Blissful Bites Bakery

Blissful Bites Bakery is one of those places we’ve passed by a thousand times, each time saying, we need to stop in there. We never have. That is, until yesterday, and it was well worth it.

Blissful Bites is located on Arguello Blvd, near Clement Street. In the window, they have very enticing photos of cupcakes. Cupcakes with frosting piled high. That’s my kind of cupcake. Yesterday, in the early evening, we took the kids for a walk and we found ourselves passing by the bakery. We decided that we needed dessert for tonight’s dinner. We stopped in and took a look around.

Inside, there are several tables convenient for sitting down and enjoying your pastry, cake, or what have you. There are also a couple of sidewalk tables. The staff was very friendly to us and we noticed several customers moving about the place.

The display case was filled with so many treats it took us awhile to decide what to get. We got the standard chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting, the chocolate cupcake with orange buttercream, and we branched out a bit and got two of the banana chocolate chip with banana buttercream. The man behind the counter boxed them up and charged us $10.35. That’s right. We paid over $10 for 4 cupcakes. And these are not the huge cupcakes like you get at Costco. We started thinking these better be good cupcakes!

We headed back home, fed the kids their dinner, and split the chocolate cupcake in two for them to share. I had a sneak-taste and was like, Wow. That’s a pretty good cupcake! Mom agreed and said it was very fresh and moist. Before we could blink our eyes, our toddlers wiped their plate clean and let us know, rather loudly, they wanted more! It was a good thing we got four cupcakes, so we split up the orange buttercream, and they snarfed that down just as fast. Blissful Bites went two for two as far as the kids were concerned.

We (Mom and Dad) enjoyed our banana cupcakes after we put the kids to bed. These were a little disappointing after trying the chocolate cupcakes. The cake was not nearly as fresh and my wife complained the frosting was too thick (which is not possible in my book) and too sweet (also not possible). I happily ate her leftover frosting. When you pay $2.50 for a rather small cupcake, you kind of expect perfection. Blissful bites went two for three.

We might stop by another time. We did notice they had some tasty looking croissants…

Blissful Bites
397 Arguello Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94118

Sunday Streets

It’s free, it’s healthy, there are activities, and there’s no traffic! On Sunday, August 31 and again on Sunday, September 14, a four and half mile route stretching from Bayview to Chinatown along the Embarcadero will be open to physical activity.

The event is called Sunday Streets, a unique and exciting set of events that has flourished in major cities throughout the world, from Tokyo to Kiev, Ukraine; now it’s happening in San Francisco.

From 9AM to 1PM on these Sundays (August 31 and September 14), portions of the Embarcadero will be closed to traffic and allow for biking, walking, jogging, and physical activity such as yoga and dance. Bring the kids (what? You’re going to leave them at home?) for special activities like running the bases at AT&T Park. That’s something my family has always thought about doing and never have; now is the time to do it!

Remember, Sunday Streets is free and open to all. Come make history and explore San Francisco in a whole new way.

One Nation, Under Corn

Following in the footsteps of Morgan Spurlock’s, Supersize Me, filmmaker Aaron Woolf made King Corn. The documentary reveals how high fructose corn syrup became a primary ingredient in so much of our food. Released in 2007, Wolf’s documentary follows his two friends as they travel to Iowa, grow an acre of corn, and then try to follow that corn to the supermarket. What they found is the vast majority of America’s corn is not fit for consumption. The quality—and nutritional content—of the corn has dropped to the point that it must be processed into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for it to have any marketability. The film shows the two would-be farmers’s biting into their corn, spitting it out, and claiming that it tasted like sawdust.

The corn America’s farmers are growing is designed for mass production and not for the highest nutritional quality. King Corn points the finger at the government for the lack of quality in the food; and the government points the finger back at the American people for wanting cheap food. In the early 1970’s, the Agriculture Secretary changed the philosophy of American farming. The new edict was to produce mass quantities of cheap food. Almost 40 years later, we have cheaper food, but at what cost?

