Archive for Bay Area on a Budget
The California Honeydrops at Sausalito Cruising Club
Posted by: | CommentsLast night I went to the Sausalito Cruising Club. This is one of Marin’s best kept secrets. It’s actually a yacht club but I have a feeling it is nothing like what you visualize when you hear the words yacht club.
The Cruising Club founded in 1949 is a funky old barge turned in to a bar/restaurant/dance club with live music. It’s actually a “refurbished WWII ammunition barge”. You have to be a member or know a member to get in. Fortunately my friend Jessica is a member and she invited me to come see The California Honeydrops. For a $15 entry fee I got an awesome concert and a buffet dinner. I invited my friend SFDoug to go because I thought it would be a fun experience for him. If you follow Doug’s blog you know his dining style is more the kind that goes with fine wine, not serve-yourself-all-you-can-eat buffet. 
Doug was a good sport. I think he actually enjoyed himself.
The buffet had fresh Caesar salad, a mixed veggie salad, chicken legs, cheese bread, pesto, pasta, rice with chicken and another pasta with red sauce. I tried a little bit of everything and enjoyed it all!
I almost forgot to mention the view! The barge is located on the Bay in Sausalito with an amazing view! (that my iPhone did not do justice to)
I loved The California Honeydrops! Their music is fun and happy! The kind that makes you want to dance.
Digging deep into the roots of American music, The California Honeydrops embrace the traditions of Blues, Gospel, Second Line New Orleans Jazz, and early R&B. -www.cahoneydrops.com
The Sausalito Cruising Club is located at the foot of Napa Street in Sausalito, docked at Dunphy Park.
Nikol Elaine – MakeUp Artistry
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Last Tuesday night my friend Dolores and I attended the San Francisco Clothing Swap! We had a great time! (Blog post coming soon about the Clothing Swap). While makeup artist Nikol Elaine was doing Dolores’ makeup we all got to talking. Nikol was such a wonderful person I asked her if she would be willing to do an interview for my blog. She said yes!
Nikol Elaine is what some might call an artist of the face. A makeup artist by day, born and raised California girl by night, she is clearly on a mission to show you how less can enhance more. Known for her delicate use of false eyelashes and crafty ability to make subtle or dramatic changes, she winks at any challenge. Nikol Elaine works solely on location across the bay area and specializes in wedding makeup.
What do you love most about the Bay Area?
-I love how lucky we are to be surrounded by mountains and ocean and I love that San Francisco is a mecca for travelers and culture from all over the world.
Where is your favorite place to hike/bike in the Bay Area?
-I enjoy hiking and the view from Mt. Diablo
Favorite place to take your dog?
-I love taking my dog downtown Danville to Sideboard cafe as he loves sitting outside to people watch.
What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
-My favorite resturant changes often as I am a self proclaimed foodie, however this month is Esin in Danville.
What is your favorite place to get coffee or tea?
-I could not live without coffee and my first choice would be Cafe 504 in Oakland
What is your favorite place to shop for clothing?
-I love shopping vintage in SF and for gently used clothing at local consignments or at SF’s own ClothingSwap.com!
If you had an out of town guest coming to visit that had never been to the Bay Area where would you take them?
-I would take them wine tasting in Napa valley followed by a nice dinner in SF.
Lots of smiles at Thai Smile today
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We had an informal mini TweetUp at Thai Smile in San Rafael today. A few weeks ago some of us started talking about Thai Smile on Twitter and decided we should have lunch there. Somehow that turned in to lunch for 11 or 12 not sure just know we were squished around a table for 8. J It’s all good! I love my Twitter friends.
This was a lunch full of Marin’s Powerful Women! I was honored to be sitting with all these fun and inspirational women! Look who came out to have lunch with us: Nancy of @ATOMsanRafel, Diane of @dianefischler, Lissa of @LissaRankin, Tara of @TaraFirmaFarms, Lisa of @LisaKiftTherapy, Peggy of @PoButler, Hannah of @momntwins, Cathy of @CurtisFinancial (who came all the way from the East Bay to join us), Marilyn of @Fun_Master, Michelle of @DrMichelleXO, if I forgot someone please shoot me now. 
@SFDoug heard us talking about our plans on Twitter and asked if lunch was for women only. We said of course not and invited him. So Doug was the lucky guy who won the Player badge on FourSquare for checking in with 3 or more people of the opposite sex at the same time. Doug you owe us a drink for or something. Maybe at Rick’s Wine Cellar…
It was great fun! Thanks everyone for coming out! The food was delicious and affordable.
Here are some of our Thai smiles.
Where's Doug?
Florida Street Cafe – Good Eats in San Francisco
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My friends in San Francisco are always discovering cool new places to eat. Places that may seem like a hole in the wall but serve excellent food.
I have not yet tried Florida Street Café but it is on my bucket list of restaurants to go to. The thing that is cool about Florida Street Café is it is a program of the Mission Language and Vocation School and the Latino Cuisine Culinary Academy. It helps support these training programs and increase employment opportunities in the restaurant industry through workforce development.
