As a native son, I know that my ancestors survived the April 18, 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, which, at 8.3 on the Richter Scale, ranks as one of the strongest of all time. (It was 140 times stronger than the 6.9 Loma Prieta quake in 1989!) The 270-mile-long rupture along the San Andreas Fault lasted…
I saw a sign in downtown SF yesterday for La Belle Day Spas & Salons. They’ve been around for 27 years, offering a unique blend of clinical experience, relaxation expetise and award-winning spa pampering for both women and men. Under the personal guidance of LaBelle founder and spa innovator Bella Schneider, their professional estheticians and…
What do mustard and wine have in common? At first glance, more than you could possibly imagine as the annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival gets under way on January 28. For 2006, this two-month tribute to wild mustard will host a masked opening event extravaganza called “Mustard Magic –– Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler” at…
Those smart, savvy folks at the Kimpton Group have a terrific formula for creating hip hotels that are utterly unique. The Hotel Triton has been called “exceedingly groovy and best hotel in SF” by Harper’s Bazaar. This whimsical, happening place is cleverly disguised as a hotel. Moreso, it enables you to “see” the art or…
A few days ago, Steve Jobs of Apple thrilled the MacWorld San Francisco audience by announcing that all future Macintosh computers would use Intel Core Duo chips. The result? The 15.4″ MacBook Pro laptop priced at $1999 will be four-times faster and the iMac priced at $1299 will be twice as fast as their respective…
It looks like a sushi bar with its L-shaped eating area, but Bocadillos in San Francisco’s financial district at the edge of North Beach is definitely not a sushi bar. Instead, it offers an eclectic variety of “bocadillos” or Italian little sandwiches like Catalan sausage, juicy lamb burger and smoked salmon with chive cream cream,…
A block north of Union Square, along the Powell Street Cable Car line and a toothbrush’s throw from my dentist’s office is Scala’s Bistro. As part of the fabled Sir Francis Drake Hotel, it features richly colored floor tiles, a semi-open kitchen inspired by Monet’s and a friendly wait staff. I’ve always enjoyed everything here,…
Yesterday, the A gate at San Francisco International’s Terminal began testing its new state-of-the-art security equipment. It’s not yet screening actual passengers, but hopes to after gaining approval from the Transportation Security Administration. Designed by GE Security to speed up lines while strengthening security, the equipment will eliminate the need for passengers to remove their…
Was the Blonde Bombshell champagne concoction I’d just quaffed in the Fairmont San Franciso’s tony lobby lounge a tad stronger than I realized? Walking into the hotel’s subterranean Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar, I was sure I was seeing (and hearing) things. I had expected the paper umbrellas in the Mai Tais. I assumed there…
It’s an unwritten law of being a Jew: On Christmas Day, you celebrate by going out for Chinese food — and I’ve been following this tradition now for years. This is why a San Francisco Chinese restaurant has become a comedy club during Christmas Week each year. But not just any kind of comedy… “Kung…
If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and floats like a duck, it must be a duck? Right? Well, if it’s a DUCK “Surf & Turf” tour that you’ve seen in Boston or Seattle, Miami or even Baltimore, it’s now available in the City by the Bay on a U.S. Coast Guard…