Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Interesting SF Getaways

Best Eccentric Walks (2006)

The Vampire Tour

(650) 279-1840
www.sfvampiretour.com
Gathering every Friday and Saturday night just outside Nob Hill's Huntington Park (across the street from Grace Cathedral), the Vampire Tour is the antidote for those who think the occult can't be fun or irreverent. Tour creator Kitty Burns stars as the 100-plus-year-old Mina Harker. Surely there has never been a more entertaining, comedic version of the legendary vampiress of the dark — certainly not one so friendly with the staff of the Fairmont Hotel (one of the last stops). Elvira should be advised to step aside. Harker is kind enough to refrain from indulging in her nightly feeding ritual until 3 a.m., about five hours after her tour ceases, so birthday party revelers needn't worry they'll become the celebration cake. And fortunately for lazy mortals, vampires don't like to walk too much: This tour isn't strenuous, which we appreciate even though we're not dead yet.

Best Eccentric Walks (2006)

Stairways Across San Francisco

Buns of steel await those able to conquer the physically demanding routes offered by Stairways Across San Francisco. More than a fleeting tourist fancy, these tours require a bit of commitment, ranging from several hours to all day, and involve climbing the most treacherous steps the city has to offer. Some stairs feel as close to 90 degrees as possible, which isn't exactly conducive to the well-being of those with vertigo. But the views — whether of land, water, or curious architecture — are just as rewarding as the burn. Stairways proprietor Dennis Macheel offers the antithesis to all those leisurely walking tours in which strolling rarely gives way to flat-out urban hiking.

Best Long Hike (That Ends With a Beer) (2006)

Ocean Beach to Pompei's Grotto

Starting at the Beach Chalet, walk north along Ocean Beach. Bask in that Pacific Ocean blue before climbing halfway up Point Lobos Avenue, crossing an unpaved parking lot just above the ruins of Sutro Baths and hopping onto the Lands End trail. This rollercoaster path contains breathtaking views of our steep, jagged coastline, the Marin Headlands, and the Golden Gate Bridge. When it ends, follow El Camino Del Mar through ritzy Seacliff and into the Presidio, where, just past the last house on the left, you can turn left onto a rugged, unmarked trail that ends at Baker Beach. Traverse the entire length of the beach, then scramble up the sand ladder, and head north on the Coastal Trail adjacent to Lincoln Boulevard, eventually making your way to the bridge. Here, northeast of the concession stand, is a trail that descends into Crissy Field. You're at the home stretch now: Just make your way across that old airstrip, Yacht Harbor, Marina Green, and Fort Mason, where you'll finally arrive at Pompei's Grotto, 340 Jefferson (at Leavenworth), an odd little joint serving ice-cold beer and sporting heavily lacquered captain's chairs. Perfect. As a final treat, take a cab home.

Best Low-Budget Boating (2006)

Spreckels Lake and Stow Lake

36th Ave. (at Fulton)
San Francisco, CA
Golden Gate Park
Yacht clubs are terribly overrated, and all of that keeping up with the Joneses is quite a bore. We prefer to indulge in a much more, um, refined activity, a luxurious sojourn away from the predictable Marina masses. We're talking about a bundled-up afternoon watching the motorized sailboats at Spreckles Lake in Golden Gate Park, a tradition that goes back generations. Heck, some of the boats on the water have probably been handed down at least a few times. And those who might want to get their feet (a little) wet can head east to Stow Lake for another mainstay — the cheap boat rentals ($19 an hour for a paddle boat, $14 an hour for a rowboat; both seat four). True, they're a bit old and rickety and perhaps not antiseptically clean (you'll have to wait for five-seater electrics, coming this summer, for that). But you won't have to learn any sailing mumbo-jumbo to use them.

