Ducati Monster Forum

When I moved from Hawaii to DC, I received great advice from the CAM members so I'm hoping to get the same from MOB  ;D

I will be moving out to San Francisco in September and am trying to get a feel for some good neighborhoods to find an apartment.

Ideally, are there any good areas along the BART lines?  I do not plan to have a car and the Duc will be my daily driver.  Work will be across the bridge but luckily am told it is near a Bart station so I would like to have the option to use the bike or the train.  Since our Ducs are an important part of our family, I will also be looking for garage parking.

So, hoping people can chime in on some places that have access to good parks, restaurants, bars, nightlife and yet be near a Bart station.  Am I asking for too much?

So far, I am considering Mission District (24th St station) and Embarcadero.  Are these good places?

Thanks in advance for all the help and can't wait to meet everyone and enjoy all of the Left-coast roads  [thumbsup]

Welcome!

I'd highly recommend the Mission. I live near 16th/Mission BART, and love it. It's very central, and easy walking distance to groceries, restaurants, etc. Oh, and the bike shops are very nearby  ;D

Do you plan on coming out to visit before you move? Many of us would be happy to give you a tour.

where is work going to be.

Ingleside isn't too bad either. It's far enough out of the craziness...and crackheads, unlike DQ's place [laugh]... but easy enough to get into the heart of the city, and everything fun. It's super easy to get to all the good riding roads, and the Balboa Park BART is right down the street.

And, unlike other parts of the city, you can get a huge house with a garage, for about the same as what you'd pay for an apartment down town. [thumbsup]

Heck, these guys'll tell ya how freaking huge my garages is! ;D

Desmoquattro, thanks for the input. I heard the Mission has a great eclectic feel but can also be a little sketchy depending on where you go.  Is this what you find?  Any specific part to avoid and/or target?  I will also be in Nappa Valley on the 16th to attend a friend's wedding so am hoping to get a few days in to check out some neighborhoods.  Anyone want to meet up and share some input and a drink ... first pitcher is on me  [beer] [drink]

Ghostrider,  work will be in Walnut Creek.  I heard it's about a 40 minute train ride from within the city but figured it should be quicker with the bike.  Someone said it would be a "reverse" commute so hopefully not so much traffic when I want to take the bike.

Duckwrench13, I hear you about getting more property for the buck if I go outside.  But being single and new to the area, I'd love to live right in the middle of all the fun... at least for now ;-)

Everyone, thanks for the great input ... pleas keep them coming! [thumbsup]

 The Ingleside neighborhood is in San Francisco. Mt. Sutro and Twin Peaks kind of separate the noise 'n crazies from the area. It's about a 10 minute ride from here to the Mission if you want the hustle 'n bustle.

 Sure it's all fun, until your bike gets knocked over for the umpteenth time. [bang] A few minutes out, in one of the other neighborhoods, and you can get a decent place with a private garage. [thumbsup]

If you're single and want to have fun and meet new people, I'd def recommend the mission. I think it's the city's cultural mecca. There's tons of restaraunts, bars, shops, galleries, Dolores park etc. You can avoid some of the sketch-iness if you get a place in the nicer part of the mission like on Guerrero and Dolores streets. Mission is the best if you want to be close to Bart. Up the hill and on the other side of the mission is another great neighborhood, Noe Valley. Both are sunny and warm -a major + in my book. SF has strange micro-climates  ???

I give  [thumbsup] to 1)Mission 2)Noe Valley, and on the other side of Market five min from the mission also 3) Lower haight/Duboce Triangle. Slightly off-center, but still pretty cool you could also check out Laurel Heights, Presidio, and Inner Richmond. I think a bike is less likely to get knocked over in these hoods  [bang]  and you might find a garage easier, but unfortanately these aren't close to Bart.

I live out in the east bay.

Look me up when you arrive and settle in.  [thumbsup]

Are you set on living in SF?

The Creek has a pretty thriving night life as it's the current spot people move to when they get tired of paying crazy rent in SF.

