Thursday, April 30, 2015

Pacific Union Opens News San Francisco Headquarters

Pacific Union is pleased to announce that we’ve officially opened our new headquarters in San Francisco. The move consolidates our firm’s three offices in the city under one roof and allows our real estate professionals to better collaborate so that we can continue to offer our clients an extraordinary level of service.1699vanness
Located at 1699 Van Ness Ave. at the corner of Sacramento Street, Pacific Union’s highly visible new headquarters is housed in a historic building that was the original home of the Studebaker automobile showroom. The former Auto Row space has been extensively renovated by local architectural firm Studio TMT, which chose a ultramodern design motif for the interior office space.
“This move underscores Pacific Union’s leadership position in the San Francisco Bay Area and the city,” Pacific Union President Patrick Barber says. “We’ll be able to deliver an even more extraordinary level of client service, and our team will have more opportunities to support each other and collaborate.”
The 40,000-square-foot space has more than 100 private and open offices, a large living room with a two-story atrium, multiple conference rooms, two kitchens, and four copy centers. Our headquarters offers visiting clients complimentary valet parking and employs a full-time concierge.
Pacific Union formerly operated San Francisco offices in the Presidio, Opera Plaza, and South Beach. Our company currently operates 28 offices across nine Bay Area regions and the Lake Tahoe/Truckee area.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

It's Time to Close California's Ivory Sales Loophole

Ol Tukai elephants (Poulomee Basu)
Following successful efforts last year to effectively ban ivory and rhino horn commercial sales in New York and New Jersey — as well as new federal rules tightening the ivory trade — lawmakers across the country have proposed similar legislation for their respective states. Some bills are moving through the legislative process; others have been diluted or effectively killed, in part by well-funded opposition from the gun lobby.
Leigislators in states such as California are seeking to close loopholes to existing ivory laws that have made it impossible to effectively enforce what’s already on the books. For example, under current California law, ivory imported into the state prior to June 1, 1977 can be sold legally. But criminals have long exploited the legal market to launder illegal ivory from poached elephants. According to a January report by the National Resources Defense Council, as much as 90% of ivory found in Los Angeles markets and approximately 80% of ivory items in San Francisco likely was illegal.
Though many bills before state legislatures are in flux, here's the current legislative landscape:
While the California bill, AB 96 (so titled because of the estimated 96 elephants killed each day for their tusks), cleared its first hurdle last month by passing out of its first committee hearing, the bill still faces what could be months of further legislative tests. WildAid is one of several coalition partners supporting AB 96, which would close the ivory sales loophole.
Among those testifying at the March 10 hearing in Sacramento was WildAid’s Peter Knights, who said that AB 96 “will make enforcement a far easier matter and send a clear signal to the rest of the world that ivory has no value here.” (Read Knights’ full committee testimony at the end of this post.)
Opponents to commercial ivory bans, both state and federal, include the National Rifle Association, which claims that such bans would effectively criminalize the sale of antique rifles with ivory inlay or other features. 

WildAid CEO Peter Knights’ full testimony of support for California’s AB 96 before the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife, March 10, 2015:
Good morning Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee,
I am Peter Knights, CEO of WildAid, an international conservation organization based in San Francisco, and I am here to urge your support for Assembly Bill 96.
Since 1989 I have researched illegal wildlife trafficking, working in over 40 countries, from the African nations where the elephants are poached to the main markets in Asia where carvings and trinkets are sold. We are currently engaged in ivory and rhino horn demand reduction programs in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand and here in the US.
WildAid runs the world’s largest wildlife product demand reduction campaign in China, a key factor in reducing shark fin consumption by 50-70% in the last few years. Another important factor was that in 2011 California banned the trade and sale of shark fin. Where California leads, others follow, and swift passage of AB 96 would inspire others to follow on ivory and rhino horn, too.
Mr. Chair, this bill is very important in closing existing loopholes in California’s ban on ivory and rhino horn sales. The effect of ambiguous laws on poaching is well documented. In 1989, when ivory trade was partially legal, elephants were poached at the rate of 70,000 a year by some estimates. In response to a global outcry, the international ivory trade was banned, and many consumers bowed out. Ivory prices plummeted and poaching went down, not because of intensified anti-poaching activity, but due to diminished demand.
But the effort wasn't universal, and it wasn't sustained. In 2008, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species allowed a one-off sale of ivory to China, a move that reignited the market there, fueled by the country's growing affluence.
The easiest way to sell poached ivory is to launder it through “legal” channels, and sadly poaching has risen again to around 33,000 elephants a year. The proceeds are fueling corruption in Africa, organized crime, militias and even groups such as Boko Haram, the Lord’s Resistance Army and Al Shabaab.
Economic growth in Vietnam is having a similar effect on the rhino horn market. But with clear, strong, enforceable laws and public awareness it is a reversible situation.
California is believed to be the second-largest market for ivory in the US after New York. Despite current California law restricting ivory sales, the grandfathering in of pre-1977 ivory has made enforcement impossible and facilitated continued sale of ivory, contributing to poaching in other parts of the world. Banning sales and trade, as AB 96 would do, will make enforcement a far easier matter and send a clear signal to the rest of the world that ivory has no value here. The bill would also bring penalties up to date with the greatly inflated profits from ivory sales to be a real deterrent and more than just a cost of doing business.
Mr. Chair, New York and New Jersey have already taken the step of banning sales and these bills enjoyed complete bipartisan support – including enactment by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie over the objection of the NRA. We hope we can replicate that dynamic here in Sacramento.
I am happy to answer any questions you may have and I urge your AYE vote on AB 96. Thank you.

