San Francisco is for makers

San Francisco is full of maker culture with generations-old bakeries, letterpress printers, neighborhood art galleries, and spaces like MakeShop and Makeshift Society. While we were there for the Re:Make conference, we also got to enjoy a little slice of the artisan goods and local flavor San Francisco makers have to offer.

This included a lot of food. Because, this is me we’re talking about.

Seriously, I could write an entire post on a lot of these places – and I might still – so please let me know if there’s something you’re particularly interested in in the comments. For now, here’s an overview of our Thursday through Monday in SF.

Thursday: SFO -> North Beach -> Pier 39

– Ate –

Pier Market – Tucked into the middle of the bustling Pier 39 are the bright blue awnings of the family-owned Pier Market restaurant.

It’s the kind of cloth-napkin casual dining experience that demonstrates a passion for good food without the stuffy formality. Our meal was delicious, and the servers were very knowledgeable about the menu, giving us great recommendations and walking Phillip through the local craft beer list.

They are a Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Restaurant Partner, which requires choosing more sustainable seafood and educating staff.

– Stayed –

The San Remo Hotel (3 nights) – It’s a boutique Victorian-era hotel with a charm and community vibe that make it feel more like a European pension or bed and breakfast, rather than a typical chain hotel. (No meals are included but there’s coffee in the lobby after 8am). It’s just really cozy. The furniture is antique, and the rooms are small with shared bathrooms (including pull-chain toilets).

The San Remo is on edge of the North Beach neighborhood (known for its Italian roots), so you’re walking distance from Saints Peter and Paul Church, Pier 39, Chinatown, and lots of good food. (On Sunday, we walked to our walking food tour. So that should give you an idea of how much deliciousness is nearby.)

Friday: Fort Mason

– Saw/Did –

Steph: Re:Make conference.
Phillip: Fort Mason, a center for cultural and historical sites, as well as events like Re:Make.

– Ate –

El Sur food truck at Off the Grid – We walked over to Off the Grid, where 30 food trucks, carts, and tents circle around with live music at Fort Mason every week (except in the winter). We ordered 2 empanadas to share – pollo saltado (pan-seared chicken) and champiñones (mushrooms) – from the El Sur truck, plopped down at a picnic table, and enjoyed.

– Stayed –

San Remo Hotel (night 2 of 3)

Saturday: the Bay

– Saw/Did/Ate –

Hornblower Cruises & Events San Francisco Champagne Brunch cruise – You start out sipping mimosas (or your brunch beverage of choice) and looking out at the Bay. Once the cruise gets underway, a pianist provides ambience and acts as emcee, announcing anniversaries and birthdays. The buffet tables are stocked with fruit, salmon, quiches, salads, and breakfast breads. There’s also a carving station. Hornblower uses local and sustainable items where possible. Our server Pavel answered our questions about the Bay while keeping our coffee topped off.

Outside on the upper decks, you take in the breeze and the gorgeous views of the shoreline and Golden Gate Bridge.

You pass Alcatraz, and, if time and currents allow, you may cruise under the Bay Bridge, as well. We spotted dolphins or maybe porpoises from the deck.

Happening back on dry ground:

Baseball game at AT&T Park
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
We rode a street car, sat in traffic, and chatted with a street performer covered in gold paint.
Re:Make Festival at Fort Mason – which we finally made it to.

– Stayed –

San Remo Hotel (night 3 of 3) – When we checked out the next day, they held our luggage in their office, carefully placing my vase full of flowers a friend had given me near a window. (I’m not sure cut flowers need light, but it was still a really thoughtful gesture.)

Sunday: North Beach -> Nob Hill

– Saw/Did/Ate –

Taqueria San Jose – Not fancy but good tacos and really good salsa.

Washington Square Park – A big green plaza in front of Saints Peter and Paul Church, where we hung out, people- (and dog-) watched, and wrote a postcard or two.

Victoria Pastry Co – We snacked on cookies and biscotti at this 100-year-old bakery.

Local Tastes of the City San Francisco Tours North Beach/Little Italy Walking Food Tour – This tasting tour takes you behind the scenes at many North Beach institutions.

At the first stop on the tour, I found myself sitting outside a cafe, drinking the best cappuccino I’d ever had. You guys, this is my kind of sightseeing. Afterwards, we crowded around the roaster to look at green coffee beans while our guide explained the roasting process.

