You guys, 2013 is almost over. How was it? Did it have a nice finish? Was it full-bodied? Crisp? As for me, not that you asked, 2013 ruled. The best year ever, if I can be frank. And as Frank, my dear, I'd like to tell you where to go tomorrow night. Let's see...

American Tripps
Allan Hough of Mission Mission brings his acclaimed ping-pong frivolity to SoMa's Folsom Street Foundry. When asked to tell SFist more, Mr. Hough revealed all: "Well, I have some pals that are in a band together and they wanted to do something really crazy for New Year's Eve, so we brainstormed, and they came up with the idea of playing nothing but Talking Heads songs! So they've been practicing constantly for the last couple months, getting great at all the best Talking Heads songs, and they've added a couple new members, including Natalie Galatzer of Bike Basket Pies on backing and lead vocals!" Also except Berlin-style ping pong all night long, some skeeball action, Nick Pal (of Mission Mission) and BFF.fm spinning power pop, DJ JustStella, DJ Elisa Rocket, and more.
1425 Folsom; 415-795-3644

Beatpig
Juanita More and Walter Gomez will host a sweaty fete at the Powerhouse. Loads of love and loads of other stuff await you at this Folsom Street party. Come for the DJing, stay for the back room antics.
1347 Folsom; 415-552-8689

Business New Year's Eve Stand-Up Spectacular
Something familiar? Something peculiar? Something for everyone? Comedy tonight tomorrow night! Local comedians Caitlin Gill, Nato Green, Sean Keane, Anna Seregina, Bucky Sinister, and Chris Thayer will all try to make you piss your pants with glee tomorrow night. Lucky you.
The Dark Room (2263 Mission); 415-401-7987

Big Queer New Year's Eve
Look at that, everything interesting seems to be happening on Folsom this year. Typical. And with that, we give you our final Folsom Street offering, a Big Queer New Year's Eve. Allow Marke B. to spill the details. Ahem: "The gorgeous House of Babes presents this pink hip-hop blowout, hosted by Kelly Lovemonster and Krylon Superstar, with tunes by DJs Pink Lightning, Rapidfire, Boyfriend, Jenna Riot, davO, and more. Get on it!"
1192 Folsom

Bars
Any place pouring booze will be open for business. You know this.

Restaurants
They'll be serving food, champagne ("champagne") toast at midnight. Call your favorite joint for details. Tip well, too.

House parties
I cannot recall, but is San Francisco still a city where one can just walk into any house party? Was San Francisco ever a city where one could do this? Maybe it was just me. Oops. Anyway, spam your friends today for good house party options tomorrow. And don't be the dick who brings the rum. There's always one at every party. Rum is gross, you monster.

80’s New Year’s Eve Dance (SOBER)
Looking for a sober event? Then head to the Castro and dance to '80s hits. From 8pm-9pm you can hit an AA/Al-Anon meeting, then from 9:30pm-1:30am you can dance until 2014 smacks you in the ass.
Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy (4235 19th Street)

New Year's Eve Fireworks at the Embarcadero
Arrive early. For the best view, according to Fun Cheap SF, "head south of the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero for the best view. Fireworks kick of right at the stroke of midnight." Beware of crowds, people from OUTSIDE THE CITY. (Horrors!)

Stay at home
Though we do not recommend drinking alone at home, calling it an early night could be your safest bet.

Boozy participants dressed up at Segways, Ghostbusters, "the Yip-Yips," unicorns, Futurama's Bender, sexy [insert animal of choice], cheerleaders, evil Disney queens, and more during Bay to Breakers 2013. Local photographer Bhautik Joshi snapped these colorful shots of Sunday afternoon's annual marathon revelry.

Amid the pomp and circumstance and BPR-swilling, the Bay To Breakers 2013 race winner was Tolossa Gedefa Fufi, who you can also find featured in this gallery.

Previously: Bay to Breakers 2013

This year Atari's Breakout celebrates its 37th birthday, In honor, Google has added a nifty feature to Google Images. Do this now: go to Google Images, search "Atari Breakout." If you're too lazy, allow us to Google that for you. You're welcome.

You didn't plan on working today anyway, right?

Breakout began as an arcade game developed by Atari, Inc in April of 1976. Prior to other incarnations, such as Super Breakout, etc., the original shows eight rows of bricks, with each two rows a different color. The original color order, from the bottom up, was yellow, green, orange and red. You then used a single ball to destroy the layers with a paddle without losing the ball. While it's no Ms. Pac Man or Pong, Breakout does hold a spot in the heart of many a gamer.

