Visited on February 15, 2014

Although I am as white as the day is long, this year I celebrated Chinese New Year three separate times. Once, with my family, as my aunt by marriage is Chinese and invites us to dinner every year, once with my good friends the Huas who threw an amazing dinner for their friends, and finally by attending the Chinese New Year Parade here in San Francisco. 

The parade in San Francisco is the biggest of its kind outside of China, which is pretty incredible. It's also incredible that I've lived within walking distance of the parade for 8 years without ever going to see it. This year - the year of the Horse - had to be my year.

Dave and I had friends in town that weekend, so we invited them along, and my friends Trish and Brandon joined us as well. We were warned that the parade went on for a long time, so we headed out later in the evening and walked down to the end of the parade route, which is not far from my apartment. We arrived right as the parade was entering our viewing area, so we posted up and craned our necks to see. Thankfully I'm married to a tall guy with a nice camera and advanced photography skills, so we got some decent shots from our less-than-ideal vantage spot:

Our warning was correct - the parade was LONG. The colorful costumes, commercial floats, adorable children, and marching bands went on and on for hours. Our out of town friends lost interest quickly and went in search of caffeine, and after over an hour, my other fellow viewers, hungry and tired from standing, started to assure me that we could leave because we had in fact seen "the dragon" - there were tons of them! After nearly 2 hours and the parade showing no signs of immediately ending, I gave in and agreed we had in fact seen the dragon as was the mission of this bucket list item. I am still unsure if there was some iconic dragon that I missed, or if in fact, having seen many dragons, I completed my task. 

The verdict: I'm glad I finally saw this parade, but it was very long - too long for how interesting it was. It might have been nice to see the parade earlier in its route during the daylight, maybe near Union Square, or to buy one of the tickets for bleacher seats, as standing was really tiring after awhile. I would definitely recommend seeing it at least once if you live in SF - but I cannot say I will go see it again anytime in the near future.

Visited on January 25, 2014

As most of you know, California is experiencing one of the worst droughts in history. Instead of rain and cold (or as cold as it gets in California), we had a large bout of 70+ degree days in January. There was much debate here as to whether we should be excited or concerned by the warm, dry weather. My take on it was somewhere in between - sure it would be nice if we had some more rain and the unseasonably warm weather may mean bad things for our planet in general, but on the other hand I wasn't going to just sit inside and pout about these facts - I was going to get out and enjoy these warm winter days while we had them!

The warmest and most beautiful day of all was also the last of its kind - the weather turned slightly colder (now we have highs of 65 instead of 75 and lows of 40 instead of 50) and alas! we even have had some rain, with more in the immediate forecast. But on a perfect 75 degree Saturday, the first in a long while without football, I had no excuses to stay inside. Dave had other plans, so I was on my own. What a great day for a walk and a bucket list adventure!

I texted my good friend and former roommate Lindsey to see whether she would be interested in a walk and a sandwich, and thankfully she enthusiastically said yes. I walked from my place in North Beach to her apartment (my old place of 4 years) in Cow Hollow, and dressed in appropriate Marina mom attire of yoga pants and workout tops (since I guess I'm a cougar anyway), we headed to Lucca Delicatessen on Chestnut Street in the Marina. 

We got there pretty late for the lunch hour, around 2 PM, but there was still a line out the door in this popular spot. Lindsey and I took a number, then began salivating over pretty much everything they sold. They had the usual deli fare - chips, meats, cheese, salads, etc., but they also had so much more. Fresh, homemade ravioli, gnocchi, cannoli, biscotti, meatballs, roasted chicken (geez, listen to me, and I just ate lunch), all prepared that day, not to mention their extensive bread and cured meat selections. In addition to all this ready to eat food, they had a frozen selection of their finest homemade goods and a mini Italian market covering anything else they don't make in house. We hungry girls were pretty much in food heaven, so it was pretty difficult to limit ourselves to just a sandwich and a drink, but we managed to do it. I will definitely return at a non-peak hour sometime to fill up on Italian goodies to stock in my kitchen.  

There was one sort of sad thing for me about visiting Lucca this January. I find myself becoming more and more stereotypically "Californian" pretty much every day, and in keeping with this pattern, I made a new years resolution to cut back on eating meat in general, and more specifically to eliminate meat that doesn't expressly state a humane treatment of its animals - cage-free, pasture-raised, etc. The exception is if it is served to me at a dinner party or event, or for special occasions at a restaurant where I'm unsure of the meat's origin. But even just making this my resolution, I mostly cut meat our of my diet for the month of January (I ended up eating it about 3-4 times the entire month), just to see whether I'd really miss it (I didn't). I consider myself something of a foodie though, and I do love meat and still plan on eating it, just significantly less than in the past and in accordance with my new self-imposed guidelines. 

So why was I sad at Lucca because of this? Because like most renown Italian delis, Lucca specialized in meats, particularly cured meats like salami, which I LOVE. I could have (and in retrospect wish I had) ordered their vegetarian sandwich, which sounded amazing and was confirmed so by Lindsey, usually a carnivore, who ordered it herself. But I thought that because this was a bucket list item, and because Lucca is known for their meats, I should order something with meat. I opted for the turkey sandwich, because I am slightly less concerned about the treatment of fowl than I am of say, pigs and cows, and because it came with cranberry sauce and avocado, my favorites. 

The bucket list item calls for me to eat my Lucca sandwich on Marina Green, which is inly about a half mile away, but Marina Green was closed and fenced off for turf repair, so Lindsey and I decided to hike an extra mile and a half to Crissy Field. On our way we passed East Beach, pictured above, which was filled with people barbecuing, sunbathing, and walking their dogs, and families with young kids playing in the ice cold ocean waves. Everything suggested that it was summer - except, of course, the fact that it was actually January. 

When we finally got to Crissy Field, it was nearly 3 PM and we were starving! We found a nice patch of grass to sit down and enjoy the beautiful day and gorgeous close up view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and to finally eat the sandwiches that had been calling our names. 

Here is where I really regret not getting the vegetarian sandwich - Lindsey seemed in raptures about hers, and mine was good, but nothing really special, as I had been hoping. It needed some sort of additional seasoning - I didn't get cheese, which may have helped, or maybe some sort of jalapeño or garlic spread could have livened it up. I think if I had gotten the hot salami I would have been in heaven, and again, the veggie sandwich sounded so good, with marinated artichokes, havarti, and avocado on a rosemary focaccia roll. Basically I cheated myself by going middle of the road with turkey - I should have gone all-meat or no meat. Either way, it was still quite tasty and the beautiful surroundings made for quite a lovely picnic.