You learn about the history of the area, walking through Washington Square Park and into Saints Peter and Paul Church. We also went to peek inside a bakery oven while munching on sourdough bread and macaroons, sampled balsamic vinegars to learn how aging makes a difference, learned about the business of fudge from the back room of a candy store, and tasted pasta, pizza, and antipasti.

I only wish we could have taken the tour earlier in the trip, because it introduced us to so many wonderful places we would’ve loved to revisit.

– Stayed –

InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco – You might ride a chaotic cable car down Mason Street, lug your luggage up Nob Hill, scan the names of buildings towering around you, and then finally spot InterContinental Mark Hopkins in all its roaring ’20s elegance. Walk through the revolving glass doors, under gorgeous chandeliers, and into the expansive lobby, where everything starts to feel more serene.

We checked in, and unlocked our door to the kind of cushy room you want to collapse into and never leave. It had a super comfy bed and a bathroom larger than some Manhattan apartments. There is free wifi for rewards club members, and you can even sign up on site. A few minutes after we checked in, they brought us fruit and local chocolate.

While our room had a fabulous view, you can see 360 degrees from the windows in the Top of the Mark restaurant on the top floor.

Monday: Mark Hopkins -> The Mission

– Saw/Did/Ate –

Just down the hill from Mark Hopkins (easy walking distance):

MakeShop – Brit + Co’s maker space
Union Square – High end shopping, cafes, theaters, and outdoor events.
Cafe La Taza – They brought my sandwich up to their quiet second story. I had a perfectly good tea, but totally regretted not ordering a Mexican mocha when I tried some of Phillip’s.

My cousin Julie met us at the cafe. We chatted, and she gave us a ride to the Mission District. Phillip wanted to see Clarion Alley. It was interesting to see what was still there and what had changed in the months since I’d been there.

From the Mission, we boarded BART to head back home.

Know Who’s Awesome?

Some of the businesses I mention in this post helped us out with complimentary or discounted media rates, so we could do more things and tell you about them. As always, I gave you my take on experiences. Opinions are my own, regardless of who picks up the check.

Thank you to the following businesses for providing complimentary or discounted tickets, meals, or accommodations:

IHG / InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco
The San Remo Hotel
Hornblower Cruises & Events
Local Tastes of the City San Francisco Tours
Pier Market

A special thanks to the San Francisco Travel Association for resources and assistance!

October 15, 2014October 16, 2014

Re:Make Conference: What is the Maker Movement?

“If you thought the internet was big, this is going to be bigger.”
–Mark Hatch, TechShop CEO on the Maker Movement

Brit + Co’s Re:Make event in San Francisco was all about the Maker Movement with a conference on Day 1 and community festival on Day 2.

Certain themes recurred throughout the day – storytelling, craftsmanship, being true to your style, creativity. I got to discuss it all over a lunch with speakers and other Brit + Co contributors, definitely a highlight!

Who is a maker?

“The maker movement is the next revolution in society. Welcome to the Revolution.”
–Mark Hatch, super quotable speaker

A maker is simply someone who enjoys making stuff, whether it’s food or furniture, rugs or robots, strawberry cocktails or Storm Trooper costumes. Yep. In fact, “Most Star Wars fans are makers,” according to Mashable Editor and How Star Wars Conquered the Universe author Chris Taylor. (We came to the same conclusion about the Comicon community.)

Makers may use traditional techniques (hand embroidery) or modern tech (3D printing) or some combination (the fan-built, Arduino-controlled R2D2, who accompanied Chris during his talk).

More and more people are are choosing the DIY route, and it’s starting to affect both culture and commerce. This is the Maker Movement.

Some call it a Revolution.

Express Yourself

Brit + Co put together a report on the Maker Movement. Their survey found that 8 out of 10 adults fit their definition of maker. During her opening keynote, Founder Brit Morin said that, while the Movement “skews female,” women don’t always see themselves as part of it. Instead, they think of it as something “male and techie.”

Women also tend to devalue their own skills and creativity. I see this at my CraftHack group all the time. Women will be working on these awesome projects but a lot of times just shrug them off.