On nice days, San Francisco is rife with gorgeous areas in which to enjoy our very brief spells of sun. Here now are our picks for the best places for taking advantage of the outdoors.

DOLORES PARK
What can we say about the phenomenon that is Dolores Park that hasn't already been said? Did you know that as recently as 2005 it was full of needles and totally scary at night and no one hung out there? And then somehow, with the blossoming of food culture and youth culture and coffee culture and whatever else in the Mission came the colonizing of this open space on any and every sunny day. But it's not entirely monopolized by the plaid-and-PBR set. Families go, dog people go. There are sometimes barbecues and quinceañeras. And obviously the gays claimed the best real estate, on the highest ledge with the best views. We dread the disruption to come as the park gets renovated and retooled later this year. But we hope for the best that this place will always be the fair-weather shitshow of patchy grass and pot truffles that we know and love.
18th & Dolores (neighborhood: Castro & Mission)

ALAMO SQUARE
As Divis becomes the new Valencia, it only stands to reason that the neighborhood needs its own Dolores, and on certain sunny days that role is being filled by dog-friendly Alamo Square. The desirable open space, with that dramatic cityscape behind the Full House houses on Postcard Row, is pretty small, and can be quite windswept given the geography — directly inland from Golden Gate Park and in the path of the first fog off the ocean. But given the right conditions and the right amount of wine, a party can be had here on a Sunday that will make everyone say, 'Who needs Dolores?' Until summer comes, and then it's never warm in Alamo Square, like ever.
Steiner & Hayes (neighborhood: Western Addition)

Baker Beach (photo credit: Erik Wilson)

BAKER BEACH & MARSHALL'S BEACH
Let's say there are ten days in the year where it's legitimately acceptable beach weather. That's being generous. And then there are maybe twenty more days when it's questionable, but for at least two hours between approximately 2 and 4 p.m. you can probably get away with lying close to the sand in a swimsuit and staying warm in the sun. So that means that one of the city's sluttiest and nakedest places is really only good for anything for the equivalent of one month out of the year. We've seen straight couples canoodling here in their birthday suits while gay men watched. We've seen many an elderly penis here, bouncing against the backdrop of the Pacific. And how can you go wrong with the Golden Gate Bridge right there, making all your Instagram friends elsewhere in the country jealous. (Sidenote: This northern end of the beach was the original site of the Burning Man festival from 1986 to 1990). As an added bonus, if you know the route, there is an even gayer, dirtier beach just beyond the rocks at the north end, closer to the bridge, accessible via the cliff above and the parking lot next to the old Presidio military bunker up there. The official word from the Parks Service is that Marshall's provides a "quiet and contemplative" experience, but it's actually quite pervy. Don't go there unless you're gay, and/or prepared for that.
Gibson Road in the Presidio

Crissy Field (photo credit: Bob Horowitz)

CRISSY FIELD
With grassy open space, running and biking paths, room for your canine companions, a real beach and even a surf spot, Crissy Field has everything your SoCal friends think they can only find in Santa Monica — except it's all within sight of the Golden Gate Bridge. Don't let the overrun bro scene at Fort Mason distract you: keep carrying your boozy picnic west past the Marina Green and the yacht clubs until you cross the footbridge and can set yourself up on the beach like a professional.
1199 E Beach in the Presidio

Corona Heights Park (photo credit: Gerard Livernois)

CORONA HEIGHTS PARK
Twin Peaks gets all the tour buses and Buena Vista Park gets all the junkies, but the jagged peak at Corona Heights Park makes for a perfectly secluded spot to perch with a hot beverage and cuddly companion. It takes a little climbing to get to, but early risers can do stair runs without fear of waking park sleepers, evening visitors can watch the sunset over the Sunset and midday visitors get a scenic view while Fido chases down the tennis ball.
Roosevelt and Museum Ways (Corona Heights)

Telegraph Hill (photo credit: Jason Rodman)

TELEGRAPH HILL
Despite the constant stream of tourists huffing up the stairs from North Beach, Telegraph Hill still has the only lookout in town where you can take in views of a Diego Rivera mural, Lombard Street, Al Capone's former home, an Eichler skyscraper, and two famous bridges. Work up a thirst spotting the wild parrots on the Filbert Steps and descend the opposite side to reward yourself with a drink on Grant Street.
Filbert & Sansome (North Beach/Telegraph Hill)

Public privately-owned space at 1 Kearney (photo credit: Brock Keeling)

