SAN FRANCISCO

Giving Is Always Better Than Receiving

2009-12-08T01:29:13Z

The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving. - Albert Einstein

During this time of year, we often find ourselves so rushed with holiday parties and Christmas shopping that we forget what is really important. If you were to ask me what gifts I got for Christmas last year or the year before that, it would take me a couple of minutes to think back of what I got. But what I do remember is the many memories created during Christmas with my family. That to me is what Christmas is all about -- being with the ones you love and creating moments in time. I am very fortunate that I get to spend the holidays with my family. To me, that is the best gift I receive every year.

But I also can't forget that not everyone is as lucky as I am. Forget about gifts, there are people that won't have food for their Christmas dinner. With the unemployment rate in San Francisco at 10.6%, you can be sure that there will be a lot of families during this time of year that will be needing help. In the past, I have had the honor of volunteering for the Marin County Food Bank and it's been a great experience. I know that times are tough so if you can't donate money or canned goods, I urge you to volunteer your time to sort out food or to distribute it among those in need. Different food banks have different programs which you can be involved in. The feeling you get when you help others who are less fortunate than you is priceless.

Here is a list of the local food banks where you can reach out to and see how you can make a difference.

San Francisco Food Bank

San Mateo Food Bank

Marin County Food Bank

Alameda County Food Bank

Get Pampered At Za Za Nail Spa

2009-11-23T04:02:49Z

Last weekend, I had an opportunity to meet up with fellow Gals Guide Leslie who resides in Chicago. She was in town that weekend for a work conference and hit me up on Twitter to see if we wanted to meet up. Some of our conversations on Twitter are about our adoration for nail polish so she suggested we get manicures together and then go our for dinner. I had heard about Za Za Nail Spa through a Groupon email I had received and wanted to try it.

The location is very clean and the comfy leather recliners made me feel relaxed even before my manicure even began. When I called to make reservations, I booked a Za Za Mani for each of us. What makes this manicure extra special is that after shaping our nails and cuticles, they exfoliate your hands with a mango scrub and then massage your hands with a delicious smelling lotion from LaLiicious. Before and after the scrub, they wrap your arms in these warm towels which felt so good. They have a large selection of nail polishes which mostly include O.P.I & Essie. Besides manicures and pedicures, they also offer waxing, threading and massage services.

Za Za Nail Spa is located on 543 Second Street in San Francisco. I suggest you make a reservation however they do take walk-ins. Street parking is very accessible and they are open 7 days a week. This will probably become a monthly treat for me now that I discovered this nail spa. After our manis, Leslie and I headed to the Haight for some wonderful Cuban cuisine at Cha Cha Cha. We had a great night and I was very glad to meet another Gals Guide.

Leslie & I at Cha Cha Cha

Union Square Ice Rink Opening This Week

2009-11-10T06:08:14Z

I enjoy spending time in Union Square but I especially enjoy it during the holidays because of all the lights and decorations put on by the different stores. Another reason is to people watch and starting this week, you can watch or be watched at the Union Square Ice Rink. It's opening on Wednesday, November 11 through Monday, January 18, 2010. The hours of operation are 10AM to 10PM except on Friday & Saturday when it is opened until 11:30 PM. Click here for information on rates and where to purchase tickets.

With the opening of the ice rink, I feel as though the holiday season has officially begun in SF!

Picture via About.com

Speed Friending Event

2009-11-10T05:56:04Z

Wanted to give you a heads up about an upcoming event. Back in September, I attended a Speed Friending event at ROE Restaurant & Lounge. What is Speed Friending? It’s is an organized evening where women will participate in a guided process of fun and meaningful sharing in multiple small groups to introduce women to potential new friends. This event is put on by Girlfriendcircles.

The event will take this Thursday (11/12) from 7 to 9 PM. It is a great opportunity to meet new people. The cost to attend is $18 which includes one beverage. If you want more information, click here.

