Things To Do – Simple and Daring

5 Top Weekend Picks. Because (Almost) Friday!

Posted on March 11, 2016

The weekend is near and Simple and Daring would never want you to get caught without plans in hand when *that* person asks if you already have plans this weekend (how embarrassing!)

1. Off the Grid – Fort Mason

Off The Grid San Francisco at Fort Mason This food truck extravaganza actually happens every Friday from 5-10pm at Ft Mason. With beer, wine and cocktails, live music, and obviously…food, Off the Grid rarely disappoints. For added fun after stuffing your face, head over to the BATS theaer, which is in the same location, to burn off some of those calories laughing.

Friday, March 11 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Details

2. World Naked Bike Ride Day

Saturday, March 12
11:00 am, body painting.
12:00 pm, ride departs.
Enough said.

3. Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival

San Francisco St Patrick's Day Parade Yes, it’s supposed to rain all weekend, but after drinking all that green beer you won’t even notice.

Saturday, March 12
11:30 am: Parade starts at 2nd & Market St.
10:00 am – 5:00 pm: Festival at Civic Center Plaza
Details

4. Pulp Fiction Dance Night At Atlas Café

Pulp Fiction Dance at Atlas Cafe

That moment you’ve been waiting for to show off your inner Johnny Travolta or Uma Thurman dance moves in a public space, yea, it has finally arrived. Head over to Atlas Café to twist and turn with the Hot Rod Jukebox band. After enjoying the good food, of course.

Saturday, March 12
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Get your dance moves on
Details

5. Spring Forward, It’s Daylight Savings!

Although only loosely qualifies as an event, who doesn’t love to celebrate the fact that it will stay lighter longer!

3 Reasons to hike the Filbert Street Steps – or any stairs, really.

Posted on March 9, 2016

It’s still early in the year and I’m guessing many of us are still trying to check fitness and health resolutions off of our New Year’s list. (Wait, what was on that list again?)

The good news is, if you live in San Francisco you can walk the Filbert Street Steps. The steps replace what would have been Filbert Street had it not been so steep. The residence along the stairway maintains them. Starting on Battery Street down by Levis Plaza, the steps climb 230 feet up to Coit Tower (in .11 of a mile).

So what’s the big deal about these Steps…or hiking stairs at all?

Beautiful views along the steps and of the San Francisco Bay.
The stairs are surrounded on both sides by a mix of quirky cottages and luxury homes. Every parcel along the path is well taken care of with creative landscaping and sometimes side paths to take in the great views. In the spring, the steps are surrounded by all of the flowers in bloom – a bonus if you have your camera along.

The Filbert Street Cat(s) are excited to welcome you to their wild habitat.
And by wild habitat, I mean their front yard, which is a step away from their Fancy Feast dinner waiting on the other side of the front door. But really, if you like cats – and based off of the number of tourists hiking the stairs that pose with the furry felines, many people do – this is your place to see and pet them while taking in the view.

Calories. Burning them, that is!
Concrete and steep at the bottom and transitioning to wood and more shallow as you climb, these steps are no walk in the park for those looking for a workout. As long as you don’t mind climbing around the tourists while listening to your exercise beats, you can burn some serious calories. At a moderate pace, 3 laps can take about ½ hour and burn 300 – 400 calories. (Based on someone of my size.) And who knows, you may just meet one of your body-conscious neighbors passing you in the opposite direction.

So get out there and do some climbing! You can find them here. And don’t forget to bring a camera – the extra weight can help burn more calories.

#HellaFunny. And why you should go to a comedy show.

Posted on March 6, 2016

I don’t normally use the word “hella” (wait, is that a word?), but I recently went to FunCheap’s “Comedians with Criminal Records” comedy show, which carried the hashtag #Hellafunny so I feel obligated to use it here.

Let me start off by saying live comedy is awesome. It’s an often overlooked form of (healthy) entertainment, which you can often see for cheap…or free. Research by Vanderbilt University Medical Center found laughing 10-15 minutes could burn 10 – 40 calories per day, which could translate into about 4 pounds a year! In San Francisco alone, establishments such as The Marsh, Purple Onion, and the Shelton Theater regularly host comedy shows for under $15. BATS (Bay Area Theater Sports) is one of my favorites with regular shows under $20.

Back to “Comedians with Criminal Records.” The concept is just that, funny people who have been busted in the past. The show opened with MC Butch Escobar. Although there was a lineup of talented comedians, Butch was my favorite of the night. With a rap sheet that includes Trafficking, Bruce kept our attention finding the irony in just about everything. You can learn more about Butch here and if you live in the Bay Area, follow FunCheap for fun and affordable events happening any night of the week.