PRIVATE PUBLICLY OWNED SPACES
A slew of private publicly-owned spaces are just waiting for you to stop by for a spell. Our favorite? The lovely rooftop terrace atop 1 Kearny. The bathrooms are spotless and, if you can manage not getting caught, it's a choice place for smoking a joint on your lunch hour. Other noteworthy spots include the Skygarden at the Federal Building and the 4 Terraces at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Financial District (photo credit: Bhautik Joshi)

WALKING AROUND DOWNTOWN/FiDI ON THE WEEKENDS
For those of you who, say, work from home or aren't saddled with having to traverse to an office in downtown San Francisco, we recommend walking around the city's Financial District during sunny days. It's quiet and a great way to catch only a little bit of sun (perfect for redheads!) while taking in the massive structures looming overhead.

Ariel view of Golden Gate Park. (photo credit: Wikipedia)

GOLDEN GATE PARK
Above Dolores Park, Alamo Square and lesser parks stands the almighty Golden Gate Park, the birthplace of the Summer of Love. Sure, it's got its faults (too foggy!) and some sketchy characters, but it's the park of San Francisco, period. It's got it all: Kezar Stadium, Conservatory of Flowers, Music Concourse, Japanese Tea Garden, the windmills, and some of the finest patches of grass on which to trip your balls off.

Jay Barmann, Andrew Dalton, and Brock Keeling contributed to this article.

Your SFist editor knows all too well the dizzy highs and painful lows of being a redhead. While our hair is, arguably, the standout in a crowded room, we can go from diaphanous white to charred red within minutes of lollygagging at Dolores Park. And yet? We still love the sun. But how can we enjoy it effectively with no fuss, muss, and/or malignant melanoma? Enter the Light Skin Sunlight Seekers group.

In a lengthy missive, group organizer Ken explains thusly:

The spectrum of human DNA overlaps with the spectrum of the sunrise and the sunset enabling us to tune in the best time of day for our skin to see the sun; the best time of day to promote a radiant appearance, health, and Vitamin D, without any damage. There will be two such time frames each day; one after sunrise and one before sunset. What's the best time for you? What about the effects of clouds, forests, elevation, or other atmospheric conditions? The only way to know is to collect the data. A sun sensor would allow people to gather this data, and, in time, we would learn the correlations... but since we don't have that data today, those of us with light skin can simply be smart and enjoy the sun close to sunrise or sunset. It would be nice to make this a social experience! A good analogy for the sun and our health is water. Both the sun and water are fundamental to life, yet, in modern society, we've somewhat discarded the sun's importance. We've been trained about the dangers of the sun without being taught how to tune in the best time of day for our skin to get the benefits of the sun without the damage. Imagine that your drinking water supply is very limited and rationed for a whole week; you will quickly lose energy and become unhappy and less healthy. Same is true for the sun. We might get a little incidental contact or reflection from the sun, but that's a very limited supply. Most people don't even know the benefits of getting the proper amount of sun at the proper time for your skin DNA. I do... I've discovered that it promotes the next level of excellence, energy, intellect, social interaction, and health; about 20 to 30 minutes every day, or every other day, with as little clothing on as possible seems to be about right. Since I have very light skin, I go out from 30 minutes to 1 hour after sunrise or before sunset. It is genuinely life changing; just like having an unlimited supply of drinking water. Go find out what you've been missing! What can we do in the sun? Anything. We'll be wearing as little as possible... shorts, bikinis... and perhaps we'll play with a ball, dance, stretch, or do some other sort of exercise to pass the time. It's especially exciting when it's kind of cold! The meet times for this group will be set to accommodate light skin; close to sunrise or sunset, but, of course, anybody that wants to enjoy sun during that time of day is welcome to enjoy it! I don't know who might be interested in this, but I thought I'd give a shout out to any that might benefit from it.

All skin types, of course, are welcome. Plus, this might be a great way for you pasty people to get out in the sun now and then. For more details, check out the group's meetup page.

As always, send and any all redhead-related tips to brock@sfist.com.

[h/t: Stephen Bassman]

In a city that, let's face it, isn't as welcoming to the gays as it once was, Marke B. turned out a joyous and thoughtful review of LGBTs in 2012, touching upon both local and national queerdom ("Lamebows 2013: The gay gaffes and honey boo-boos of a very queer year"). The SFBG editor/columnist breaks down everything from the Castro's newfound prudishness to Michael Petrelis' potty shots to Sodastreamgate. But our favorite read goes to Mr. Vanderbilt himself, Anderson Cooper:

The fact is, you're late: "The fact is, I'm gay," Anderson Cooper wrote to blogger Andrew Sullivan by way of coming out. Anderson Cooper is the Clay Aiken of our generation.