It also has a thriving Cougar community, and has several well documented Cougar hunting grounds.

I think The City is cool but for me its not worth trying to commute in and out of every day. Not that my 104mile commute a day is much better, but at least there is no traffic.

move to Concord, I heard its nice there.

San Francisco has so many flavors I would highly recommend coming out and checking it. Or at least really sitting down and defining what's important. Yuppie? Hipster? Bohemian? Collegiate? We got it all and then some. Each neighborhood is so different you’d think you were in different countries let alone cities. To make it even more fun, there are intensely different micro-climates even within the city. It can be 55F and fogged over down town and 80F and sunny on the southern hills. I’m not exaggerating.

The hills being quite steep, you can go from view of the bay to puke stink and gutter trash in 3 blocks.

You can go from White-bread yuppie to China to Italy to Mexico in 1 mile. Ok maybe 2.
These are good things and one reason I’d like to think we love this place so very very much. But you got to find the right spot for YOU!
Finding a garage is tough but possible. We’re nice. We’ll help when we can. I know a sweet, huge, new 3 bed loft with garage on a sunny hill coming up for rent. 3 garages next door all have motobikes too. That goes for the rest of youz too. Let me know. ;)

The Concord Walnut Creek area is very nice.

It all depends on what you want. You can be Yuppie trash out here also but at a slower pace than SF  ;D

Everyone,

Thank you so much for the replies [thumbsup]

I am much more comfortable in an eclectic environment ... I consider myself a global nomad as I was born in Asia, grew up in the NYC area (loved hanging out in the village, soho ....), lived in AZ, France, HI, DC/VA and can't wait to make it to the Bay area.   I am far from a yuppie although I may need to wear suits once in a while  ;D

So far, the Mission sounds like a great place .... I also want to find a safe area, more for my parents when they come and visit ... want to make sure they can walk around and take the train without any issues.

I never realized about all the micro neighborhoods (both culturally and climate-wise!) .... thanks for the heads up.

Thank you also for enlightening me about the specific areas of the Mission, that will factor in on my search.

Desmostro, that loft you were talking about ... is it near a Bart station and do you know what the rent is? (you can pm me if you don't want to discuss in public).

Duckwrench and yeloducnymph, thanks for the insight about the different neighborhoods.

ROBsS4R, not looking to live in the uppie neighborhood (no offense to any one living there!) and I will definitely look you up once I'm out there [thumbsup] 

TCK and 707soldier,  Yeah, I'm trying to live in SF ... figure it's a good time... before I have to live in the burbs due to the family  ;)   Also, not sure if I'm looking to go cougar hunting .. or is it the other way around?  :o   

If are moving to the city and dont have a place when you get here, I have a room you can rent for a few months (up to 6 if you want).  It's in a pretty swanky hood in the city, central to almost everything, and has a garage spot.  My girl is moving out in the begining of Sept and I was about to start craigslisting.  pm me if you are interested.

Welcome, sounds like you have been getting sound advice.  [thumbsup]  Your commute out to Walnut Creek shouldn't be too bad, apart from the initial bit of getting out of the city.

Let us know when you are in town. [beer]

Vindingo,  Thanks for the offer.  I am hoping my apartment hunting trip after my friend's wedding will be fruitful.  I will definitely keep it in mind but please don't hold off lisitng the room on my account  [thumbsup]

Msincredible,  Yes, everyone has been very helpful and I really appreciate it.  Thanks for letting me know about the commute ... that's good to know that it shouldn't be too bad and it'll finally be nice to "share lanes" LEGALLY!  ;D  Once settled, I am hoping to meet everyone during your normal get-together .... I guess that's called zeitgeist?

the commute into and out of the city should be fine. the only problem will be the maze. the joining of all 6 freeways leads to mongo traffic all day and nutts traffic at commute times. it's easy on a bike or in a train but in a car you may need something to stop you from going crazy  [bang].