For years, articles have addressed the adverse affects of HFCS, such as the SFGate’s 2004 article, Sugar Coated. A quick Google search on the topic reveals articles that dispute the direct comparison of America’s obesity problems and HFCS. Some articles claim that overall lack of exercise and other poor food choices play a more significant factor in America’s health issues, rather than blame HFCS alone. However, everyone should agree that natural, organic food is better for you than drinking mass amounts of soda and highly processed foods.

A quick survey of my own pantry and refrigerator revealed HFCS in several food items that I feed my kids. The biggest culprit is Nabisco's Fig Newtons, which contain both sugar and HFCS. That’s like pouring sugar on top of sugar. Nabisco’s Ritz crackers also contain HFCS as does Kellog’s Nutri-Grain bars. Most surprisingly, Oroweat’s Whole Grain 100% Whole Wheat bread contains HFCS. In the King Corn film, a representative of the high fructose corn syrup industry explains that the ingredient gives bread that golden brown color that everyone enjoys (while adding sugar to the food).

Products found in my kitchen that does not contain HFCS include:

• Krusteaz Buttermilk pancakes


• Trader Joe's products


• Organic brand products


• Skippy peanut butter
  

My kids are still healthy and are not obese. And to keep them healthy and fit, we plan to eliminate all of this extra, highly processed sugar that is added to foods in the form of HFCS. If this means no more Nutri-Grain bars and Fig Newtons, then so be it. We’ll find some alternatives. The first step is to continue going organic. There is plenty of naturally occurring sugar in fruits and vegetables. Last night, my wife found Planet Organics. They offer home delivery service of organic groceries, fruits, and vegetables. We might start paying a bit more for our food, but when it comes to the health and safety of our children, the small increase in cost is well worth it.

Fundraiser for Bay Area Discovery Museum

I was a little hesitant about posting this information. My reasons were greedy and selfish. I don’t want the Bay Area Discovery Museum to become so filled with laughing, playing children that my own children do not have room to run around and have their own fun. This is precisely the reason we avoid the Discovery Museum on the second Saturday of each month. That’s the day when non-Members can visit for free. And the place becomes a mad house. However, I just learned that beginning Wednesday, October 1, the free day lands on the first Wednesday of each month. This should clear up some congestion on the weekends…

After a second thought, I reconsidered posting this news about the fundraiser. After all, if the Museum does not raise funds and gain new members, then they can’t grow and improve the museum. Case in point: the waterfall in the Tot Spot. That’s been under construction for a month now… Anyone have the inside scoop on that topic?

The Goblin Jamboree fundraiser takes place October 18 and 19. Admission for members is $12 and the public pays $14. Children under age 1 are admitted free. Admission includes all of the activities, which include pony rides, train rides, a haunted house, a Witches’ School, and more.

Tickets for the Sponsor breakfast go on sale September 1. Sponsorship levels start at $200 for a family of four and go up to $1000 for a table of eight.

A raffle will be held. Prizes include special Disneyland family passes, a signed San Francisco Giants baseball, and various gift certificates.

Hopefully, this turns out to be a very successful event and we hope the Bay Area Discovery Museum overflows with happy families.

Rumblefish Bistro

Sam Cooke crooning in the background. The Godfather framed on the wall. Welcome to Rumblefish Bistro: a sushi restaurant. Located on 23rd Avenue, between California Street and Clement, Rumblefish offers a unique dining sensation. Where else will you find empty Coppola wine bottles lining the wall with Nigiri on the menu?

Yesterday was date night, and we wanted the babysitter to enjoy the experience of feeding our toddlers dinner, so we got out early. We arrived at the restaurant around 5PM. They open at 5:30PM. This gave us time to walk around the block; a couple of times. We passed by Pizzetta 211, which is kitty-corner to Rumblefish. They were already open with diners seated at their tables. A mutual friend recommended Pizzetta 211 to us, so we stopped to peruse the menu. It looked like fancy-pants pizza to me. A quick glance at the menu, and a peep at an outdoor diner’s plate, revealed that the pizza looked more like baked bread with toppings on it. I wouldn’t consider it pizza in the traditional sense, but it did look very good. We also noticed on the menu, in all caps, that they recommend children remain seated at all times for their safety. My wife and I looked at each other and simultaneously said, “We won’t be coming here with the kids!”

