One of my absolutely favorite things to do in SF is go out for breakfast.  Not the Saturday and Sunday crazy brunch scene where you pay $20 each for breakfast (if you don’t drink a couple mimosa’s or bloody mary’s).  No I’m talking the middle of the week local places where you are usually accompanied by old men sitting up at the bar, the occasional student, bartenders and the tourist.

For some reason, as you get older, women go to church and men go out for breakfast and to bars.  Every now and again you’ll see an old lady at the bar drinking a bowl of scotch… but usually its the old dudes.  And you never see them out after dark.  Guess they come in for happy hour and leave before all the rowdy younger adults come in.

I digress… I was talking about breakfast.  One of my fav dive diners for breakie is Bechelli’s in the Marina on Chestnut Street.

Bechelli's on Chesnut Street

Its been around since 1977.  But it looks more like 1957.  Complete with black and white checkered floors, uneven wood booths, retro light fixtures and an oval breakfast bar in the middle for the old dudes to sit, drink their coffee, eat their breakfast, read the paper and talk sports with the other old dudes.

Inside Bechelli's Diner

To be honest… the food is nothing spectacular.  Its diner food.  But the charm of the old place is way worth it.  This morning I had a ham and cheese omelette with coffee.  And it tastes just fine.  And it tastes even better than usual since I had one too many glasses of vino last night!

Ham and cheese omelette at Bechelli's

They push OJ at this place like its crack.  And it just might be.  Its mighty tasty.

Go to Bechelli’s for the old school diner charm.  Sit at the bar, bring your newspaper, people watch and get into chatter with the old dudes around you.  I guarantee they have interesting stories to tell you.   Then when you are done, you can burn off your breakfast walking the shops of Chestnut Street.  There is mighty fine shopping, cafes and other local shops.  Enjoy! 

DID YOU KNOW?:  The word breakfast comes from “BREAK” and “FAST” referring to the conclusion of fasting since the previous day’s last meal. In Medieval Europe the basic format of meals differed from what is currently ‘standard’, in that only two meals were to be had – a heavy dinner at noon and a light supper.  However, exceptions existed, most notably children and the infirm. They were allowed a small breakfast meal, and many laborers, farmers, and other physical workers also practiced the meal despite criticism and social pressure on them not to, and by the 15th century even the nobility had begun to ignore the rules and mores of polite society in order to take a breakfast.

One of the coolest things you can do in SF is go old school and play a little croquet in the park.  Proper white clothing, hats and all.  And of course some white wine.  It wouldn’t be an event in SF without wine.

A group of about 30 of us got together for a friends birthday.  Got dressed up and met up at Stern Grove Croquet Fields.  San Francisco has a croquet club that plays regularly at Stern Grove Park.  And for a small fee, they let us amateurs get a brief lesson and whack our way to victory, embarrassment and a good old fashioned time!

Croquet goes way back to the 1800′s. It used to be ultra competitive, although still proper.  There is some debate about the origins of the game.  The Brits say they’ve got it.  The Irish say they’ve got it.  The French say they’ve got it…. maybe the underlying reason these countries never could get along???  Me thinks so.

Forget what you remember about croquet as a kid.  Wire wickets, rubberish, woodish mallots and light weight rubbery balls.  This is the real deal.  Wood wickets, wood mallots, wood balls.  Those suckers are pretty heavy too.  And the wickets?  Barely wide enough to even get the ball through! You have to be dead on to get the ball through.

I must say, I impressed myself, my husband and my fellow croqueters with my fast adoption of the game.  This is definitely something every San Franciscan must do at least once!  The weather was gorgeous, the group was sublime and the wine was extra tasty.

A few croquet terms that struck me funny…

- Ball in hand

- Baulk (yes even in croquet you can baulk)

- Bisque and half bisque (anyone for soup?)

- Double tap (sounds like porn to me)

- Sextuple peel (sweet Jesus!)

For more on the history and terminology, check out Wikipedia.

The highest point in the SF Bay is Mt. Tamalpais.  Elevation 2,571 feet or 784 meters for you Euros.  On a clear day you can see forever up there.  If you’re up for a difficult, sweaty and grueling hike… I highly recommend hiking all the way from the bottom to the top.  For you lightweights, yes you can drive almost all the way to the top.  But you still have to get off your butts and make it the last few hundred feet to get the best views.

If you attempt this in the summer and fall months, be sure to bring plenty of water and sunblock!  There is a small food and beverage stand at the top of the mountain.  They also have yummy rocket popcicles!

