My City By The Bay

 For A review of the Rrazz Room and this concert series visit:

Photo courtesy of www.sonyholland.com and Terry Dudley - All Rights Reserved

Living in San Francisco all of my life, I spent many weekends and more recently days at Ghirardelli Square .  Being a chocoholic myself, I grew up savoring those bit size chocolate morsels knows as Flicks which were packaged in a cylinder type cardboard box.  I absolutely loved those.  Now they are packaged in a 16 oz. plastic round gift box full of those chocolate tidbits that I loved.  Much more for me to savor.

They have a vast assortment of chocolate treats packaged and available at Ghirardelli Square to include holiday specials, chocolate bars as seen below, chocolate squares and their ever popular hot chocolate which is something I cannot miss whenever I am there.  It could be 80 degrees outside and if I’m at the square, I have to have my hot chocolate.  It is truly decadent.

Although Ghirardelli has seen major changes within the past few years the one thing that remains untouched or unspoiled is their chocolate.  It is rich, dark, creamy, sometimes decadent and sometimes pure and soft.  Whatever your taste, they have it.  The raspberry chocolate bar which is blatantly displayed, in your face as shown below is one of my favorites.  It is an elegant explosion of flavor with real raspberry sweetness and rich dark chocolate.  Plus, it’s good for you.  While I don’t know the calorie count which I honestly don’t want to know with all I eat, it has both fruit and dark chocolate which are both healthy.  How can you go wrong?

Below this scrumptious raspberry chocolate fantasy we also have the Ghirardelli cookbook which displays some mouthwatering recipes including my hot chocolate dream that are just to die for.  Although I do not bake myself, I have tasted a couple of recipes from this book and well,  let’s just say those recipes are clinging to my hips.

Finally, we have the unsweetened bars which you can use for baking.  And another point I’d like to make is that if you go to Ghirardelli you will be paying a little bit more in price for all of these chocolate delights than if you order here.  How do I know?  I basically have a tab running at the square.  Seriously though as they eloquently advertise “give the gift of timeless pleasure” or something like that.

The midweek dinner cruise on San Francisco bay provided by Hornblower Yachts is a definite must do if you are ever in San Francisco.  You sail from Pier 3 which is not far from the San Francisco Oakland Bay bridge and the Ferry Building along the bay to and under the Golden Bate Bridge.

This cruise offers sensational views of The Embarcadero high rises, Coit Tower, the San Francisco skyline, Bank of America and Transamerica pyramid buildings along with the Wharf area, Alcatraz, the Marina Green and distant Sausalito.  The night lights provide an exceptional panoramic view of the city.  Even shrouded in fog, this cruise is not to be missed.

You will dine on gourmet food prepared and served fresh to your table which includes seafood specials, steaks, pastas, organic salads and much more.  Soak your palate with some champagne while listening to jazz standards right out of the Great American songbook.  This is truly a five star dining and cruise experience you will never forget.

For more information please click the widget below.

Fitness, Health & Safety Fair at Aquatic Park
Sunday, April 26

In conjunction with the city of San Francisco’s “Sunday Streets”, the Fitness, Health & Safety Fair will take place in Aquatic Park, just below Ghirardelli Square. Activities for the family include rock climbing, lessons on sustainable foods, how to keep your mind and body whole, and how to plan and protect your families in emergency situations. Stop by Ghirardelli Square to see live music in the Plaza!

Photo courtesy of SFist.com

Another Only In San Francisco moment.  Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of www.thedestinationcenter.com

San Francisco is a hub for bicyclists.  It is one of the bike friendliest cities in the nation.  There are several designated bike paths around San Francisco to include Golden Gate Park, The Golden Gate Bridge and Marina Green just to name a few.  There is also a proposal in the works to create a bike lane on the San Francisco side of the Bay Bridge.

Amidst this dismal economy, bike rentals in the city are soaring.  Tourists as well as us locals enjoy touring the bay area sights on our bikes.

There is a bike tour of which you can find out more by clicking the ad below, which allows you to bike alongside the bay on the Marina Green to the Golden Gate Bridge and over to Sausalito with a ferry ride back to the city.  This is an exhilarating and fun tour for the whole family.

You will experience a ride along the beautiful bayside along the Marina Green where activities such as kite flying, wind surfing and frisbee tournaments are the norm.  Then a ride over the bridge with it’s spectacular views into the quaint charm of Sausalito with exotic shops and friendly fare ending with a leisurely cruise along the bay back to San Francisco.

