Treasure Island. What image pops into your head? Swashbuckling pirates? Buried gold and precious gems? If you’ve been living in San Francisco, you probably know it as “that island” seen between the city and the East Bay as you’re driving across the Bay Bridge. Recently though, Treasure Island has become a mecca for bargain hunters and entrepreneurs. The last weekend of every month, the Treasure Island Flea Market arrives, bringing vendors that sell everything from vintage furniture to jewelry made out of old computer parts. It’s definitely worth perusing each row of tents because there are treasures to be found where you least expect them. The market also features a number of food tents and trucks, selling their freshly prepared foods with amazing views of the city as a backdrop. The best way to get to the Treasure Island Flea Market is by driving or taking the 108 bus from the Transbay Terminal. Entrance fee is $3, Kids 12 and under are free. Parking is free. |Treasure Island Flea|

Last Weekend of Every Month:
Sat & Sun: 10am – 5pm

Being on Haight Street can serve as a pretty valid form of unintentional entertainment. You know like seeing the look of shock and horror on tourist’s faces when they get asked by intentionally homeless hippies for weed money. As fun as this can be however, it does get old pretty fast and you’re going to seek entertainment elsewhere.

Where is this elsewhere, you ask? At the one and only Milk Bar on Tuesday nights! Host Eric Barry turned this bar into a comedy venue about a month ago and it’s a great and affordable way to see some bay area stand up comics. If you arrive at 6:45 you can check out the open mic portion of the night. The open mic runs for an hour then at 8:00 the showcase starts. The showcase has three comics who do ten minute sets and then features a headliner. Some of the bay areas hottest (please forgive me for saying that word) stand up comics such as Casey Ley, Miles K., Alex Koll, and Sean Keane have performed there already.

I got to do the showcase the second week it was running and had a good time. The only bummer about this place is the occasional people that walk in and choose to not be so friendly. I mean, hecklers are a thing all comedy venues have to deal with on occasion but the incidents I’ve seen at Milk Bar take the cake. The first week I remember having to deal with two Rastafarians who were waiting for Reggae Night to start and were not enjoying the whole “listening to jokes” thing, because apparently jokes sound nothing like Bob Marley. Then the second week, some loud verbal argument broke out between two drunk men in the middle of a comic’s set. I think what happened was, one guy was yelling at this other guy for being a rude and disruptive audience member so he chose to deal with this man in a rude and disruptive way. Luckily, things have calmed down since then, but just know that as long as people still choose to be insanely drunk on a Tuesday night, incidents like this have a chance of happening.

Basically, if you want to go out on a Tuesday night, how about checking out some live comedy instead of watching that dumb overpriced movie starring those dumb overpaid pretty people? If you arrive before 8 the show is free, after that it’s five dollars. Seriously, only five dollars. For the price of a burrito you can laugh your ass off. Kind of a sweet deal. Stand up comics would love to have you come out. Really. We need the attention, but more importantly, you need to laugh. |Milk Bar| 21+

Every year on the second weekend of June since 1978, the streets of the Haight Ashbury district are a buzz with thousands of visitors, all there to celebrate the warmer temperatures with a bit of live music and some arts and crafts. Mix in a variety of places to grab something to eat and drink and it’s clear why so many arrive every year for the festivities. Haight Street is awash with a diverse crowd of hipsters, hippies, yuppies with strollers, a bit of grunge, and pretty much everything in between. |Haight Street Festival|

Every year on St. Patrick’s Day, the Financial District is abuzz with live music and revelers celebrating the holiday, ushering in the warm Spring weather ahead. This stretch of Front Street, in between California and Sacramento streets, right by the Embarcadero Center, is sealed off from vehicular traffic, and is packed to the brim with patrons downing drinks from either Schroeder’s Cafe or Harrington’s Bar and Grill. The crowd is a mixture of fancy dressed professionals unwinding after a long day at the office and those that are clad in more festive green garb. Live music and flowing beer are definite selling points, but just remember that admission is free so it’s best to come a bit early to avoid the rush of the office crowd. Live music usually entails a cover band, so if you’re a fan of classic rock, you’re in the right place.

With the help of rival gang Chang Sings, lawyer Gracie Law (Kim Katrell), and Chinatown tour bus driver with mystic powers Egg Shen (Victor Wong), the heroes are caught in the middle of a deadly rivalry that has been waging on for centuries. Defeating the Wing Kong won’t be easy, as the leader David Lo Pan (James Hong) is an immortal spirit with a team of three henchmen who posses the power to harness the elements. Lo Pan seeks being mortal again, which can only happen once he sacrifices a woman with green eyes to appease his demon god. The journey to victory is harrowing, yet whimsical, and Kurt Russell plays the part of a cocky, mullet-haired Jack Burton perfectly. Big trouble is brewing so “Just remember what ol’ Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol’ storm right square in the eye and he says, Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.”

