Recently in San Francisco Category

Kung Pao Kosher Comedy.jpgIt all started as a joke. Sixteen years ago, a San Francisco-area stand-up comic named Lisa Geduldig attempted to answer the age-old question, "What are Jews supposed to do on Christmas?" The answer she eventually came up with - go out for Chinese food and have a good time - resulted in the birth of one of the Bay Area's most enduring comedy traditions. Now in its sixteenth year, the Kung Pao Kosher Comedy festival attracts comedy fans of all faiths to enjoy Jewish comedy in a Chinese restaurant, specifically the New Asia Restaurant in San Francisco's vibrant Chinatown neighborhood. But this is no B-list event. Past performers have included comedy legends Shelly Berman and Henny Youngman, and this year's shows will be headlined by David Brenner, making his first San Francisco appearance in fifteen years. The shows run from December 24 to December 27 and tickets are available here. Starwood has hotels throughout San Francisco, including Le Méridien San Francisco and the Westin St. Francis, which is one of the sponsors of the event.

[image via Kung Pao Kosher Comedy]

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Open on Friday and Saturday nights, Alameda's Lucky JuJu is a place that's truly fun for all ages, or at least for those tall enough to reach the flippers. It's a combination pinball arcade and museum with an impressive collection of '70s and '80s machines, from the hilarious retro-futurism of "2001" game to a resplendent Elton John in his Captain Fantastic, "Pinball Wizard" guise. Pay a small cover charge ($10 for adults, $5 for children), enjoy unlimited games and watch any bad moods melt away into the sheer bliss of play. There's also a rarely seen type of vintage jukebox that plays a choice selection of 45 vinyl records, which keeps the ambience rocking at a lively pace, so long as there are people to feed it. This is a convenient and under-the-radar attraction for those visiting the East Bay, as the Four Points by Sheraton San Francisco Bay Bridge in nearby Emeryville is a short drive away from this unusual, tilt-a-whirl gem.

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Jaime Gottlieb is Manager of Online Communications for the Luxury Brands Group and the lobby.com's expert on all things W.

Where will you be on World AIDS Day? I don't know about you, but mix up exclusive music tracks, cocktail mingling and a meaningful cause, and I'm already in the waiting line. On December 1st in recognition of World AIDS Day, music-loving jetsetters and W loyalists will be mixing it up at W Hotels nationwide for the launch of (RED)s latest project called (RED)WIRE. This digital music magazine subscription service gives members VIP access to exclusive tracks by the hottest musicians and artists around including the likes of U2, John Legend and Sheryl Crow.

In support of the Global Fund, which provides medicine to people who need it in Africa, all are welcome to this one-time W Happening to sip the coolest cocktails and feast their eyes and ears at this online music viewing party in hotels across America. As just one of many ways W Hotels is getting involved with this global cause and exciting new music project, event-goers, including myself, are sure to end the year 2008 with a bang... and a few other beats.

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Walking-Around Food in San Francisco

Monday November 10, 2008

San Francisco is a very walkable city, no more so than in the area around the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf and its namesake. So it makes sense to grab something to go, so you can keep moving as you eat. First stop I'd make in the morning would be in Ghirardelli Square, at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Caffé for a rich cup of hot chocolate or perhaps a bar to go. Then off to the Wharf for the day's exploration. As lunchtime rolls around, skip the sit-down restaurants and peruse the fresh catch of the day at the many seafood stands along the wharf, much of which can easily be taken to go and eaten on a bench along the pier.

If you find yourself near Golden Gate Park, keep you eye out for one of Happy Belly's four foodcarts, serving everything from hot dogs to BLGT sandwiches (the G is for guacamole). They're run by the same folks as behind nearby Namu, which has gotten great reviews for its pan-Asian cuisine. And should you find yourself in the Mission, you owe it to yourself to stop in at Frjtz for Belgian-style fries and their scrumptious dipping sauces.

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San Francisco has long been a center of progressive thought, but the California Academy of Sciences takes the tech-savvy city to a new level entirely. The academy's brand new building is touted as the greenest museum building in the world, which is true on several levels. When approaching the Renzo Piano-designed structure, the first thing one notices is the "living roof," an undulating, 2.5-acre soil-covered roof planted with native grasses and plants such as wild strawberries. But as picturesque as it may be - it's designed to blend in with nearby hills - the roof has an environmentally advanced purpose: the plants and soil will capture 3.6 million gallons of rainwater each year, preventing storm runoff and providing a home for indigenous fauna. Inside the museum, visitors are treated to an impressive collection of exhibits that bring the natural world to Golden Gate Park. The Philippine coral reef, for example, features the world's deepest interior coral reef ecosystem, with 3,000 exotic fish. Three distinct rainforest galleries, meanwhile, unfold inside a 90-foot diameter dome, where free-flying birds, butterflies, and animals native to Borneo, Madagascar, and Costa Rica eat, sleep, and play in their natural habitats. One of the most popular exhibits from the former academy returns in the new building as well. A subtropical, southern U.S. swamp has turtles, fish, and a white alligator, one of the few to be found in captivity anywhere. He's always happy to smile for the camera. Starwood has a dozen properties in and around San Francisco, including the nearby Le Méridien San Francisco.