Lindsey and I finished up our sandwiches (ok, she politely saved half of her sandwich for dinner while I devoured the entire thing) and headed back. Round trip, I walked seven miles that day! Towards the end I was definitely starting to feel it, too. But isn't it amazing how far you can walk on a beautiful day in a beautiful location without even noticing? Just one more thing to love about this city.

The verdict: The walk to Crissy Field was just lovely and I recommend it to anybody, local or tourist. As for Lucca, I want to say thumbs up on selection and the general awe it inspired in this foodie, but I was a little bummed about my sandwich. I definitely need to try it again, this time either going whole hog (pun intended!) with salami or skipping the meat altogether. Just a tip: if you try Lucca, which you should, skip the turkey.

He followed up my last blog post, Item 8: Be a Lady Who Lunches at Balboa Cafe, by making me this:

That's love, folks.

Visited on January 18, 2014

Balboa Cafe has been a San Francisco tradition since 1913. It is currently owned by Plumpjack Group, which is owned by former mayor/current Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, whom Dave affectionally refers to as "the Hair." Part of the original "Marina Triangle" for nightlife, this restaurant is known for all sorts of things - solidly good food and wine, upscale clientele, and an animal indigenous to San Francisco, the Marina Cougar. According to Urban Dictionary, if I still lived in the Marina (except I was smart enough to call where I lived "Cow Hollow"), at 30 years old, I would officially be classified as a Marina Cougar and no longer a "Marina Girl." Ouch. (In all fairness, the official "cougar" Urban Dictionary page gives me another 5 years until I fit in this category. Thanks?)

I invited one of my fellow "Cougar" besties Kim to join me for lunch here last weekend in order to satisfy Bucket List Item #8. Unfortunately, because it was a weekend, they were serving brunch rather than lunch (SF really loves its brunches), so really Kim and I were "ladies who brunch." Close enough.

Because we are ladies who brunch in the Marina, we knew we had to order drinks, even though it was only 1 PM. I went with a classic ladies who lunch pick, a Sauvignon Blanc, and Kim went with a pink fruity mixed drink - we were off to a solid start. I then ordered the most Cougar-y brunch items I could find - a field greens salad and a plate of smoked salmon with crème fraîche and brioche (have you ever heard a description more appropriate for a lady who lunches?) Kim went a more traditionally Californian brunch route with huevos rancheros, recommended by our super nice waiter. While nothing was exactly life changing, I thoroughly enjoyed everything I ordered.

One of the best parts of brunch was the paper covered table clothes and accompanying crayons. While I don't have an artistic bone in my body, my fellow bruncher is a wonderful artist, and she went to work immediately. 

Kim started off with an "I Left My Heart" heart motif, shown as a work in progress in the pic above, but she struck gold with a riff on the famous "I ♥ NY" logo, shown below. Do any of my designer friends want to actually make me this logo for my blog? It's pretty great.

She then elaborated by adding a Golden Gate Bridge to it. Aren't my friends talented? Pretty sure we strayed from "ladies who lunch" a bit by drawing with crayons, but it was definitely worth it. 

The verdict: I wouldn't say this is a must-do or anything, but it was a nice brunch and I would definitely go back. They had an extensive cocktail list and a pretty classically upscale Californian menu. Apparently they are famous for the burger they serve on a baguette, so I wouldn't mind trying that too. All in all, thumbs up.

Visited on January 5, 2014

You guys. I pretty much found the best thing, ever, to do in San Francisco. Well, 7X7's "100 Things to Do Before You Die" List found me the best thing, ever, to do in San Francisco, but still. Whew. That's right. Little. Mermaid. SING-ALONG. Omg. I'll pause here while I wait for your head to finish exploding.

I knew that the Castro Theatre sometimes does sing-alongs, but the times I've checked before it was always something I wasn't terribly passionate about, like The Sound of Music, or R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet (which actually would be really amusing to witness), so I waited. And then. I happened to check the schedule the week after Christmas and discovered that one of my favorite Disney movies of ALL TIME with pretty much the best music of ALL TIME would be playing for a week. Omg.

Immediately upon learning of this, I invited a group of girlfriends to join me on this amazing adventure on opening night, a Sunday. (I hurt a few boys' feelings in the meantime. Next time, guys.) Understandably most of the friends who signed on were excited, but skeptical. Would this be lame? Are we too old to dress up like Ariel? Would we be the only adults there? The answer to all of the above was 100% NO.

Growing up a redhead was not easy. Most people think "exotic" but in reality you're mostly just treated as "weird." Traditionally, princesses are either blondes or brunettes. Enter Ariel, the most perfect princess of all time: REDHEAD. Six year old me couldn't have been more thrilled. Ariel singlehandedly put redheads back on the map. Little Mermaid Sing-Along? This must be fate.

I woke up Sunday morning hungover. That's putting it mildly - I was in a real world of hurt. Things did not get better as the day went on. Being a 30 year old mermaid singing her heart out wasn't exactly something that sounded terribly appealing to me, but I knew I had to work through it. I owed this to my blog readers - I owed this to myself. 

They were not messing around for this event. Upon entering, we were handed goody bags. In those goody bags you found: a King Triton Crown, a plastic dinglehopper, bubbles, a glow stick on a strand of pearls (like Ariel's voice), and a celebratory popper for the wedding at the end.  

Before the events even began, the energy in the large, sold out Theatre was palpable. Sure, there were a few kids there, but mostly it was adults like us who couldn't contain their excitement for the magic that was about to happen. My friends started proclaiming this the best bucket list item yet, and it hadn't even started. People were blowing bubbles, waving their glow sticks, and singing along with the famous organist, who warmed up the crowd with his rendition of Under the Sea.

After the organist finished, the emcees for the night introduced themselves - an Ariel (whose knowledge of the movie itself was pretty disgraceful, and she even called it "King Trident" at one point - despicable) and a dapper Prince Eric. The first order of business was to invite any children who dressed up to go up on stage, and they were introduced to the "aww" inspired crowd (seriously, those kids were freaking cute). They then held a costume contest for the adults. A lot of people were in costume (more than my half-hearted attempt using clothes already in my closet - needless to say, I did not participate in the contest); there were plenty of Ariels, a couple Sebastians, a French Chef (Louis), a Scuttle, a few Ursulas and a few Erics. They held a costume contest, and while I think drag-Ariel (pictured below) should have won, dates Sebastian and Louis took home the crown.