Monday, April 27, 2015

30 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches You Didn't Know Could Possibly Exist (Photos)




There aren’t many things in life that can compare to the simple joy of biting into a warm, melty grilled cheese sandwich.

Despite the fact that my mother usually burnt it to a crisp (cooking was never really her thing), grilled cheese was always my favorite meal as a kid, and not much has changed since then.

If you’re a grilled cheese fanatic like myself, then you are probably celebrating National Grilled Cheese Month right now.

But if you ask me, we should honor these scrumptious cheese sandwiches every day, and you shouldn't have to use a holiday as an excuse to dive face first into a heaping pile of gooey grilled cheeses.
We set out to find some of the most epic grilled cheese recipes of all time and trust me, these gourmet renditions of your beloved classic sandwich do not disappoint.

However, you might want to whip these bad boys up when no one else is home because let’s face it, there’s no way you’re going to want to share these with anyone. 

Avocado, Asparagus and Dill Havarti Grilled Cheese

Bacon-Pretzel Grilled Cheese

Avocado BLT Grilled Cheese

Loaded Nacho Grilled Cheese

Baked Potato Grilled Cheese

Avocado Pomegranate Grilled Cheese

Balsamic Vegetable Grilled Cheese

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese

Balsamic Blueberry Grilled Cheese

Brie, Apple and Bacon Grilled Cheese

Caprese Grilled Cheese with Arugula Pesto

Dulce De Leche and Mascarpone Grilled Cheese


Fried Chicken and Waffle Grilled Cheese


Green Goddess Grilled Cheese


Grilled Cheese Fries

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese


Lobster Grilled Cheese


Lasagna Grilled Cheese


Grilled Macaroni and Cheese Sandwich


Mozzarella, Kale and Prosciutto Grilled Cheese


Cream Cheese and Nutella Grilled Cheese


Parmesan Crusted Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese


Cranberry and Brie Grilled Cheese


Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese


White Pizza Grilled Cheese


BBQ Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese


Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese


Hawaiian Grilled Cheese with Ham and Pineapple


Eggplant Parmesan Grilled Cheese


Cuban Grilled Cheese




Article and photos sourced from http://elitedaily.com/envision/food/different-types-of-grilled-cheese-sandwiches-photos/999289/, by Kaylin Pound on Shameless Food Porn

Friday, April 24, 2015

The 58th San Francisco International Film Festival: April 23 - May 7, 2015

Founded in 1957, the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. Held each spring for two weeks, SFIFF is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation, featuring some 150 films and events with more than 100 filmmakers in attendance, and nearly two dozen awards presented for excellence in film craft.
The Festival has already announced this year‰'s slate of feature-length narrative and documentary competition films. This year, nineteen incredible stories from across the globe are in contention for nearly $40k in prizes.
Highlights include Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner The Wolfpack; The Iron Ministry, a new doc from the Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab about China and its railways; and Vincent, a charming, magical realist film from France about a drifter who discovers he is in possession of unique powers. Ticket packages are currently on sale at sffs.org/tickets. 