After our relaxing stroll around the block, we headed back to Rumblefish. We were the only diners through our entire visit. That was a little surprising, because the food and service were both excellent. My wife reminded me that it was 6PM and most people don’t go out for dinner until after 7PM. Like I’ve said before, having kids changes your perspective on the world.

We are not sushi snobs, and therefore, we are very happy ordering the chef’s selection of sashimi, the spicy tuna roll, deep fried soft shell crab, and a dragon roll. I was tempted to order the Philadelphia roll, but I was vetoed based on the idea my wife was not eating sushi with cream cheese (maybe we are sushi snobs?).

The sashimi was fresh and served at room temperature. We’ve had sashimi at other restaurants where the sashimi tasted like it came out of a refrigerator. You really lose a lot of flavor that way. This sashimi was near perfect.

The spicy tuna roll lived up to our expectations of being spicy. A classic stand-by, it’s hard to mess up a spicy tuna roll. I don’t think we’ve had a bad spicy tuna roll anywhere, and Rumblefish did not let us down.

My wife’s favorite was the deep fried soft shell crab. For whatever reason, I thought we were getting hand rolls, but again my wife corrected me and said, “Oh, no. We ordered just the crab.” Even though it was deep fried, it was not greasy, and it was fried to a golden brown. The crab was accompanied with greens with ponzu sauce; overall, simply delicious.

What can I say about the dragon roll? Barbecue eel is one of our favorites and the avocado was creamy and melted in our mouths. We snarfed it down and looked around for more.

The waitress came back and asked if we wanted dessert. She only offered a grean tea cheesecake, which my wife promptly turned down. I would have tried it, but my wife whispered to me that we’d explore other options…

Our other option turned out to be a fresh market about a block down on Clement. We got a couple of sweet breads. I wish I could remember the name of the market… It was close to the movie theater. If you’re in the area, and walking around, you won’t miss it.

Overall, Rumblefish Bistro is a recommended sushi restaurant. If you go early, you'll have the place to yourself!

Rumblefish Bistro
200 23rd Ave
(between California St & Clement St)
San Francisco, CA 94121

Pizzetta 211
211 23rd Ave
(between California St & Clement St)
San Francisco, CA 94121

Let's Go to the Library

Having kids can lead you to places you have not been for a long time. The last time I stepped foot in a library was back in college. And that was a long, long time ago.

My kids are ferocious readers and they love their books. This is a good thing. A very good thing. Not so good for the books, as they tend to get bent, folded, and mutilated. Covers come off, spines are ripped apart, and pages are found littered throughout the home. Don’t get me wrong, the kids are reading the books. Most of the damage happens when they play tug-of-war with the book, or drop one out of their crib, or the book succumbs to old age (roughly six months of constant use). This has led us to the library.

The San Francisco Public Library provides a bounty of reading materials and is rich with history. The Presidio location was established in 1898 as the sixth branch in the system. It opened at its current site on Sacramento Street in 1921. It’s a small library, but it boasts wonderful architecture and many of the wooden bookshelves appear original. They do have a Kids Reading room and we have found some great books there. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can always go online, do a search, and the library scours all of its locations to find what you’re looking for. Then, they send the book (or DVD) to the branch of your choosing so you can pick it up. If you sign your child up for a library card, there are no late fees, but we’ve still been good and renewed our books when they become due.

If you have kids, and have not visited your local library, I highly recommend it. Even if you don’t have kids, you should go to the library, take a few hours offline and reconnect with a good old-fashioned book. It’s good times.

Presidio Branch Library
3150 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA 94115

I Love Goozex

I started using Goozex, the game-trading service, in April 2008. Since then, I have received 10 games. In my eyes, that’s $600 (not including tax) worth of Xbox 360 games. If you’re a gamer, and you’re tired of dropping $60 for the latest titles, then I whole-heartedly recommend Goozex.

