Geek Weekly #4

Illustration of a boy in cowboy garb lassoing a wooden calf, now with dark shadows.

Illustration of a boy in cowboy garb lassoing a wooden calf, now abstracted.

Nickerson Goes West

In the beginning of August, I went out to San Francisco to live. I didn't like what I saw, so I returned to Austin with a new outlook. However, there were a few decent things despite rude, too-cool people, early shows, expensive housing, etc....

For me, one of the best reasons to visit is - BEER! All of the micro breweries in California and the Northwest ship their brew to SF. While I was there, I had relatively few brands ($3 in most haunts) for monetary reasons, but check this out: Red Hook ESB (WA) - Soon to be down here via a distribution deal with one of the majors, this is a beer I could drink every day, along the lines of a bock, but so smooth! They make a great India Pale Ale as well: hoppy, but kinds fruity, too.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Anchor Porter (both CA) are well-known here, but still deserve a mention, because they're classics in their own right, and believe me, I had plenty of 'em! Henry Weinhard (WA) has two shitty beers available here in Austin, but his private reserve (regular and dark -- I actually prefer the regular) is fairly cheap and is kinds what Shiner Bock was here, back when it tasted decent. A good, solid beer.

Naturally, I can't remember the brand now, but I tried a cappuccino stout (CA) that was delicious! Hard cider is also popular there (apple, peach, etc....) Also, don't forget to take a tour of the Anchor brewery if you visit, but make reservations at least a month in advance -- it's popular! One last bit of trivia -- CA microbrews are as expensive in CA as they are in TX, go figure....

Another cool thing about SF is the great bars. There are bars for every type of person, but my favorite was Zeitgeist (199 Valencia, in the Mission District). I was told it was a "biker bar," but if you're thinking of Harleys, think again: it was full of cafe racer photos! This place is so laid back, and it's the first quiet bar I've been to, anywhere! Great jukebox (Ramones, Stooges, Samoans, Stiff Little Fingers, etc...), lots of silvered wood paneling, a "beer garden" with actual growing plants in it! Plus it's right by an overpass, so ya get this mix of concrete and chlorophyll. Red Hook ESB on two taps, thank you!

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I also liked the Chameleon (further down Valencia, around 22nd) but it's one of those trendy places, like a cross between Emo's and Lovejoy's (I know, I like both of those places, go figure.) So deduct a few points, especially for the LOUD, horrendous canned music. Still, that's where I tried the cappuccino stout, plus tastes of more beers than I can remember. Also, on Sundays, everyone and their dog piles in to watch The Simpsons. During commercials they have trivia contests with stoopid prizes like, "Two, that's two orders of cheese toast!" Or Olivia Newton-John LPs. Upstairs they have pool tables and downstairs there's ping-pong. Whitewater pinball and the Gal's Panic video game, the latter two usually on th' blink. But the best part of this dive is that there's a small stage where (bad) local bands play, plus the occasional touring band (like the 5, 6, 7, 8s!). They roll the pool tables underneath the stage.

And then there's the Toronado, on (lower) Haight St. where Fillmore intersects (just 2 or 3 doors down from Naked Eye -- any magazine/'zine you could want, comics, Gearhead merchandise, movies). It's kind of a Gen. X-meets-English pub decor, but it's not as horrible as it sounds, plus it's fairly dark inside (I can't stand those bright places!). Toronado also has a decent jukebox, tho' not as cool as Zeitgeist's: too much retro country and rockabilly. But they had the Dwarves' Sugar Fix! They also had clean (!) restrooms (not for long, I'll wager) and a side room where it's quieter and less crowded. Not too shabby, I'd place it between the Chameleon and Zeitgeist. Great beer selection, natch.

Which brings me to Hate St., or the Haight, another favorite area. Even though it's a tourist trap, it's really colorful and a great place to people watch. I was there the day Jerry Garcia died, and upper Haight was one chaotic street party. Lotsa crusties getting on the bus going, "he's deaaad" in a singsong voice. Haight also has many fantastic restaurants including the Thai place, Phuket. Shitty record stores, ugh. CD-heavy, or one row of punk in the whole place. At the famous intersection of Haight and Ashbury there's a Gap! I went into a "surplus" store and it turned out to be a grunge superstore. [ed- A similiar phenomenon exists under the El on Belmont in Chicago, right down the block from the 'Punkin' Donuts' where all the scrub/skater/crusties hang out.] And if ya think we've got it bad with one Urban Outfitters here, SF and Berkeley both have locations!

Going up further there's a postcard shop called Tilt which also sells prints by Coop and Kozik (!). There's also an X-Large outlet nearby (yawn). The best comic shop I've ever been to, Comic Relief, is almost at the top of Haight. Helpful staff, had an answer to every question I asked, cats in the place, had ever comic I looked for.... Then there's a bowling alley with a bar and grill attached, and the club Nightbreak. Blag Dahlia played there, but I didn't make it. Haight St. dead-ends at Golden Gate Park and right by the entrance is a McDonald's! I was eating there around 4:00 one afternoon and all of a sudden this torrent of crusties starts pouring out of the Park like flocks of birds migrating in fall! Weird. [ed- Are you sure it wasn't 4:20?]

I mainly stayed in the Haight and Mission Districts (if you're going to the Mission from the Haight, catch the #33 bus, it's a super scenic ride). In the Mission there's Epicenter Zone which ties with Sound Exchange as the best record store I've shopped at. They won't play new LPs for ya, but they are non-profit, so everything is only a bit over cost! There's a 'zine library, couches, a fucked-up pool table, racks of new 'zines, employee picks (including the Teen Titans EP!), descriptions of the bands written on the record bags. I saw a Japanese group, Hi-Standard, there. I thought, "Great, another cool Japanese garage band!" Nope, they sounded just like Green Day! Amoeba Records in Berkeley comes highly recommended, but I didn't get over there. Taquerias are everywhere in the Mission. For about $4.50 you will come away stuffed. Huge burritos with chunks of avocado, free chips and salsa (2 kinds), agua frescas (fresh fruit drinks).... My favorite is Acapulco on Mission St. Oh, there's a place here called Beano.

Golden Gate Park was rad!! Museums, aquariums, planetariums, botanical gardens, acres of lush, green land and trails, buffalo (seriously?). The weather was also an asset, especially in the Haight/Sunset where it's almost always windy and overcast, or foggy. The Mission, on the other hand, is notorious for staying sunny, as the fog forms a ring around the area. Yuck! Anyhoo, the upshot of this is that SF is a great place to visit, but I'll be damned if I'd live there. Go with a friend.

Post script: Bands - Missed Queers/Muffs show. Local bands Ripoffs and Bimbo Toolshed broke up while I was there. Trashwomen and Brentwoods didn't play, though I did meet the Car Thieves (Dave and Dylan), Danielle Pimm from Trashwomen and Brentwoods and Darren (Linwood?) Supercharger at a get-together at Darren's. All really nice people, but I didn't see one show aside from Hi-Standard.

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