I recommend this event to anyone who has recently moved to the area and is looking to meet new people or simply want to expand their circle of friends.

What's Happening in SF?

2009-10-22T00:44:17Z

One of the ways I use Twitter is to be informed on all the happenings in San Francisco. (If you are unfamiliar with how Twitter works, click here). I find it easier for me to keep track of events and happenings that are going throughout the city using Twitter than subscribing through a blog. For example, just early this week SF had a bit of a flood situation in downtown SF. I was able to avoid that area during my commute home. Very helpful!

I wanted to share with you some of the people I follow and hope that they are of help to you.

SFAllShookDown - News and reviews from the SF Weekly music blog, All Shook Down, via music editor Jennifer Maerz.
viewfromthebay - A local entertainment show exploring the great food, wine and activities in the San Francisco Bay Area.
CRAVEsf - The ultimate guide to the places women CRAVE in the SF bay area, including more than 100 women you need to know.
MichelinGuideSF - Follow our famously anonymous Michelin Inspectors as they eat their way around every nook and cranny of town.
94110now - What's happening in the Mission and Castro now?
grouponsf - Cool stuff to do in San Francisco at unbeatable prices.
LiveNationSF - Free tickets + Presale passwords + Concert Breaking News and Announcements = Happy Fun Times.
Emergency_In_SF - Follow some of the larger emergencies in San Francisco as they happen.
Karascupcakes - If you are a cupcake lover, this is a must. They will let you know where the Kara-Van will be throughout the Bay Area if you can't go to any of their locations in SF.
7x7Magazine - 7x7 is San Francisco's premier resource for Food, Fashion, Culture, Music, Nightlife, Parties and more.
CitysearchSF - Citysearch San Francisco's editorial team.
SFtonight - Curated events, dining, and shopping info for San Francisco.
bayareatreks - The online guide - offering ideas for things to do in San Francisco and the Bay Area.
onlyinsf - Offical visitor information for San Francisco. How may we help you enjoy your stay?
GoldenGatePark - Up-To-Date Events and News on Golden Gate Park.
BayAreaCheap - Things to see & do on the cheap in the (not so cheap) San Francisco Bay Area, including Wine Country and the Coastside.
abc7newsBayArea - News and notes directly from the ABC7 newsroom in San Francisco.
GavinNewsom - Mayor of San Francisco, Candidate for Governor of California. And yes, the mayor himself does tweet from time to time.

If you are on Twitter, are there any other Bay Area people that we should follow? And remember, you can always follow the SF Gals' Guide gals on Twitter -- Marisol, Meghan & Amber

Shecky's Girls Night Out

2009-10-22T00:13:09Z

It's back again! If you missed your chance to go back in June, Shecky's Girls Night Out will once again be happening in Fort Mason on Wednesday, November 12th & Thursday, November 13th. It's a great opportunity to get some great items at a discounted rate. It could come in handy while shopping for some Christmas gifts.

If you've never heard of Girls Night Out, check out the video below and you can read all about my experience attending the event here.

Shecky's Girls Night Out from Shecky's on Vimeo.

The cost to attend is $12.50 if you purchase the ticket before October 23rd. After that, it will be $35. I will be attending again as they have new vendors this time around and I am still using the items I received in the Goodie Bag. For more information on the event, click here.

Wax on, Wax off

2009-09-15T18:58:17Z

Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do - and sometimes these things aren't always the most enjoyable and a bikini/brazilian wax ranks right up there at the top of the list of 'not so fun' things a girl's gotta do!

But, we will share a secret with you. The ladies at DermaPlus Skin + Body make getting a wax actually rather painless (shocking, we know!) They specialize in all sorts of skin care treatments and we just love it there. Waxes are quick, easy and leave you thinking, "That wasn't bad at all!" We've been going to Julie Crispo, licensed esthetician and the owner and founder of dermaplus skin + body for over a year now and recommend her ALL.THE.TIME. She's even been featured in Allure (we know why- she's that good!)

