Cyclists: Let the Backlash Begin (or Not)
So Much For That Plastic Bag Ban
Verizon Droid: Big Deal? Or Just Another Late Arrival Rival?
Car Thief Steals Vehicle To Get To Auto-Theft Trial
3rd Annual California Dreaming Same-Sex Ballroom Dancing Competition
Welcome, readers, to an all-too-rare edition of SFist Answers, where we pretend to know stuff. Today's theme: crying. Let's make people cry. Fun!
A friend of SFist writes:
"Someone in my office was just arrested for possession of child pornography. The case has been relatively high-profile in the area. The suspect seemed like a nice guy, and I would never have suspected anything, until he was on the local news. I thought he was in jail, but I guess he's out on bail because he's in the office today. Should I say anything to him, or just pretend he doesn't exist? I'm inclined to pretend he doesn't exist."
Well, friend, here's what we think you should do. Go up to the guy and say "Hey, did you hear how that higher-up in the Homeland Security office was charged with preying on a child?" Now THAT should make him uncomfortable! And possibly make him cry. Or at least go home. Not your problem anymore!
Honestly, innocent until proven guilty should be your attitude, as it is sort of the law. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't give the fella a wide berth. And perhaps a slip a tracking device on him when he's not looking. Just in case.
JS asks us a TWO PARTER, which made us cry, as it seemed difficult:
So I got my first salary job, contradicting the predictions of pretty much everyone from my parents to my college adviser, but it's not like I'm rolling in the cash. I live around Western Addition, basically Alamo Square Park. Besides the Page, which is nice but kinda expensive, where are some decent places to beat down my liver without beating down my wallet?Also, where can a Southern boy find some f**king decent BBQ around here? That Memphis Minnie's is a buncha bullshit, I swear, and BBQ #2 is good but I like a more molasses sweet sauce.
Answers and another Q&A after the jump
First, the easy one -- for BBQ, have you checked out Big Nate's BBQ? We've heard good things.
About dive bars -- isn't it funny how the only thing differing most of them from non-dive bars is decor? We swear, drinks cost the same pretty much everywhere. Western Addition is a tough nut, because of its mix of high-end hipster gentrification and its proximity to a lot of projects and such. And now we're a daddy and can't go out drinking, so we're crying. A lot. We suspect all the bars near you are pricey. Have you checked out some of the lower Haight places? Not too far from where you are.
So, we actually sent this answer to J.S. ahead of time. Then JS writes us back (tears of joy!):
I totally went to Big Nate's BBQ yesterday, and out of the five places I've gotten BBQ in the city, this is THE place to go. They only use woodsmoke and indirect heat on the ribs, the sauce is sweet and hot, and the coleslaw is just sweet enough.
On the question of bars, J.S. writes:
Here's what I've tried Divisadero dive bar wise: the Page is nice and you can get a beer for three bucks, but only Shiner and Pabst. Mercado is full of hipster trash, like the kind of hipsters that are about six months behind where Lower Mission hipsters are at, and the drinks start at four and get real pricey real quick. Club 821 is nice, not really a dive per se, but dark and small and intimate, average prices, but it fills up real quick. Fly Bar is where fun goes to die, and also hella expensive and full of chauncey wanna-be fratboys and girls. Little Star has two dollar PBRs when you order a meal, not a bad way to tie one on. The Independant's beers start at six dollars and are watery as hell --I recommend stuffing a bottle of Taaka under the shirt if you wanna tie one on while seeing a show. Lower Haight is pretty much the same, though I've only been to Molotov's, Mad Dog, Toronado, and that ersatz Irish place that I can't remember the name of. A Bedhoin or some Gaelic word that no doubt translates to "People will pay outrageous prices for a pint of Guinness."The best bar I've found so far is the Golden Cane which in the Upper Haight and features three dollar well drinks. Three dollar scotch on the rocks/vodka tonics/whatever the hell you want all night long.
Well, shoot, J.S. -- you've got opinions, are pretty g.d. funny, and aren't afraid to try stuff. Sounds like you'd be a good man for this gig -- want to write a pseudo-advice column? You know how to reach us.
T.S. writes:
Are me and Unique going to be together for a long time????
Man, we hope so, T.S. That's really up to you and Unique. Relationships are hard work, and involve lots of joy, but also lots of tears. As long as you can handle all the crying, you guys should be fine -- so long as you tend to cry together and not because of one another.
Sigh. Feel free to ask us more depressing questions here.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Lingua-geekage: I am totally celebrating the transitive use of differ in this post. Way cooler than the lengthy differentiate.
Yes, the cheap hipster bar crowd is woefully underserved in the W+. The only other bar on lower Divis that I know of is Waziema, which has a full liquor license and has prices comparable to the Page. Their food is meh, but as a bar it's solid--much better than you'd expect from the skeazy exterior.
By the way, I assume that by Mercado you mean Madrone? If so, then: yes.
Hey, thanks Jason -- it wasn't by design, the words just come out that way. Like from a muse on high.
TJP -- sorry if my over-reliance on having a questioneer research his own question for me led to an error of some sort. I should pay my research assistants far more . . . peace!
it's too bad there can't be some kind of legal child pornography. i used to know plenty of 16yo's who would happily appear in that kind of thing.
Heck, if you want to go drinking in the Addition, who needs a bar?
NICE! Point - KWillets.
JS is one hard-to-please guy. I haven't lived in lower haight for two years, but I don't think things change that quickly, and if one can't find a home between Molotov's, Mad Dog, Toronado, the Page, and Madrone, I mean, come on. (maybe noc-noc would satisfy?) then again, if his number one priority is price, nothing is going to satisfy JS but a trip to BevMo and his own backyard.
Club 821's happy hour is cheap and quiet, unless you are too hip to go out before 7 to get your buzz on.....
I love Wazeima's food, never been there for bar-only activity. Tonight (4/11) they are hosting this event, which is reoccuring and i'm pretty sure FREE:
CitySessions is a monthly acoustic music showcase in the Western Addition featuring the Bay Area's best original music. CitySessions is hosted at Club Waziema, an Ethiopian restaurant/bar located at 543 Divisadero (between Hayes & Fell). Each month, a large crowd of music lovers packs Club Waziema's back room to discover incredible local talent in this small, intimate venue.
Nicky's is also a good bet. The trick to drinking cheaply at Nicky's is to get there early, around 9 am when they're closed, and stand out front drinking Malt Liquor from the Popular Market next door. You can spend the whole day there for under ten bucks.
Waziema's food certainly isn't bad, it's just not very spicy, and it gets totally shown up by the awesome Ethiopian beers. Anyway, it's a cool place. According to the CitySessions web site, it has an impressive history as a music venue too.
Nopa, the new restaurant on Hayes and Divisadero, is apparently going to be open until 1 and serve drinks. But judging by the swanky decor, those probably won't come cheap.