves the extravegance while part of me is repulsed by it. Having just returned after a three year absence the place amazes me with its growth and change. This expansion seems to be distancing itself from the common human. The newest hotels/casinos are opulent palaces catering to the weathly; The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, The Wynn, Encore, The Palazzo and while I was the there the new Mandarian Oriental opened up. All of them exude money and exclusivity. Walking though I am struck by how much money I am surrounded by; the art, the decor, the stores.

Nothing is cheap in Vegas anymore. You can visit a Chanel or Dior store just about anywhere. Need a new Rolex? It is here and over there. What does the common person or family do? I don't think they go to downtown or old Vegas, they want the 'Vegas experience' and head to the strip and they likely have to save or go in debt doing it.

Unless you are a big money maker or work for a company paying for you to attend a convention don't plan on a cheap Vegas vacation. You won't find a buffet for under $15. Tickets for shows can't be found for less than $60, although you can find 2-for-1 day of deals. I feel for a family of four.

All of this excess while so much of the world struggles. Take a quarter of what is spent in Vegas and I bet it could support a few countries. Heck, a buffet could probably feed a a few hundred starving villages.

Now at the same time this is America. This is what it is all about. Go big or go home. Live large or don't live it all. But can't there be a balance? I want to see a new hotel/casino go up that does not charge over $150 per night. I want to see a new casino where the majority of minimum bids are $2 to $5. I want see a place where I can buy a $5 sandwich instead of $15. I want to see a new casino that has class, art and atmosphere while allowing me and the common human to escape and live the Vegas experience. And I want it on The Strip. Enough of my rant. I am heading back to Vegas at the end of January. Viva Las Vegas!

Park Your Bike with a Smile

Biking around town always makes me happy. Parking it here even more so.

San Francisco Beer Town

In the 1870s a five-block stretch of Fulton Avenue in the Inner Richmond District, across from Golden Gate Park, was known as Beer Town. Dozens of saloons serviced the patrons of the adjacent Bay District Race Track. Beer Town and the racetrack was serviced by the Geary Street, Park and Ocean Railroad which ran down D Street.

The Midwinter Exposition held in Golden Gate Park in 1894. Soon demand for drinking establishments grew and by the middle of that year, Seventh Street alone had seven saloons side-by-side in one half-block. When the Exposition closed and the racetrack folded, Beer Town didn't miss a beat. The old racetrack was converted to an Army base, Camp Merritt holding 7,000 soldiers. The number of saloons swelled to 44 and were accompanied by a number of brothels. Camp Merritt closed in 1898 and still Beer Town thrived due to the popular nearby amusement park, the Chutes.

Even the earthquake of 1906 and an angry neighborhood improvement committee failed to shut down the saloons and the brothels. What eventually caused the demise of Beer Town was an extended rail strike and the closing of the Chutes. By 1910 only five saloons remained and the surrounding Richmond District was fast being converted into a residential area. The final drinking establishment, the Jockey Club was torn down in 1914. Today, the only remnant of Beer Town is this train waiting shelter located at Futon and Seventh Street on the edge of Golden Gate Park.

World AIDS Day

Once in a while it okay, but don't make Coit Tower into The Empire State Building, changing colors all the time.

From Dunes to Dreams

San Francisco with pink cheeks, chapped lips, fog on its breath, eyes straining across the next hill, sharply etched wonders to behold. On a day like this everything is close enough to touch.

-herb caen

It is hard to imagine the Presidio Heights area as an empty expanse. But prior to the 1860s, the western two-thirds of San Francisco, the 'Outside Lands', was only sand dunes and coastal scrub. The undesirable land had no level ground and was covered in ever-shifting dunes, some more than 100 feet tall. However the growing city needed land, so local developers began to employ huge steam shovels to level the sand hills and fill in the extensive tidal marshes. By 1864 the area had it's first toll road, Geary Blvd, extending from the city, seven miles west, to the ocean.

At first the area attracted only businesses that required lots of cheap land like race tracks, cemeteries, dairy farms, and orphanages. But eventually the road prompted many downtown residents to move out and settle along the road. Within a few years there were 3,000 residents and local boosters, hoping to attract more homeowners, renamed one area 'The Sunset' and another 'The Richmond' due to its perceived similarity to Richmond, Australia.