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Drought-Tolerant Landscaping Rapidly Becoming a Selling Point in California

Photographs of depleted reservoirs and Governor Jerry Brown’s call for mandatory water restrictions drive home the serious impact that California’s drought will have on our lives.
cactusIn real estate, properties featuring drought-tolerant landscaping will likely fetch a premium from homebuyers, particularly in the environmentally conscious Bay Area. Sellers, if they haven’t done so already, may want to take steps now to incorporate water-saving features in their landscaping.
Several weeks ago, Pacific Union discussed indoor improvements to conserve water, such as low-flow toilets, water-efficient appliances, and dripless faucets. Today’s discussion moves outdoors. Whether you are a homebuyer, a seller, or simply a Bay Area resident trying to cut back on water usage, check out the links below for smart ideas that can save you money and help the environment.
The California Institute for Water Resources has more than a dozen web pages offering advice on many aspects of landscaping and gardening. A few of the topics include “Keeping Landscape Plantings Alive under Drought or Water Restrictions,” “Growing food with less water,” and “Water-wise gardening tips for Marin County.”
The California Landscape Contractors Association offers smart, practical tips to help you survive this year’s drought and help you prepare for water shortages.
Sunset magazine, famous for its rich, color layouts of manicured lawns, does an equally fine job presenting “24 inspiring lawn-free yards.” One look at these outdoor scenes, and you may be tempted to tear out every blade of grass in your yard. Also check out the magazine’s Water-Wise Garden Design Guide and list of 12 great drought-tolerant plants.
Better Homes and Gardens, not to be outdone, offers detailed steps to create 11 lush outdoor environments with minimal water needs.
Southern California’s Las Virgenes Municipal Water District has posted a 60-page “California-Friendly Guide to Native and Drought-Tolerant Gardens” that’s every bit as useful in Northern California.
Digital First Media, which operates a half-dozen news websites in the Bay Area, including those of The San Jose Mercury News and the Marin Independent Journal, offers plenty of local advice for tending lawns and gardens without much moisture.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

One Palo Alto man's quest to protect the baylands' gray fox

Naturalist Bill Leikam tracking 8-month-old foxes to discover their paths around the perimeter of the San Francisco Bay

