Destinations

I was expecting a mellow, loungey wine bar with overpriced small plates and overdressed working class women sitting next to corporate guys in expensive suits… And I wasn’t expecting to get carded at the door. Turns out that District, a fairly new hot spot on the corner of Townsend and 3rd has held its own on the border of SoMa and South Beach (San Francisco neighborhoods), packing out with a bar-like atmosphere most every night.

At 8:30pm on a Thursday night, I had to politely shove my unwieldy commuter bag through a dense crowd ranging from early 20s to mid-40s, dressed in everything from jeans and t-shirts, to business casual, to those outfitted for clubbing later on. I slowly circled the place, not a seat to be found at the tall cocktail tables on one side, low cushy couches on the other side, nor at the central U-Shaped bar.

An advantage to traveling alone, I found a tiny little opening at the bar and squeezed myself into a standing spot. Once at the wood-finished bar, with the crowd at my back, District seemed to open up and I was able to notice that it was a converted warehouse, given away by the high ceilings with wooden rafters and exposed brick walls. There was a flat-screen tv on one sidewall playing an old black and white movie.

One of the bartenders handed me a paper menu, featuring over 30 wines by the glass and 10 flights with an impressive global diversity. I turned over the menu to find a selection of Mediterranean-influenced samplings ranging from an artisanal cheese plate and charcuterie plate, to arancini, calamari, ahi tuna tartare, pizzetta, and main dishes like lamb lollipops and roasted organic chicken.

The prosciutto San Daniele and arugula hand rolls with goat cheese and balsamic fig jam caught my eye and I asked the bartender for a pairing recommendation. He seemed very familiar with their by-the-glass offerings and recommended Cold Heaven Viognier from Santa Rita Hills. I normally drink Sauvignon Blanc, but this particular wine was full-bodied enough to stand up to the rich flavors of fig, goat cheese, and prosciutto, notwithstanding a nice acidic, palate-cleansing finish. I happily stood and ate at the busy bar, enjoying the wine and chatting with a local woman next to me. She and her friend raved about the hangar steak from local Prather Ranch, sliced and served over white beans with a homemade salsa verde.

The menu only seemed slightly overpriced, but well worth the experience – and the location. I walked out the door and down the block to catch the Caltrain back to San Jose. District is also about a block away from AT&T Park. Open Monday through Friday from 4pm to 2am and open at 5pm on Saturdays, District is closed on Sundays. The full menu is served from 5:30-10:30pm and a limited late night menu is served from 10:30pm to midnight Thursday through Sunday. Not bad for a pit stop.

The Carneros Inn, a small world class retreat with dramatic vineyard vistas. A perfect place to visit for a Bay Area Getaway. Located just inside the Napa County line off Highway 121, across from Tattinger Vineyards, a one hour drive from San Francisco.

Spacious accommodations in freestanding cottages with private furnished patios. Spectacular bathrooms with indoor/outdoor showers and heated slate floors. Beautiful Italian bed linens.

The Hilltop restaurant serves breakfast and lunch.The FARM is the signature dining room and for casual eating there is the Boon Fly Cafe. Two swimming pools, a whirlpool, gym, yoga studio, running trails and bocce courts. A wonderful spa with 15 treatment rooms.

Sometimes you just have to take Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and go to the classroom in the city. Fortunately, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is open late on Thursday nights… so you don’t have to put your job or your wallet in jeopardy. The Museum is free on the first Tuesday of each month, but half-price admission every Thursday evening from 6-9 attracts both tourists and locals alike.

Commuting up to the San Francisco Office once a week, I had been eyeing streetlight banners advertising an exhibit by Lee Friedlander, an award-winning and renowned photographer. Working primarily with a 35mm Leica camera and producing black and white silver gelatin prints, the SFMOMA exhibit showcased nearly 400 pictures, largely drawn from Friedlander’s personal work.

Displayed chronologically from the 1950s to the present, walking through the exhibit is like watching an artist unfold and develop. There are struggles, fixations, experiments, travels around the country and across the world, moments of quiet brilliance, and big, bold glory. Every photography class I have ever taken mentioned Friedlander, but that evening at the SFMOMA, I realized something about his work I would have never otherwise known. Friedlander’s use of his camera as medium was never for a moment an attempt to create images about aesthetic beauty - not to say that he hasn’t accomplished this in his work. But I believe his intention is to dialogue with the world around him and express his extraordinary and unique perception of every day life. Friedlander is applauded for his “social landscapes” and ability to isolate the “backdrop of modern life” with witty, lyrical and untraditional style.

The Friedlander exhibition runs through Sunday May 18th. Other artist exhibitions currently at the SFMOMA feature works by Gabriele Basilico, An-My Lê, Paul Sietsema, Paul Klee and Devendra Banhart, in addition to photographic, painting, and sculpture collections. The SFMOMA is located on 3rd Street between Howard and Mission, just off the 80 and 280 Freeways, ½ mile to the Powell Street and Montgomery Street BART Stations, and a short cab ride from the Caltrain Station. The Museum is also conveniently nestled in between the W Hotel and the St. Regis Hotel, both of which have very chic cocktail lounges recommended before or after your evening of art.