The web site works off a point system. Each game is assigned a point value, which fluctuates based on popularity, availability, and for how long the game has been available. Points can range from a maximum of 1000 to a low of 200. You can obtain points two different ways. The first way is to trade the games you currently own. The second way is to purchase them; you can purchase 100 points for $5. For each trade, you need a Trade credit. A Trade credit is worth a dollar. To keep it simple, think of Points going back-and-forth between the traders, and Trade credits go to Goozex (they have to get paid somehow). After someone requests one of your games, then it’s up to you to purchase a bubble envelope, print out the address, and head to the post office. Not a big deal, but on some days it can be a hassle getting to the post office, but they do give you three days before you have to mail it.

A game like Peter Jackson’s King Kong is worth 250 points. Simple math says that you can purchase King Kong from Goozex for roughly $12.50. If you bought it brand new in the store when it was released, you would have paid $60. While King Kong is a fun game with awesome dinosaurs, there is no way the game is worth $60. It is, however, worth $12.50 and I was very happy with my $12.50 game. What made me even happier is that I purchased the game for 200 points and I sold it back for 250 points. That made me very, very happy. In the end, I earned 50 points ($2.50) off the game. That offset the cost of shipping.

For every excellent deal like King Kong, there’s a Viking: Battle for Asgard. A simple button-masher of a game, it does offer beautiful scenery and awesome cut scenes. However, it is very repetitive and the core of the game tests your button pushing skills. I bought this one for 900 points (a big mistake) and, two months later, it’s still sitting on my shelf waiting for someone else to request it. When I do sell it back, I will only receive 750 points (provided it does not drop further in value). I’m looking at a potential loss on that one. Looking at it positively, if I trade it for 750 points, then I will have spent 150 ($12.50) points on the game. Yes, the game is worth $12.50, so in the end, I’m still happy.

Then there are games like Grand Theft Auto IV. When this game released, I ran to the store to purchase it. The game critics were raving about it and it was deemed the game of the century. Personally, I thought the game was severely over hyped and did not live up to it’s potential. I finished the single-player missions and promptly put it up for sale on Goozex. Less than an hour later, someone requested it, and I earned 1000 points for it. My $60 purchase of GTA IV earned me the equivalent of $50. Basically, I played GTA IV for $10. The only way you could beat that is if someone gave you the game for free. This is the beauty of Goozex: it allows you to buy games you wouldn’t normally purchase in the store and it allows you to sell games that you’re not happy with.

The service does rely on the honor-system: if you say you’re going to trade a game that is in good condition, then you better do so. You can provide Positive, Neutral, and Negative feedback. That way, if you decide to be a jerk and trade scratched games, or never send the game at all, then karma will come back to bite you. On the other hand, if you keep your game, case, and manual in new condition, promptly mail the game to the requester, and send a nice note, then you will receive Positive feedback and your karma remains healthy. I’ve only had one negative experience so far and it wasn’t really that bad. I sent a requester a full package, and they gave me Neutral feedback saying I only sent the game and the manual. In the long run, this hasn’t hurt me or my standing with Goozex, and I have had no problems since then.

The Pizza Place on Noriega

The Pizza Place on Noriega is our new favorite pizza joint. Amici’s used to be our go-to pizza place. We’d pick up the phone, place our order, and less than 30 minutes later dinner would be served. We were also $50 lighter in the wallet. And that was just for a large Amici’s Combo and a spinach salad. That was fine, before we had kids. But we have kids now and $50 for a pizza dinner is far too expensive.

The Pizza Place on Noriega is the perfect solution. We’ve gone several times in the past year and a half and we’ve never been disappointed. Located at 46th and Noriega, it has a good view of the ocean, and the local surfers and families frequent the joint regularly. The restaurant has a bar up front in case you’re stopping by for a quick beer and a slice; and they have an ample dining room for those sitting down to enjoy a meal.