Bill Leikam greets two gray foxes at the Palo Alto Baylands on March 10. Photo by Veronica Weber.
In the early evening sunset of the Palo Alto Baylands, a pair of small, furry creatures peered from the brush, watching intently. With keen eyes and long, pointed snouts, the gray foxes remained well-hidden and silent. As the humans made their way along a trail, the foxes, curious, followed. They leapt swiftly among the broken trees and grass with an agility and grace that would make a cat look cloddish.
Bill Leikam, aka The Fox Guy, rounded a bend. A gray fox, the size of a large house cat with an enormously long, bushy tail, stood stock still in the middle of the trail. About 12 inches tall at the shoulders with a grizzled-gray coat and red and white legs and undersides, the little fox raised her head slightly and sniffed the air.
Leikam, a Palo Alto naturalist and director of the Independent Urban Gray Fox Research Project, waited.
The fox walked slowly at first, then trotted toward the gray-bearded Leikam, stopping several feet away, sniffing again. Still keeping his distance, Leikam — a bush-hat-wearing, soft-spoken man — extended his hand to the fox, which he has named Tense, so it could identify him. Another little fox every bit as beautiful emerged hesitantly from the brush. Leikam immediately identified her as Tippy, so named for her habit of tilting her head from side to side while studying her environment, he said.
Leikam has studied the baylands' gray foxes for six years. One of the oldest examples of canid, or dog family, the gray fox (Urocyon cinerareoargenteus) and the related subspecies Channel Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) are the only living members of this genus, which dates back about 3.6 million years, contemporary with early small horses, the giant sloth and large-headed llama, according to scientific literature. They range from southern Canada to the northern edge of Columbia.
In the Bay Area, the foxes are a subspecies, Urocyon cinerareoargenteus californicus. They are known to inhabit the Diablo and Santa Cruz Mountain ranges. The area between San Francisquito and Adobe creeks is home to 26 of the creatures, Leikam said. They have been located south of San Jose between Los Gatos and Almaden to west of Interstate Highway 280 in the foothills above Stanford University, north near Bair Island in Redwood City, and up to the south side of the Oakland International Airport, according to mapping done by Leikam and wildlife conservation photographer Greg Kerekez.
Leikam, a retired Cupertino English teacher, and Kerekez formed the Urban Wildlife Research Project to study and help protect some of the Bay Area's most elusive wildlife: burrowing owls in the South Bay and beavers in downtown San Jose. They are mapping the baylands' gray fox habitat with funding from the National Wildlife Federation.
Ultimately, Leikam and Kerekez want to link all of the corridors to create a San Francisco Bay Area Wildlife Corridor stretching from Bair Island in Redwood City to Alameda Creek in the East Bay, Leikam said. Urban Wildlife Research is engaging in its first GPS collaring project to track 8-month-old baylands' foxes just before their first dispersal and discover their paths around the perimeter of San Francisco Bay.
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Leikam's journey with the foxes began more than 50 years ago. At 14, he saw his first fox. Growing up without much money, he and his brother set about trapping the foxes near Corralitos Creek in Watsonville to sell to a furrier. But the brothers soon soured on the idea of holding the wild creatures captive, he said.
One look at the foxes' beguiling faces is enough to explain why Leikam has found these omnivorous creatures so attractive to study. They seem endlessly curious, are beautiful and exhibit an outstanding characteristic: They are the only canines that can climb a tree — straight up.
"They are as agile as a squirrel — and they are wickedly fast when they want to be," he said.
Fifty years after he gave up trapping, Leikam had a life-changing encounter with the gray fox while on a walk in the Palo Alto Baylands.
"I came to a turn in the road and a gray fox was just sitting there. I went, 'whoa!' and I started taking pictures. I got closer and closer and closer, and that silly fox did not move. I got within 15 to 20 feet. Then it walked back into the bush. I went back each day, and I didn't see any foxes. On the third day three foxes came out of the brush. I started jotting notes," he said.
Leikam shares a trait with the foxes.
"All of my life curiosity has governed my life," he said.
He sought advice from Ben Sacks, director of the Canid Diversity and Conservation Unit at the University of California, Davis Center for Veterinary Genetics. A pioneer of the native High Sierra and Sacramento Valley red foxes, Sacks encouraged Leikam to study the baylands gray fox, of which little is known, Leikam recalled. In the past six years, he has made some interesting discoveries, he said.
Gray fox "helper" females may help raise a den of pups belonging to another female and male. Leikam documented two helper females who stayed behind to raise the little ones rather than going off to mate and bear their own offspring.
And the idea of having a territory is not absolute by any means, he said.
"It only really exists when the pups need protection and they need adults to bring food," he said.
From April to July the foxes set territories while their young are most dependent. But from November through January, gray foxes maintain no territorial boundaries, he said.
"It gives the young ones the ability to travel long distances in what would otherwise be closed territory to find mates and to find their own territory," Leikam said.
Gray foxes also have another endearing quality. They engage in the "fox kiss." As a greeting, they will rub their muzzle under the chin and then touch noses, he said.
As April approaches, the gray foxes get ready to give birth after a 53-day gestation. They will birth in a natal den above ground in a dense thicket, to which they return year after year. One den in Palo Alto has been used for more than 20 years, Leikam said.
The average litter contains three to four pups. Occasionally they have as few as one and as many as seven, he said. When born, the pups are 8-inch gray or black balls of fur. The parents will move to a different den every 15 days to protect against predators, he said.
While a mother and father care for the young, "family" is a misleading term in the biological sense, Leikam said.
"We think of a traditional family as mom, dad and the kids. But a female might be impregnated by two or three males. In North Carolina, research found that 9 percent of all 'families' are genetically different from the male who takes care of them," he said. One suspicion is that the mating diversity allows the female to find a male that is a good hunter. When she gives birth, he is the one who brings the food to the den.
Baylands' gray foxes have few predators to fear, he said, unlike their mountain and forest brothers and sisters, which could be prey for coyotes and bobcats.