This bike riding tour is an excellent means of exercise and a fantastic way to see some of the most beautiful sights in the bay area.  This tour is open for adults and children alike.  The prices are good and the memories - priceless.

Yoshi’s Jazz Club & Restaurant

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 1, 2 and 3
RAHSAAN PATTERSON

Monday, May 4
MICHAEL ZILBER’S BILLY COLLINS PROJECT
Wednesday, May 6
GENERATIONS BAND
featuring
JIMMY COBB, RAY DRUMMOND, DAVID HAZELTINE, TERRELL STAFFORD,
ERIC ALEXANDER, and ANDREW SPEIGHT

Thursday, May 7
GENERATIONS JAZZ “BATTLE OF THE COMBOS”
with special performance by the GENERATIONS BAND
Finals of the Generations International Jazz Competition

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 8, 9 and 10
KEIKO MATSUI

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16
YOSHIDA BROTHERS

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 14, 15 and 16
CHARLIE HUNTER
featuring TERRENCE HIGGINS

Sunday, May 17
DAVE SAMUELS’ CARIBBEAN JAZZ PROJECT

Wednesday and Thursday, May 20-21
SEX MOB & HAPPY APPLE
co-headlining

Friday, May 22
KENNY RANKIN

Saturday and Sunday, May 23 - 24
ROY ROGERS & THE DELTA RHYTHM KINGS

Saturday, May 23
HANDFUL PLAYERS & THE VILLAGE PROJECT

Monday, May 25
Jazz Mafia Presents
“BIRTH OF THE COOL - MILES DAVIS BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE”
featuring:
MARCUS SHELBY, MIKE OLMOS, ERIK JEKABSON,
JOE COHEN, ADAM THEIS, ADAM SHULMAN,
JEFF MARS, SHELDON BROWN and MIKE RINTA
‘Bay Area All Star nonet plays tribute to Mile Davis’ monumental, Birth of The Cool’

Coming Soon to Yoshi’s San Francisco:
Herb Alpert & Lani Hall: June 2, 3, 4

Courtesy of the San Francisco Zoo

Green Home Cleaning

Before you do any spring cleaning, why not start by cleaning out all the cleaning products under your sink or in your cupboard? You’ll free up lots of space while freeing yourself from toxins, allergens and irritants. Be sure not to throw those products in the trash – make sure the lids are tight, box them up and take them to your local household hazardous waste disposal facility (visit www.1800cleanup.org to find a location).

All you need in your cupboard for a clean and healthy home are the following:

• Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda). This multi-purpose alkali powder can remove stains from tile, glass, oven doors, and china as well as fruit juice and acidic stains; clean the inside of your refrigerator; absorb odors; and remove baked-on food from pans.

• Borax. A powder or crystalline salt sold in most grocery stores, borax is a water softener and sanitizer. It makes an excellent freshener when added to laundry and is an all-around deodorizer.

• Castile soap. A mild soap available in liquid or bar form that can be used for general-purpose cleaning. It was once made from olive oil, but now may include other vegetable oils as well.

• Cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate). This common baking ingredient is a mild acid that can be used as a sink and bathtub stain remover. It can also be used to remove spots from aluminum cookware.

• Hydrogen peroxide. A mild alternative to chlorine bleach that can be used for stain removal and mild bleaching and killing germs. Available in drug stores and supermarkets.

• Lemon juice. This familiar ingredient can be used to lighten stains and cut grease. It can also be used to remove tarnish on brass, copper, bronze and aluminum (not to be used on silver).

• Washing soda (carbonate of soda). A stronger alternative to baking soda, washing soda can be used as a water softener in conjunction with laundry detergents (gloves are recommended as it may irritate skin; not to be used with silks, woolens or vinyl).

• White vinegar. Good for a variety of household cleaning tasks, vinegar may be used to help kill germs and deodorize, remove some carpet stains, and clean coffeemakers, chrome, cookware, and countertops. It can also be used to unclog drains. While white vinegar has a slight scent while wet, it leaves no odor when dry. Do not use it on acetate fabrics, such as in some tablecloths, because it can dissolve the fibers.

For a complete Green Home Cleaning Guide with cleanser recipes, click here.

I was unable to attend the community meeting last evening in regards to the fees being implemented at the botanical gardens in San Francisco.  However a blogging buddy of mine did attend and has a full report which you can read here .