We usually show up around 5PM, and we find parking right out front, and a couple of high chairs waiting for us when we enter. The staff is friendly and fast. Two of my favorite attributes in a wait-staff! The restaurant is very casual, and what they lack in décor, they make up for in style. There’s usually reggae playing on the sound system; last night they were playing some old Neil Young. Our toddlers’ bopped around to the music until dinner showed up. They also have a very cool car up on the wall; complete with spinning pizza wheels. It’s awesome and the kids love looking at it.

The food at The Pizza Place on Noriega can’t be beat. We order the antipasto plate for the kids. This is one of the best antipasto plates we have found. It has ham, salami, coppacola, cheese cubes, olives, bread, and peppers. Like I said, it’s one of the best plates around. We simply slice up the ham, dish out the cheese and bread, and the kids go to town. They couldn’t be happier. We (Mom and Dad) eat the olives and peppers.

Pizza fans will not be disappointed. The pizza is some of the best around and they offer some unique combinations. Last night, I got the Dimitri (sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, garlic, tomato sauce, and cheese). It’s like a combo, minus the green peppers and onions, which is fine with me cause those are my least two favorite toppings on a combo. My wife got a slice of cheese. Not too much to say there, except that it’s good. On past visits, we’ve both had the Besto (pesto, roasted potatoes, feta, and roasted bell peppers). It’s very, very good. The pizza is thin crust, and is served crispy. The toppings are plentiful and the cheese is ooey-gooey. You won’t be disappointed.

The price is right, too. The cost for two slices of pizza, the antipasto plate, a beer, and a soda, with tax and tip, was less than $25. That’s awesome!!

Home Fried Potatoes: The Home Fried Way

Everyone knows that Squat and Gobble has good home fried taters; but they aren’t perfect. Bay Watch also has good home fried taters, but they tend to be served cold and not very crispy. They always say, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. So, we started making our own home fried taters. It’s easier that way: we get to control the ingredients and preparation; and if the kids decide to throw tantrums, we don’t have to walk them outside.

We started making our own home fried potatoes about a month ago. We had a single Russet potato sitting on the kitchen counter hanging out with a couple of bananas and an apple. We weren’t sure what to do with our lone potato, and after long consideration, we decided to make our own home fried potatoes: and the result was better than anything we’ve had at a restaurant.

The secret is to bake the potato the night before you eat it. We use the microwave for our baking (it’s faster…in case you didn’t know). After nuking it, test the potato to make sure it’s soft. Use a paper towel or an oven mitt, because (here comes the safety tip) nuked potatoes tend to get hot. After the potato is sufficiently nuked, put it in the refrigerator. The next morning, you’ll have a soft, yet firm potato, ready for slicing.

After your kid wakes you up at 6AM, and you’ve done diaper changes, and brewed the coffee, it’s time to pre-heat the pan. This is probably the most important step. The first time we made our own home fried potatoes, we used butter. The second time, we used extra virgin olive oil from Trader Joe’s. Prep your extra large frying pan with either butter or EVOO (we prefer butter) and turn the heat up high. The trick is to get the pan screaming hot to achieve golden brown perfection.

While the pan is heating up, slice up your tater. We prefer thin sliced, so they get extra brown and crispy. If you prefer a mushy center, then slice the potato a little thicker.

After the pan is screaming hot, place the potatoes in an even layer in the pan. This is where the restaurants fail. They tend to heap the potatoes on the grill in huge piles. Doing it this way, not all the potatoes become golden and crispy. And some stay soft and mushy. This is not preferred… After the potatoes are sizzling in the butter or EVOO, it’s time to season to your liking. We prefer dried, minced onions, and of course, salt and pepper. I add a little Tabasco at the end.

Let the potatoes cook and don’t mess with them. They tend to break apart if you’re too attentive a cook. After several minutes, check one of the potato slices to see if you’ve achieved golden perfection. If it has, then gently turn each potato slice over one at a time. If you use a spatula, and flip all at once, they might break apart and you’ll wind up with a pan full of mush.

Let the second side cook just like the first side, but for not as long. The second side always takes a shorter amount of time than the first side.