Soon prestigious neighborhoods were also being developed, such as Presidio Terrace, Lake Street, Sea Cliff, and Presidio Heights (photo above). By the turn of the century the reclaimed area, highlighted by the lush, expansive Golden Gate Park, had been transformed from barren sand dunes into a series of residential neighborhoods with trees, lawns, parks, and landscaped hills. The former Outside Lands were no longer recognizable as the Great Sand Waste.

Tessie Wall's Townhouse, Powell Street

During the early 1900s Tessie Wall was San Francisco's most famous madam. Born in San Francisco, Tessie a former dancing girl, was already well known for having out-drank boxing champion John L. Sullivan when she opened her first "lodging house" on O'Farrell Street in 1898. Successful from the start, Tessie opened a second high-class establishment on Larkin Street after the earthquake of 1906. It was then that Tessie met Frank Daroux, a Republican state political boss who quietly ran a number of gambling parlors and pool halls. The two fell in love and married in a secret civil ceremony in Philadelphia to protect Frank's public political reputation.

Tessie's wealth allowed her to indulge in her passion, buying antiques. She bought gilded oil paintings, a Napoleon bed, dinner service designed for William Rockefeller, and european draperies from the Spreckles mansion, she also became famous for every year buying hundreds of tickets to the Policemen's Ball and becoming the unofficial queen of the annual events. Wearing a diamond tiara, she would slam hundreds of dollars on the bar and yell, "Drink that up boys! Have a drink on Tessie!"

In 1917 Frank sued for divorce citing long quarrels and Tessie's unwillingness to give up her businesses and move away with him. Heartbroken, Tessie tried to stab herself with a carving knife and then unsuccessfully attempted to patch up their relationship. After a wild, public divorce trial Frank was finally granted his request by a judge. A few months later Tessie spotted Frank coming out of the St. Francis Hotel with a woman on his arm, Tessie ran up and begged him to return to her. Frank refused, turned away, and Tessie shot him three times with a revolver. As she was arrested she famously cried, "I shot him 'cuz I love him, damn him!"

Frank survived the attack, refused to prosecute his ex-wife, and eventually moved to the east. Tessie sold her businesses for a small fortune and retired to this townhouse, filled with her antiques and numerous portraits of Frank. Tessie's last public appearance was at the Policemen's ball in 1932. She appeared in a high blonde wig, a flowing white satin gown and wearing all the diamonds that she owned. She died a month later at the age of 63, still in love with Frank.

Air Travel Rant

Having flown several times over the past two months here are a few observations of air travel. I do not rant very often here so be patient.

1. TSA Airport Security is a joke. This more so after news of Britney Spears being allowed to board her Big Gulp. I don't travel with my hygenic items in a clear plastic bag and have never had any trouble. I pass through with my carry on containing lip balm, a tube of sunscreen and other so-called banned items everytime. The metal detector does not catch my cell phone, watch, belt, ring or other metal objects I never remove before passing through. I understand it is a veil of security but doesn't that veil also have to have some teeth?

2. Baggage fees. $20 bucks to check my bag? It causes more trouble when I carry it on. You have the baggage staff there and they are already loading bags, what is the need for the charge?

3. I requested to change to a flight leaving one hour later than my orignal. There were plenty of seats available and I would not have to fly stand-by but it would cost me $150 dollars to change. What? Why? The airline is not losing money by allowing me to leave an hour later on the same airline. So what, somebody has to type in some new flight information. That is whay they get paid to do.

4. When an airline says it will have an ontime departure or arrival it sounds like it wants a pat on the back. That is what I paid you to do.

5. Don't tell me to arrive 1 1/2 hours early only to have to sit and wait in your dreary airport lounge for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

6. Fix the automatic check in computers. Why is it half of them are out of service?

7. If you are going to charge people to pay for headphones to watch a movie then why do I have to listen to your commercials and public relations messages over the cabin speakers? Let those idiots who paid for headphones listen to that crap.

8. If you are going to be so stingy and tight on security why don't you crack down on the regulation size of carry-on bags? I am tired of seeing people squeeze mid-size bags into overhead compartments.