I believe that everyone is creative. But, as adults (especially as women), we’re often afraid to express ourselves. Making something – however imperfect – helps us tap into the fearless self-expression we had as children. Practicing creativity opens the door to more creativity.

Makers Gonna (Re)Make

There were plenty of opportunities to be creative and make stuff at Re:Make. As soon as you walked in, you could take part in a giant collaborative paint-by-number (with paint from sponsor Lowe’s, of course!). We took Make Breaks for crafting cork vases and decorating cupcakes. The second day there were DIY stations scattered throughout the festival.

More conferences should include DIY projects! They’re great icebreakers and a great rest from information overload.

What made the Maker Movement happen now?

1. New ways to learn

Brit also noted that makers tend to be early adopters of technology. However, “only 17% are using tech for making.” Instead, they’re using it to learn how to make things by hand, find inspiration, share ideas, watch tutorials. “The Maker Movement is not just tech, it’s about traditional arts and crafts resurrecting in society.”

Mark Hatch observed that “we live in an era where you can pick up the skills to do almost anything in 90 days.”

The Michaels spokesperson echoed this later in the day. Their customers used to have deep knowledge of one craft. Now they usually have a broader range of skills, because it’s so much easier to learn via online platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. Information has become more accessible.

2. Conscientious consumers

“The maker movement is booming and retailers don’t even know it.”
–Bradford Shellhammer, Fab.com Founder and BackCountry.com CDO

As more consumers become makers, more people have started to care about how products are made and who made them. Makers are on both sides of the supply and demand equation, selling items they’ve made and purchasing artisan goods from others.

Jaime Derringer, Founder and Editor of Design Milk, noted, “The economy played a role in where we are. People started making things and taught themselves to run businesses.” Maybe they had more time because of a layoff. Maybe they wanted to save money and/or earn a little extra income.

In addition, the recession made us think a little harder about what we were buying and why. Did we really need mass quantities of cheap, disposable goods? Or could we get by with fewer, higher quality things made in more sustainable ways?

“Groupon trained consumers to look for discounts. That era is ending. Now there are more conscientious consumers.” AHAlife CEO Shauna Mei explained. “People care about stories, heritage, and who made the product.”

Steven Heintz, CTO of Quirky agreed. “People are bored with mass-produced products. They’re looking for something unique.”

Shake It Up

If all that info makes you feel like you could use a stiff drink, you’ll understand why the conference wrapped up with a cocktail party.

It was the kind of day with more awesomeness than your brain can contain and no way to chat with everyone you’d like to. I wish I could have a few Groundhog-Day-style do-overs, just to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

I was honored to be a part of Re:Make and so appreciate Brit + Co and Lowe’s bringing me out!

In the words of the Urbio spokesperson (whose name I didn’t catch):

“If you’re passionate about something, you have more tools now than ever to make it a reality. Go out and make something!”

October 9, 2014November 9, 2014

Re:Make Festival: A celebration of making

So what is the deal with this Re:Make thing I keep mentioning?

Re:Make is Brit + Co’s two-day maker event held a couple times a year. Day 1 is an invitation-only conference with awesome speakers and demos by startups. Day 2 is a festival open to the public with tons of handmade products and DIY project stations.

I was able to attend September’s Re:Make in San Francisco, largely due to a Brit + Co contributor travel stipend from Lowe’s (also a conference sponsor).

Even though the festival day happened after the conference day, I’m going to start on Day 2 at the festival.

The Living Room of the Future

With all the fabulous festival happenings, you know what I did first? Hunt for an outlet to charge my almost-dead phone. I figured my best bet would be the The Living Room of the Future. (Feel free to read that in a deep, echoing voice like “The Living Room-oom-oom! of the Future-uture-uture!”)

The Living Room of the Future was a whole room constructed just for the weekend to demonstrate Lowe’s IRIS line of smart home products. It had sturdy walls (holding artwork and a pretty massive monitor), a full set of furniture, a door, and (thankfully!) working outlets.

One of the Lowe’s reps moved a plug down to make room for my charger. Turns out it wasn’t just any plug, it was a smart plug. (Did you know plugs could be smart?!) It’s basically the updated version of those timers you plug your lights into when you go out of town. Except it you can control it from your phone. The only “installation” required is plugging it in to an outlet. That piqued my interest, because we rent our place, so we can’t get too crazy in the home improvement department.