Before we began the movie itself, the emcees gave us some instructions for the Sing-Along: hiss every time you see Ursula's evil eel henchman, ooh and ahh every time Ariel has a wardrobe change, make loud kissy noises anytime you hope Ariel and Eric will kiss, and bark every time you see Max the dog, among other instructions. And, of course, sing your heart out with the songs, which conveniently had words on the screen, like karaoke, for those who are not as familiar with the movie as others.

I was lucky enough to sit next to Erica, who not only knows every single line of the movie and pretty much recited every word as we went along, but who is also just generally a hoot and kept exclaiming things that had our whole section of the Theatre in stitches. The whole experience was sort of like this - people yelling out funny things, glow sticks waving during songs or celebratory moments in the movie, and a chorus that was loudest during the songs but that held steady even during the non-musical dialogue. This was our childhood Mecca, and we had found it once again.

At the Castro Theatre, it is practically encouraged to sneak in booze, so despite the hangover, a few of us brought in little Sofia Blanc de Noir Champagne cans, as sort of an homage to juice boxes and being a kid. Next time (and oh yes, there will be a next time), we might have to go even bigger. I will plan better next time and make sure to not be hungover the day of.

I cannot express to you how much this whole event made me love San Francisco. I realized recently that one thing we love in this city is shared experiences. We love Fleet Week, because everyone is on a roof deck somewhere, and you can look across the city and see the other roof decks filled with people. We love when our sports teams make the playoffs or the World Series because everyone wears orange and black, or the city monuments light up in the team's colors, and when we win, the whole city goes out and parties. We love Halloween, and Santa Con, and Bay to Breakers, because they involve the whole community getting together to celebrate - and to party. Give us an excuse to celebrate, and SF, we're on it. So this wacky event, a Disney Sing-Along where you are encouraged to dress up, encouraged to sing at the top of your lungs, encouraged to sneak in alcohol - come on, where else in the world would something like this exist?

In most cities, you might expect this kind of event to be mostly composed of females. Not so in San Francisco - it was pretty much an even ratio. There were plenty of guys who accompanied their girlfriends here, but mostly there were groups of guys - sure, they were probably all "from the Castro" - who sang louder and knew the lines better than most of the crowd. And as I mentioned before, when I told Dave and another guy friend, Robby, it was a "girls only night" they both were incredibly disappointed. The good news is that all of the girls who came to this cannot wait to go again, and this time boys will be invited - we are keeping our fingers crossed for an Aladdin, a Beauty and the Beast, or a Lion King sing-along. And next time - I don't think it will be just me who dresses up.

The verdict? This is a San Francisco MUST DO. If you will always be a kid at heart, this event will just tickle you. I was really at my worst for this event, but I still had an amazing time. If you are a curmudgeon who doesn't like pure joy, maybe this isn't for you. But everybody else, please check the schedule and make sure you try this at least once. 

This visit to the Castro also highlighted one of the reasons I am so glad I decided to embark on this bucket list adventure. I tend to get pretty stuck in my part of the city - mostly limited to North Beach, Russian Hill, Nob Hill, Financial District, and the Marina, and there are so many amazing neighborhoods in this city. I love the Castro, it is a beautiful and vibrant neighborhood, but it is a 20+ minute cab ride from my place in North Beach. My bucket list takes place all over the city, and I am so glad that it forces me out of my routine. Hopefully I have also inspired a few of my readers to do the same!

Visited on December 19, 2013

In San Francisco, if you choose one ballet performance to go to, it had better be the granddaddy of them all, The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker has a long history in San Francisco - in fact, the first performance here in 1944 was actually the first complete version ever performed in the United States, and the San Francisco Ballet has put on The Nutcracker every year since then. Now, 70 years later, the San Francisco version has become a local holiday staple, with dozens of performances in the weeks leading up to Christmas. So while the SF Ballet puts on several large productions each year, it was an easy decision for me which one to choose to cross off this item of my bucket list.

After talking to a few girlfriends about doing either a couples' night or a girls' night at the ballet, we decided to do a girls' night - but not just any girls' night, a MASSIVE girls' night out. I emailed my closest girlfriends and just about everyone emphatically said YES! 16 of us were headed to The Nutcracker just 6 days before Christmas. 

Trish (who unfortunately could not make it last minute) had the great idea to dress up for our night out - actually, her exact words were "let's dress up fancy as fu**." This quickly became the theme of our night, but because we are ladies, we started calling it "FAF" for short. FAF meant we would all dress up super fancy - think gowns, evening gloves, etc., and do a night out at the ballet, which is itself pretty fancy. FAF became something we were saying so often that we were forgetting we made it up in the first place - several of the girls admitted to telling coworkers or shop employees they were buying gowns from that we were dressing up "FAF" without realizing that it's not really a thing. Give it some time - we're pretty sure it will catch on. #FAF

Since the Ballet began at 7 PM during the middle of the week, we didn't really have time to go to dinner beforehand, so I decided to host a little get together at my place before we headed out for those who could make it. That way we could finish getting ready together, take some pictures, and of course drink some celebratory champagne. I made a few light bites - a cheese and charcuterie plate, veggies and lowfat yogurt dip, buffalo chicken balls, coconut shrimp, and cranberry camembert philo bites. Just enough to get something in our bellies before an evening of FAFing.

About 9 of us met at my place first for an early round of oohing and ahhing at each other's fancy dresses. Many of the dresses had interesting stories - Melissa wore her prom dress (I wish I could still fit into my prom dress!), Lindsey wore this beautiful brocade gown that belonged to her grandmother but was something straight out of a Jane Austen novel, and two of the girls wore gowns designed and constructed by the beautiful and talented Ha, who also wore a gown of her own design. FAF was off to a great start.

We arrived at the War Memorial Opera House 20 minutes before the show began and met up with the other ladies who couldn't make it to my place. The energy outside was electric, with The Nutcracker promising to get us all in the mood for the holidays. The War Memorial building itself was festively decorated, and for the second time this month for the Bucket List blog, it was fake snowing outside. This is another thing I love about San Francisco - sure, a white Christmas can be fun, but you know what isn't fun? A white Christmas followed by a bitterly cold January, February, and sometimes March as well. No, thank you. For about two weeks per year here the temperature dips below 45 degrees but then it climbs back up for the rest of the time. On this particular night it was probably 60 degrees outside and we didn't even need coats or jackets, which would have hidden our gorgeous gowns. Fake snow instead of the real thing? I'll take it.  

