Duckin' Out
Feb 4, 2008 3:52 PM
Mix Editors' Duckin' Out Picks
We’re Walking, We’re Walking…
You’ll find that the locals here love to tell you how great this city is. San Francisco nonprofit CityGuides takes civic pride to the extreme, with a group of 200 highly trained volunteers who lead free walking tours all over town. On any given day, there are dozens of walks, ranging from treks over the Golden Gate Bridge to a “Bawdy and Naughty” tour of the old Barbary Coast dives. Just pick a tour you like, show up at the appointed time and look for the person with the badge. (Check out their schedule here.) And we know they’re free, but do throw a donation their way; these guides rock. —Sarah Jones
Get Into History
Check out the sole fire hydrant that worked during the 1906 earthquake; it's painted gold to mark its significance. At the corner of Church Street and 20th. —Sarah Benzuly
Audio Oddities
Okay, we’re all sound snobs; that’s why we’re here. Well, those searching for truly wacky ways to indulge that inner audio geek should check out the Audium. Founded in the late-‘50s by some foreward-thinking composers and designers, the Audium (www.audium.org, Fridays and Saturdays, $12) is a theater dedicated to “the exploration of space in music,” via some VERY retro synth recordings—manipulated live via a custom console—and 169 speakers. (Talk about early surround.) Enter the space-age looking room, allow your eyes to adjust to the gradual darkness, and let the sounds wash over—and around—you.—Sarah Jones
If you’re looking for something a little more organic, check out The Wave Organ, an acoustic sculpture built into a jetty in the San Francisco Bay. The sculpture features 25 concrete and PVC “organ pipes,” with building materials salvaged from a demolished cemetery. Go near high tide for the best performance. In the Marina district; www.exploratorium.edu/visit/wave_organ.html.—Sarah Jones
Playing Steve McQueen in Your Rental Car
Okay, so you’re probably not tearing around town in a ‘68 Mustang GT 390 Fastback, but you can still have a little stomach-dropping fun in your Hertz special on the slopes of Russian Hill. Head to the neighborhood outlined by Hyde, Pacific, Taylor and Bay streets for the biggest brake burners—particularly Taylor Street between Broadway and Green, and Leavenworth Street between Union and Broadway. And of course, everyone has to drive the famously curvy Lombard Street once. But my all-time favorite drop is two blocks south: The stretch of Filbert between Hyde and Leavenworth, with a 31.5 percent grade, is the steepest slope in the city. Bonus points for taking air…—Sarah Jones
The Antidote to the Music Chain Store
Looking for the 7-inch single of Fiery Furnaces’ “Crystal Clear”? Itchin’ to hear that Foo Fighters UK import with their “Darling Nikki” cover? Can’t find Square Pusher on vinyl? Or maybe you just have to have every Venturescollection of surf hit covers? Try Haight Street’s Amoeba Music, home of one of the country’s largest selections of new releases, imports, reissues and out-of print albums. Hailed by Rolling Stone as the “World’s Best Record Store,” this indie gem stocks more than 200,000 new and used CDs, plus100,000 vinyl LPs, 45s and 78s. Also packed in the store’s collossal 24,000-square foot space are thousands of new and used DVD and Laserdisc titles, plus a healthy collection of cassettes and rare posters. Chances are, if you’re looking for it, they’ve got it. Now, if you could only expense that shopping spree.…www.amoeba.com. —Sarah Jones
Ferry Building Marketplace
You could spend half-a-day perusing through the newly redesigned Ferry Plaza and gorging yourself on anything from a crisp glass of chardonnay, goat cheese, FRESH oysters, a tea break or the farmer’s market, where you can buy anything from garbanzo beans in the shells, four-pound heirloom tomatoes for $7.99 a pound, lavender-infused rock salt to everything pleasing the gourmet guru! (Thursday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.); www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com. —Sarah Benzuly
CLOSE TO MOSCONE
Wholesale Flower Mart
Peruse various flowers…pick some up for the booth. Those who watched your shift may be more forgiving that you “ducked out” a little longer than expected if you come back with a beautiful bouquet! And what better way to make your booth “blossom.” Open to the public after 10 a.m. www.sfflmart.com. —Sarah Benzuly