Since I was hanging out waiting for my phone anyway, I asked what else they had that would work in a rental. Turns out most of their stuff would. There are sensors that can text you if there’s motion in your house or just if someone opens the door. (Of course, I had travel on the brain, but it’d be nice if you’re at work all day too.)

I didn’t notice it when I walked in, but the door to The Living Room of the Future (Door to the Future?!) had one of those cool keypad doorknobs. The house where I Airbnb’ed in July had one too. So. handy. Think about not having to coordinate a key handoff for houseguests/pet sitters/a friend stopping by while you’re stuck in traffic/etc.

In case you’re wondering, yes, Lowe’s bought my plane ticket. But I did not expect to get this excited about a smart home system. I’m really not into tech for the sake of tech, but if it makes my life better, I’m in. And their stuff turned out to be pretty neat.

Walking through Pinterest boards

Once I got my phone charged up, I needed a recharge too. I headed over to get some handpoured goodness from the Philz Coffee crew, who had become my BFFs during the conference.

From there, the hall opened up. There was a booth with Luna Bar samples in apothecary jars (Because this was Re:Make. And even the granola bars needed to be cute.), a mini version Brit + Co’s community maker space MakeShop with Brit Kits and 3D printers, a Michael’s “Raw Bar” with projects inspired by the same raw-look trend as our cork vase Make Break the day before, and handmade cornhole games in progress (Can someone explain to me why cornhole is suddenly everywhere?)

There were also lots of photo booth backdrops (also very Brit + Co) for selfies. I snapped a quick one in front of a Lowe’s backdrop, and then someone asked me a question, and I got totally sidetracked and forgot to take a better one.

Sprinkled throughout the hall were DIY stations where you could do things like paint your own tote, make a Lego house, or decorate a Lowe’s paint cans to hold your purchases.

100 vendors were there with handmade and artisan products – messenger bags, ceramics, jewelry, cards, soaps. I basically wanted to buy everything. Combined with all the DIYing going on, it really kind of felt like my Pinterest boards had come to life. Seriously. You can check out the merch in the B+C Shop.

An impressive 4,000 people made their way to the festival by the end of the day. It was overwhelming but so amazing!

I’ll fill you in on the first day of Re:Make (the conference day) next week! In the meantime, check out my Make Break post or Instagrams from the trip.

August 5, 2014December 4, 2021

Breaking: San Francisco has TWO bridges!

The Golden Gate Bridge is kind of like the Bay Bridge’s diva younger sister. Constantly in the spotlight, she’s been called the “most photographed bridge in the world” and is super high maintenance – with a staff of 34 devoted just to touch-ups.

Even though they both span across the San Francisco Bay, one of them gets all “I’m golden” about it and the other just tells it like it is. In fact, the often-overlooked Bay Bridge stretches 8.4 miles and helps 45 million people get to work every year without making a fuss.

I don’t mean to sound like their mother or anything, but, as iconic as the Golden Gate Bridge is, they’re both beautiful in their own way. And I have pictures of both of them ~~in my wallet.~~ in this post. Here are a few spots where I’ve caught a great view and what you need to know to travel across.

How to Cross that Bridge When You Come to It:

Golden Gate Bridge

In Your Own Car
The good news: You no longer need to stop at a toll booth.

The bad news: You still have to pay a toll for crossing southbound to San Francisco. You just don’t have to stop. It will be charged to you via your license plate with the new Pay-by-Plate program. (Convenient or creepy? You decide!) Currently, the toll is $7 for most cars, but check goldengatebridge.org for rates.

In a Rental Car
Since tolls are now collected via license plate and not on-site, make arrangements with your car rental company before you go.

Without a Car
You can walk the mile-and-a-half(ish) distance or take a (non-electric) bike or scooter during certain hours, as long as you stay on the sidewalk. Animals aren’t allowed, except, of course, for service animals. This is not the place to walk your chihuahua. His tiny little legs probably couldn’t make it that far anyway.

A few places I’ve enjoyed the view…

Baker Beach
Coit Tower (it’s in the distance of the photo above)
Marin County (a.k.a. the other side of the bridge)

Bay Bridge

The Bay Bridge now only accepts cash or FasTrak – no credit cards! The toll varies by time of day, currently $4-6. You don’t have to have exact change (although that’s quicker), but you do need to request a receipt if you want one.