Graphical Representation of Left vs. Right

Information is Beautiful has created a beautiful infographic showing the political spectrum of the Left vs. Right. Explore the site, it also has a World version.

Public Art 2

“Human Structures”, an art installation made up of 62 interconnected figures created by Jonathan Borofsky in 2008 that is located at 555 Mission Street in San Francisco.

Public Art

“Moonrise”, a series of three mottled aluminum sculptures of heads created by Ugo Rondinone that are located at 555 Mission Street in San Francisco.

New Wheels

I got some new wheels for training runs. The Run Avant+. I usually run in the Structure Triax+. The Run Avant+ is a lot like the Lunar Glide but .06 ozs lighter, at 10 oz., perfect for tempo and speed runs which I am now doing. The Run Avant+ is a bit lower to the ground and generally a bit more minimal than the LunarGlide+. It does, however, feature the LunarLite cushioning system and the new Dynamic Support midsole design architecture, so most runners should find that it provides support appropriate for up to mild overpronators (while feeling like a really well cushioned neutral shoe if you don't need added support). There is no stability strap like in the LunarGlide+ and a bit stiffer.

Run Like a Girl

I know a lot who did. Congratulations!

Early Morning Fog

It started out as a foggy Saturday then cleared up to be nice and warm. Taken from Crissy Field looking out to the bay. You can't see it but there is a boat out there somewhere.

Vuitton Rips Chihuly

Enough people knock-off Louise Vuitton bags I guess the company thought it would be okay to rip-off somebody else as well. Here is a shot of the Louis Vuitton store in Union Square.

This is from last year's Chihuly exhibit at the deYoung.
Chihuly uses glass while Vuitton uses cheap plastic pipes.

The Tide is High

The tide is high but I'm holding on
I'm gonna be your number one

Run Run Run

Taking Back the Streets

Park(ing) Day. What started in San Francisco (of course) has spread elsewhere, lounge chairs in Times Square. It is only for one day but it is a start in taking back the streets.

These are Not Words

Conversate (converse)
Presentate (present)
Orientate (orient)

Laboring Away on Angel Island

So close yet so far.

Colorful City

In more ways than one.

Tie-Dyed Hot

It is even too hot to wear Tie-Dye.

Books and Bikes

My neighborhood library. Not the most effecient bike rack but one of the cooler ones I have seen.

Better than Velcro

Shoelaces Not Needed Everyone knows how to tie shoelaces but most don’t know how to properly adjust them. That uncomfortable shoe could just be a matter of tension. Technically you should readjust every 4-5th wear. Why even bother if there’s something better? The No Shoelace Shoe uses a single strap that wraps around the entire width of your foot’s arch. By simply tightening or loosening a velcro strap, you achieve the perfect fit. Designed for runners but this simple design could easily translate into any footwear. Designers: Seon-Keun Park & Jin-Sun Park (via No Shoelace Shoe Design by Seon-Keun Park & Jin-Sun Park » Yanko Design)

Corked

What have you been doing with your used corks? I bet nothing like this.
All small display outside City Hall today.

Life Sized Candyland

Such a cool thing. Too bad I did not get to play.

Bike Blocked

Luckily the street is not busy but what was this SUV driver thinking? Then again, they are driving an SUV.

Clever Ad

Spotted at the aiport. That is what I call target marketing. Brilliant. This is one of the bins you have to put your stuff in going through security. First time I have seen ads there. Again, brilliant

I can hold it

Just bad design

Pedal Power

I own three bikes and actually use them. What about you?

Perfect

Hollywood by The Bay

Crews are out shooting a new TV show called "Trama' in The City. The show is supposed to be on NBC in the fall. This was taking place along the Embarcadero at Justin Herman Plaza. It reminded me how much it takes and costs to put together a TV production.

Touch My Knob

This makes you want to open more doors.

Paper Cuts

Impressive. As intricate as The City itself.

What's So Hard About Spelling

Watching the Scripps National Spelling Bee tonight and Michelle asked me, "what's so hard about spelling? All of the kids are American, they should know how to spell."

She had a hard time grasping the concept of 12 and 13 year olds not knowing words, which is understandable if you are familiar with the Korean language.