We like to serve a scrambled egg melt with our home fried taters; complete with sliced lil smokies and shredded cheese. Enjoy!

A Modest Proposal for Stop Signs

People do not stop at Stop signs anymore. That’s not news. My proposal for the removal of Stop signs is news.

When I moved to San Francisco 11 years ago, I lived in the Haight-Ashbury, and I either walked or took the bus everywhere I went. When I crossed the street, people would stop at the Stop sign—wait for me to cross—and then they would proceed.

Flash forward 11 years and now I’m more surprised when someone actually stops as opposed to narrowly clipping me or slowly creeping up on me as I cross the intersection. This not only applies to people in cars (although Range Rover owners are the worse offenders), it also applies to bike riders. Bike riders are worse at stopping at Stop signs than most drivers. And believe it or not, from my experience, cab drivers stop more often than any other category of people you find on the street. So, kudos to you, Cabbies!

What are we, as a society, going to do about the Stop sign problem? Offering dirty looks to offending drivers only results in either bored looks, or they yell back, saying that they see you. Well, if you see me, then STOP at the Stop sign and quit creeping up on me! It’s just creepy behavior. The cops don’t seem to think of this as a problem. And I would prefer them to be more concerned with real crimes like murder. The Police can spend their time catching Stop sign offenders when it’s their time of month to fill quotas. It would be easy enough to do. All they have to do is park near any intersection, wait five minutes, and start pulling people over. It would be like fishing in a barrel.

My modest proposal is to simply replace the Stop signs with Survival Zone signs. I am a firm believer in calling something what it is, rather than using some cutesy name. Survival Zone signs would indicate to a driver, or bike rider, they are approaching an intersection. They would have two choices: 1. They can take the defensive approach by slowing down, looking around, and proceeding. 2. They can take the offensive approach and simply gun it. The offensive approach assumes that any pedestrians or other drivers will get out of the way. After all, this is a Survival Zone.

As I am raising kids in the city, I can’t wait to teach them to drive. I will definitely teach them that the best defense is a good offense. Look how well that’s working for the Bush administration, the War on Terror, and the War on Drugs; all huge successes. I will teach my kids that aggression in a Survival Zone trumps hesitation, and plus, you’ll reach your destination much quicker by not stopping for pedestrians. Of course, I’ll have to buy them armored cars. Possibly a Range Rover with reinforced steel plating. On second thought, it would have to be a Hybrid-Armored-Range Rover, because we can still be concerned with the environment while running down pedestrians.

How about it, folks? Let’s put this in motion and start replacing the Stop signs with Survival Zone signs. We’re already acting like intersections are a Survival Zone, now let’s start calling it like it is.

Let's Go to the Park

Having 19-month old twins at home, and living in a relatively small city apartment, makes us want to get out and play—just about every day—regardless if it’s sunny or rainy. That’s why it has become so important for us to find good parks. And a good park is hard to come by, especially in the city, and especially when your toddlers aren’t exactly ready for the monkey bars and the big kid swings. We have several defining factors of what makes for a good park:

• It has to be enclosed. With a gate that locks shut.
• It should have that soft, rubber surface instead of gravel and concrete. I heard they make these bouncy surfaces from old tires. Good use of recycling, if you ask me.
  
• The park needs more for toddlers to do than just sit in the sand and bake in the sun. Granted, San Francisco does not have many cloudless days, but when it does, the sand heats up and it heats up fast.
  
• The gym set needs to be geared for toddlers, which should include short steps, a place to run around once you get up top and not accidentally fall off, and a short slide.
  

The best park we have found so far is Alta Plaza Park. I think it’s also known as Alta Vista park. It’s located between Scott and Jackson Streets. It has everything we look for in a good toddler-park and it boasts beautiful views of the city. This park also provides a “see-and-be-seen” opportunity for parents who prefer to socialize while playing with their kids. While we prefer to wear shorts and flip-flops to the park, some parents like to wear designer boots… but I digress. It’s a great park.

