Interview: Rebecca Gholdston
SFist LOVES BART. That's right, we're not afraid to say it, we L-O-V-E BART. We love everything about it. Even its employees. Rebecca Gholdston is one of those lucky folks who knows everything about BART and its inner workings. Plus she gets free BART rides (note to self: must get better perks at next job). Oh, yah, and besides working for BART, Ms. Gholdston also works for everyone's favorite DIY magazine, ReadyMade. Seriously, one person has two totally awesome jobs.
When she isn't being interviewed on NPR or moonlighting as a model for Ready Made, Rebecca can be found winking at the workers at El Castillito. She claims you get more Guacamole that way-- if true, that may be the best tip from an interview subject ever! Once you get over feeling like a slacker working for just a single lame corporation, check out what Rebecca has to say about our dear city. You'll especially relish her love for SF knowing that she's a SoCal native.
Name:
Rebecca Gholdston
Age and Occupation:26, I put my marketing degree to good use on the Marketing and Research team at BART (I manage a great website called MyBART.org. Check it out for lots of cheap deals and free events close to BART stations) as well as spending a few days a week as an Advertising Representative for ReadyMade Magazine.
Home Town:Newbury Park, CA
How long have you lived in the Bay Area and WhereI have lived out here for a little over a year now – about 6 months of that time was spent living in Berkeley since I work in the East Bay, but I quickly decided that the City was the place for me. Now I live in the Duboce Triangle – perfect because I seem to be in walking distance of just about anything I need to see on a regular basis.
Favorite websitewww.boingboing.net
I am always amazed by those people that seem to “know” everything before you do, and this is one great site to use as a cheat sheet.
Favorite dot com or local businessCutXpaste.com (website) or “needles and pens” (local) on 14th between Valencia and Guerrero. Both small stores all about independent designers selling reasonably priced uber-hip crafties.
What I’m currently ReadingOblivion – David Foster Wallace.
Best Deal in San FranciscoThe sidewalk. You can get so much free/cheap stuff by just standing around in the street. (It also works well when wanting to get rid of something – leave it on the corner and it will probably have found a new home in less than 5 minutes).
Which is better: BART/MUNI/Trolley or Caltrain? BART. Slight bias.
Favorite Spot in the AreaI love all the alleys in the Mission that have been painted by local artists. I think SF has some of the best Graffiti art I have ever seen.
SF has the BEST:EVERYTHING
You’ve never lived in SF until:You have paid over $100 in parking tickets because you can’t keep your street cleaning days straight.
Favorite Bay area politician of past or present: Willie Brown - and not just because he looks so dashing in a fedora. (Although, did you know that he had a suit custom-made with his own name embroidered into pinstripes? Can anyone dress better than that)?
Best solicitation from a pan handler: I was once promised some solid love advice in exchange for a dollar. After the boyfriend I was with paid up, the man told us that if the two of us were ever to get into a fight, that we were to just remove all our clothing while debating the issue, and pretty soon we would forget completely what we had been disagreeing about. I think my boyfriend was pretty sure it was the best dollar he had ever spent.
You can tell someone is local here IF:Half of the things they own have been purchased off Craigslist.
SF would be soooo much better if only: Public transit ran 24 hours SFist Note: Ummm, Rebecca, aren't you in a position to do something about that?!!
Best Burrito in the City: El Castillito. On Church, right across from the Safeway. Not only do they have a Super Veggie burrito for under $4, they pile on the guacamole if you wink at them.
Best Restaurant: There is a really tasty Indian food restaurant called Rotee, right around the corner from my apt, on Haight. It is never too crowded and honestly, there are days that I spend multiple hours at work dreaming of their Chicken Tiki Masala
Best movie scene filmed in or about SF: Haiku Tunnel. Life as a temp in the finest of cities.
I want all the EssEffists out there to know:When to hold em’, know when to fold em’, and when to walk away.
Question you'd ask if you were doing this interview:First place you’d take a friend from out of town?