Best Night Kayaking (2006)

City Kayak

Pier 38, Embarcadero & Townsend
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-357-1010
Embarcadero (at Townsend), 357-1010
www.citykayak.com
If you're a baseball fan, City Kayak provides one of the most unusual views of the game. Join one of the company's Full Moon kayaking trips and you'll end up bobbing about outside PacBell Park just as the post-game fireworks go off. You'll literally feel the vibrations from the explosions in the base of your boat. And the colors look very pretty reflected in the inky water. The fireworks display isn't the only marvel you experience on this two-hour nighttime adventure: Paddling out from Pier 38 in a one- or two-person kayak at sunset, the guided tour takes you under the Bay Bridge (avoiding, with a bit of luck, oncoming tankers and passenger ferries) and past the Ferry Building and other landmarks. City Kayak provides all the equipment and expertise, not to mention tasty pizza when you arrive at the other end, exhausted, damp, and exhilarated.

Best Outdoor Swing Class (2006)

Lindy in the Park

Every Sunday the park provides an aesthetic backdrop for all kinds of physical endeavors, from jogging and tai chi to in-line skating and — perhaps most unusually — swing classes. This local swing dance group has been offering free sessions in the middle of the city's longest stretch of greenery every Sunday since 1996. Running from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a beginners' class at 12:30 that teaches the basic steps, Lindy is the place to go to polish up your Shorty George, Tandem Charleston, and Texas Tommy to the sound of classic big band jazz and twittering birds. Because it attracts a wide cross-section of San Franciscans, the course is as much a social event as it is a physical and musical one. Dancing on asphalt isn't all that easy (the organization's Web site suggests wearing shoes with worn-out soles to prevent stickiness), but the vibe is so groovy that you're likely to forget about such pedestrian issues.

Best Place to Learn to Fly (2006)

Motivity Aerial Dance Classes, Studio 12

2525 Eighth Street (at Dwight), Berkeley, (510) 587-0770
Have you ever wanted to learn how to fly? Studio 12's Motivity classes prove that you don't necessarily need wings or to become a human cannonball to do it. Taught by husband-and-wife team Kate and Phil Weglarz, the beginner and intermediate level courses combine dance with trapeze techniques into an unusual art form that's a cross between contemporary ballet, gymnastics, and circus. Over a typical six-week series, budding flyers learn how to balance on and swing from a variety of bars, hoops, and other dangling paraphernalia as well as how to glide and spin through the air with — one hopes — the greatest of ease. The mix of specific drills and freeform improvisation with partner and group work keeps things interesting. And even though the thought of spinning upside down on a bar hanging 15 feet off the ground might fill most of us with terror, the instructors' unintimidating and creative approach makes it easy to climb to dizzying heights.

Best Place to Play Darts (2006)

Eagles Drift In Lounge

1232 Noriega (at 19th Avenue), 661-0166
www.sfda.net/eagles.html
When you feel the need to throw a small feathered javelin at a circle of cork, propel yourself to this Inner Sunset darts hangout. Every Monday night at 8:30 there's a darts tournament ($5 entry fee) complete with handicapping and trash talking. Single players take on random "shooters" in a best-of-three competition; the top eight winners advance to the semi-playoffs, then the top four battle their way to bull's-eye glory. Eagles also has a pool table, free food on Fridays, and a friendly atmosphere to go with its eight tournament dartboards. If the ambience strikes your fancy, A Darts Central in Ingleside and Dart Doctors of San Francisco at Irving and Funston will set you up. (There's another Eagles Drift In on Bryant, but it has only one dartboard.)