What are these places you speak of?  I could use some weekend entertainment.  :)

;D

The Mission is awesome, and I don't think it's sketchy at all. First appearances are a bit deceiving: you might see some dirty streets and a few homeless people, but it's not a dangerous place. San Francisco is a very safe city, by American standards...and it's far safer than, say, traveling up the western shore of Oahu as a haoule  ;D

I've lived in The Mission for almost 5 years, in SF proper for 15, and have been coming here for years (my dad and grandfather were both cops here). Some folks sketch on The Mission, but I don't worry too much about it. Your neighborhood is as good or as bad as you allow it to be: the folks on my block stay vigilant, quickly paint over graffiti, and stay on top of the police to patrol our street and put a stop to anything untoward going on.

Come on out on the 16th, and hang out with us. You'll be in town at the same time as bigian, so we'll all be getting together during that time. BikerGoddess and I will be back after the 18th, so PM me for my cell and we can give you a personal tour of the neighborhood.

Oh, and if you're working in Walnut Creek the reverse commute will be awesome...whether by BART of by bike :)

Hey there,

Welcome!  Here's my 2 cents for what it's worth...sounds like we've both lived in a few geographic locations.

I moved here from being based in HK for 4 years.  Ended up living in the Richmond on 4th Avenue (between Geary & Clement Streets) b/c of a GF who lived in the upstairs unit of the Victorian - it was a godsend actually as the dot.com boom was still going on.  I'm of Shanghainese origin but was born and raised in Germany and have lived in Europe 1/2 my life.  That's why the Richmond was/is so cool - restaurants of all Asian cuisines, grocery stores (both Asian and Western), safe neighbourhood, proximity to Golden Gate Park and the GGB (for beautiful riding in Marin!), and 280 (if you are heading South).  I'm assuming your parents are Asian - they would love being able to walk/hang around the Richmond.  My Dad has visited me a couple of times and he loves being able to walk down the street to buy his Chinese newspaper.  Here's my only complaint about the bar scene here... it's limited to either very casual pubs or very shee-shee/upscale bars/restaurants near Laurel Heights.  But it's not really a complaint b/c I can get to any other evening spot around town within 5 - 20 minutes.   Probably a good thing since I might be out even more than I am now!  ;D  Oh, I guess another negative is that this area is not very close to BART.

I've also lived in the Castro (Diamond @ 18th) with the ex-BF.  I loved this neighbourhood and felt extremely safe!  It also happens to be the mecca of the LGBT community which makes it very busy during the Castro Street Fair, Pride, Halloween, etc.  There are a lot of great restaurants, tons of gyms, stores of all kinds and very sunny (great microclimate in this 'hood).   Some people might prefer Noe Valley but to be honest, I'm not a baby stroller kinda gal so I'm fine being a visitor in that neighbourhood.  Both of these neighbourhoods have the Muni trains: The Castro Station serves trains F, K, L, M that connect with BART and from Noe Valley, there's J that connects to BART) = quite convenient!

Currently, I'm back in the Richmond/Presidio Heights/Laurel Village neighbourhood.  I enjoy living here but the micro-climate can be a bit foggy but it seems with global warming that there has been less of it these past 2 years...

But Desmostro is right, there are so many awesome neighbourhoods in SF - make it an adventure - you can always change hoods and experience something else before you head towards the Burbs :)

Sorry for the delayed response everyone ... just got back from Miami  [moto]

Ghostrider,  that's why I don't plan on having a car ... I love the fact that I can finally legally split lanes .... have been doing it but always looking out for the  [leo]

Desmoquattro, the haoule comment was too funny ... actually, when I first moved there, I was told that if I broke down out west, even though I could pass as a local ... just don't say anything and people would help me out ... otherwise, my haoule accent would give me away!  I assume you also spent some time in paradise?

