Never fear, water taxi's here!

Never fear, water taxi's here!

By Mauricio Segura

September 15, 2014

Photo by Ed Rhee / https://flic.kr/p/nVxdD7

     Truth be told, walking along the San Francisco waterfront is a wonderful way to explore the sights and sounds of the city. It's lined with shops, mouth watering restaurants, and scenic vistas that provoke photographers to run around aimlessly like dogs in a fire hydrant factory.

     Time goes by fast, and although it's only a two mile walk from Pier 39 to the Ferry Building, most people end up taking cross street excursions to the Embarcadero Center for example, and before you know it, you may have walked 5 - 10 miles between point A and point B.

     That's the moment when you're standing in the shadow of the Ferry Building with the realization that you now have to walk all the way back. Of course, people who are fit and walk around all the time won't mind the approximate 25-minute trek, but non-walkers, the elderly, and especially parents with young children, will find the task as appealing as standing in line for a ride at a third rate theme park.

 

from facebook page

   Since March, the San Francisco Water Taxi has been operating a boat known as "Lil Taxi" from three points along the waterfront. Operating daily from 10:30am to 5:00pm, you can hop on for a ride between Pier 1 1/2 next to the Ferry Building and the Hyde Street Pier at Fisherman's Wharf. During Giants home day games, they will also provide service down to Pier 40.

     There's nothing better than to explore the San Francisco waterfront from both sides, right? And now you can! Tickets are cash only with adults paying just $10, youth 6-12 $5, and children under 5 ride for free. Round trip service is included.

     So remember the Lil Taxi next time you want to give your feet a rest and enjoy a ride along one of the most scenic waterfronts in the world.

For more information -http://sfwatertaxi.wix.com/sanfranciscowatertaxi

     

race

The Amazing Race - San Francisco Style

By Mauricio Segura

March 25, 2015

Ok, it's not exactly the amazing race, but it's as close as many of us will get to actually competing in it. There is no million dollar prize when you reach the end, but you will have an blast running around the city by the bay trying to beat your family and friends to the finish line.

A few years ago, Christie Walker Bos was bored. Her job takes her traveling around to many exciting cities, but she often found herself trying to find fun things to do in her downtime. City tours were often boring as she didn't just want to sit and be talked to, she wanted to be out and about. As a huge fan of the TV reality show, "The Amazing Race", Christie got the idea to incorporate something similar that would allow exploring while learning about the city, and still have fun in the process. Thus, Urban Adventure Quest was born.

Now in over 30 cities and museums, Urban Adventure Quest allows individuals and teams to compete against each other by utilizing their smart phones or other mobile devices to solve clues, complete challenges, and work together to unravel secrets as you're touring around the city.

The San Francisco version begins at the Yerba Buena Gardens and ends at the Hyde Street Pier. The roughly 2-mile course will take approximately 4 hours to compete as you traverse your way through Union Square, The Cable Car Museum, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and more. Aside from walking, you'll also be riding the cable car.

The cost for this adventure is only $49 per team (no more than 5 people per team), so a large group can make this a super fun way to spend a day in San Francisco. At the end of the course, you can compare scores (yes, you rack up points along the way) between those you competed with, as well as those who have done the race before you.

The Urban Adventure Quest can be done 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset. Discounts are available for corporate events, parties, schools, and the military.

For more information, please visit the Urban Adventure Quest website - http://www.urbanadventurequest.com/

Al Capone: The Alcatraz Romantic?

Al Capone: The Alcatraz Romantic?

By Mauricio Segura

August 6, 2014

source - courtesy of Madame Tussauds San Francisco
reposted at - https://www.facebook.com/blueandgoldfleet/
photos/pb.191145583772.-2207520000.1407305089./
10152323938748773/?type=3&theater

     That's a painting of the infamous crime boss Al "Scarface" Capone during his internment in Alcatraz. Unlike his time served in Philadelphia's Eastern Penitentiary where he was treated as a celebrity with perks, Alcatraz proved to be the complete opposite. However, due to good behavior, he was allowed some leisure time on occasion.