Inside, people were mostly dressed up, but not quite as nice as my FAF group, who kept overhearing whispered compliments about our dresses. Some girls around our age who sat behind us wistfully told us how much they loved our dresses and how fabulous we looked - I think we might have inspired some FAFers for next year! We sat in balcony seats overlooking the stage with a partial view of the orchestra, and tickets were about $55. It would be nice some year to sit in the closer, more expensive seats, but our view wasn't bad and we could really see things pretty clearly. 

The first half of the show was fun -  I have not seen or heard any version of The Nutcracker for probably 20 years, so it was nice to relive my childhood a bit and also see how much of the story and names I could remember. For those of you who have not seen The Nutcracker recently, or at all, it is important to know that the entire story unfolds without any narrator or conversation between the performers, so you have to figure out what it going on simply by watching. The orchestra plays Tchaikovsky's famous composition, which I really enjoyed, for two reasons. First of all, recall that I was not terribly entertained when I went to the Symphony in November, mostly because I needed something visual to accompany the music - here, the music was meant to compliment the dancing, not stand on its own. Second, I recognized most of the music in The Nutcracker, which immediately made it more enjoyable. As this was my first time as an adult listening to this score, I really noticed for the first time how beautiful the music is - I'm not usually a big fan of classical music, but in this setting, I really loved it.  

An intermission came about 50 minutes in, which afforded us a nice opportunity for a group shot, though not everyone was here at the time. The future FAFers behind us were happy to do a photo shoot for us. 

The second half was as beautiful as the first, and the dancing was really amazing. At the end we remarked how well the dancers did, and Jenny and Whitney told us how happy that they were that no one fell - apparently they went last year and dancers were falling left and right. While I'm sure that added an extra thrilling element to the whole thing, I'm quite glad the dancers all stayed on their feet this time. 

I had hoped to get a full group shot after the performance ended, but a few of the girls had to get home right away and left before we could corral everyone, so unfortunately we never got one of the 16 of us. That did not stop us from taking about 20 minutes of pictures downstairs - what can we say, when you have a bunch of women in fancy dresses and a camera comes out, we can't help ourselves. 

Because it was only 9 PM and we did not want to waste a night of dressing up FAF, the remaining girls headed over to Absinthe, which you may recall was one of my first Bucket List blog posts, and has a really nice bar that was worthy of our attire. We walked the 2 blocks there and found it already pretty packed (probably on account of our taking 20 minutes for pictures) but I was able to make it to the bar to order champagne for everyone. Sarah pulled off an incredible move and got us a few tables, and I immediately ordered 3 rounds of the soft garlic pretzels with Vermont cheddar sauce, promising everyone that it would change their lives. I was a little worried I had built them up too much, but based on the fact that every last drop of the cheddar sauce was sopped up by additional bread, I'd say they were a hit. (Seriously, if you have not tried them yet, make this happen, now). We were there for another few drinks before heading home at a reasonable time on this school/work night.

The verdict? This was one of the most fun bucket list items yet. I would jump at the chance to go to The Nutcracker again, just so long as we dress up FAF for it. If you live in the Bay Area or find yourself here during the holiday season, do not miss the chance to see this. Sure, it is often considered a ballet for children, but if you're an adult it can also bring out the child in you. It is a great way to enjoy the holidays, and it is no wonder it has become a Christmas tradition. 

Happy holidays from the ILeftMyHeart blog!

Visited on December 14, 2013

So I understand that SantaCon is not specifically a San Francisco event - in fact, according to their poorly-designed website (someone please introduce the organizers to Weebly), there are SantaCons in over 100 cities all over the world. HOWEVER - according to the internet it started here in San Francisco, and that comes as no surprise to this longtime local. Anyone who has been to Bay to Breakers or has spent a Halloween out in the city knows that the people of San Francisco relish the chance to dress up and start early morning day drinking that will last throughout the day and permeate the city - indeed, on these days you end up witnessing, if not actually participating in, these events whether you choose to or not. The people who live here love a chance to celebrate - it is one of my all-time favorite things about San Francisco.

So how has it come that I have never been to SantaCon? You see, every year Santacon occurs about 2 weeks before Christmas. And you know what else happens every year 2 weeks before Christmas? Weebly's epic Christmas party, which started as a house party in 2007 and has grown into mythical proportions, this year taking over the Fillmore. Every year for 6 years, the Weebly party has taken place the night before SantaCon. Which means every year for 6 years, I have been recovering during SantaCon. But alas! Not this year - this year the Weebly party took place one weekend earlier, leaving me no excuse to miss it.

For those of you living under a rock, SantaCon is essentially a city-wide bar crawl where participants dress up in their favorite festive clothing - I'm not talking just wear red or green, or a Santa hat - I mean dress up head to toe as Santa (or usually slutty Santa - ahem, "Mrs. Claus" if you're a girl) or an elf or a reindeer - you get the idea. There is no cost to participate, although you are encouraged to bring a toy to donate to Toys for Tots. In NYC, SantaCon has recently gotten a bad rap for their revelers getting out of hand and becoming a menace to the city (bah humbug, New York). Fortunately, San Franciscans are generally pretty mild-mannered and so far there have not been too many complaints locally. 

The usual plan is to meet in Union Square for a very merry Santa rendezvous, then head out to one of the bar crawl routes, most of which are based in some of the more popular neighborhoods - The Mission, North Beach, SoMa - etc. Being that I was already feeling pretty old and lazy this year, my 30th (it's all downhill from here, folks), I was pretty sure I wouldn't be making it to Union Square - getting up and dressed by 11 was hard enough. Thankfully Sarah had a friend who was hosting a "more the merrier" (see what I did there?) pre-SantaCon brunch at her place in Russian Hill, not terribly far from where I live. Rather than hoof it over to Union Square, we could pre-party over brunch before heading out to the Polk Street bars. My adorable entourage that day consisted of Sarah, Melissa, Lindsey, and Kim.

After the incredible cold snap we had in San Francisco the week before (hush up, east-coasters, we're thin- skinned and ill-prepared for sub-40 degrees out here), the day was shockingly warm. By the time I walked up Filbert Street (which happens to be the steepest street in San Francisco) to Sarah's friend's place, I had pretty much sweated through my Santa hat, and it was only 11 AM. It turns out that we San Franciscans are never happy - one week we were complaining about it being too cold, the next we were complaining it's too darn warm for December. 