Julius Khan Park, located in the Presidio, is another good one. While it is more geared toward the bigger kids, our toddlers still enjoy playing in the shade underneath the gym set that’s just a little too big for them. We will probably visit this park more as the kids get older. It’s also a great park to host your birthday party. They offer a huge field, a clubhouse, and picnic tables. I understand you have to make your reservations early, like a year in advance, but people do it because we see parties there all the time.

Another park in the Presidio is Mountain Lake. We’re not huge fans of this one, because it is a little small and limited and again the gym set is designed for older kids, but there are always other people there. The best part is the lake. The kids love the birds and ducks. There’s also a dog-run nearby, and our kids love dogs, so that’s a bonus.

Last, and certainly least, is Presidio Heights Park. This is a true city-park; it offers plenty of asphalt and concrete. We like this one the least, and yet it’s the one we visit most often, simply because it’s so close by. On the plus side, it does have a small sand box for the little ones to play in, and there are always park toys that our kids like. Once again, the gym set is a little too big for our kids, but they do enjoy the swings.

Parks are great for the good weather days. But as we all know, San Francisco can get cold and rainy. On those days, we pack the kids in the car and head to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. It’s a short hop across the Golden Gate Bridge and is located in beautiful Marin. Simply put: Our Kids Love It! They have great play areas both indoors and outdoors. They offer breathtaking views of the bridge and surrounding hills. They offer all kinds of activities for kids of all ages. We see ourselves visiting BADM for several years to come. They also provide birthday party services, which we’ve contemplated doing.

So, there you have it, that’s our run down of San Francisco parks that we’ve enjoyed.

Alta Plaza Park
Between Scott and Jackson Streets
San Francisco, CA 94115

Bay Area Discovery Museum
East Fort Baker
557 McReynolds Road
Sausalito, CA 94965-2614

Julius Kahn Park
Pacific Avenue (inside the Presidio)
San Francisco, CA 94118

Mountain Lake Park
10th Avenue and Lake Street (inside the Presidio)
San Francisco, CA 94118

Presidio Heights Park
Clay and Laurel Streets
San Francisco, CA 94118

Using Fire Eagle

Yesterday, I attended a press conference at Yahoo’s Brickhouse office. They announced the launch of Fire Eagle. It’s an API that allows you to post your current location on your blog or web site.

This morning, I wrote an entry posted on my professional blog about how I wouldn’t use Fire Eagle and that it’s really for the younger generation (and I got a little snippy). Because, you know, being in my late 30’s makes me an old man (and apparently a little gerpunkety).

This afternoon, I started using Fire Eagle. I logged in to outside.in Radar, paired up Fire Eagle with this blog, and viola, instantly my blog posts were appearing on Radar. It’s all location specific, so when I post about the Farmers’ Market, or Costco, or even businesses like TiVo, it picks it all up and places it in various spots on their site. It’s really pretty cool.

Reading Radar will tell you interesting stuff, like the fact that Rachael Ray just ate at Spruce, a restaurant within walking distance of my home. That falls into the interesting category and made me say, “Oh, that’s cool.”

Despite what I said this morning, I think I am going to use Fire Eagle. Why not?

Fresh and Fruity

Regular readers of Rohde Family SF know that we’ve been on a Farmers' Market kick lately. It’s a fun thing to do. It gets us out of the house in the morning. The toddlers really like that! They don’t like being cooped up in the house all the day. Plus, we get some fresh air, not to mention fresh fruit. We’ve really been digging the corn lately.

The Farmer’s market we enjoy best right now is the one on Alemany Boulevard. The parking is tight, but there’s a fairly good turnover, so we’ve been lucky at finding people that are leaving and we snag their spot.

The last time we went there we noticed that someone had altered the words ‘Farmers Market,’ which had been painted on the side of a building. And now, forever more, the Alemany Farmers' Market is hereby renamed to, “Farters Market.”
Yes, we are in our late 30’s, and we still thoroughly enjoy a good fart joke.

Hot Dogs!