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On Labor Day weekend, Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, Slow Food Nation comes to San Francisco. Not familiar with Slow Food? It's a movement away from mass-produced foods and a return to regional, seasonal and artisanal meats, cheeses, wines and produce.

The festival is bringing together thousands of slow food devotees — as well as people who just like to eat — to two locations in SF, Fort Mason near the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf Hotel and the Civic Center area near the Westin St. Francis, where dozens of events will cover the breadth of the movement. Graze your way across the nation in the huge tasting pavilion, buy the makings of a great picnic at the farmers market and street food stalls, listen to talks by such luminaries as author Eric Schlosser and Chef Alice Waters, or take a workshop on how to set up your own home garden. In the evening, you can one of dozens of slow food dinners at area restaurants; check the website for details. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

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Something's Brewing in San Francisco

Thursday July 31, 2008

castrocheesery.jpgSeattle may have the reputation for fantastic and ubiquitous coffee, but San Francisco's no slouch — possibly because it's so hopped up on caffeine! National shops abound, especially in the area near W San Francisco, but the treasure is in finding the quirky independent spot that fits your particular style. Fortunately, SF's coffee culture is happy to oblige.

The SOMA outpost of Caffe Trieste, a small local chain started in the 1950s, is likely to be crowded with students from nearby City College and local office workers. It's a block away from the W.

The Castro Cheesery is a coffee snob's dream: dozens of coffee varieties available whole bean or pre-ground, as well as the local and imported cheeses for which the shop got its name.

Sugar Cafe, near Union Square, is sleek and modern, and transforms into a chic cocktail lounge at night. (Though watch out for the angry bartender!)

• In the Haight-Ashbury, Coffee to the People fits right in with fair trade and organic beans, activist bumper stickers on the wall and a place for locals to bring their used coffee grounds for composting.

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WNBA Inspiring Women 200.jpgHere's a great way to join in an exclusive celebration of some of the world's most accomplished women. Right now on moments.com - Starwood's auction site - SPG members can bid Starpoints for a pair of tickets to the 2008 WNBA Inspiring Women Luncheon, which will be held on July 30, 2008 at the Palace Hotel, San Francisco. The luncheon will feature a host of inspiring speakers, including Robin Roberts, the dynamic third anchor of ABC's Good Morning America, who will be presented with the 2008 WNBA Inspiration Award. A selection of WNBA All-Star players will be on hand as well to talk about their inspiration both on and off the court. And if you need a place to stay while you're in San Francisco, you can either book a room in the Palace Hotel itself, or enjoy comfortable accommodations in the nearby Westin St. Francis and W San Francisco. Visit moments.com today for this and other great auctions.

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PalaceHotel_small.jpgCandice Kraughto is the director of public relations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Hawaii, and thelobby.com's expert on the region. This past week, she has been reporting on dining in San Francisco.

I always bring an eager appetite to San Francisco - the city that my husband and I both adore. We were so sad to learn that Michael Mina's in the Westin St. Francis stopped serving afternoon tea, but dinner there is exquisite. The Palace Hotel on New Montgomery St. is our home away from home. Everytime we walk into the lobby, gaze up at the amazing atrium and feel so privileged to be at such a grand and glorious hotel where over a hundred years ago Hawaii's King David Kalakaua also stayed. One day I'll bring my parents here as well. My father, a Cal Berkeley grad, says he visited The Palace once during the prom (did colleges have proms back then?), but never stayed there.

Dim sum at Yank Sing, gingerbread cupcakes from Miette, fresh seafood from Swan Oyster Depot and little plates from Cortez are all on our regular Bay itinerary. We also never leave San Francisco without making our faithful pilgrimage (on BART no less) to Rockridge to hand-carry home 10 pounds of Italian almond cookies from Market Hall Bakery to share with friends and family.

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xyz_restaurant.jpgCandice Kraughto is the director of public relations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Hawaii, and thelobby.com's expert on the region. This week, she reports on dining in San Francisco.

The first time I tasted parsnips was at XYZ restaurant in the very chic, but cozy W San Francisco. I was having dinner with media and some colleagues from Hawaii including Sumithra and Chef Bart from The Westin Maui Resort & Spa. Chef Bart had just completed a live on-air cooking segment earlier on ABC San Francisco KGO-TV's "View from the Bay." We sat around an elegant round table near the window looking out at 3rd Avenue. The parsnips were positively delicious - why had I never eaten parsnips before? I called my husband excitedly later that night, "It had a savory taste between a creamy potato and a carrot," I raved. I dreamed of eating those parsnips again.

Was it just me? Or do most of people who grow up in Hawaii seldom have an opportunity to experience parsnip perfection? Macaroni and cheese is another mystery.

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