     As depicted in the painting, Big Al played a mean banjo. He was a huge fan of music and the arts, and indulged in them whenever possible. When not behind bars, he often attended the Opera and Symphonic performances around Chicago. 

      His love for jazz far surpassed his other little hobbies like extortion and murder. In fact, legendary jazz pianist Fats Waller once played the entire duration of Al's three-day-long 27th birthday party. Now, it's true that Fats was abducted at gun point and actually forced to play for Capone, but he was paid handsomely for his troubles and returned safely to the same street corner he was nabbed him from.

     While in Alcatraz, Capone and some other inmates formed a prison band named the Rock Islanders where they performed the popular tunes of the day, as well as a few originals. That said, romantic is not the first word that comes to mind in association with Al Capone, but the truth of the matter was he spent a lot of his free time writing poetry and love songs. Who knew that the man who is best remembered for orchestrating one of the most heinous gangland murder hits (The St. Valentine's Day Massacre) in mob history, was truly a romantic softy!

     Here are the lyrics to one of his surviving "hits" written while in Alcatraz...

Madonna Mia,
You’re the bloom of the roses,
You’re the charm that reposes,
In the heart of a song.

Madonna Mia,
With your true love to guide me,
Let whatever betide me,
I will never go wrong.

There’s only one moon above,
One golden sun,
There’s only one that I love,
You are the one.

     Ok, so it wouldn't be much of a hit today, I don't even think his contemporaries like Sinatra, Crosby, or Como would have touched it. But then again, The Beach Boys recorded a song penned by Charles Manson once, so anything would have been possible.The song was recorded in 2009 by members of the Al Capone Fan Club (yes, it really exists), and if you ever come across it, it's really not that bad a tune. The original sheet music was given as a gift by Capone to a priest who visited him every week, and was sold at auction just a couple of years ago for $65,000!

     So now you know, Al Capone had a human side. Wonder what would have happened if fate had taken him down a different road. Imagine that?

Ferrell

Will Ferrell - Rookie of The Year!

https://www.facebook.com/BBBinSF/photos/a.148085017924.142305.142705627924/10154207793172925/?type=1&theater

By Mauricio Segura

March 12, 2015

As we told you earlier today, actor Will Ferrell took the field as part of the Oakland A's in a game against the Seattle Mariners.

So why this picture in a Giants uniform? Tell you in a minute...

Will is doing the unthinkable today where he is scheduled to play 10 different positions (including DH) for 10 different teams using the hashtag #‎FerrellTakesTheField‬. It is part of a charity event to fight cancer.

He began the day with Oakland. Upon entering the stadium he quickly let the press know that he would not be doing any interviews, "I'm in beast mode", was his reason.

After a routine physical, Ferrell worked out with the team, took batting practice, mingled with the press and fans, and finally stepped onto the field as the Oakland A's shortstop. His stint with the team however, was short lived. Upon coming back into the dugout after one inning, Billy Beane broke the news that he had been traded for a comedic actor to be named later. "I gave you blood, sweat, & tears for FOUR HOURS!", he yelled before suiting up in a Mariners uniform and walking across the field to their dugout.

Throughout the day, Ferrell will play all positions for the Athletics, Mariners, Cubs, Angels, Reds, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Dodgers, Padres, and also the San Francisco Giants (reason for the article Picture).

As news broke about what Ferrell is doing today, countless major sports teams around the US are inviting him to play for them by offering money to the cancer charity as incentive. Even our own San Jose Earthquakes and San Jose Giants got into the act. One thing's for sure, He's going to have a busy summer!

John Stamos In SF

John Stamos & The Fan Encounter Fail

By Mauricio Segura

March 9, 2015

Source - John Stamos Instagram  //  https://instagram.com/p/z5_52VCh0r/?modal=true

     John Stamos, famous for his role on the San Francisco based television sitcom hit of the 90's, "Full House", was visiting the city by the bay this week. "Uncle Jessie" decided to take a stroll down memory lane to the old Victorian that served as the Tanner Family home located on Broderick Street.

     Just as Stamos posed for a picture in front of the house, a group of Full House fans wandered over to see the house as well. However, they completely missed out on noticing that the star of the show was standing no more than 10 feet away! Stamos captioned the photo, "Boy, these youngsters have 0.0 idea what they're missing".