Hangul, the Korean language, was developed to be easy enough for everybody to learn. Hangul came about from the fourth king of the Joeson Dynasty, King Sejong, completed around 1444. Sejong wanted a language exclusive to the Korean people. At the time Korea used the Chinese writen language, which was too difficult to write for common people and only male aristocrates could normally read and write it. The majority of Koreans were mainly illiterate prior to hangul. The language consists of 14 consonants and 10 vowels. Documents from the time explain the design of the consonant letters according to articulatory phonetics and the vowel letters according to the principles of yin and yang and vowel harmony.

After facing opposition hangul flourished, and was first adopted for official documents in 1894 (mainly because the Japanese wanted to seperate China's influence from Korea.) Later, Japanese was the official language and hangul was banned from schools in 1938 as part of the Japanese cultural assimilation. (Japan on several occasions has tried to eliminate Korean culture and history).

All hangul letters follow the rules of Chinese calligraphy but in simplistic form. Each group is one sylabell. Which brings us back to spelling. If you pronounce a word clearly, seperating each sylabell, it is very easy for each and every person who knows hangul to spell that word.

Prop 8

A little delay in getting these up.

Classical DJ

Had an amazing night at the SF Symphony last night. The featured peformer was pianist Yuju Wang from China and while she was outstanding it was an earlier set that stole the show for me. Mason Bates is a 32 year old composer living in Oakland. He blends electronic music with classical resulting in an amazing experience.

It is great to see a young guy in a black short sleeve t-shirt with an Apple computer on stage right alongside a full symphony dressed in tuxedos and black dresses. Mason uses unique and natural sounds alongside classical compositions. Last night's work included actual sound recordings from the Gemini space mission, a broom, and a typewriter, among many others. The broom sound came from a guy near the percussion area actually sweeping the floor and to see Mason finger bounding this little mixer hooked up to his laptop was mesmorizing.

Certain parts of the performance incorporated electronic beats and it was amusing to see a few violinists bobbing their heads to the rhythm. Equally amusing was seeing the reaction from the blue hairs in the audience who Mason won over. It was one of the best live performances I have witnessed in years. Check him out.

Kimchi - Bound to Happen

It was bound to happen. Michelle made homemade kimchi. It wasn't as bad as I imagined. I had heard horror stories of the smell and the huge undertaking. But since it is only the two of us she only made a small amount. Usually making kimchi in Korea is a massive production with the entire family involved. I found you don't need a clay pot to put the kimchi in, you don't even have to bury it. (this was done before refrigeration as the earth maintains a temperture of 55-degrees and is still done, albeit to a lesser extent). A simple container and a fridge will work just fine.

Kimchi is the most popular side dish, the most popular being cabbage kimchi but kimchi can be any vegetable that is picked and stored. Radish kimchi and green onion kimchi are two other popular types.

Kimchi styles vary by region in Korea (like BBQ here in the states) with variations in spiciness and flavorings but the base remains the same.
After soaking the cabbage in salt and making a red pepper paste all you do is rub the cabbage with the paste and slam it into a container. Pretty simple and very healthy. The magazine Health named kimchi in its list of top five "World's Healthiest Foods" for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly reducing cancer growth.

While you can eat the kimchi right away it is best to let it sit and ferment for a few days. Kimchi can last for a few weeks to be eaten raw or for several months if used in a stew.

Gloves and Ear Muffs

Damn it's cold. I tell you, if San Francisco did not have so many other things going for it nobody would live here because of the weather and wind. It is nearly June and I wore gloves and ear warmers on my run tonight. The temperture is not cold, the WIND is. It is foggy and downright blustery along the coast. This City teases you with one great week of weather every three months. The rest of the time it is a bitch. But boy, those nice days can not be beat and I would rather than this than East Coast blizzards.

Go Commit Voter Fraud

I voted in today's state special election on bonds and was reminded about a glaring CA election omission...you do not need an ID to vote! How is that possible? It is so easy to commit voter fraud especially in races for small local offices. Michelle could have walked in and made my vote and she' not even a citizen.

World Transit Superstars - Not the U.S.

