Bound for Bay area? Tips to know before you go
Can we agree that the U.S. isn’t going back to normal anytime soon? Omicron won’t let us.
But plenty of us continue to visit the Bay Area, while the rest of the world mostly has been shying away. Here are a few ideas, tips and updates for anyone headed to San Francisco, Oakland or Berkeley.
Before you go, though: Check individual destinations for updates on masking and vaccination requirements, and bear in mind that everything is subject to change as the pandemic evolves.
San Francisco Dress to dine outdoors
A lot of us have wondered about the outdoor dining options that have multiplied during the pandemic, including “parklets,” those improvised eating areas in spots that once were parking places, perfect for those not yet comfortable with eating in enclosed spaces. Have any been made permanent? In San Francisco the answer is yes.
There’s a new show in town
For more than four decades, San Francisco’s goofiest, most tourist-friendly live show was “Beach Blanket Babylon,” a silly, song-heavy, fancy-hat-intensive romp that reliably filled Club Fugazi in North Beach until closing in 2019.
Now comes a potential successor in the same space: “Dear San Francisco: A High-Flying Love Story,” which opened in October. It was put together by a modern circus collective known as the 7 Fingers, which calls the production “an acrobatic love letter” to the city. It dips into local history with video projections, shadow play, juggling, hoop diving,
hand balancing and Korean plank (also known as teeterboard).
The co-artistic directors of the show (and the 7 Fingers) are Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider, both of whom grew up in the Bay Area. The show, about 90 minutes without intermission, is set to run through at least March 31. Seats are $35 to $99, depending on night and location.
Don’t miss this free art exhibit
Doug Aiken, ”lafur Eliasson and 25 other artists are part of a For-Site Foundation immersive art exhibition called “Lands End” that will be up through March 27. The show, staged at the historic seaside Cliff House building
(the restaurant is idle) at 1090 Point Lobos Ave., explores climate change and the health of the planet. Admission is free but advance, time-specific reservations are required. (Also required: proof of vaccination.) Only 49 people are allowed in the building at a time.
By the way, the National Park Service is looking for a new restaurateur to take over the Cliff House (which closed in 2020) and the cafe at the Lands End Lookout Visitor Center, raising hopes that food service (fancy at Cliff House, casual at the cafe) might return before the end of 2022.
Where to breakfast
In San Francisco, I’ve
long relied on Café de la Presse, between Union Square and Chinatown, for a solid breakfast and pleasant people-watching. (The Chinatown gate is across the street.) But for months, Café de la Presse cut back its schedule and was serving only lunch and dinner.
Now breakfast is back, offered Tuesday through Sunday, 8 a.m.-11 a.m. There’s also brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Or consider the alternative I adopted while Cafe de la Presse was unavailable: the unfussy Roxanne Café on Powell, which has indoor and outdoor tables and does breakfast all day. Also, you’ll see cable cars rumbling past outside.
Oakland History on tap
In Oakland, you can explore Jack London Square’s outdoor Sunday farmers market (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and maker’s market (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). And Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon (which goes back to 1884) continues to offer drinks and history. (Yes, Jack London tippled there.)
Berkeley
Check on Chez Panisse
In Berkeley, there may be better eating soon. But you can’t eat in Chez Panisse until the restaurant and cafe’s dining rooms reopen, probably in the first week in February, “barring any
prohibitive circumstances.”
A worthy substitute
In the same neighborhood, browse the Cheese Board Collective across the street (open Tuesday through Saturday), where there are outdoor tables and sometimes an accordion player. The Cheese Board’s Pizzeria is open for dinner Thursday through Saturday.
Lodgings in Berkeley
If you’re considering an overnight stay in Berkeley and haven’t been there lately, the French Hotel changed names a few years ago. It’s now the SenS Hotel and Vanne Bistro, with 18 guest rooms on three levels, a short walk from the Cal campus.