7th Annual BYOBW, Update

by Willy Volk on

Remember when we told you about the BYOBW? Yes, that big-wheeled event during which grown-ups carouse all day long, trudge to the top of Lombard Street (the world’s second crookedest street), and then zoom down it in an inebriated whoosh of plastic and frenzy? Though no Gadling-ers were dispatched to observe the race, I’m pleased to report that our more technically-inclined siblings at Autoblog not only traveled to the event, but they designed and built a BW to race! So cool.

Evidently, this year’s BYO — featuring 100+ entrants and more than 2000 spectators — was the largest ever. If you want to see grown-ups dressed up, careening down crooked, cobbled Lombard, check out Autoblog’s amusing 93-image gallery and video from the event.

Hungry for more? The always-excellent Laughing Squid covered the event, too, and has a fun report about it and an exhaustive round-up of participant photos and videos.

Next year: Team Gadling will lead the charge. Va-room!

Last Hippie on Haight Street

by Iva Skoch on

Although a big chunk of Haight Street in San Francisco is now packed with tourists, yuppies and beggars, you can still find occasional treasures. If you can get past the cheesy hippie souvenir stores and grungy-gone-chic clothing boutiques, that is. Yes, and there is even a McDonald’s on one side and GAP smack in the middle. OK, so it is the original GAP, but still..

The Red Victorian is a small B&B at 1665 Haight Street, a part of the Peaceful World Inns, run by a sweet, entertaining lady named Sami Sunchild. She started this hippie hotel in order to create a “new alternative for corporate tourism” and it is fair to say she succeeded. You can choose from 17 unique rooms, such as the Summer of Love Room, the Flower Child Room, or the Peace Room. We recently stayed there and can definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for clean, quaint, and pretty affordable accommodation in SF.

Sami actually joins her quests for Breakfast Conversations, so if you are ready to discuss peace in the Middle East over your fair-trade latte, Sami will be all yours. Of course, if you have any good ideas on that topic, please get back to us. Peace out.

Sex and Violence, Elk-style

by Iva Skoch on

With a goal to get some exercise in during a gluttonous trip to San Francisco, friends took us for a hike in the striking Point Reyes National Seashore Park, only an hour northwest of the city. After eyeing us, the jovial ranger suggested we take the Tomales Point hike. “It is about 5 miles each way, sandy but moderate, and there is a good chance to see some sex and violence along the way,” he said. We were sold. Yes, cheaply.

Hiking is not for everyone. However, throw in the possibility of viewing live sexual acts, and urban dwellers pour into the woods by the Jeep-loads. OK, when you get there, you realize the only participants are elk. But still, if you are into viewing fellow mammals procreate, hiking Point Reyes might be for you.

Although we did not plan our trip with elk (or sex) in mind, last weekend we found ourselves in the middle of the elk mating season, which usually runs from the end of July through October. Literally hundreds of elk surrounded us along the sandy path with magnificent views of the ocean. The mating process itself is every feminist’s worst nightmare. During the mating season, elk bulls gather females into harems. Each harem has about 20 or so females, or as many as a bull can defend from competing males.

Still, scientific curiosity aside, it was slightly disturbing to see all the tourists, photographers, and experts set up their tripods and telescopes to see exactly what is going on, hoping to document the act first-hand.

Without completely giving away the details, there is a lot of elk sniffing-around and bugling going on. While the males seemed very much into it, the females stayed blasé, if not bored. An on-looking photographer summarized the scene: “This is like the worst pick-up bar ever!”

Muni: A Noob Does Public Transportation in San Francisco

by Sarah J. Gim on

If you’re familiar with taking trains, the subway, and the bus, then you can ignore this post (or you can
read it and snicker at me). If not, and you’re going to be traveling to San Francisco any time soon, then here’s how
you use the Muni. That’s San Francisco’s city bus.

This isn’t a backhanded
way of bragging with my nose up in the air that "Oh mah gawd, I’ve hardly ever taken public
transportation." I grew up in the Midwest where the only bus I ever rode was bright yellow and went from my house
to that horrible place called "school." Now, I live in LA, and we know about public transportation in LA
(wait, we have public transportation in LA?!?!?)

So traveling in San Francisco, I learned how to take the bus.
The Bay Area public transportation system is extensive,
efficient, and very friendly to the likes of me – a newbie to buses and a traveler.

You should know where you
are and where you’re going. You can either use the Muni’s Trip Planner to type in starting and ending
points to find out which line(s) to take, or you can be brilliant and use a route map or schedule. We ended up asking out hotel concierge
(we’re not very brilliant), who told us we needed to take the F line to get to the Ferry Building from Union Square. A
one-line trip is easy. If you need to use multiple lines, well, that’s the advanced class and I haven’t gotten there
yet. Okay, actually, it’s easy. That’s where the transfers will come in later.

Muni stops are
obvious. Just make sure you’re on the right side of the street and when a bus rolls up, make sure you’re getting on the
right one. Lots of buses stop fairly often at the same place. If you’re obsessive like me, you can ask every person
waiting at the stop, and confirm with the driver when he opens to door to let people on. F? Does it go to the Ferry
Building? Is this the F Line?

Muni costs $1.50 for adults. If you
have ID, then you can get the senior, youth, or disabled person discount, which means a ride costs you $0.50. You have
to have exact change to put into the money box because the drivers don’t take money or provide change. When you board,
you also get one free "transfer."
We’ll get to the transfer later.

Some of the Muni buses look like they’ve been airlifted from another time and
place. Thats because they have. Apparently, the bright orange one that we took is from Louisiana. The way it
was rattling and shaking along the rails sure felt like it was from the 1800s.

At rush hour, the Muni gets very
crowded. Actually, even when it’s the middle of the day, the Muni is crowded. Just pray that everyone used
Dial.

You got on through the front door, but don’t try to exit that way otherwise you’ll be fighting against all
the riders who are trying to get on. Use the middle of back doors.

Your
"transfer" is a slip of paper that lets you get back on any Muni before the time that’s marked on the paper.
If you’re using more than one line to get somewhere, the transfer lets you get on that second bus. If you land at your
final destination, then it gives you about an hour and a half. If you’re efficient in your shopping, sightseeing, or
whatever you’re doing in the City, you could get back to homebase for free! Unfortunately, I got carried away at the
Ferry Building Marketplace, so the transfer expired.

Oh well, $1.50 to get back is cheap.

San Francisco: After the Ruins

by Karen Walrond on

The Travel Bookshelf of the Houston Chronicle is
featuring a new book, After
the Ruins, 1906 and 2006:  Rephotographing the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.  It’s a pretty neat
premise:  photographer Jack Klett returned to the settings of 48 historical photographs, and reshot the sites as
they appear now.  Accompanied by essays written by Philip L. Fradkin and Rebecca Solnit, the work "likely
will captivate anyone who has visited San Francisco."

Another bonus:  the book is also supported
by a  photography exhibit, featuring the both the works of Klett and the historical photographs, at he Fine Arts
Museums of San Francisco’s Legion of Honor, at 34th Avenue and Clement Street in Lincoln Park.  The exhibition
continues through June 4; call 1 (415) 863-3330 for more information.