Sarah's friend Alex really outdid herself with brunch. I host a lot of events, and I was both impressed and humbled by (and yes, a little jealous of) her spread: bacon, bagels, enchiladas, cinnamon rolls, eggs Benedict casserole, chips, dips, red and green popcorn and cupcakes - the menu went on and on. It was a great way to fill ourselves up before a long day of holiday drinking. 

We headed out to Polk Street around 12:30, and since we were passing Melissa's apartment, we decided to go up to do a few things - Kim wanted to alter her outfit to make it a little more festive, and I wanted Advil for a small headache. While Melissa was tending to Kim, she instructed me to seek out Advil in the bathroom. I will admit that at this point I had already had a few drinks, so I may not have been in my clearest state of mind, but it was still pretty early in the day. I saw the side of an Advil bottle and without thinking or looking I popped 2 in my mouth and swallowed. Sarah asked for some as well so I went back to get her some - noticing this time that the 2 pills I shook out were blue. Yes, I had just taken Advil PM right in the middle of a day of drinking. I am a genius. 

Thankfully Advil PM does not usually affect me, so although it made me a little anxious, I decided to just see how it went - get a few vodka Red Bulls in me and I should be fine. We headed back out and made our way down Polk to McTeague's, a major stopping point on this particular SantaCon route. Lindsey and I brought beers, knowing that SFPD is pretty lax about open bottles as long as you're not being obvious or obnoxious. We did make an effort to conceal them, however, as you can see in the photo to the right. 

The city was out in full force for SantaCon. Even early, there were SantaCons streaming out of every doorway, searching for the perfect bar. A long red line streamed from Rouge/Nick's Tacos. Buses let out dozens of elves and reindeer. There was even fake snow coming from the top of Playland Bar, much to the enjoyment of Lindsey, as you can see below.

McTeague's had a crazy long line, but thankfully we had Sarah with us, who flirted with the bouncer at the door and got the 5 of us in ahead of the line. (I've been in a relationship for nearly 7 years - is this really how single girls get into bars when they're not accompanied by guys? Incredible.) Lindsey and I beelined for the bar, got us all some drinks, and then took in the scene. The bar was PACKED with Santas. I have not been to such a meat market in years - there was almost no room to move and I'm pretty sure most of the patrons there were hoping to take a Santa or elf home with them later that day. Ho-Ho-Ho is right.

After lamenting that I was starting to feel a little old for this, the vodka Red Bulls started to kick in and I was just celebrating the fact that I hadn't yet fallen asleep from the Advil PM debacle. My thrifty friends found a booth that had just emptied and we found a spot to sit for awhile. 

Having found a booth, I pretty much never wanted to leave McTeague's and face the lines of another bar, but this was supposed to be a pub crawl after all, so my friends (who I think were all starting to feel pretty good at this point as well) convinced me to leave and head somewhere else. It is always a little surprising to walk outside of a dark bar where I've been drinking and find that it is still light outside - not just light, but only around 3 in the afternoon. 

One more thing was surprising when we walked outside - the sheer number of SantaCon revelers. It seemed that all of Polk Street had been taken over by the festivities. Santas were pouring out of bars, waiting in lines, and sometimes stopping traffic. I'm positive that if you were not participating in SantaCon, this would have been incredibly annoying - but I must admit, as a participant myself, the scene was wonderful. Watching what feels like an entire city participate in something so fun and silly is really quite awe-inspiring. Every scantily-clad Santa strengthened my love for this place more and more.

We headed over to Kozy Kar (a very fun car and porn-themed bar, not for the modest) where the line was actually pretty manageable. Dave met up with us, and was surprisingly not too annoyed by how sober he was compared to the rest of us. We were there for some time, but the rest of the day gets a little hazy. Sometime after 5, Dave, Sarah and I decided to head back to my place where I threw together all the drunk food I could find before Dave and Sarah left for another holiday party I had long decided I would not be attending. I snuggled up with Lucy, turned on our Christmas tree lights, and put the movie Elf on t.v. - you know you've had a good day when you wake up at 9 PM as the movie you put on is ending and you are dressed as Santa Claus. 

The verdict: SantaCon was super fun. It takes a large commitment of not drinking the day before, waking up early to dress up, drinking all day, and potentially being out of commission all night, so if the Weebly party coincides with it going forward, this may have been my first and last SantaCon. But if I find myself with another free weekend during SantaCon, I would definitely go again. What else am I going to do with a scandalous Santa costume?

Visited on November 9, 2013

I visited the San Francisco Symphony over 3 weeks ago, and I just now finally have time to write about it. November was a little crazy for me - in the span of 3 weeks, I had the good fortune of traveling to 4 different countries on 3 different continents (husband speaking at a conference in Japan, sister in law's wedding in Guatemala, and a rendezvous with friends in Argentina and Chile over Thanksgiving). I fully recognize that calling it "crazy" is a little #whitegirlproblems on my part, and for that I apologize. The last 3 weeks were wonderful. There were many traveling mishaps (contracting a stomach flu that caused me to miss the entire reception of my sister in law's wedding, discovering that I forgot my passport in the hotel during a tight schedule on my way to the airport, and losing my iPhone, all within 48 hours) which were made worth it by the traveling joys (visiting the continents of Asia and South America for the first time, overcoming the language and cultural barriers in Japan, seeing my sister in law get married in a beautiful bilingual ceremony on a stunning lake, driving through the Andes, witnessing a good friend discover the delights of international travel for the first time, and so forth). I had some amazing life experiences that I wouldn't trade for the world. But good lord am I happy to be back home in my city by the bay. And just in time for Christmas! Which I am lucky enough to get to spend here this year after all my travels.

But I digress. The symphony. An... interesting experience. I want to like it. I should like it. I am an intelligent, cultured girl who travels the world, gosh darn it. Sigh. But it turns out I don't really like the symphony. Culture fail.

Dave and I went with two good friends of mine, Stacy and Andrew, who are SF Symphony regulars, Andrew having grown up going to the symphony every year as a child. My antipathy towards the symphony is through no fault of theirs, who were delightful evening companions and made the night as entertaining as possible for us symph newbies. My problem, I think, is that I am really a visual person. I don't enjoy or digest anything unless I'm also seeing something - if you want to teach me something, it really has to be written down. And while I speak some decent French and Spanish and I can understand both quite well when written, I can't understand a lick when someone is speaking to me in a different language. And the symphony is about 99% auditory and 1% visual, and I don't think that's quite enough for me.