Art
In addition to sculptures along the nearby Embarcadero, the bridge itself has become part of a giant art installation. 25,000 LED lights covering Bay Bridge cables twinkle in constantly-changing patterns. You can see The Bay Lights through 2015, although there’s an effort underway to keep them lit for another decade. If you can’t make it to San Francisco, there’s also a livestream every night.

A few places I’ve enjoyed the view…

The Embarcadero
Coit Tower
Oakland

What bridge(s) do you love? Where do you go for a good view?

A big thank you to local experts Julie, Matt, Isaiah, and Allie (whose new project is the San Francisco magazine Friendly Strangers)!

January 22, 2014July 28, 2022

Why I look for art in libraries (and what else I’ve found)

You might not think of walking into a library when you’re traveling, and it used to be that I didn’t either. I think it was stumbling on the Biblioteca Nacional del Perú that changed it for me.

I don’t remember what it was that afternoon during our (otherwise awesome) 2005 Peru trip that had gotten us down. Just that Lima’s big city, horn-honking, rumbling-diesel, street vendors/restauranteurs/bus drivers-shouting-for-customers cacophony had suddenly overwhelmed us, when we realized we were standing in front of Peru’s National Library. It wasn’t on the agenda, but we decided to duck in.

In stark contrast to the noisy streets, it was so quiet I was worried about the sound of my shoes on the marble floors. We took a few random turns and found ourselves in this beautifully serene garden courtyard, separated from the city by a two-story wall but feeling miles away.

We practically collapsed onto one of the benches. It was just the respite we needed at that moment. By the time we returned inside, we were composed enough to want to look around. In the center of the cavernous main room, there was this amazing Don Quijote exhibit with rare books, sketches and sculpture.

Since Phillip and I love books and art and the comically (tragically?) romantic Quijote, this made our day. I wouldn’t have thought there would be anything for non-locals at a library, but we came away from the experience with souls nourished – and with a deeper respect for libraries as places with something to offer everyone, not just cardholders.

I remembered this when I was visiting a library closer to home a few weeks ago and saw Scottsdale Public Library’s new gallery for art exhibitions. It’s currently devoted to a pretty fabulous Steampunk display (through Saturday 1/25). You don’t have to be into the steampunk scene to appreciate the artistry of the handmade costumes and props.

My own city of Tempe’s library displays art on a single wall near their cafe. They don’t list exhibitions on their site, so discovering great work from local artists John Nelson and Troy Mark Moody during a recent visit was an unexpected bonus with my coffee.

I started thinking about other libraries I’ve happened to visit when traveling and whether they put art on display.

The Library of Congress, which is kind of our own U.S. national library, has several art exhibits at any given time. Currently, they are displaying photos from the March on Washington, pre-columbian ceramics from the Americas, and cartoons (in at least two galleries).

Lots of college campus libraries display art, as well.

We noticed a small gallery in a corner during a tour of Fuller Theological Seminary’s main campus in Pasadena, California, and I found that their David Allan Hubbard Library regularly exhibits artistic and historical collections from its archives.

Although we weren’t able to get in while we were there, many of Dr. Seuss’s sketches are housed in the somewhat seussical-looking Geisel Library building on UC San Diego’s campus.

How do you find out about art on display at libraries? It’s not always publicized. Your best bet is to look for an “exhibitions” link on the library’s site, but they may not even mention them. If you’re exploring a new city and pass by the library, I’d recommend stopping in. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

A library can be both a respite for the weary and a window into the community. They’re open spaces you can visit without making a reservation or paying admission. In addition to art, libraries may exhibit artifacts or rare books or local projects. The Ouray Public Library has a whole display case of geodes, fitting for an area where geology is so important.

While reading too many stories of knights and giants may drive you mad, visiting libraries can put you on more solid footing.

Although I didn’t go to any libraries when I was on the man of La Mancha’s home turf, I felt I owed it to him to check in on what’s happening at the Biblioteca de Castilla-La Mancha now. I found something you rarely see in library reading rooms: performance art. Specifically, an exuberant (dare I say quixotic?) flash-mob style celebration of its 15th anniversary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCCMYDk7YmM

Libraries are full of art – and surprises.