DermaPlus is located at 1728 union street, suite 200, san francisco, ca. 94123. Appointments can be made by phone by calling 415.885.6192.

Thunder & Lightning...Oh My!

2009-09-13T06:08:52Z

It is not usual for the Bay Area to get thunderstorms and lightning during this time of the year. It hasn't even been raining so I was surprised early this morning when I was woken up by a strange sound. It sounded like something had exploded or burst. When I looked out the window, there was lightning & the thunder extremely loud. I thought it was so cool. On Twitter today, one of the users I followed posted a link of this picture and I wanted to share it with you all.

I awoke last night to the sound of thunder...
Originally uploaded by fgfathome

A Slice Of Heaven

2009-08-24T00:54:06Z

Get ready to say "pah-cheese"!

Last night I had some friends in town and we were walking around Hayes Valley, when we decided to grab a bite to eat. I had heard of Patxi's Pizza but hadn't had an opportunity to try it. Patxi's "combines the freshest ingredients with traditional Chicago-style pizza-making techniques to create absolutely delectable pies. Sauce and dough are made fresh daily at both locations. Where possible Patxi's uses fresh, organic and seasonal ingredients."

The restaurant was pretty full when we got there and we had about a 20 minute wait. For a Saturday night, that was not bad at all. While checking out the menu, we each selected two pizza toppings to make a unique pizza combo for us. To start of we each had a delicious wedge salad - iceberg lettuce topped with bleu cheese dressing, tomatoes and bacon. The lettuce was so crisp and the tomatoes were amazing. It's a simple salad but it was so good. If the salad was this delicious, I could only expect the pizza to be amazing. We ordered the 14" Chicago style pizza with artichokes, sausage, mushrooms, black olives and pepperoni. It took about 30 minutes to get our pizza and it was so worth the wait. The first bite was delicious. The pizza had the right amount of toppings, it was cheesy & the crust was awesome. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it.

We left the restaurant feeling satisfied and with a couple of slices in a to go box. We each only had one slice because we wanted to feel satisfied with our meal and not stuffed. The service at Patxi's was fabulous too. Our server was friendly and kept checking up on us to see if we needed a refill or anything else. The SF location sits about 50 people and they also deliver in the area. They have a good wine & beer selection. In 2009, Patxi's was recommended by the Michelin Guide. If you are a pizza fan, I highly recommend you check out this restaurant.

(Photo courtesy of Patxi's Pizza)

Music Makes The People Come Together

2009-08-14T04:07:36Z

One of the great things about San Francisco during the summer & fall is the amount of outdoor concerts that this city hosts. Listening to music live is one of the best ways to spend your day. Yesterday morning one of the local radio stations that I listen to announced their annual concert Now & Zen and I am really excited about it. It will be at Golden Gate Park but the best thing about it is that for the first time, it will be a free event. I have been to that event twice before and I had a blast.

One of my most memorable experiences at this show was the one in 2001 which happened a couple of weeks after 9/11. The Barenaked Ladies were the headliners but due to this horrific event, they decided to pull out of the show. Alanis Morissette was booked as the last minute headliner. After a day of listening to music in the park and spending time with good friends, Alanis came out ready to rock and someone in the crowd raised an US flag. I kid you not, the sun finally came out after a foggy day in the park when that flag came out. The mood in the park that day changed for all of us there. Her set was amazing and you could feel so much positive energy coming off of the crowd. Even thinking about it now, I get goose bumps. I definitely recommend to anyone that they try to make it to one of these upcoming shows. It's definitely a way to experience San Francisco at its best.

SF Outside Lands August 28 - 30 @ Golden Gate Park

Now & Zen Fest September 27 @ Golden Gate Park

Treasure Island Musical Festival October 17 & 18 @ Treasure Island

Picture courtesy of Radio Alice