 I'd love to see you guys on the 16th but I'll be up in Nappa sharing libations and giving my condolence ... oops, I mean celebrating my friend's wedding  [evil]    I will definitely send you a pm to see if we can hook-up after the 18th .. thanks for the generous offer  [thumbsup]

CharliesAngel,  wow, sure looks like you've had an interesting life.  I really enjoyed the spicy duck tongue I had in Shanghai and the dumplings from HK.  Did you attend those crazy rave parties in the streets of Germany?  I distinctly remember trying to ride home afterwards, covered in foam, head to toe ... hehehe.  I'd love to hear more about your travels.

The Richmond sounds like a great neighborhood.  Yes, you are correct about my parents also being Asian. I am sure they would love being able to stroll the neighborhoods.  Unfortunately, not being close to the BART makes me want to look at the Mission and SOMA more closely.  I've heard the same about the Castro being a good area with a lot of things going on.  I am far from being a homo-phobe but having a HI license plate means I have a rainbow prominently placed on my motorcycle.  I don't want to give the wrong impression or else I may be single for all the wrong reasons... hehehe  ;D     Actually, I was told that if I can find a place between the Castro and the Mission, that might be a good compromise and would give me access to each neighborhood's great character [thumbsup]

If living in SF is anything like the great experience I've had with MOB, then I can't wait to get out there!  Thanks everyone and look forward to meeting everyone.  [thumbsup]

If you're considering your folks being "at home" while being in the neighborhood, Ingleside has all the same benefits of the Richmond, but with the Balboa Park BART station just down the street, and the K Muni line running right through the middle of it all. Super easy access to the entire city, and easy commuting to the East Bay.

The godsend of your search - Google Streetview is now on my street. I just realize my POS car has now been immortalized out in front. The bikes, are in the garage... :P

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&q=2031+26th+st.+sf+ca&ll=37.755312,-122.395849&spn=0.051913,0.092611&z=14&layer=c&cbll=37.750981,-122.399428&panoid=Hw9A7ybEsPAGjmQtqr5b5Q

It's here. I haven't seen the inside, but my place is next door. Its the top floor, new clean, and massive for San Francisco. 3 bedroom 2.5 bath Loft, + 3000Sq feet, garage, huge balcony, view of south bay. 5 min.s to BART. 2Min's to train going south. 1 minute to 280 or 101. One of the sunniest places in the city. Super quiet. Not an elegant neighborhood. But Potrero Hill can be fun, just not as social as North Beach or the mission. House. Lots of houses. Not sure what the price is. prolly $3300 to 3400. a month.

There may be smaller ones coming up very soon. I saw someone else moving out this weekend down the street.
If anyone wants the landloards number PM me.

+ 1 great spot. Very green, cool, central, nice vibe etc, not too foggy. Near Tartine!
www.tartinebakery.com/ best way to put on 30 pounds in a week.  [beer]

Agreed! +30    ....pounds! [laugh]

It's not San Francisco, but if you're commuting to Walnut Creek I'd throw out Berkeley as an option.   You can actually take twisty roads all the way there - especially if you live in North Berkeley.  Cool places to live would be the top of Solano Ave, or near Monterey Market (northbrae, westbrae area).  Great weather, walking distance to a few awesome restaurants (Fonda, Rivoli, Ajanta), good pizza (Gioia was in the "bay area top 6" for pizza in the Chronicle), the great french bakery La Farine, a good cafe, the local green grocer, a butcher, etc...and above the top of Solano this is the view (from Indian Rock, where you can boulder if you are into climbing):


To get to walnut creek, you go up to Grizzly Peak, then take Wildcat Canyon to Bear Creek, and then (I think) Reliez Valley road.  Back roads all the way - you would be pretty stoked about the commute.

Also pretty good mountain biking.

I'm going to try to make my next job out in WC so I can have that commute.

(http://static.flickr.com/75/203053171_d6ca2ff9c7_b.jpg)

Depending on your personality you might like Berkeley or Oakland which would shorten your commute slightly and avoid the toll.

SF is all about weather.  Parts of the city are foggy and cold.  Other parts are sunny and warm.  I've lived in the Mission next to Dolores Park and now in Bernal Heights.  Both neighborhoods are very similar and have great weather.  Bernal is more windy in the evening, but a lot less crowded.