Best Place to Score a Bull's-Eye (2006)

Archery Field

Golden Gate Park, southeast of Fulton and 47th Avenue, 831-2700
Just this side of the Dutch windmill at the western end of Golden Gate Park is a lovely, misty glade just perfect for making believe you're in Sherwood Forest, where joints of mutton trump shiitake risotto and an unwavering skill with quiver and bow is a matter of life and death. At one end of this tree-enclosed, daisy-dappled lawn, backed by a gentle slope and a low forest, are nine bales of hay reinforced with wooden slats and metal tubing. Wannabe Sir Robins are invited to affix bull's-eyes thereon, notch their shafts, set their sights, pull back with manly strength and, if possible, split their opponent's arrows. Even if you aren't the archery sort, the whiz and thwack are pleasantly Zenlike. Bows, arrows, targets, and other necessities are available to rent at the San Francisco Archery Pro Shop, 3795 Balboa (at 39th Ave.), 751-2776. Archery instruction is included in the rental fee.

Best Place to Swashbuckle (2006)

Golden Gate Fencing Center

2417 Harrison (at 20th Street), 626-7910
www.gofencing.com
Before you storm the parapets or raid your next Spanish galleon, drop by the Golden Gate Fencing Center and pick up a few (literal) pointers. The staff of former Olympic coaches and national team fencers trains both novice and experienced swordspersons in the art of the foil (a thin, blunted sword for thrusting) and epee (a heavier, stiffer sword) through tactical drills, footwork, directed bouting, and physical fitness. Men's and women's epee classes are held Monday nights, foil classes Thursday nights, or you can sign up for individual private lessons at $30 apiece, equipment included. (There are also kids' classes and week-long half-day camps throughout the summer for budding buccaneers.) The center features an equipment shop and two gymnasiums with seating for spectators, and if you've really got the blood of Don Diego Vega coursing through your veins, sign up for the intensive year-long Olympic-level training program and you just might find yourself defending a maiden's honor — or at least getting a little booty.

Best City Tour for Locals (2006)

Mundane Journeys

This occasional bus tour (check the Web site or call for information about scheduling and cost) wasn't created for Aunt Jane from Omaha, although she'd probably enjoy it. The brainstorm of owner-operator Kate Pocrass, Mundane Journeys is specifically crafted for those of us who live here. The idea is to see the city in ways that we may not have seen it before, and make discoveries along the way. There's no driving to Coit Tower, no pointing to the Golden Gate Bridge. But depending on the itinerary, be prepared to stop at, say, a kite shop in Chinatown, or check out the singing barber of Ross Alley. Did we mention that there's nothing mundane about Mundane Journeys? A book spawned by the company's unorthodox tours (called, logically enough, Mundane Journeys) has nearly sold out of local book stores. A second printing is due this summer.

Best Dance Classes (2006)

Metronome Dance Center

1830 17th St. (at De Haro)
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-252-9000
1830 17th Street (at De Haro), 252-9000
www.metronomedancecenter.com
Tucked away in Potrero Hill (but easily accessible by bus), Metronome offers pretty much anything you could want in the way of rug-cutting. It'll set you up with lessons ranging from beginning group Argentine tango to one-on-one ballet instruction, from massage for dancers to lessons on becoming a dance instructor. Some classes are focused on fitness; others (like the ballroom dancing program) can prepare you for serious competition. Metronome offers a men-only beginning hip hop class for boys who'd like a safe space in which to explore their inner freak, and there's even a wedding workshop for couples looking to share a perfect first dance. You can pay for classes in 10-lesson blocks or on a drop-in basis.

Best Eccentric Walks (2006)

Foot Tours

As we are with those supposed comedy traffic schools, we tend to be suspicious of walking tours that advertise having comedians as guides. Foot Tours has proven itself worthy of exception, attracting a roster of reputable Bay Area comedy talents with an impressive collective résumé, from writing for major late-night network programs to touring with household names. A sampling of tour titles reflects that creativity: Liz Grant's "Where's the F'ing Beach in North Beach?" asks a really good question; Mark Nadeau's "Drugs, Thugs, Crimps & Pimps" peeps S.F.'s former red light district; and Bruce Cherry's "Hobnobbing With Gobs of Snobs" in Nob Hill is particularly fun for those living in more downtrodden neighborhoods who like to sneer at the wealthy.
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