Back in the day (aka the 1960s) there was a Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival that was held ath the 4,000 seat Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre high on the south face of Mt. Tam.

Coastal Miwok Indians lived in the area for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. In 1770, two explorers named the mountain La Sierra de Nuestro Padre de San Francisco, which was later changed to the Miwok word Tamalpais.

With the Gold Rush of 1849, San Francisco grew and more people began to use Mount Tamalpais for recreation. Trails were developed and a wagon road was built. Later, a railway was completed and became known as “The Crookedest Railroad in the World.” It was abandoned in 1930 after a wildfire damaged the line.  For more history, directions and maps, visit the official parks website.

You can hike for a few hours or a few days out there.  Come prepared and enjoy the scenery!

Elevation 2571 feet

Just a short 3 hour drive from San Francisco will land you in beautiful Lake Tahoe California.  Nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Lake Tahoe is a San Francisco City dwellers peaceful mountain hideaway.

Bay Area residents travel up in the winter months for the picture perfect skiing and snowboarding.  And in the summer months for boating, golfing, hiking and beaching around the Lake.  And of course, all year round is the call of the casinos on the Nevada side of the lake.

There is a huge rental market in Tahoe.  Cabins, homes, apartments, and hotels are abundant and a cost effective way to spend the weekend, a week or the entire season.

There are two major lakes in the area.  Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake.  Lake Tahoe sits right on the California / Nevada border.  If you’ve got the time, its worthwhile to take a drive around Lake Tahoe.  Be sure to stop in Emerald Bay for gorgeous views from the southern tip.  And stop in Truckee for breakfast or lunch and a little shopping in their cute downtown.

Driving up to North Shore, Lake Tahoe, March

View from North Lake

View of Lake Tahoe from Squaw Valley

View from the base of Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe

Emerald Bay, South Lake Tahoe CA

Emerald Bay, South Lake Tahoe CA

All photos (c) Sherrie Perkovich, Perk Consulting 2009

My facination with The Presidio in San Francisco continues.  The Presidio was closed to the public until recently.  For 218 years, the Presidio served as an army post. World and local events, from military campaigns to World Fairs and earthquakes, all left their mark. You can explore centuries of architecture. Reflect in a national cemetery. Walk through an historic airfield, forests, and beaches.

There are reminders scattered throughout the Presidio and the Marin Headlands of their days as  military bases and the western front’s first defense.  In fact, the Golden Gate National Recreation area sports the country’s largest collection of  military installations and fortifications, dating from 1776 through the Cold War.

Defending the West Coast

Did You Know?
While visiting the Presidio in August 1923, General Pershing learned that President Warren Harding had died at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. It was Pershing’s duty to accompany the body of the late President back to Washington D.C

Marin Headlands - West Coast Defense

Marin Headlands - West Coast Defense

There are many things in the Presidio and Marin Headlands that are just downright creepy.  Old buildings, many with loads of graffiti, random barbed wire fences, and paths that once led somewhere.

The Presidio even has its very own Pet Cemetery.  You definitely get a creepy Stephen King vibe when you go past.   Though the majority of animals buried in the Presidio pet cemetery are dogs and cats, there are also parakeets, canaries, pigeons, macaws, rabbits, hamsters, rats, lizards, goldfish, and mice.

All photos (c) Sherrie Perkovich, Perk Consulting 2009, except “Heidi” “Presidio Cemetery” and “Sunset at Ft. Point”, those images found at nps.gov.

National Park Service, GGNRA The sons of Capt. J. K. Moore pay tribute to their collie, Heidi, in 1957. Pets provide companionship and balance to many nomadic military families.

The Presidio - Creepy Buildings

The Presidio - Creepy Buildings

San Francisco National Cemetery - Presidio

Sunset at Fort Point - Presidio

It’s a well known fact (to locals) that we don’t get beach weather that often in San Francisco.  The high winds and cool temperatures of the air and cold temps of the water keep most beach goers away.  The good news is that during the week, the beaches are fairly empty and offer some peace and tranquility amidst a hectic city.

Baker Beach is one of the more picturesque beaches in San Francisco.  Located in The Presidio and along the Pacific Ocean, it is perfectly situated to offer beautiful views and cotton candy sunsets.

All photos (c) Sherrie Perkovich, Perk Consulting 2009

Baker Beach in San Francisco

Baker Beach in San Francisco - very Hitchcock like

Baker Beach in San Francisco - Remnants of the old Presidio Army Defense

Baker Beach in San Francisco - Baker Beach Sand Stairs

Baker Beach in San Francisco - Beware that the Northern part of the beach is NUDE

Baker Beach in San Francisco - Rocks at the North end of the Beach

Baker Beach - San Francisco

The longer I live in San Francisco, the more I notice the small details all around me.  Archways, sculptures, doors, tops of buildings.. everything.  There are some buildings here that seem very San Francisco.  There is a rich history in this town.  Here are a few of my favorites.

