Archive for Bay Area
San Francisco Fleet Week 2009 October 8-13 – See the Blue Angels!
Posted by: | CommentsEach fall, the San Francisco Bay Area gets a great visit from the military, including the legendary Navy flight demonstration squad, the Blue Angels. Starting in 1981, when the event first took place, Fleet Week has been marked on my calendar. Not only because supporting our troops is essential, but also because this event is a tradition not to be missed.
For those of you who haven’t been able to enjoy Fleet Week before, this event is a must do for people of all ages. I’ve enjoyed taking my sons over to San Francisco to enjoy the event from Fisherman’s Wharf. The great thing about this weekend is that the planes and ships are available for viewing from more or less any of the waterfront areas. Here is the air show schedule:
2009 Fleet Week & Air Show Schedule:
| 10/8 (Thu) | Noon – 5pm | Blue Angel Survey Flights & Practice |
| 10/9 (Fri) | 1 – 4pm | Air Show Practice & Blue Angels |
| 10/10 (Sat) | 1 – 4pm | Fleet Week Parade, Air Show & Blue Angels |
| 10/11 (Sun) | 11AM – 5pm | Air Show & Blue Angels, Italian Heritage Parade, Ship Tours |
| 10/13 (Tues) | 11AM – 4PM | Ship Tours |
The biggest day for all of this is Saturday October 10th. The air show is absolutely stunning, and the Bay Area’s warm “Indian Summer” usually provides for great weather to enjoy this event.
To get a little preview of what you might see at Fleet Week, I found this really cool video from YouTube from Fleet Week 2007:
This year’s Fleet Week Celebration is going to be no exception to the tradition, and the great part is that it’s easily accessible from OakWalk. I know that many OakWalk residents are going to be trekking over there, and I’d like to hear input from our readers on what their favorite event of Fleet Week is.
For more information on the Fleet Week San Francisco event, visit the official site here.
Article by Stuart Gruendl. Stuart is the developer of OakWalk, and an Oakland native.
Hangar 1 Vodka at the St George Spirits Distillery in Alameda
Posted by: | CommentsIf you consider yourself a Vodka snob, or just like Vodka in general, then a visit to the St George Spirits Distillery, and more specifically the Hangar 1 distillery is in short order. If you’ve never heard or tasted this Vodka, then you are in for a treat. But make sure you: bring a designated driver.
Just a short trip under the Webster Tube onto Alameda Island, St George Spirits distillery is located on the former Naval Air Station. Once you get there, head over to the Hangar 1, which is just as it sounds, and old aircraft hangar.
For just $10 you get a cool tasting glass, and the opportunity to taste some of the best Vodka around. You get to try a full 12 part flight, and believe me, you won’t be disappointed. They have some really interesting flavors like Spiced Pear Vodka, and their Green Tea infused Vodka, but my favorite by far is the “Buddha’s Hand” Citron infused Vodka. They really know how to make the best Vodka on earth. One thing that you’ll find out if you visit is that their vodka’s aren’t just flavored like some others, they are infused with actual fruit, which goes a long way in terms of taste. Their regular unflavored vodka, is actually made from viognier grapes (yes, that’s a wine grape), unlike other vodka’s made from potatoes or rice. This is probably why its much pricier than some other brands, but it’s worth the money.
Another really great part about the trip to St George Distillery, is sitting the bar and admiring the beautiful copper stills. There’s just something unbeatable about the experience of tasting their vodka right at the place where it was distilled. Don’t take my word for it, or even all of those people on Yelp, assuming you are of legal age to drink, grab a few friends and make your way over there yourself. You won’t regret it.
Article by Stuart Gruendl. Stuart is the developer of OakWalk, and an Oakland native.
Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival in San Francisco
Posted by: | CommentsFor those of you who don’t know about Outside Lands Music Festival, it’s a huge concert that takes place over 3 days in Golden Gate Park (August 28-30). There are a ton of bands that play all day and night, and there’s also a wine garden featuring many great Northern California Wineries. It’s called Winehaven, and this is a video that talks a little bit about it:
SF Outside Lands – Winehaven from Outside Lands on Vimeo.
Another fun thing about Outside Lands is the great choices that are available when it comes to food. With restaurants like Pica Pica, a Venezuelan restaurant from Napa that has these unbelievable tostones (fried plantains), and many other great Bay Area restaurants, you will definitely be able to find something that will satisfy your appetite. I’m just excited since the Bay Area favorite dessert will be there…the It’s It of course!
Although most of the bands appeal to the younger crowd in our office (especially Marilyn, my director of operations), There are still a few bands I’m still interested in seeing like Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews Band.
Marilyn and some of the other staff and residents from OakWalk will probably be more excited to see groups like Incubus, Jason Mraz, and the Black Eyed Peas. Those are just a few of the headliners playing throughout the weekend. There are supposedly more than 70 bands playing over the course of the weekend, which will provide more than ample entertainment for those attending.
One thing that I think is pretty cool is that they just announced that Jack Black’s band Tenacious D is going to be playing. I’m not a huge fan of their music, but Jack Black is pretty entertaining, so I’d say it’s worth the trip to see that set.
The concert is coming up pretty quick here, so it’s time to get yourself tickets. Visit the Outside Lands Website for more information. See you there.
Article by Stuart Gruendl. Stuart is the developer of OakWalk, and an Oakland native.
Cal Picked To Finish Second In 2009 Pac-10 Preseason Media Poll
Posted by: | CommentsFootball season is upon us! Thank goodness.
Here at OakWalk, we can look over to the Cal campus, so it’s cool to know they have a chance of taking the Pac 10 this year. But there is just one small problem. Guess who is ranked #1? Yes indeed, my loyal alma mater, USC, which will most likely be dominating the league again this year.
But nevertheless, Cal has an exciting year of football lined up, and I look forward to heading over to the stadium. I’ll be happy to root for them on every game except for one, on October 3rd, which sadly is Cal’s homecoming against USC. So who planned that one? Aren’t the home teams supposed to win on their homecoming?
Here are the entire Pac-10 rankings from the 2009 Media Poll:
1) USC
2) California
3) Oregon
4) Oregon State
5) Arizona State
6) Stanford
7) UCLA
8) Arizona
9) Washington
10) Washington State
Cal opens its 2009 season against Maryland at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept.5 (7 p.m. PT). For 2009 Cal football tickets, visit the ticket page at CalBears.com or call (800) GO BEARS.
Here is the complete 2009 Cal Football schedule. Be sure to catch that game on October 3rd.
Would anyone like to comment on Media Poll? It seems accurate to me of course. Stanford fans may disagree because of that one minor incident two years ago. So feel free to comment, but remember that we’ll put it to the test on Nov 14th with USC vs. Stanford, so don’t go printing millions of t-shirts again. Interestingly from a planning perspective, that’s USC’s homecoming game too.
Article by Stuart Gruendl. Stuart is the developer of OakWalk, and an Oakland native (but USC alumni).