I am getting ahead of myself a bit. The night started off great. Stacy, Andrew, Dave, and I went to dinner first at A.Q., not far from the symphony hall. Dinner was good, and we all went through enough wine that it was clear it would be difficult to be really mature during the performances. Davis Symphony Hall is a visually stunning venue (I guess it would have to be, for people like me), enormous, and surrounded almost entirely by brightly lit glass windows overlooking Van Ness Avenue and the Civic Center. I have been before a handful of times for stand up comedy shows (one type of auditory experience I do enjoy) but this was my first time here for the real deal. 

Now, I mentioned that we had had enough wine to make it difficult to be mature. All four of us are around the age of 30, give or take a year, which I think solidly places us in the adult age bracket. But given the average age of the patrons attending the symphony, we were practically children. Which is good, because that was pretty much how we behaved (minus Andrew, who was probably starting to regret inviting us). When we found our seats, the audience was so buttoned up and hushed (this was 10 minutes before the performance even started, mind you) that we joked about playing the "penis" game - you know, the game where one person whispers the word "penis" and each person says it louder and louder until inevitably the last player (and winner) of the game yells "penis" so loudly that it embarrasses him or herself and the other members of the game. Thankfully we had not had enough wine to actually play it, but Stacy cleverly suggested that instead we play the game using the word "pianist" (ba dum ching!) Don't worry, we didn't do that either, but it just goes to show you our level of maturity at the time. 

Andrew and Stacy chose this evening to take us to the symphony because a well-regarded conductor, Michael Tilson Thomas (dubbed "MTT" by critics, which you know means he's legit) was... conducting, I guess you would say. The first song performed was a standard classical music piece (I couldn't tell you which one. Did I mention there was wine?) It was enjoyable, if not a little long, but I guess that is kind of the idea. The second song, however, went a little off the rails. It was about 30 minutes long and included the following: church bells, policeman whistles, cows mooing, cocktail party conversations, and a cacophony of other random sounds. I think the idea was for it to be a little kooky, but for entertainment purposes it fell a little short, imho. Even Stacy and Andrew said it was a little bizarre, and they had seen performances by MTT before. To each his own, I suppose. The neat part is that there was a full 100 person orchestra for the piece, which is pretty impressive in its own right. The other performances had 40 musicians, not counting the conductor.

There was an intermission next, about an hour into the performance, which allowed us to stretch our legs, use the restroom, and get some fresh air and city views from one of the outdoor balconies. Then it was back to our seats for round 2 of the evening. Song 3 was interesting, because it was a piano concerto performed by another well-regarded musician, Jeremy Denk, who really was a joy to watch play (finally, some visuals) and whose fingers seemed to fly over the keys faster than seemed humanly possible. But it too went on for approximately 30 minutes, and I admit that with over an hour having now passed since I had had any wine (or much visual entertainment), I struggled a bit to stay awake. After the piece was over, I started congratulating myself that I had made it an hour and a half without being shushed by anyone around us and I was feeling really quite mature. But then piece 4 started, and after ruminating over Stacy's "pianist" game idea, I began making up sexy names for the instruments and the musicians: sexaphone, trom-BONE-ist, French horn-y player, oh-bone - you get the idea. Oh well, I tried. Honestly, I'm still pretty proud of myself - I think that may have been the longest I have ever gone without talking while being awake. 

So, the verdict? Meh, the symphony is not for me. But clearly it is for some people. Probably people who understand and play musical instruments, which I don't. And people who don't require visuals to be engaged. And people who are good at being quiet for long stretches of time. And probably mature people who don't think up sexy names for instruments in order to stay awake. Or perhaps it is an age thing, and in another 30 years it might turn out I really enjoy the symphony. Stranger things have happened.

But I am glad I went. I will probably not return for some time, but how would I know unless I tried it? Plus I did feel real fancy dressing up and attending the symphony. And we got to spend some time with Stacy and Andrew, whom we do not see often enough. So all in all, it was a night to place in the "win" category. And best of all, one more thing to cross of the list! Success.

Visited on November 3, 2013

The main point of creating a list of San Francisco bucket items and blogging about them was to get me to explore more of the city. Without a doubt, the neighborhood with the most interesting things to explore that I have not spent enough time in is the Mission. The Mission incapsulates much of what people think of when they imagine San Francisco - hipsters, experimentation, art, and exotic food galore. The most interesting people live in the Mission. The most interesting food in the city is located in the Mission - from hole in the walls to four star fine dining. But alas, it is a twenty minute taxi ride from my place in North Beach to the Mission - here in the city where most things are only five minutes away, that is akin to driving to China. It's just too far for me to be motivated to spend any real amount of time.

However, about a week ago, Dave's and my favorite couple, Robby and Kim, moved from our neighborhood to the Mission to be closer to work. On one hand - huge bummer that we can't just walk over to their house to hang out whenever we want. But on the other hand - this gives us a real chance to explore a new neighborhood. Which I did, two separate times this past weekend. On Friday, Dave and I had dinner and drinks with Robby and Kim at a Senegalese restaurant on 19th and Mission, and on Sunday I joined Robby and Kim, along with our friends Adriane and Daniel, and later Tim, for a hipster mural walking tour and hipster Mission Chinese while Dave was out of town for work.

If I lived in any other place, I would probably be considered a hipster by virtue of the way I dress, the music I listen to, and my political and world views. But I am not even close to being a hipster in San Francisco - here, I am about as Yuppie as they come. But there is a certain desire to fit in when you go to the Mission, and as I find myself scouring my closet for the appropriate outfit before I make the trek, Robby and Kim's wardrobes are already turning more and more hipster with every day they live there, and their beanie collection is growing to mammoth proportions. 

About 45 minutes before the sun set, I met up with my friends on Clarion Alley, a shady (literally and figuratively) thoroughfare whose walls and street are completely covered in art. Noting that I was not dressed quite hipster enough, my normally fellow Yuppie friends handed me an extra beanie they had (three out of four of them were already wearing one), which instantly upped my credibility. 

With the daylight quickly disappearing, we didn't have time to go over to Balmy Alley, several blocks away, which is the other main street in the area known for its murals. Instead, we walked over to the Women's Building on 18th and Guerrero. The Women's Building is a multi-cultural, multi-service and health center for women and girls. Several female artists painted the Maestra Peace mural - the huge, colorful display that covers the Women's Building.