The baylands' foxes are at the top of the food chain. They might be pursued by an occasional red fox, which is a non-native species introduced by man to the area.
The marshes provide a wide and rich variety of foods, including rodents, birds, insects and berries. The bulk of the gray foxes' hunting, nearly 80 percent, is done at night, he said. Gray foxes come out at dusk or night, but they are sometimes seen in the daytime if the night hunt has been dismal, he said. During the early part of the year, 90 percent of their diet is protein-based, and they will clean a carcass completely, just as would a turkey vulture, he said.
"They will take care of a rodent population and can keep it under control. They eat ducks and snakes. Only jackrabbits can outrun a fox. It has to be wily enough to ambush a jackrabbit," he said.
Leikam was surprised when a male he captured on video brought in a full-sized Canada goose.
"He had to drag that thing in, and he was panting," Leikam said.
---
Leikam trudged through the underbrush on a recent evening to set up his motion-sensitive night cameras. Ever-curious Tippy and Tense followed him at a discreet distance, wending over downed trees and underneath shrubs.
"I call them the 'bush dogs,'" he said, for their habit of hugging the edges of forests and the brush line.
At a small clearing criss-crossed by foot-wide paths, the foxes intensely sniffed logs and broken branches, which were apparently marked with the scents of passing creatures. This spot is a wildlife corridor used by a number of four-footed animals, including raccoons, skunks and the gray foxes, he said.
A third, cautious fox that Leikam calls Dark Eyes appeared at the edge of the clearing, leaping silently and gracefully over felled trees and watching the proceedings from a distance. Leikam recounted some of the revelations caught by his trail cameras.
"I've gotten some of the most spectacular video: mom and dad teaching fighting techniques; they toss things they find back and forth to each other; learning to climb trees — they learn how to fall out of a tree. And I caught the young ones playing with a toy — a slender branch hanging off a bush. They grabbed ahold of it and pulled it back. When there was enough tension, they would let go and it popped up," he said.
With the impending births of new litters in the coming weeks, he will have fresh opportunities to delve into the wonders of foxes.
A gray fox needs 1 to 1.5 square miles of territory to feed its young. A male will travel 10 to 12 miles in search of a mate, and a female will travel 6 to 8 miles, he said. The Palo Alto Baylands' foxes are crowded into a 1.5-mile area.
"Given the nature of the area, that's a lot of foxes," Leikam said.
The foxes' corridor is fragmented around the bay. On the Peninsula, the habitat is fragmented through the Facebook campus in Menlo Park and Google in Mountain View, he said. Where they can, the foxes make due with navigating impediments.
"You can see where they jump up over concrete barriers with muddy footprints," he said.
The fractured habitat could affect the urban gray foxes' future.
"I suspect there are pockets of foxes that can't get out and are inbreeding. We've seen floppy ears. They can't hear like a normal fox, and that puts them at risk," he said.
Urban Wildlife Research hopes to get permission from companies and landowners to make changes in the environment so the foxes can freely roam throughout the Bay Area corridor, he said.
But getting that buy-in requires educating the public. Leikam often gives a multimedia presentation, "A Year with the Urban Gray Fox," to schools, small groups and corporations. Recently, workers at a technology center along East Bayshore Road encountered the creatures and called Leikam in for advice. The foxes were sleeping on car hoods in the parking lot, attracted by the engine heat, he said.
The foxes do not pose a threat to humans, although there are many misconceptions about them, he said. It is rare for gray foxes to carry rabies, according to the Humane Society of the United States and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. And they may be beneficial in reducing Lyme disease because they consume host mammals, according to a July 3, 2012, study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Most gray foxes are elusive; Tippy and Tense are unusual. They haven't dispersed in search of mates and they seem to prefer hanging out near each other, Leikam said. From under the brush, they have observed Leikam observing the foxes and dutifully setting up his cameras each evening for the whole of their lives.
As Leikam finished setting up for the night, Tense and Tippy ducked under the brush. Having satisfied their curiosity, they departed, ostensibly in search of their evening meal. So far, the drought does not appear to have affected the baylands' gray foxes, but a heavy winter storm did, Leikam said. When floodwater wiped out their dens and their trails to return, one group of foxes was missing for a week. Tippy was not among them. Leikam figured she was washed out into the marsh. But a month later, she returned, battered. She has since healed.
Loss is something Leikam has had to get used to in his pursuit of wildlife, he said.
Come November, the foxes will have dispersed. The little creatures will head for new territory in search of food and mates, and only their parents will come back, he said.
"One thing you have to get used to is that you can become so attached to them. You have to learn to let go," he said.
FOX FACTS
Scientific name: Urocyon cinerareoargenteus; 15 accepted subspecies, seven of which are in North America. Bay Area gray fox subspecies is californicus.
Common names: Common gray fox; gray fox; tree fox; maned fox
Local nickname: Bush dog
Year first described: 1775
Length: 35-41 inches; tail is one third of total length
Height: 1 foot at the shoulder
Weight: 9-14 pounds
Longevity: 6-8 years in the wild; up to 12 years, sometimes 14 in captivity
Top running speed: 20-28 mph
Unusual characteristics: Only member of the canine family that climbs trees; has the largest musk gland of any North American canids, extending along one half of the upper tail surface
Fossil record: Genus Urocyon dates to the mid-Pliocene, 3.6 million years old. Gray fox dates to Pleistocene, 2.5 million years old
Habits: Plays with food to practice for the next hunt; nocturnal or crepuscular (active at twilight), sometimes during daylight; eats small mammals, rodents, birds, snakes, insects, berries
Offspring: Average 3-4 pups per litter, occasionally 1-7 pup, each weighing 3 ounces, blind at birth
Communication: "Fox kiss" greeting of rubbing muzzles under chins and touching noses; sharp "barks" and "yips" during breeding season; chuckles, growls, squeals
Sources: Urban Wildlife Research Project; USDA Forest Service Fire Effects Information System; Fossilworks Paleobiology Database; American Society of Mammologists; State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Economy Drives Explosive Home Sales Growth in the Bay Area in March

