My Roommates Closet

Tired of screaming matches and cat fights with your roommate over clothes? Most girls are. Well the problem is solved with the store My Roommates Closet. There will no longer be smuggling clothes from your roommate, you will be able to find your very own gem at this store that is located at 3044 Fillmore St. in the Marina. What makes this store so spectacular? It sells designer clothes, shoes, purses, and jewelry for up to 50 percent off. Yea, I understand your astomnishment to this news, I was shocked to that a store like this exsisted. A discount store in the Marina, can be shocking to almost anyone who knows the reputation of this district. I went into the store the other day to browse around and everyone who worked there was so pleasant and very helpful. This wasn’t like a Ross or Marshalls where they lack a variety of sizes in things, they had plenty of sizes to pick from which was nice to see. They sold Vera Wang shoes, and had well-known designer brands like; Vivienne Westwood, Twinkle, Penguin and True Religion. This store doesn’t just need to inderest women, men who have girlfriends, wives, or sisters should check this store out as well. They have amazing deals on nice stuff. Their selection of dresses was pretty impressive as well. I highly suggest that anyone makes their way over to the Marina to browse through this store, you won’t be disappointed, and I’m sure your roommate wouldn’t mind if you stopped raiding her closet.

Kiss the frog

I was looking around the Excelsior a few weeks ago with a friend for a new adventure. I found one in the form of a tub half filled with live amphibians. I went into the Manila Market on Mission on a whim. There is an Asian market near my apartment, but my roomate has given it a stamp of disapproval so we've been on the prowl for a new place.  After several illegal traffic maneuvers we wound up in the parking lot and subsequently inside of the store.

I had no expectations when I walked into the store, which is how I've tried to approach most new experiences as of late. The market won me over the second I saw that they carried pluots which is one of  my favorite fruits (what can I say I'm easy to please). The market was filled with all kind of things that I'd never seen, and I frantically tried to create a mental catalog of everything that I wanted to try in the future.

 

Needless to say everything was going well. It was just one of those days where you feel like you've stumbled on something.  We were walking around looking at all of the fish contemplating whether or not to buy a talapia fish when it happened. I looked at the fish. Normal. I looked at the squid. Run of the mill. I looked at the shrimp. Boring. I looked at the frogs. Wait. I stepped back looked in and there they were. at least 30 pairs of eyes looking back at me. I lost my cool and i jumped back and made a small gasp. I looked over at the older woman who was returned my embarrassment with

 a smirk. I couldn't believe what I'd seen. It seemed so cruel to just stuff them all together and scoop them out for their final demise. Understandably it's hypocritical to want to pick a live fish from a tank one  minute and then be almost morally offended by these live frogs in second. Perhaps it was the shock of it all...perhaps it was the fact that they all seemed to be looking at me. Whatever, it was I definitely got what exactly what I asked for... a new experience. 

Looking for a good study place?

Lately I have been looking for a place to study for finals. I need a place that has internet access and a good cup of coffee. Everyone will mention Starbucks to me, but I have yet to find a peaceful Starbucks in the city. They all seem to be crowded all the time and very little space to set up shop with the variety of textbooks I need to bring, and my laptop. Plus, I tend to think Starbucks coffee is a bit overpriced. I was walking up and down Fillmore Street the other day I the Marina and I stumbled upon this little place called The Grove. I have heard of this place before from friends. I went in for a bite to eat and to grab a beer, and I noticed it was packed, and it was a Wednesday night. It wasn’t packed with bar hoppers, but with people just grabbing a cup of coffee and studying. Everyone had their laptop out, I almost felt left out for not having mine with me. They had this huge menu that offered sandwiches, soup, salads, and chocolate-chip cookies. They had beverages that ranged from hot tea to beer and wine. People were starting to line up out the door to get a seat in this cozy establishment. For being as crowded as it was, it wasn’t very loud in there. They had Wi-Fi and coffee, it was the perfect place to study for finals I realized. I am really glad I stumbled on it. Another really good restaurant I would recommend to people who are looking for a casual place to go to if they are in the Marina District. Also, if you get there at a pretty decent time, parking on the street nearby is pretty easy to find, remember it is metered parking though.

Taco Tuesday

Taco Tuesday is a pretty popular thing for a lot of young people to attend in the Marina. Blue Light, a bar in the Marina sponsors it and they give a great discount on tacos and beer. Usually I can’t seem to get myself to go out on a weeknight, but my friends begged me to go, and since it was in the Marina I figured why not, since I am supposed to be doing reporting. My friends love going every Tuesday, they always say it is such an awesome crowd that goes and they seem to come back from it with raving reviews. I have been twice before, and I can’t say that my reviews have come back as amazing as theirs, but it has been a decent two times that I have gone, figured third time would be a charm. The crowd that I have usually encountered there is people in their twenties, usually college kids, who are predominantly white, preppy, frat-appearance type. The night we decided to go was April 7, which was the opening game for the Giants earlier that evening. When we got there it was a completely different crowd than normal. There were a lot of people sporting Giants gear and the age range varied more than usual. I would also have to say that the races varied as well. It was a mixture of all different people. The regulars who are usually there every Tuesday without fail were all tucked away in the back corner by the pool table in the back gossiping amongst themselves. They were talking about how there were too many “black” people there. I found this almost amusing that the people in this area don’t seem to grasp the concept that there are other races out there. The people who hang in the Marina are used to the primarily Caucasian race that parties on the weekends at the local bars. I think these people need to open their eyes and maybe get out of the Marina for a night and see the different populations that San Francisco has to offer.

