If you want to streeeetch the definition of fashionable travel, Jimmyjane would qualify. Selling $1 million sex toys in the year since its birth in a San Francisco wearhouse, the company uses high-level products, superior craftsmanship, sophisticated design, a twist of whimsy, and sells them all through boutique settings in upscale stores in SF, LA,…
What’s the crookedest street in the City by The Bay? (Hint: It’s not Lombard.) How many rivets hold the Golden Gate Bridge together? What does a 92-year-old woman from Philly, Wilt Chamberlain and a pair of pink Chuck Thomas Converse shoes have in common? And what do tourists really want to see when they travel…
I’ve often lunched or dined at Skates On The Bay, 25 minutes from my house across the eight-mile-long Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. The seafood is always fresh. The wait staff is always courteous. And the view is always breathtaking. Last night, as we took some golden/orange sunset photos, I turned our friend Carol from Dallas to…
About six weeks ago, we first wrote about Maverick’s Reef and the world’s most dangerous surfing contest. We said the competition would be held when the conditions were deemed optimal for 30-foot waves. That time is now. The unique conditons of a northerly swell off Point Reyes, a west-northwest swell from further out in the…
If you don’t want the expense of owning a car, the pain of filling it with gas or a cheaper way of getting around than a taxi, rent a www.zipcar.com. Now available in eight US cities — with 13 more to come soon (including Vancouver, B.C.) –– this unique, sustainable idea prices cars like a…
Gung Hay Fat Choy (“May You Prosper”)! In San Francisco and other cities with large Asian populations, the celebration of the Chinese New Year is welcomed by hundreds of thousands of people. I’ve seen many Chinese New Year Parades downtown here and am always amazed at the colorful costumes, beautiful floats, throngs of onlookers, dancing…
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts have been sold to a group of investors for $3.9 billion in cash. The owners are a newly formed Canadian company, headed by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, owner of Kingdom Hotels International, and real estate investment fund Colony Capital of Los Angeles. The owners will take control of the most…
After making a bundle on the Joe Boxer line of fun briefs and boxers, Calgary-born Canadian Nick Graham has created a new line of undies. American Ironic will initially include men’s boxers ($15) and T-shirts ($18), followed by pajamas. They’ll be available at Macy’s West in San Francisco’s Union Square by mid-February, and, we assume,…
Anyone who loves basketball worships Michael Jordan, perhaps the most exciting player the game has ever seen. (In my humble opinion, Kobe couldn’t hold Jordan’s jockstrap.) Air Jordan designer sneakers were so popular that Nike is reissuing some vintage pairs for $295 for two pairs. Only 36 sets of AIr Jordan VI Retro and the…
The Europeans may be experiencing a cold wave this Winter, but these hot low fares on Air France may very well warm things up. Book by January 31 and fly through March 31. Sample fares include: • $320 round-trip, New York to Paris; • $434 round-trip, Chicago to Paris; and • $442 round-trip, San Francisco…
My home town, San Francisco, may be bracing for the next big quake. But while we’re waiting, we have 801 public hotspots to read about quake predictions, preparedness drills and the like. This total is substantially more than New York (643), Chicago (501), Houston (393) or Atlanta (369) in the top five. Obviously, one of…
Since 1980, a small restaurant in San Francisco’s Cow Hollow neighborhood has thrived on word-of-mouth, despite its location in an alley and its competition from more fashionable restaurants on nearby Union and Chestnut Streets. The Brazen Head had a very small sign on its door, no neon lights and no advertising. Yet, it filled up…