The Mission looks rough but it's actually filled with young hipsters with money.  Every person in the city seems to descend on Valencia around dinner time (which is a pain imho).  Having taquerias everywhere is awesome and I can't imagine living somewhere without them.

You should visit the city and explore the neighborhoods a little.  Try to visit a neighborhood in the morning, afternoon, and evening to get an accurate picture of what the weather is like.  There are places in the city that are beautiful for a few hours and then windy, cold, and foggy the rest of the time. 

The closer you get to ocean beach the more foggy and spread out everything is.

Each area of the city seems to have a different crowd too.  In the Marina or Pac Heights you'll find the pristine 999 Fila crowd, where the Mission is all about monster darks.

Use Google's street view maps to explore before you get here.

Try to find a place that has garage parking.  A garage can cost $200 a month depending on the area.  Bikes on the street is not the safest bet.

My two favorite areas are In North beach and the Haight if you like the night life these are also great Nightlife spots. The Haight also has the N-Judah and a bunch of activity going on during the day as well. From North beach you can just take a bus a few blocks to down town and catch BART. It all depends on what you want. You really need to spend about a week or more looking around the city.

...or extremely loud blue S4R monsters  ;D
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1005/555036149_84d2647a02.jpg?v=0)

Oh, and watch out for potholes...here's a map:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/2474631494_157c066b41.jpg?v=0)

lmao.  I reported you to the moderator for pure awesomeness.  [beer]

Um...  The sky is not really orange here though.  [cheeky]

...only in Tigre's dreams  ;D

The way Tigre sees sunsets:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2736398361_6a651c1af1_o.jpg)

 [laugh]

 [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [thumbsup]

Ahhh, how this Board wouldn't be the same without Tigre and all you guys!  [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

Dont forget about Joseph Schmidt Confections @ 16th & Sanchez. If you like chocolate they have some in there.   :)

I LOVE Tartine = best pain au chocolat and croissants outside of Pareeee!  And AMAZING country bread.... yummmm...bread....!
Hmmm, I may have to move near here just to avoid the nightmare parking situation...but then I would probably gain 15 lbs.... on second thought, I think I better stay put...

3500 calories = 1 pound. An average bicycle ride with Desmostro and I burns roughly 2500-3000 calories per hour; average ride time 3 hours.

Looks like it might be time to get a bicycle, suffer weekly with us, then eat all the bread you want! [laugh]

(edit: we do stop for  [coffee] and  [bacon] along the way, so I guess it's a wash. [cheeky])

speaking of fattening baked goods...I just baked some Neiman Marcus $250 cookies...can I drop them off tomorrow for you and Maria?

I'll be here.    (As if I ever go anywhere to begin with?)

 :o :o :o :o :o :o

I hope they have meth in them...or at least something halucinogenic...

does tons of chocolate count...  [cheeky]  I'll give you a shout before I head over to the Duck Cave...

Neiman-Marcus $250 cookies (http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/cookie.asp)

Yep, sounds about right!  ;)
With a couple additional secret additions to the receipe, it's not half bad...and at 112 cookies to show for...I have to find people who will take them off my hands or else risk  [puke]
 ;D

Withoiut meth, they have no appeal  ;D

Why isn't there a crank fiend smiley?

(http://forum.dekonia.com/images/smilies/crazy.gif)

Duckwrench13,  thanks for the info about Ingleside and the Bart station ... will take a look  [thumbsup]

Cloudseeker, awesome picture ... that back roads commute sounds great ... I'll keep Berkeley in mind ... although I'm a city boy at heart.

Now, here's the view from my place in Hawaii .... any chance of finding something like this that's close to the Bart?  ;D

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2743269111_7dff011770.jpg?v=0)


sh,  thank you for the insight on the various SF areas and varying conditions depending on time of day (and even including the type of bike rider/neighborhood!)

MendoDave,  North Beach and Haight sound interesting ... I'll take a look, thanks for the rec! 