     Chances are these four people will come across this photo someday, their reaction will be priceless!

Free Museum Admission? Yes please!

Free Museum Admission? Yes please!

By Mauricio Segura

September 16, 2014

photo of De Young Museum sculptures by - Italo / https://flic.kr/p/5bnbGS

     We are privileged in the Bay Area to have some wonderful museums for the entire family to enjoy. In fact, there are more than 300 that range from art to science, culture to entertainment, and everything in between.

     Thanks to the Smithsonian Magazine, Saturday September 27th will be Smithsonian’s 10th Annual Free Museum Day for select museums around the bay.

Participating Museums include:

• de Young Museum (SF)
• Legion of Honor (SF)
• Museum on Vision (SF)
• Chinese Historical Society of America Museum (SF)
• California Historical Society (SF)
• Cartoon Art Museum of California (SF)
• Hiller Aviation Museum (San Carlos)
• San Jose Museum of Art (San Jose)
• San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles (San Jose)
• The Lace Museum (Sunnyvale)
• Bedford Gallery (Walnut Creek)
• Lindsay Wildlife Museum (Walnut Creek)
• Richmond History Museum (Richmond)
• Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum (Vallejo)
• Bay Area Discovery Museum (Sausalito)
• National Steinbeck Center (Salinas)
• Pacific Coast Air Museum (Santa Rosa)

The Museum Day ticket provides free admission to one person, plus a guest.

* One ticket per household
* A ticket will gain entry in only one museum and only at participating museums
* Only an official Museum Day ticket is eligible for free entry.

Though the tickets are free, they do ask you to RSVP by going to this website - http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/?no-ist

Hope you can take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

Remember to like us on facebook or follow us twitter through the links on the upper right corner of this page to stay on top of all the things happening around our wonderful bay area!

What I Learned From Robin Williams' Death

What I Learned From Robin Williams' Death 

By Mauricio Segura

August 13, 2014

     I have to admit right off the bat that although I am a pretty emotional person, I'm not much of a crier. When I first heard the news Monday afternoon that Robin Williams had died, my initial reaction (like most everyone else), was of complete shock. The shock lasted a good two hours from which I found myself in a state of numbness. As I kept watching news reports, the shock eventually led to the acceptance of reality, which in turn manifested into extreme turmoil and sadness. And then the tears started to flow.

     I have felt sadness before at the passing of certain celebrities, but never mourned their loss to the point of tears. This was a first for me, and the reason why was something I kept asking myself for many hours to come.

     My parents and I immigrated to the United States in May of 1978 from Costa Rica. I was six years old. No more than four months after that Pan Am 747 touched down at SFO I found myself glued to a 13- inch TV set, absolutely mesmerized with the weekly antics of an alien from the planet Ork named Mork. From that moment on, Robin Williams became my comedic hero. Nanu nanu and Shazbat were incorporated into my daily vocabulary throughout my pre-teen years. In fact, I have actually caught myself (as an adult) replacing shit with Shazbat on occasion, and I just have to laugh.

     Through the years, my admiration for this man continued to grow. The way he transformed from one character to another so flawlessly was just something I couldn't wrap my brain around. I was in a constant state of awe! From serious actor to side-splitting comedy, from Popeye to Patch Adams, from a cross-dressing nanny to a futuristic robot... you get the picture. Robin Williams had such a talent of creating and introducing characters with such a perfect delivery, that you forgot it was Robin and fully accepted each character as its own individual being. An improvisational genius, I often wondered if his thought process was just faster than everyone else. At times, he seemed truly out of this world!

     Admiration turned to respect when I learned about him going above his call as a celebrity to help the less fortunate. Not just what he did for the homeless, but the countless stories of him helping out average folks, entertaining the troops in war zones, sneaking into hospitals without warning or cameras to bring laughter to the sick, etc. I remember reading Christopher Reeve's book, Nothing is Impossible, where he explained how Robin dressed up as a Russian proctologist demanding an immediate exam, just shortly after Reeve's accident left him paralyzed and severely depressed. Despite the somber mood, Robin's actions lit up the room into a frenzy of laughter, giving Christopher the moral boost he needed to go into a surgery to re-attach his skull and spine. It was just a glimpse into the amazing and caring person Robin was. In just the past couple of days, a mountain of stories about his unselfishness have come to light with many more, I'm sure, to follow. No doubt about it, though his best friend played Superman on the big screen, Robin was the super hero's embodiment in so many ways.