Home sales in the Bay Area shot up by almost 60 percent from February to March while prices increased in all nine counties, thanks in large part to our region’s vigorous economy.Toy houses
The California Association of Realtors’ March home sales and price report says that single-family home sales increased by 56 percent across the Bay Area from February, with six local counties posting monthly gains in excess of 50 percent. Month-over-month sales volume upticks ranged from 90.6 percent in Alameda County to 28.9 percent in Solano County. Across the region, home sales were up 9.9 percent from March 2014.
Statewide, home sales increased 6.3 percent month over month and 7.3 percent from one year ago. According to CAR President Chris Kutzkey, California’s strong economy and job growth are helping fuel demand for real estate.
“The housing market is picking up momentum and continuing its upward trend as economic conditions improved throughout the state,” Kutzkey said in a statement accompanying the report.
In the Bay Area, March’s median sales price rose to $809,200, up 9.3 percent from February and nearly identical to the gain observed statewide. All nine counties reported month-over-month price growth in March, ranging from 10.4 percent in San Francisco County to 1.9 percent in Santa Clara County. Home prices were up year over year in all local counties except for Napa.
As in February, CAR says that Bay Area counties had the five highest median sales prices in California, with San Mateo County in the No. 1 position at $1,300,000. San Francisco was the state’s second most expensive county, at $1,275,000, followed by Marin County ($1,085,230), Santa Clara County ($932,100), and Contra Costa County ($784,950).
According to CAR, the Bay Area is the only metro region in the state where the average buyer paid a premium to secure a home in March – 105.9 percent of original price. The main reason: tight supply conditions, which worsened across the region from February, with the months’ supply of inventory (MSI) dropping to 2.4.
Four Bay Area counties had the lowest MSI in the state, and all but one had a smaller supply than the 3.8 recoded statewide. San Mateo and San Francisco counties tied for slimmest supply at 1.6, followed by Santa Clara County at 1.9 and Alameda at 2.0. Perhaps not surprisingly, three of those counties saw the quickest sales pace in California, with the average home selling in 17.7 days in Santa Clara, 17.9 days in San Mateo, and 20.7 days in San Francisco.