Desmoquattro,  that pothole map is awesome ... looks like it would be a similar one for NYC!    Oh, I guess the wheelie was so you could avoid one of those potholes  [evil]

CharliesAngel,  how does one get on the list for your next batch of "special cookies?"   

It's like my view, 'cept there ain't no city here  :P

I think you should invite the MOB to your housewarming for  [drink] and  [wine]...oh and  [bacon]  [cheeky]
I'll bring the cookies...  ;D

You're invited then.

C       o           o         k         i          e          s !       !        !

BART and views do not commingle. You're stupid. Stay there. We'll come visit.   [laugh]

Current SF Sunset:
(http://www.kendall-group.com/images/bloggraphics/fog.jpg)

 [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

me likey this sunset in Nicaragua...

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/2745260218_211fd92582.jpg)

This is how:

Thank you!  I had to go to flickr's "embed image" code in order to get the .jpg tail... :P   I wish I was as talented as you and Desmostro at graphics.... :-[

Desmostro, yes, I've been called worst  ;)   ....  guess I just have that wanderlust ....




CharliesAngel,   Sounds like a plan ... although ... if I can't find anything good, the party may end up taking place in my cardboard box  ... anyone know of a good alley with a view  [laugh] ... oh, but I'll at least make sure my new abode is made from a genuine Ducati parts box  ;D

Also, si vous aimez le petit prince,  je pense que vous pouvez aimer l'alchimiste par Paul Coelho

Since we're showing sunsets (definitely prefer the one from Nicaragua then the current SF one!),

Here's one from Waikiki beach (2 blocks from my place):

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/2744607513_e04b26d8b3.jpg)


along with a random pic I took along a ride:

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2743269113_08c1f52f32.jpg?v=0)


On a different note, how about a sunrise ... at 10,000 ft elevation: (talk about really feeling the dawn of a new day)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3122/2744607515_9337ac7b76.jpg)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2744607519_2f96722a6a.jpg?v=0)


Finally, here's the other view from my place: (maybe I really am stupid!  [laugh])

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2744607509_aab47c4bc3.jpg?v=0)

Hey Oakland has nice sunsets too guys!

(http://static.zooomr.com/images/4275293_7e1cb35752.jpg)

But Richmond has the Sunrises:

(http://static.zooomr.com/images/4546671_b155d1341e.jpg)

Show off!  [cheeky]
J'ai deja lu L'Alchemist - one of my favorite books!  [beer]

now comes the hard part... i have to "wear the colors of my nation" to a Beijing Olympics party my god-cousin is throwing tonight... any suggestions?

Latex paint.

Nice .... great minds think a like   ;D

Keeping your Shanghai heritage in mind, combined with your European and US living experiences, I'd call you a global citizen .... with that in mind ... I agree with someguy ..... +1 billion for latex paint but use multi-colors to show all of those influences .... maybe even a nice calligraphy on your back so people can read it as you pass by on the bike!  [cheeky]

Hawaii FTW

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/2745676346_379bd05c53_o.jpg)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2744840631_7868fd9ab2_o.jpg)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/2745676262_6d253f3112_o.jpg)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2744840691_e30bc2c224_o.jpg)

If you're going to commute to the East Bay, and not spend half your life doing so, you really need to live very close to either a BART station or to an entrance to the Bay Bridge. It can easily take 45 minutes to get from one side of SF to the other. There are no fast east-west routes through the city. Going north-south you have 2 freeways, but those are often pretty slow as well. Public transit through the city can also be time-consuming; for distances under 2 miles I find that walking is faster. Bicycling to the train is great, so long as you can go to and from work outside of the hours when bikes are not allowed on BART, or can leave your bike parked at the station in SF.

ROBsS4R,  beautiful pictures .... are you a photographer by profession?

ro-monster,  thank you for the sound advice .... it does make sense to get a place which not only has access to the BART but is also closer towards the bridge to minimize the commute time.

Thanks everyone!