As we had run out of daylight but still had time to kill before meeting up with Tim for dinner, we decided to walk over the the Betabrand store on Valencia and then grab a drink closer to Mission Chinese. The amazing thing about the Mission though is that you don't have to actually be on a mural walking tour to see murals - they cover the Mission on random buildings at every corner.

Betabrand is also incredibly hipster and San Franciscan - they sell reversible asian-printed smoking jackets and disco ball pants (of which Dave is a proud owner - a Burning Man-inspired purchase from a few years back) as well as cleverly named items such as Sons of Britches pants and Meta socks - socks with pictures of socks on them. They sell women's clothing too, but Kim, Adriane and I just watched as Robby and Daniel tried on just about everything in the store before each settled on a jacket and a reversible disco ball hoodie, respectively. We spent way too much time in this place and probably had way too much fun for a clothing store experience, but it was the perfect way to kill time before dinner. 

We finally made our way over to Mission Chinese Food, which is rumored to have unbearably long lines. With six of us dining, we knew it could take some time, so we put in our name early then went to nearby Dr. Teeth (yup) for a drink while we waited for Tim and for our table to be ready. While there is usually a line at Mission Chinese, they do a pretty smart thing - if you're not there when they call your name, you don't get crossed off, they just move you down the list in case you come back later, which is exactly what happened to us. Unfortunately, when we arrived, they had just given our table away, so we just waited outside for another 30 minutes or so. Still, the wait wasn't quite as bad as the rumors and Yelp reviews indicated - possibly because it was a Sunday, or possibly because this place has lost some of its hype over the past year or so.

I had been excited to try this place for years, but the Yelp reviews I read earlier in the day definitely tempered my expectations. In years past this was THE place to try experimental fusion cuisine, and it gained its reputation when it was a "pop up" restaurant, before finally settling into it's permanent location at the Lung Shan Chinese restaurant. The awning of the restaurant is still labeled as Lung Shan, despite the fact that Mission Chinese is there six nights a week, only closed on Wednesdays. But review after review on Yelp complained of mediocre food, bad service, and dishes that were too spicy for human consumption. I was beginning to get a little worried I had roped my friends into a miserable dining experience, but darn it, it was on the bucket list and I was determined to try it.

Boy am I glad I did.

I had done my due diligence on Yelp and learned which dishes to order and which to avoid. Word on the street was that the dishes were crazy spicy, but c'mon, I'm a born and raised Californian, not a Midwesterner, so I was not deterred. To make things a little more challenging, of the six of us, one of us is a vegetarian, another doesn't eat red meat or pork, and 2 others don't eat seafood or lamb. Since we would be sharing everything family style, this made our choices fairly limited. But I think we nailed it.

And yes, everything was incredibly spicy. Daniel remarked that "this is the food equivalent of going into a sauna." We were sweating, sure, but we couldn't stop eating. Robby and Daniel had run an actual half marathon that morning, and Kim commented that "this is like a marathon I want to keep running." Our mouths were on fire but we couldn't have been happier. I think the spice affected me the least of all of us - I must have burned the crap out of my mouth already by putting Sriracha on everything I eat at home. 

The service was fine - our waitress was peppy and attentive; pretty much the opposite of the complaints made by Yelpers. The room was dark and dive-y, but it seemed to fit the experience. They were also blasting our favorite 90s hits, such as No Doubt and Ace of Base, which put us all in a super good mood. It was one of my favorite bucket list dining experiences to date.

The verdicts: 

The murals in the Mission are definitely worth visiting, but you don't necessarily need to make a special trip (no pun intended) out of it, as you can stumble across tons of murals just by virtue of being in the Mission. Next time I am in the area I will definitely have to check out Balmy Alley to make my bucket item complete.

As for Mission Chinese, as long as you are fine with spicy things, I don't see how you couldn't love this place. The Yelp reviewers are nuts. But I thank them for lowering my expectations, as they were then hit out of the ballpark. I loved this place, and I will definitely return. Maybe not next time I am in the Mission, as I have a lot more to explore now that my best friends live there, but probably before I have crossed off my last bucket list item. Yum.

Visited August 28 - September 1, 2013

Burning Man has the distinction of being the only item on my San Francisco bucket list that doesn't actually take place within the city and county limits of San Francisco. But Burning Man is as much a San Francisco event as Fleet Week, Folsom Street Fair, and Bay to Breakers. 

Although Burning Man has become known for its location in the middle of the Nevada desert and for attracting people from all over the world, it actually started within the city limits of San Francisco on June 21, 1986 by founder Larry Harvey. In honor of Summer Solstice, Larry and his friend Jerry James decided to build a 6 foot tall wooden man and burn it on Baker Beach, and the tradition continued on the same date for four more years. By 1990, the event had attracted crowds of hundreds, many of whom were involved in the design, construction, and burning of the Man. Unfortunately, the authorities were also attracted to the 40 foot tall structure being lit on fire, as the Man was far taller than the legal limit for structures that could be burned on the beach. The leaders of Burning Man agreed not to burn the Man to appease the police, but this decision angered the hundreds of bystanders who had come to watch the burn, eliciting an almost violent reaction. It was later decided that the venue would need to be moved to a place where the burn would be allowed by law. Larry and the other leaders decided to move forward with burning the man that very year over Labor Day weekend in the Nevada Black Rock desert. The playa, as this stretch of desert is called, is a dried lake bed, and is rated as the second largest and flattest part of the United States at 400 square miles. 90 burners from San Francisco would make up that first Burning Man in Black Rock City. By 1993, 1,000 burners showed up, and only 5 years later in 1998, 15,000 arrived. This number grew to 30,000 by 2003, and according to the Bureau of Land Management, this is the year that Burning Man became the largest Leave No Trace event in the world. The first year I went, 2010, was also the first year attendance reached 50k.

Full disclosure: I went to Burning Man once before starting this blog, making it one of the few bucket list items that is not new to me, but I felt belonged on the list anyway. The ironic part about that is that the first time I went, I didn't really enjoy it. But my husband loves it, having gone now twice with me and twice without. And furthermore, everyone else I know who has been has loved it. Thankfully, this year I loved it too. But why did I put it on the bucket list after not enjoying it the only time I had been before? Because it is supremely San Francisco and because there is nothing else like it in the world. Since my first visit, I have encouraged everyone I have talked to about it to go at least once in their lives, because it is such a unique and unusual experience - many even say life changing. 