Monday, April 20, 2015

The 23 biggest Bay Area restaurant openings of the first quarter of 2015

Traditionally, the first three months of the year are slow when it comes to restaurant business — and hence, restaurant openings.
But this year, the Bay Area has seen an explosion of restaurants in the opening quarter of 2015. Even more remarkably, many of the new places are important and notable restaurants — and quite good. Four have already earned three stars from Michael Bauer.
Long-awaited blockbuster restaurants like Mourad and Liholiho Yacht Club finally arrived in full force, making national waves. Smaller, but no less ambitious, chef-driven restaurants like Californios, Aster, Hawker Fare, Sous Beurre and Al’s Place all arrived a few weeks apart in the Mission; think about that for a second.
While four-star Manresa reopened post-fire in Los Gatos, chef-owner David Kinch and his crew also brought along an adjacent bakery. The Future Bars empire was extended to Berkeley with Tupper & Reed, while Thomas Keller spread his wings to Silverado with another temporary restaurant as the French Laundry prepares for a reopening next week. Tack on significant debuts in December 2014, like State Bird sequel the Progress and Chris Cosentino’s Cockscomb, and San Francisco food groupies have been busy catching up with all the openings.
So yeah: Busy time. Here is the list of newcomers, with links to our Inside Scoop coverage of each one.
  1. Burma Love
  2. Californios
  3. Ad Lib
  4. Buma’s
  5. Mourad
  6. Sous Beurre Kitchen
  7. Hawker Fare
  8. Liholiho Yacht Club
  9. Al’s Place
  10. The Market/Azalina’s
  11. Ginto
  12. ManresaBread
  13. Tupper & Reed
  14. Sunset Reservoir Brewing Co.
  15. Dragon Beaux
  16. Nourish Cafe
  17. Valette
  18. Jersey Pizza
  19. The Yard at Mission Rock
  20. B-Side Baking Co.
  21. BDK Restaurant & Bar
  22. Aster
  23. All Spice

Article and image sourced from http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2015/04/03/the-23-biggest-bay-area-restaurant-openings-of-the-first-quarter-of-2015/#31778-2

Friday, April 17, 2015

7 Summer Art, Music & Design Events to up Your Culture Cred



Summer will be here before we know it, and now's the time to start filling up your calendar with the Bay Area's best art, music, and design events coming down the pipeline. From al fresco jazz to a renegade craft fair, here are the seven can't-miss arts events this summer.
It seems that almost everyone in San Francisco has a friend, an acquaintance, or a significant other involved in "design." But what makes the Bay Area such an amazing place for design firms? Take a studio tour or enjoy an event (with that design counterpart of yours), and explore SF Design Week to find out the secret to what makes SF and its surrounding areas so unique for this art form. June 4th-June 12th. San Francisco to Silicon Valley. Sign up for their newsletter for more info.
The DIY craft community has been around since your grandmother's knitting circle first started, but it has evolved into something much more contemporary over the years. Here's where the Renegade Craft Fair steps in—the annual event connects independent makers with those interested in purchasing their handmade goods. Find that unique map of the SF neighborhoods you've always wanted, or a pair of earrings made from recycled skateboards...the options are endless. Free. July 17th-19th: 10am-5pm Fri, 11am-6pm Sat/Sun. Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason. 
The classic romantic-comedy entwined with true heartbreak is always better when performed live. Join the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival this summer as they tell the tale of "A pair of star-cross'd lovers," with their production of Romeo and Juliet. They will be stopping in Pleasanton, Cupertino, Redwood City, and two SF locations. Check out theschedule for detailed times. Free. June-August. Multiple Bay Area Locations.
The Fillmore district is known for its musical history and indellible cultural stamp on this city. Join the Fillmore Jazz Festival this year and experience some of the best jazz the city has to offer. This year's festival focuses on celebrating the power of women expressed through music. Free. July 4th-5th: 10am-6pm. Fillmore Street between Jackson and Eddy.
The San Francisco Frozen Film Festival was founded in 2006 and is dedicated to creating avenues for indepedent filmmakers, young artists, and filmmakers from underserved communities to come together and exhibit their work to the widest possible audience. The festival screens films ranging from short skate and surf videos to climate change documentaries, ensuring that no voice is left unheard. Ticket prices to come. July 17-20. The Roxie Theater: 3117 16th Street @ Valencia.
The best square-shaped slice in SF, the beat generation's roots, and the Barbary Coast's business ventures all call North Beach home. The First Fridays Art Crawl aims to celebrate the culture of SF's "Little Italy" and connect more people to the area's vibrant gallery scene. All North Beach art merchants are encouraged to open their doors for the crawl, so grab a slice at Golden Boy and stroll through the diverse collections. Free. First Fridays Every Month: 6-9pm. North Beach, San Francisco.
Downtown SF is home to many galleries that the majority of commuters don't know exist, given that they're closed when worker bees exit the city each night. On the third Thursday of every month, galleries and museums, in association with the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, will extend their hours throughout the neighborhood and offer low-cost guest events. Free-$5. Third Thursdays of each month: 7-10pm. Yerba Buena Neighborhood.