San Francisco Architecture

San Francisco Architecture

These 2-3 flat houses are sooo San Francisco.

San Francisco Architecture

San Francisco Architecture

Notice the details at the top of this building.

This is one of my absolute favorite homes in San Francisco.  A gem like these will run over $5 million.  Not much… but its home.

San Francisco Architecture

Something else that’s very SF, the insane colors that people choose for the outside and inside of their homes.  There are colors here that shouldn’t exist in house paint.  Maybe these neighbors know each other and have a mutual love of watermelon.

San Francisco Architecture

SF is also well known for are its hotels.  The Fairmont, pictured left, is a landmark in San Francisco.  If you walk through the hallways, you can read all about the history of the hotel.  And it features one crazy lounge called the Tonga Room where the drinks are crazy expensive, but worth the cost… if nothing else, just to see the band play on the pond while it rains.

San Francisco Architecture

Park gate by Grace Cathedral.

Grace Cathedral San Francisco

Transamerica Pyramid

The Transamerica Pyramid is one of the newer buildings adding to the San Francisco skyline.  It was finished in 1972 and is considered a modern high rise.  The building stands at the crossroads between North Beach and Financial District.

Details of San Francisco Architecture

Details of San Francisco Architecture

San Francisco Architecture

This was my very first home in San Francisco.  A charming residence inn on California Street in Union Square.

All photos (c) Sherrie Perkovich, Perk Consulting 2009, except Transamerica Building, image found on greatbuildings.com

I’m absolutely in LOVE with the flowers in San Francisco.  I don’t even know what 1/4 of them are, but no matter if they are wild flowers or carefully cured flowers in home gardens, San Francisco knows how to garden. To view these lovely beauties, I recommend going on the 49-mile scenic drive through San Francisco.  You’ll see a good sampling of wild and garden flowers.

Did You Know?
Thirteen plants found at the Presidio have been designated as rare, threatened, or endangered by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service and/or the California Native Plant Society.

Here are just a few of my favorites.

All photos (c) Sherrie Perkovich, Perk Consulting 2009

Calla Lily

View of Calla Lilies on Alcatraz Island.  Originally from South Africa, Calla Lilies are found in seeps and other wetland areas throughout coastal California.

Flowers of San Francisco

Flowers of San Francisco

Flowers of San Francisco

Flowers of San Francisco

Flowers of San Francisco - Ice Plant

Chamisso's Lupine

Flowers of San Francisco

Flowers of San Francisco

Flowers of San Francisco

Flowers of San Francisco

The Flowers of San Francisco

The Flowers of San Francisco

I moved to San Francisco from Chicago in 1999.  What a year to move to SF!  The boom was booming and the city was going absolutely nuts.  Parties nearly every night in a city totally alive.  My first job here was at an ad agency that had an office in Union Square.  Union Square is San Francisco’s answer to Chicago’s Mag Mile, Beverly Hill’s Rodeo Drive and NYC’s Madison Avenue.  If you are looking for super cute little funky boutiques, Union Square is not for you.  You need to head to Union and Chestnut Streets.  But if you’re up for massive shopping in a few square blocks, Union Square is for you.

Center of Union Square

After the great earthquake of 1906, Union Square became San Francisco’s premier shopping district, and, by the 1930′s the site of the world’s first underground parking structure.

Insider tip, don’t park at the Union Square garage… crazy expensive.  Instead, go up the street a few blocks and park at the Sutter/Stockton garage.

And what’s with the monument?  It was added in 1903 and topped by the bronze goddess Victory, modeled after Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, known for her enormous influence in the San Francisco art community.  For more on the history of Union Square, click here.

One of the best things you can do in Union Square, aside from shop, is people watch.  Grab a latte at a nearby coffee shop and pop a squat at one of the many tables or stone stairs in the Square.  You’ll see everything from tourists to locals to weird homeless guys… and everything in between.

Union Square People Watching

There is nothing better than visiting Union Square during the holidays.  Just be prepared for the crowds and just enjoy it!  The city puts a huge Christmas Tree in the center and Macy’s always outdoes themselves with window and store decorations.

Plus, every spring, Macy’s features a massive flower show that’s worth sniffing out.

Union Square at Christmas Time

Union Square at Christmas Time