Hi Everyone,

I want to thank the MOB for all of your help!  [clap]      I found a place near the Civic Center BART station and can't wait to move in.  Oh, I saw someone's white Rs parked in my soon to be place so I figured it must be a good choice  [moto]

You guys were right about all of the different districts ... I would love to have lived in some of the other areas but being close to the BART was a priority.

Thanks again and can't wait to see you guys at the next zeitgeist.  [beer]

Congrats! You're close to everything: bike shops, bars, and the D store  [thumbsup]

Give us a note when you get settled, and we'll hit the Zeitgeist!

Hey do you need any furniture?  I'm giving up my place in SF, looks like it's just a few blocks from where you're moving in (I'm very close to Civic Center as well).  I've got a ton of stuff I need to get rid of, as I'm moving in with my girlfriend and her place is already furnished.

Desmoquattro, Thanks and I definitely want to hook up with you guys once I get settled.   I actually just got back from the D-store .... talk about a kid being in a candy store .... Thank goodness I'm leaving tomorrow and I can't justify buying something now .... maybe when I return  ;D

rise_sf,  Thanks for the offer but I'm downsizing my own belongings to fit in the new place .... oh, good luck with moving in with the girl  [cheeky]

Civic Center area is very convenient. I live near there too. I am glad I have a garage though, I'd be hesitant to leave my bikes outside where I am. Welcome to the hood!

ro-monster,  Thanks for the welcome ... I agree about the garage ... wouldn't want my baby to be sleeping with let's just say .... some of the colorful neighbors  ;)

That's cool that we're in the same hood ... if you don't mind, I'd like to pick your brain about some of the good eateries and other places to go in the area.  Maybe I'll catch you  at zeitgeist soon [thumbsup]

Thursday night  [thumbsup]

Sure, I am happy to share what I know. I can't make it to Zeitgeist this time; promised my brother I'd go see Strike Anywhere with him.

ro-monster, thanks for willing to share your insight.  I'm not in the left-coast until Sunday and I'm not even sure when the next zeitgeist is  [laugh]   Maybe some one can show me the secret handshake so I know when and where to show up?

CharliesAngel, Suppenkuche sounds great, thanks for the recommendation!  Know any place I can get good pork-knee on a spit and some good Czech Pilsner?  [beer]

Dunno about pork kne, but Trumer Pilsner is brewed in two places - Salzburg (since 1601), and Berkeley (since 2004).  It's excellent, to my taste.

Cloudseeker, that's sounds mighty tastey ... thanks for the recommendation  [thumbsup]    The roasted pork knee was sampled in the Czech Republic and I just remembered how good that was with their Pilsner after CharliesAngel mentioned German food and beer  [beer]

I don't remember having any pork knee in Prague...but I do remember mounds of knoedel (i.e. the ginormous dough balls!!!)...can you say "low carb?"  :P ;D 
Oh yeah.... and the boys on the shuttle from Vienna to Prague (Austria Air cancelled our flight from London to Prague and put us all onto a bus - I hated them!) did tell me that the reason they were going to the Czech Republic was ONLY because the price of a pint of beer was 1/4 what it was in London...(and not because of the Czech babes...do I look that gullible?)   [roll] ;D

I'll have to check out Suppenkirche!

If you make it down to south bay, Teske's (http://www.teskes-germania.com/) in San Jose makes up some great German too!  [thumbsup]

I hear good things about Walzwerk in SF (South Van Ness at 15th St). Never been there though...a shame, since I live close by.

A few years ago we celebrated a friend's birthday at a German place in Alameda (can't remember the name). It had some interesting portraits on the walls, and upon closer inspection we discovered that one of the big portraits was of Eva Braun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Braun) :o It was especially poignant since my friend's Jewish  ;D

There are women in the Czech Republic?  I was only there for the castles, architecture, Pilsner and absinth  ;) ;D



Hmmmmm...... with all this talk about German food and beer ... some of these recommended places sounds like a good pre-Octoberfest venue  [beer]