B.A.B.

what does that stand for? Bay Area Boys. y'all are fine. miss ya.
(this is a fake update because i am lagging.)
but seriously, keep it up, gentleman.

ashby flea market in south berkeley.

sometimes, you're walking around the house and you think, 'wow, i could use some nag champa,' 'i do not have enough african fertility idols,' or 'if i HAD a portrait of huey newton i would put it there, in that spot right above the couch.' it is at times like these, friends, that you need not despair. you need not fret. you need only wait until saturday morning for the greatest flea market of them all: ASHBY FLEA AT ASHBY BART. there literally are no end to the treasures one can encounter there. food! drink! obama t-shirts! knock off gucci sandals! deer bookends that i regret not purchasing every single day of my life! speaker wire! cell phone chargers, all sizes! bikes! (however, it should be noted that there is a place in hell for those who buy stolen bikes.) i was even priveleged enough to know someone who participated in the drum circle, so i got front row seats to that groovy weekend special. DELIGHTFUL!

so, so many sunday afternoons i would emerge from underground at the ashby bart station, trekking home after a long weekend in the city, walking out into swarms of people haggling over peacock feather earrings, nonchalantly elbowing my way through the crowds, rolling my eyes at the overwhelmed tourists and muscling up to the hot dog cart; "i NEED a hot dog, and i NEED a coca cola, and then i NEED to go buy a velvet painting depicting the birth of haile selassie." oh ashby flea market, you were like the walgreens for my soul.



fine print:
image belongs to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frubix/

ashby bart station:
http://www.bart.gov/stations/ashb/index.aspx

sweet adeline bakeshop in oakland.

although i tried to avoid the bay area trend of gentrification as best i could, sometimes, it's nice to find someplace near one's apartment that sells coffee, makes a decent latte, and doesn't give you the impulse to swiffer the floors. sweet adeline bakeshop was such a haven for me. located just off of alcatraz and adeline, right before it meets mlk for the second time, it was enough a part of the neighborhood to be unpretentious and whole-hearted, and discovering it meant i could stop buying styrofoam cups of folgers (the desperate do desperate things,) from la bayou, which is another story all together. anyway, sweet adeline made a mean soy latte, set soy milk out in a carafe and they were also, don't forget a BAKERY, which meant homemade, fresh foccacia, a different variety several times a week? beautifully decorated cakes, mexican wedding cookies, vegan cookies?! i may love coffee, but damn do i also love baked goods.


the best part? if it's a sunny day, get it to go and cross the street to sit by the 'here / there' statue, another bay area public art treasure.


fine print:

sweet adeline's website:
http://www.sweetadelinebakeshop.com/

photo downloaded from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oakland_HERE-THERE.jpg
and then re-uploaded to / hosted from my flickr for aesthetic, resizing purposes.

corner of third + howard, in soma.

i figure my kick-off post should start in the city, the first part of the bay area i called home. see, back when i was a contributing member of society, i had a job in san francisco. i would wake up at a decent hour every morning, and i point myself towards my favorite coffee shop for fuel (a 'favorite thing' all on it's own;) and hit the pavement to board public transit. i would disembark at powell station, and i always took the same route: head south down 4th, cut west on mission, wind through yerba buena gardens and end up on the corner of third + howard.

it is special for two reasons:

1. this is the location of a great hotel, the W, and their restaurant XYZ. this particular W has more than a few times hailed me a cab, directed me to a restaurant, and allowed me to sit in their outrageously comfortable deck chairs and smoke a cigarette. also their pool is on the roof, and they have that great sculpture of the woman, and XYZ happens to be a really great restaurant that has never let me down... what more could you ask for?

2. the keith haring sculpture diagonally across the street. complimenting the rather drab exterior of the moscone center, 'untitled's dancing figures never fail to please me. no matter how early i am going to work, i can smile and know that i live in a city that cares about the same kinds of art that i do. and, that, friends, is really awesome. also, the colors (coincidentally?) coincide with the title of a very good album by a band called born ruffians.

fine print:
image not owned by me, but found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ax2groin/

W hotel / XYZ reservations:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/index.html
http://www.xyz-sf.com/

born ruffians:
http://www.bornruffians.com/new/