Burning Man is everything you have heard about it and also very misunderstood. Yes, it is dirty, yes, it is hot, yes, there are drugs, yes, there is nudity. But the "dirt" is really talc-like dust that never really feels dirty, the heat never seems to really bug you, and the drugs and nudity are just options for those who are into those scenes. The drugs and nudity have mostly evolved because Burning Man is about everyone doing exactly what they want to do at the exact time they want to do it without judgment. You can ride a bike naked. You can drink a beer at 10 AM. You can wear ridiculous clothes you wouldn't be caught dead wearing in real life. You can not shower for 5 days and feel great about it. The only rules that exist at Burning Man are there for the purpose of assuring that Burning Man can continue each year: do everything you can to avoid littering "moop" (matter out of place) and pick up every shred of garbage you see, whether its yours or someone else's; be smart about doing drugs; don't urinate on the playa; be safe and make smart decisions; generally don't be a jerk. 

Burning Man is an experiment in temporary community. Everyone belongs. Everyone participates. Police (both real and Burning Man volunteers) and medical staff are on site. There is a "DMV." The only thing you can't do at Burning Man is buy or sell things. While preparation for Burning Man may cost you an arm and a leg, the only things you can buy on the playa are ice and coffee at Center Camp. Everything else must be gifted, which people do frequently and with joy. The first year we went, the only "gift" we brought was supplies to make mimosas and cookies to hand out to people. This turned out to be my favorite thing that first year - the people who we gave mimosas to were so thankful, so happy, and so kind, and many of them brought us gifts in return. This, we realized, was what made Burning Man so special - its sense of community, even hundreds or thousands of miles from our homes.

This year, we joined a Supperclub camp named Santopalato, part of the French Quarter theme camp, through the efforts of our good friends and amazing chefs David and Stephanie. The aim of Santopalato was to put on several dining events for the camp and for important figures around Burning Man. Dave and I donated a lot of beer and our old BBQ to the camp, I tended bar for one dining event, helped prep and cook for a beer and bratfest, and made white chocolate covered strawberries with rainbow sprinkles for an intra-camp brunch. Although it took a lot of work, it was very rewarding to see our efforts pay off and how much people enjoyed each contribution. It is no wonder that every year, hordes of volunteers take on bigger and bigger roles to ensure that Burning Man continues to be an incredible experience for everyone participating.

This year, many of my closest friends chose to go to Burning Man, several of them for their first time. This was a huge part of what made Burning Man so much fun for me this year. You have the option of either camping or renting an RV, and for Dave and me, the choice of an RV is a no brainer. It is pretty costly, but you are rewarded with beds, a kitchen, and most importantly in the desert, air conditioning. This year, like in 2010, we shared an RV with two of our best friends, Robby and Kim. Although Burning Man officially started the Monday before Labor Day, we drove up on Wednesday, caravaning with another RV full of good friends, Lindsey, Melissa, Adriane, Tim, and Sarah. Several other friends of ours were already up there when we arrived. 

Burning Man is also very much about art. The Man itself is actually a huge art project. This year, he was built atop a huge wooden UFO - more wood, of course, for the Saturday night burn. The man, who marks the center of the playa, is also decorated in tons of lights which make him stand out amid everything else at nighttime. Every year a temple is also built, which serves as the spiritual center of Black Rock City. The walls of the Temple are covered in pictures, letters, and poems to loved ones who have passed, as well as simply goals and accomplishments of its visitors. To be perfectly honest, this year the Temple made me too sad to be in it for more than 5 minutes - the pictures and dedications to dogs who have passed was particularly hard for me.

The playa and the camping area are covered in art sculptures, some permanent for the week, some only there for the day or night. I had the great luck to be there for both years that Marco Cochrane built gorgeous women out of mesh steel - in 2010 it was 40 foot "Bliss Dance" which now graces Treasure Island, and this year it was 55 foot "Truth is Beauty." Both years these art exhibits were by far the most captivating projects in the desert. Art exhibits that light up in fire at night are also very popular, such as the octopus that throws flames out of its tentacles ("El Pulpo Mecanico"), a repeat attraction that is always a crowd favorite. By far one of the coolest thing we saw this year was Lizzy the Flaming T-Rex, who originated at AfrikaBurn, a Burning Man spinoff that now occurs every year in South Africa.

Another important, artistic part of Burning Man is art cars. These are real cars that have been turned into something else - they are not supposed to resemble cars at all once they are finished, and in fact each car has to go through a fairly rigorous application and inspection process before it can drive around the playa - there are different inspections for both day and night. For the daytime, the primary concerns are that the car is generally safe, but more importantly, that it looks cool. At nighttime, there has to be enough lights on it that it does not become hazardous to the people walking and biking around in the dark. This year, our group of friends, led by my husband Dave, worked on an art car, The Freaky Tiki, that was already mostly put together, fixing it up and adding more lights and an impressive sound machine. Atop the Freaky Tiki was an enclosed platform filled with pillows and blankets (and of course a cooler full of beer) that could fit 12-15 people. The Freaky Tiki was a big part of why Burning Man was so much more enjoyable for me this year. For one, it makes you feel a part of Burning Man - you are participating in the art, and it was always fun to be stopped while on the Tiki by people wanting photos. Second of all, it was nice to be able to cover a lot of ground without walking or taking your bike to see various things in the playa, and it also protected you during dust storms. My most memorable evening at Burning Man this year was spent atop the Freaky Tiki, when our friend Justin was nice enough to be sober driver and take several of us around to see various exhibits and music performances all night. That was the night that I "understood Burning Man." 

At Burning Man, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it. It is a playground for adults. And I don't mean it is a playground for young, rebellious twentysomethings. Burning Man is for adults of all ages - in fact, if I had to guess I would say there are more people over the age of 50 than under the age of 30 any given year. Kids are allowed - there is a camp just for families with kids in a quieter part of the playa, and parents take turns babysitting each others' kids while other parents go play. But I personally wouldn't suggest bringing your kids. Burning Man is a place to be free and anonymous - P. Diddy was there this year and I doubt anyone knew it was him.

Of all the items on the bucket list, Burning Man has to be one of my top recommendations. This would probably be the case even if I hadn't enjoyed myself this year. I have tried to paint a picture of what Burning Man is like, but I haven't even scratched the surface. There is nothing else like it - it has to be seen and experienced to be understood. The verdict? Definitely a must-do.