Celia went the other day and reported that the atmosphere is fun and the food is fantastic and affordable. She took some photos. I just learned from the Florida Street Café Website they also provide catering services.
Florida Street Cafe
http://floridastreetcafe.com
710 Florida St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.648.5220
Shopping with a View in San Francisco
Posted by: | CommentsAs you may or may not know my neighbor Amy and I are pretty dedicated hikers. We go out every morning (6-7 days a week) with our dogs for a hike. However on super rainy days we do not go. This is problem because hiking is what we do for exercise. I decided instead of being a wimp on rainy days I’d go out and buy some rain gear so at least we could still get out when it is pouring rain, even if we didn’t go on the trails we could walk up and down the winding hilly streets of our neighborhood.
I wanted good quality rain gear but I didn’t want to spend the money I would have to if I went to REI. Instead, I went to the Sports Basement in San Francisco. The Sports Basement is an awesome place for getting great deals on quality brand name athletic clothing. A few years ago I bought a big puffy down Northface jacket from the Sports Basement. I called REI first to compare prices and it was $50 cheaper at the Sports Basement.
The Sports Basement in the Presidio is located in one of the most beautiful spots in San Francisco. It’s right across the street from the Crissy Field Beach located below the Golden Gate Bridge. The views are breathtaking. You can see the bridge, Alcatraz and the city skyline. We were lucky because when we got to the store it was not raining so we took a walk on the beach before doing our shopping. The boardwalk was full of happy people walking, jogging, rollerblading, biking and playing with their dogs.
It’s fun to shop at Sports Basement. It has a very casual friendly feel. There are couches throughout the store and they encourage you to hang out and chat. There is even a play area for kids. Lot’s of community stuff going on there. I found a great rain jacket and a pair of convertible pants I love! We’re back to walking or hiking everyday and it feels great!
Affordable Haircuts in Marin? Yes.
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*UPDATE* 11/23/10 this place is now called Salon Mirsa but it’s still the same great people.
I got a haircut in the Bay Area for $10! In today’s economy I’m always looking for a good deal. As you might have guessed I spend a big chunk of my income on going out to eat which leaves me to budget the rest of my finances. I’m very careful about how I spend my money and I don’t spend more than I have. In order to have enough money to enjoy all the wonderful restaurants I like to patronize I have to keep my budget in check.
A great way I found to save a little extra cash is on my haircuts. I like to support local independent business so going to that big chain haircut store to get a mediocre haircut doesn’t really fit with my plan. But going to a local independently owned salon and paying $70+ for a haircut doesn’t really fit with my budget. I was thrilled to discover Salon Carlos located in San Rafael in the Canal district. I can get a good quality haircut for only $10! Actually, Celia discovered this place when she worked at the Canal Alliance. It is located right next door. We both go to Salon Carlos regularly to get our hair cut. Celia even went there in November to get her hair dyed purple. Since she keeps her hair so short the purple has already grown out and she is back to her usual salt & pepper look.
Our favorite stylist is Tere; she always does a great job. However, on days when she is not there I’ve tried others and they are also very good. While waiting for Celia to get her hair cut I’ve watched Carlo’s cut hair, he’s great with the small children.
I also get to practice my Spanish while getting my hair cut; this is included with the $10.
If you are looking for a good, inexpensive hair cut and want to support your local business owners then I highly recommend Salon Carlos. You may want to call first to get an appointment because it is always full of people.
Salon Carlos is open Monday through Saturday from 10am – 8pm and Sunday from 9am -7pm. Drop Ins are welcome.
Happy Hair Cutting!
Salon Carlos Mirsa
87 Larkspur Street
San Rafael, CA 94901
415.453.1762
www.saloncarlos.com
Tommy and Tacos
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Last night I saw The Who’s Tommy at The Victoria theater in San Francisco. The show was awesome! The quality of the singers, dancers and musicians was top notch. The boy who played 4 year old Tommy was adorable! (But I kept thinking isn’t it past his bedtime?) The sound engineers were incredible.
Tonight is the last night to see Tommy so if you are looking for something fun to do tonight I suggest going to see Tommy! They serve beer and wine at the venue. I had a Belgium White Beer and it was quite tasty.
After the play was over we hung out for a bit and I got to meet one of the actors (I met on Twitter), Alex Rodriquez who is an amazing dancer and singer with a beautiful smile. Alex has so much energy and passion on stage it just makes you smile while watching him. I asked Alex if he’d be interested in being interviewed on Sally Around The Bay and he said yes so we should be hearing from him in the upcoming weeks. He told me his next project is Rent.
The theater is located in The Mission District. As we were walking back to our car (which by the way we were wishing was a Mini Cooper because it would have been SO much easier to park) I decided I was hungry so we stopped at the first Taqueria we found open: Los Coyotes Taqueria. I ordered 2 fish tacos ($2.99 each) and think they may be the best fish tacos I’ve ever had in my life! Celia had a baby burrito. We liked how they offered different sizes of burritos. She said it was tasty. The tacos and the burrito hit the spot. If you like Mexican food then the Mission District in San Francisco is the place to go. There are endless Taquerias to try.