Re-Discovering Past Favorites
There are foods you eat as an adult. And then there are foods you eat as a kid. There are also foods you re-discover as an adult when you have kids; and you like them. And last, there are foods you re-discover and you kind of wish you hadn’t. For example, canned, sliced carrots. Those are just nasty. But my baby girl loves them, so we buy them and feed them to her.

Foods you’re thankful for re-discovering, cause they’re good: grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, Cheez-It crackers, Ritz crackers, tater tots, and hot dogs. Yes, hot dogs! As an adult, hot dogs are reserved for the ballpark, and even then you usually get the bratwurst. Otherwise, hot dogs conjure up images of miscellaneous pig parts, horse meat, and other various meat products that if you found it laying on the sidewalk, you’d just as soon step around it then on it, let alone eat it.

As a kid, you probably snarfed down the dogs like it was a gourmet meal at Gary Danko. Then you grew up, and you learned better. You became an adult and your tastes evolved. Then you had kids. And you send your kids to daycare. And daycare has hot dogs on the menu. At first you revolt: No way are my kids eating all those nitrates and mystery meat! And then you run out of time to make a special lunch for the kids to take to daycare and you say: Fine, let them eat the dogs. And the kids like them. They snarf them down like they were dining at Boulevard. So, you buy them at home to feed them on the weekends, cause nothing else seems to be working, and you can only make so many grilled cheese sandwiches.

But then my wife gets smart, she does her research, and what does she find: all beef hot dogs with no nitrates. And these things are good. They are real good. And once again, hot dogs become a re-discovered food that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating and they don’t make you feel sick if you eat more than one (I’m looking at you, dollar-dogs at the Coliseum…).

And then I found this article over at Serious Eats, and we’re back at square one. Doesn’t matter what the article says, I like hot dogs, my kids like hot dogs, and we’re gonna eat hot dogs!! Especially during baseball season.

“Nobody, but nobody, puts ketchup on a hot dog anymore!” —“Dirty” Harry Callahan

Sitting at the Table

A few weeks ago, or was it a couple weeks ago, or was it last week (you know, the memory fades and the calendar melts and we forget what we had for breakfast an hour after we wolf it down while standing at the counter, handing the toddlers bits and pieces as they walk in circles waiting for mom to blow dry her hair so that we can get out of the house… but I digress). Anyway, sometime back we moved the toddlers out of the highchairs and into their dining chairs. Now we all sit down for dinner like one big, happy family. There are several advantages to this over the highchairs:

1. Cleaning highchair trays are a complete pain. And washing them after breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner completely wipes out the entire day. And that’s no way to spend the weekend.
2. Food spilled from a highchair and food spilled from a dining chair all wind up in the same spot: on the floor. This isn’t really an advantage, it’s more of a keen observation.
3. Another keen observation is that both the highchairs and the dining chairs have seatbelts. So, again, there’s no real advantage to the dining chair, I’m just making a keen observation. I like that phrase, ‘keen observation.’ OK. I’ll stop now.
4. When the toddlers were in the highchairs, there was a certain disconnect. It was as if, we’re eating over here, and they are over there. Sure, the highchairs were pulled up close to the table, but it’s just not the same thing.
5. With the toddlers at the table, it’s a surreal feeling having the whole family sitting together. I really didn’t think it would be such a big deal, but it really does have a psychological affect on everyone. The toddler’s do not scream to get out of the highchair to sit in our laps and they don’t demand to have our food instead of their food (even when it’s exactly the same food). I think they feel like the big kids they are. That’s not really an advantage either, I guess it’s another keen observation. OK. I promise. I really will stop now. And I think that’s the end of the list, because it’s not much of a list anyways, it’s really more a series of… it’s a series of (I can’t help it)… KEEN OBSERVATIONS.

I really am done now with only one last note: I’d like to get rid of our highchairs. They take up a lot of space. OOH. That could’ve been Advantage #6: the dining chairs do not take up extra space. Too bad I’m already done with the list… I’m not very good with lists. That’s my wife’s department. I’m better at rambling…