Beauty in the Marina

The Marina is a place that can be a tourist trap. I have found a lot of people who are out of town venture out to the Marina for site seeing. I guess this is because the Marina holds a lot of beautiful views, The Palace of Fine Arts, The Exploratorium, Fort Mason, and a lot of shops and restaurants. On April 4 which was a Saturday I decided to spend my day out in the sunshine at the Marina. It was probably one of the best decisions I could have made. Not only was the weather gorgeous, but the views from the Marina green were breathtaking. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the Golden Gate Bridge was the main focus for everyone’s camera standing on the grass. It was also open yacht day on the bay, so not only were there tons of kites flying going on, there was numerous sailboats and yachts on the harbor. The view was amazing. There were people of all ages running around the green, flying kites, having picnics, walking along Marina Blvd. peering through the windows of the stores, and people riding their bikes. I understand after visiting on such a sunny day why this part of San Francisco is a tourist trap, it does provide that postcard view that people travel from all over to take in with their own eyes.

Vintage dreams in the streets of Berkeley

Lately I have been disappointed. Every time I look into my closet a sudden wave of disgust flashes in my body, giving me the feeling like I drank one too many cosmopolitans. I needed something different. Something that screamed out "This is me! This is who I am!" So I decided on exploring one of the many vintage shops on Telegraph Avenue.

The money in my pockets was low, but my spirit was high as I made my way down the street of Telegraph Avenue. Skateboarders, bike riders, and even the occasional people rambling to themselves were out on this busy day in Berkeley. My attention was diverted when I decided on checking out 510 skateboards, a skate-shop located on Telegraph. The shoes were pleasant, but the lone sales associate wasn't. This "Too cool for school" associate seemed more entertained sending text messages on his fancy phone then helping me pick out a dandy pair of shoes. I don't know if it's just me being "old school" but I thought sales associates were supposed to SELL to costumers. I made my way out of the shop, energized and ready to continue on my initial mission.

Suddenly something caught my eyes. The neon lights, which read Sharks, and retro look of this place sucked me in like a vacuum. I had to check this place out. The smell of used, old clothes hit my nose the second I stepped inside the building. I was at home. The shop had everything from Member's Only jackets (which are popular now) to hats that look like they were made out of a rabbit. Unlike the shop I went to earlier I was actually happily greeted by the associate. Her name was Lacey and she had the style of someone out of the 80s. She had bleach blond hair and wore all black with a stone-wash denim jacket that covered her tattoo-filled arms. To be honest she reminded me of Kat Von D from LA INK (A reality TV show about a tattoo shop owner). I found out she graduated from San Francisco State with a degree in fashion. We instantly became friends. She showed me to some of the cooler things in the shop such as a black Victorian dress that sold for $300. Kind of pricey for vintage clothes, but I didn't mind, dresses aren't my forte anyways.

Digging and digging through the racks of clothes I found nothing. Either the clothes were too big, overpriced, or just not my style. My body wasn't feeling it anymore. My stomach was in control and I decided on calling it a day and grabbing a greasy slice of Blondie's pizza instead. Lacey told me she works at another vintage shop, Mars, and that I should check it out. I vowed that on my next journey that I must conquer this shop!

First walk into the Castro

After coming out of the Muni tunnel at the corner of Castro and 17th, there are several conflicting shops that do not seem to belong together. On one corner is a huge Diesel store, the other a real estate office, and on the other a bar and cookie shop.

I walked into the cookie shop named "Hot Cookie," probably having a duel meaning, because the walls of the mini shop is covered with pictures of magazine clippings and pictures of previous and current customers. Those in the pictures are provocative, giving off the impression that this shop is one that does not care how others perceive them.

I must admit the pictures intrigued me to walk in because the shop itself is big enough to hold about two customers at a time and a door way about as wide as a telephone booth door, leaving it difficult and strategic to enter and exit. Once you come into the shop the smell of freshly baked cookies is overwhelming! They are definitely fresh and hot.

After asking the employee standing behind the counter, I soon realized the Hot Cookie was a well known icon of the neighborhood. The pictures themselves prove that the neighborhood does not care if they offend tourists with their sexuality.

After seeing these pictures I researched the neighborhood and came to find that the majority of the neighborhood is unmarried and between the ages of 30-40 which lets me know that they are down to party.