Picture of Los Coyotes Taqueria via Rodrigo R on Yelp
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Family Fun on Halloween
Posted by: | CommentsHalloween family fun in the Bay Area.
Looking for something fun and original to do for Halloween?
Tara Firma Farms is hosting a super fun and original Halloween Extravaganza!
Stickers Stickers Stickers!
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Did you know you can visit a sticker factory in the Bay Area? I was delighted to discover Mrs. Grossman‘s on Twitter the other day. Seeing her name sent me spiraling down memory lane.
Those of us that were children in the 70s and 80s were of the generation when stickers become the craze! Did you have a sticker collection? Was the collection in an album? I did! My favorite stickers were Mrs. Grossman’s because hers were the best quality and there were so many choices. I remember saving up my money, going to the mall with my friend and buying the stickers one at a time off the roll, they were .5 – .10 cents each. Then my friend and I would go home add them to our sticker albums and be armed and ready to go to school to show off our new treasures and to do some serious trading.
Since I no longer own my sticker album I did a Google search and found this blog about stickers. This woman was a serious sticker collector!
After discovering Mrs. Grossman’s on Twitter I followed her and found out you can visit their factory for a tour and discovered the factory is right here in the Bay Area! Mrs. Grossman lives right here and her stickers are made here in the Bay Area! How cool is that?! I immediately arranged for a tour.
Andrea Grossman started her home-based design business in 1979 from her dining room table in Woodacre, CA. Today Mrs. Grossman’s is housed in an 110,000 square ft. corporate headquarters with it’s own printing plant. The company has designed more than 2,200 different stickers and sells their products throughout the United States, Canada and Japan. -www.mrsgrossmans.com
When I arrived for the tour I was greeted by a friendly woman who gave me some stickers and walked me in to the room with the rest of the tour (I was a few minutes late). I joined the group and sat and watched a video about the history of Mrs. Grossman’s. I learned Mrs. Grossman has a dog named Angus who is the customer service representative of Mrs. Grossman’s. The first sticker ever made for individual sale was the big red heart. Mrs. Grossman’s favorite words are “I love my job” and everyone that worked there seemed to really love their job.
Mr’s Grossman is celebrating her 30th anniversary in the sticker business this year. The first sticker was made in 1979 and sold in a little store in Sausalito (right here in Marin County) called Pine Street Papery. I just checked and they are still selling Mrs. Grossman’s stickers! Their Website says they carry every single Mrs. Grossman’s sticker made. I think I might be stopping by there for a future blog post.
Mrs. Grossman’s recycles their waste paper and were certified green in 2009. She has also donated millions of stickers to childrens hospitals throughout the years. She allows employees to bring their dogs to work. The factory is located on a beautiful piece of land overlooking the water and hills. I almost asked for a job while I was there. 
Mrs. Grossman’s son Jason who is now the president of Mrs. Grossman’s. He launched Pargaon Labels (a division of Mrs. Grossman’s) in 1988, it is one of the most successful wine and food label printing businesses in the County. It was also Jason who began the tour idea. The sticker factory tour attracts more than 30,000 visitors a year. If you live in the Bay Area or are visiting and have small children this is a super fun thing to do. Actually, you don’t even have to have small children, if you are a kid at heart or just want a walk down memory lane I highly recommend going for a sticker factory tour at Mrs. Grossman’s.
On Friday Nov 6 Mrs. Grossman’s heart stickers will star in “How It’s Made” on the Science Channel!
After the tour I met with Barbara Morino, the PR gal at Mrs. Grossman’s. She was delightful and shared many storiesabout Mrs. Grossman’s stickers saying, “Mrs. Grossman’s is like the Tiffany’s of the sticker”. I even found out that Princess Diana bought stickers for William in the 80s. Even the Gosselin kids love Mrs. Grossman’s stickers (you know Jon and Kate’s kids).
As you can see, I’m very excited about my visit to the sticker factory. I could go on and on about how fabulous my experience is but this is something I think you should try for yourself. The tour is free, your kids (and you) will come home with some cool stickers, you will get to see all sorts of neat machines that do amazing things and you will meet lots of happy people who love their job.
I’m off to go play with my new stickers.
I learned that stickers aren’t just for kids and are not just for collection. You can make some very sophisticated things with stickers (cards, gift bags, etc). You can decorate office supplies, drinking glasses and so much more.
I took so many pictures I uploaded them to Flickr so you can see all of them. Mrs. Grossman’s has a wall of fame showing all the stickers ever made from 1979 until now. You can see photos of the wall of fame here.
Mrs. Grossman’s is located in Petaluma. Check their Website for tour dates and times.
You can also follow Mrs. Grossman’s on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
I’d love to hear about your memories of stickers. I’ve noticed that almost everyone woman I told about my visit to the sticker factory got nostalgic and shared some great stories with me. Do you want some Mrs. Grossman’s stickers? Post a comment below about a memory you have about stickers and I will send you some Mrs. Grossman’s stickers. To get the stickers you must post the comment before 10/31/09 and email me your mailing address (please write stickers in the subject). Be sure to tweet about your sticker comment too!
