June 27, 2009

San Francisco: de Young Museum, Tutankhamun exhibit (CLOSED); things to do

San Francisco

de Young Museum

Tutankhamun exhibit at de Young Museum


To speak the name of the dead is to make them live again. --ancient Egyptian belief


King Tut is back and this time he's brought along his royal relatives. Mystery, intrigue, and history are all part of the show. The boy king ruled more than 3,000 years ago; he died at age 19. The last Tut show at the de Young Museum was 30 years ago, in 1979. It was the most successful museum tour of the 1970s, and more people attended it here in San Francisco than at any of its other venues. The current exhibit setting provides the ambiance of stepping into an actual tomb but is far more spacious. Don't miss exhibit #18, an amazing set of nested fetus coffins and a fetus funerary mask. Dr. Zahi Hawass, the secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and an Indiana Jones of sorts, has made sure that this time a portion of the proceeds go back to Egypt for use in antiquities preservation and restoration and to build new museums. Runs through March 28, 2010.

(BTW, it hard not to notice how much the carved image on this canopic stopper resembles the late Michael Jackson.)

June 23, 2009

Pleasanton: Blue Agave Club

Greater East Bay

Blue Agave Club  

625 Main St., (925) 417-1224. L-D daily; $$.

Set within a converted 1870 vintage building, this colorful Mexican restaurant’s seating spills out onto a plaza-like, brick-paved front yard. Sitting there amid a sea of blue iron chairs, with a view of the town sign spanning Main Street, is primo in warm weather. The Blue Agave Club is at its romantic best in the evening when the lights wrapping the trunks of two giant palm trees are turned on. Meals being with thin housemade chips and three flavorful sauces. The extensive menu presents the expected burritos and enchiladas as well as some excellent chicken-stuffed taquitos and a variety of house-specialty shrimp dishes.

June 18, 2009

San Francisco: bike polo; things to do

San Francisco

bike polo

"Bike polo, which is played across the country and around the world, is probably the longest-lived, most widely played sport you've never heard of." Read the entire story.






June 17, 2009

San Francisco: Bacar; restaurant review

San Francisco

Bacar  

448 Brannan St./3rd St., South of Market, (415) 904-4100. D M-Sat, SunBr; $$$-$$$+. Reservations advised.

Diners entering this subdued, sophisticated retreat pass a dramatic 3-story “wall of wine” holding 1,000 bottles. At Bacar, wines are sophisticated and pricey. Meats are particularly good, and sometimes the special is a 32-ounce steak--recently at $99--that is best shared by three or four diners. For dessert, the coconut rice pudding is a winner.


More things to do in San Francisco

Way more things to do in San Francisco.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

June 14, 2009

San Francisco: Pizza Nostra SF (CLOSED); restaurant review

San Francisco

Pizza Nostra SF  

CLOSED  300 DeHaro St./16th St., Potrero Hill, (415) 558-9493. L M-F, Sat-SunBr, D daily. No reservations.

Diners at this inviting, casual spot have a choice of sitting in an oversize wood booth that can squeeze in perhaps 8 people, at smaller tables, or at a counter overlooking the open kitchen. A recent visit to Pizza Nostra SF spotted tattoos a plenty, mixed with dreads and kids, and Shakira shook things up with her music. A great meal here can be composed of an unoily fritto misto (this night it was calamari, sea bass, and celery hearts) served with aioli dip, a beautiful beet salad with orange-mint dressing, and a thin-crust, Neapolitan-style calabrese pizza topped with salame and onion. A focaccia hamburger and several pastas are also options. The perfect conclusion is a to-die-for espresso panna cotta with fig vin cotto accent. Outdoor seating is available in good weather.


More things to do in San Francisco

Way more things to do in San Francisco.

More ideas for exploring Northern California. 

June 12, 2009

Interview with Carole


See my interview in The Examiner.

This is no longer available, but here are some other interviews with me.  


More ideas for exploring Northern California.  

June 10, 2009

Sacramento: Aerospace Museum of California; things to do

two happy visitors to the Aerospace Museum of California in Sacramento, California
3200 Freedom Park Dr./Watt Ave., off I-80, in McClellan Park, in McClellan, (916) 643-3192. M-Sat 9-5, Sun 10-5. $8, 65+ & 13-17 $6, 6-12 $5.

Opened here in 2007 on the former McClellan Air Force Base, this gigantic structure seems a cross between an airport terminal and an airplane hangar. The Aerospace Museum of California  houses 5 retired military and civilian aircraft inside, and over 30 more outside. Aircraft range from a 1932 one-of-a-kind B-14-B speed wing biplane to a C-53 Sky Trooper that participated in the Normandy invasion. A Morphis ride simulator is available for an extra fee, and the museum participates in the free Young Eagles flight program for kids age 8-17. On open cockpit evenings, visitors can climb inside the planes for a fantastic photo op; admission for everyone then is $5.


More things to do in Sacramento.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

image ©2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers; depicted: Rick Hertig, a Lufthansa pilot, and Ted Lechner, Jr., who used to work on F-111 planes like this at McClellan AFB; they now "meet up and fly ercoupes 415-c."

June 4, 2009

Sacramento: Le Rivage (CLOSED) + Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar; hotel review + restaurant review

80 North

Le Rivage  

NOW A WESTIN  4350 Riverside Blvd., (888) 760-5944, (916) 443-8400. 100 rooms. Some fireplaces. Pool; fitness center; full-service spa. Restaurant; room service. No pets. Self-parking free; valet parking $21.

The elegant Tuscan-style Le Rivage resort hotel is right on the Sacramento River and just 10 minutes from downtown. Yachtsmen particularly enjoy coming here because of its dock and 25-slip side-tie marina, and small-plane owners can fly into nearby Sacramento Executive Airport. A variety of celebrities have stayed here, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Clint Eastwood, and Quincy Jones. Bedding is Italian posh, and each bathroom has a modern clawfoot soaking tub and separate glass-wall rain shower. The Grand Lounge common space off the lobby offers an oversize fireplace and leather sofas, plus a stocked game cupboard and table. Activities include a bocce ball court, bicycle rentals (a bike trail runs past the property), and water sports, and riverside fire pits are the place to be on a balmy summer evening.

Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar  

(916) 379-5959.

Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar offers riverfront views and a menu of fresh seafood as well as meats and pastas.


More things to do in Sacramento.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

June 1, 2009

San Mateo: Espetus Churrascaria; restaurant review

710 S. B St./7th St., (650) 342-8700. L-D daily; set price $23.95-$49.95; drinks and desserts additional.

More spacious than the San Francisco mother ship, this branch of Espetus Churrascaria is a worthy clone and serves up the same delicious array of salads and meats. Skewers of meats cooked over an open fire are brought around to each table by skilled carvers and sliced onto diners’ plates. The salad bar is a cornucopia of delights and includes typical Brazilian side dishes. 


More things to do in San Mateo.

More ideas for exploring Northern California.

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