National Geographic released the results of their annual Greendex consumer survey yesterday, ranking the environmental friendliness of housing, transportation and eating habits in nations around the world.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/greendex/

Sadly, only one nation can boast that a majority of its population rides transit at least once a day...

Russia ranked the highest on the Greendex scale, with 52 percent of respondents reporting daily or near-daily use of transit. Hot on its heels was China, where 43 percent reported very frequent transit rides. More than four out of five Chinese surveyed ride transit at least once a month, according to the Greendex.

On the flip side, only one nation reported a majority of travelers who never use transit: the U.S. An eye-popping 61 percent of Americans steer totally clear of rail and buses, with just 11 percent riding at least once a month.

Americans also ranked the lowest on the Greendex's walking-or-biking scale, which measured how many people reported frequent use of either mode of transport. Just 26 percent of U.S. travelers use their bikes or their feet most often, a far cry from Mexico's 48 percent and Britain's 52 percent walking-or-biking scores.

Yet the Greendex isn't all bad news for the U.S. Asked for the reasons why they forgo transit, the number one reply from Americans was that the option simply isn't available -- suggesting that a sustained investment in expanding transit options would have a significant effect on traveling habits.

Spa vs. Spa

(This is my 200th post on this blog)

It is not everyday one can go to a spa in Korea one week and here in the states the next. It has given me a unique perspective on the whole spa concept. Needless to say in Korea I stick out like a sore thumb...all the kids look and stare. There's the first differnce, the kids. Dads take their kids to sit in the various heated pools...everybody in their birthday suits. In Korea (as well as Turkey...I am still trying to cool off from my stay on the hammam) they are more of a regular routine and all all about cleansing. Michelle tells me her mother goes about once every five days. Here in the states it is all about the pampering and it's too stuffy, too exclusive and way too expensive.

One can enter a spa (and spend all day) for anywhere between 6 and 15 dollars. You can then get the various services. I got a complete body exfoliation for 12 bucks. Not bad. Try to get that price here. Sure the wages and cost of living are different but adjust for this and it is still affordable to the majority. Whereas a day pass with a massage at a popular Wine Country spa will set you back nearly 200-bucks. Not too affordable for most. In both you get your own locker, your own special clothes, heated pools, saunas, and various amenities. It is just that elsewhere you get to keep more of your money than here.

Satisfying San Francisco

I am not back in San Francisco more than 30 minutes and I see why I love this place so much...diversity. After being in homogenous Korea for over a week it is nice to see some variety. Don't get me wrong, South Korea has just about everything we have here, heck, there are probably more Starbucks in Seoul than in SF. But the cultural diversity is not as open as here, for obvious reasons.

I am on BART and these two arguing Vietnamese women board the train. In the middle of arguing in Vietnamese, one turns to me and asks what train it was. Only in the states. It didn't strike anyone else on the train as special but to me it was wonderful welcome home.

Later in the day I am reminded on what bugs me about living here. I board my normal bus towards downtown, the 38 Geary. On the back of the bus are these rowdy, obnoxious, rude teenagers. They're fighting, singing and yelling at each other, all the while using language not suitable for most bus riders. This would never happen in Korea.

Lastly, back to what I love, this morning I am in Seoul and tonight was able to be in SF and watch a Korean movie at the SF International Film Festival. And to top it off there was a mention of San Francisco and the legendary Bill Graham in it. San Francisco's impact is felt around the world. It is good to be home.

Soju in Seoul

Just had one of my best meals in Seoul in a second floor BBQ place . Lots is salary men after work, lots of soju and lots of great inexpensive eats. Korean baseball on the tele...did I mention the soju? Sitting on the floor isn't so bad after a awhile... thanks to soju. Great last dinner in Korea.

Last Day in Korea

Today is my last day in Korea. As anxious as I am to return to the states I am a bit sad to leave. Korea is such a welcoming country to visitors, especially Americans. Many of the transit signs are in English, the subway announcements are in English and the people are overly friendly helping you out. There is so much to see and do here I could probably stay for a month and not be satisfied.

On a Train In Korea

This is coming from a train in Korea traveling from Daecheon to Seoul. Just spent a few days with Michelle's parents and had a small reception celebrating our marriage. What a wonderful time. 50-cents for 15-minutes of Internet access on the train. Not bad.