     Tragedies tend to solicit a self-realization in some people that at times manifest as life lessons. I didn't know Robin personally, although we shared at least two mutual friends. Regardless, his death has hit me hard, as hard as if he was an actual friend. And his death has also taught me the following three things:

Depression Is No Joke

     I can't even begin to imagine the torment that even the funniest man on earth wasn't able to survive. I've read a lot of comments in blogs and posts calling Robin a coward and selfish for taking his own life. And it's so easy to sit there from the outside looking in and judge, it's human nature I guess. But the truth of the matter is that unless you've dealt with depression or any other illness or addiction, shut your mouth because you have no idea what you're talking about.

     I have dealt with what I consider minor depression. And as minor as it has been, when I'm in that funk, it's like being sealed up in a dark coffin. Depression caused me to stop caring about a lot of things; it caused me to gain over 100 pounds, and made me (simply put) throw away my 30s. I played it off as well as I could, I tried to hide it and deal with it myself, but it’s a torturous process. Just when I thought I had it beat, I developed a bad case of tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and fell deeper than I was before. I would try to explain to people the torment of tinnitus (which many have committed suicide over), but it’s something that unless you have you'll never understand. So now, from time to time, I find myself back in that dark coffin, but also with an ongoing echoing distorted screeching that covers every last nook and cranny of my brain. Depression is not something you can deal with alone.

     Bottom line, if you deal with any form of depression, seek help. Don't pretend that you can overcome it by yourself. The longer you deal, the deeper and darker you get. And there does exist a point of no return, as we all have witnessed. Was Robin a coward? Was he selfish? Hell no! He was a victim!

Never Procrastinate

     I've tried to live my life with as little regret as possible. I have three major regrets in life, now I have a fourth.

     When I got into journalism, I did so with a dream to someday meet and interview three people. Robin Williams was one of them. I've had at least four good opportunities since I began Golden Bay Magazine in 2003 to set up an exclusive interview with him. But for some reason, the timing (I felt) was just not right. Either it was that I didn't have enough of a readership to merit a star of his caliber with an interview, or I wasn't prepared, or some other lame excuse. The latest one was that I'm in the planning stages to produce an ongoing YouTube video program in 2015 showcasing the Bay Area with restaurant reviews, tourist sites, event reports, and an occasional celebrity interview. I figured that then I would finally have a place worthy enough to feature someone of his caliber. It was my full intention to arrange to have him as my first celebrity guest.

     Procrastination obliterated my dream of meeting him and spending time together in conversation. I have learned that like the saying goes, you have to grasp that bull by its horns. If an opportunity arises, take it. You'll never know how long the window will remain open. In all aspects of life, just do it without any fear or second thoughts. Live life with no more regrets.

LOVE, Love, love, and Never Let Them Forget!

     Life is precious. A loved one can be here now, but gone tomorrow. YOU can be here now, but be gone tomorrow. Don't miss the opportunities to tell someone how much you love and appreciate them, because you might find yourself yearning for that one moment back to tell them, if you missed out on it when you had the chance.

     Some people are too stiff, they weren't brought up to show love,

Photo by Thomas Hawk / https://flic.kr/p/aEVbtd

it’s not in their nature. HOGWASH! “Oh, he/she knows how I feel about them,” I've often heard, so tell them! If you're one of those people who don't say I love you, break your comfort zone and do it. Hug, kiss, enjoy the person as long as you have them. The worst feeling is to stare down at someone’s grave and wish you could have told them how much they meant to you.

     Robin Williams' life was a blessing to millions worldwide. He brought joy and laughter to everyone around him, yet at the end, he couldn't find it himself. There is a saying that clowns paint their faces to hide their sadness. Never has that been proven to be so true.

Thank you, Mr. Williams, Thank you.

May you now rest in peace sir.