Modeled after a square in London, South Park was constructed in 1855 as an exclusive residential community comprising of seventeen mansions plus townhouses that surrounded an oval shaped grass area. The community featured the first paved sidewalks and streets in the city, and originally had a windmill in the middle of the park to pump the water to the residences. After the 1906 earthquake demolished most of the Rincon Hill neighborhood, warehouses, nightclubs, and industrial buildings replaced the mansions of this once tony neighborhood. Over the years, dot com companies, restaurants, retail, and upscale lofts and condos have moved in to bring the splendor back to this charming little district within a district. While much has changed in the neighborhood, I love this part of the city for its tree-lined streets, a park with a playground and grass area, beautiful architecture, great restaurants to grab a bite and some unique shops worth exploring.

Specializing in upholstered furniture and case goods made with sustainable products, Cisco Home features the hand crafted designs of Cisco Pinedo. Based in Los Angeles, the family run business also has design showrooms in Southern California, Florida, New York City and Hayes Valley. The Hayes Street store has a beautiful lofted ceiling that helps showcase their selection of unique chandeliers. Their sofas and chairs are well crafted, and their bed frames would make a great addition to any bedroom. I love that many of their case goods have this distressed look that often comes from using reclaimed wood. One of my favorite designs would be their chandeliers made from old wine barrels, just the thing to complete the look in a chic loft or contemporary home. |Cisco Home|

Following three years of construction at a cost of $500 million, the California Academy of Sciences re-opened in late 2008 and is the largest platinum-rated LEED certified public building in the world. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, the 400,000 sf structure was constructed with over 20,000 cubic yards of recycled concrete, 11 million pounds of recycled steel, and wall insulation made of recycled denim. The finished structure produces 50 percent less waste than the previous building, rainwater is recycled for irrigation, natural light is utilized in 90 percent of occupied space, and 60,000 photovoltaic solar cells help power the building.

Public space at the museum is divided by the the Steinhart Aquarium with its four-story rainforest ecosystem, Morrison Planetarium, the Kimball Natural History Museum and the living roof. There is also a penguin habitat located within the Natural History Museum. Local SF residents can visit the museum for free on specified days based on what district they live in, dates can be found on the Cal Academy web site. Free admission to the facilities are also available every third Wednesday of the month. |CA Academy of Sciences|

Hours of Operation:
Mon-Sat: 9:30am – 5pm
Sun: 11am – 5pm

What started out as a local company that only made wallets is now a diversified brand that makes menswear, bags, sunglasses, watches, belts and accessories. All of their menswear, which includes shirts, blazers, jackets, and hoodies, are either made locally in Burlingame or by their tailors in New York City.

Their line of watches and sunglasses are mostly made in Italy and have this retro quality to them. Using Italian leather and waxed canvas for their line of bags and briefcases, the result is rugged yet sophisticated. Accessories include zanny cuff links, retro radios, even ipod cases. |Hlaska|

Hours of Operation:
Mon-Sat: 11am – 7pm
Sun: 11am – 6pm

The Ferry Building could possibly be the most picturesque location in the city to spend a productive morning buying fresh and local produce straight from the farm. For many restaurants, farmers markets are an important place of reference for sourcing seasonal ingredients at their best, so it should be no surprise to see these same ingredients that were sampled that morning gracing the menu for evening dinner service. Perhaps that is one of the best gauges of how well a restaurant takes advantage of what’s local, available and at its best. The vendors that occupy these coveted booths at this market are some of the best in the area, and it’s always worth perusing this market for the delicious samples. Each farm has their own specialty and certain vendors are present on specific days so plan accordingly by checking.

Some of my favorites include |Frog Hollow Farm| for their amazing stone fruits, dried fruits, jams and marmalades. |Far West Fungi| with their changing varieties of mushrooms. |Heirloom Organic Gardens| for Asian vegetables, beans, and lettuces. |Allstar Organics| with their heirloom tomatoes, squashes, and peppers. |Dirty Girl Produce| for amazing dry-farmed tomatoes, strawberries, haricot verts and other beans. Artisans and Purveyors include |Acme Bread Company| for delicious pastries and bread. |Cap’n Mike’s Holy Smoke| for amazing smoked fish and |Cowgirl Creamery| for their selection of artisan cheeses. The selection of vendors at the market varies by the day of the week, |CUESA| has a full list of purveyors and farmers for reference. |Ferry Plaza Farmers Market|

Hours of Operation:
Tues: 10am – 2pm
Thurs: 10am – 2pm
Sat: 8am – 2pm