Lovely. He doles out a similar mention to Kristy McNichol:

The fact is you're veeery late: As her 50th birthday approached, Kristy McNichol came out. "She hopes that coming out can help kids who need support," said her publicist. There are no kids who know who Kristy McNichol is.

Do yourself a favor and read Marke's piece in its entirety at SF Bay Guardian.

Thank the Lord above that your fragile SFist editor was stuck in OC last week and not here in SF. Why? SantaCon, that's why. Like a holiday-themed Bay to Breakers going from village to village to terror locals, hordes of Santa Clauses invaded bars on Saturday throughout the city to spread cheer, beer-tinged barf, and assault. But was it really bad?

New York City had what appears to have been a righteously shitty SantaCon -- Gothamist published a wonderful antediluvian guide on how to avoid it, while John Del Signore's review of Saturday's Summer's Eve fest, where he was invited to suck someone's "nuts," will give you nightmare for Christmases to come -- but San Francisco's seemed tame (dare we say even fun?) by comparison.

Some folks on Twitter, however, disagree -- especially when the party got tipsier and filtered out to other areas of the city. Out of a slew of anti-Santacon tweets we read, this one stuck out the most:

Some dude just side boob groped my friend & then stealth kissed me. Thanks Santacon for nothing.

— em gee (@mal10cal) December 16, 2012

Until next year, check out these images from Union Square during the Santa blitzkrieg.

George Davis, a transplant from Tennessee who once ran for mayor of San Francisco, likes to get naked in the Castro. And good for him. The Castro, famous for being the queer historic district, should allow their local scrotums and mammary glands, however droopy they may be, to flow freely. Davis and his fellow ecdysiasts parked their butts outside the Castro Theatre on Friday during the city's annual PARK(ing) Day. Speaking on-camera with Mike Skiff from Reel Gay TV and Third Rail Media, Davis explained that "nudity is not a crime" adding that "the only limitations on nudity [is] blue conduct." This is when things got ugly.

The Castro Theatre's manager, Keith Arnold, interrupted the interview with a clipboard, which he repeatedly tapped at the camera while trying to shield his face, and some terse words. Arnold reportedly forced the gaggle of nudists to move one store front down Castro street. "You can't film here out in front of the theater without a permit," he explained.

The situation turned more heated after the journalist asked Arnold, "Are you gay" and "are you tolerant of expressions of nudity?" Arnold's (admittedly sharp) reply? "I'm tolerant of kids not being exposed to cocks in their faces." And that there, folks, is the issue at hand in the entire to-bare-or-not-to-bare argument in San Francisco's District 8. As the neighborhood shifts (as neighborhoods often do) to a more family-friendly tone and mixed crowd, the battle between exposed butts and exposed toddler eyes wages on. We say let's have both, but, well, that would be too easy.

Anyway, the Reel Gay news cameraman Skiff filed a criminal complaint with the SFPD against the theater manager for his arguably menacing clipboard-tapping behavior. The nudists will surely return, probably as soon as this weekend and presumably with larger numbers.

Watch the entire exchange below:

[via SF Weekly]

Sartorial-inclined gents and dames are encouraged to sport their kickiest tweed this Saturday for the 2012 San Francisco Summer Tweed Ride. It all goes down at 1 p.m at Justin Herman Plaza. And seeing as how the weather has been a bit cloudy and brisk, this might make for a perfect ride. (Tweed, for those who don't know, is typically a wooly and woven fabric, with a heavy bent toward earth tones.) Think more style sense and incorporation, and less costume (something that, frustratingly, San Franciscans tend to confuse). Or whatever. Do what you want. Just be sure to have fun.

The San Francisco Tweed Ride, conceived by Colin Fahrion, was photographed by Bold Italic. New York City also played host to its own Tweed ride, too!

[h/t: Laughing Squid]

"Summer Fun" by Darwin Bell.

"Human Dolphin" by Ariel Dovas.

You guys, the Valencia swing is back! And this time it comes affixed with streamers! What fun. Mission Mission has been chronicling the plight of the swing on Valencia Street ever since a kindhearted soul strung it up last December. Then, like Maleficent swooping in on a hot party, a kooky neighborhood local cut it down, screeching, "This isn’t a playground." It went back up again a month later, this time with steel cables. Alas, that one was also pruned by the anti-fun police, aka a city official. But, ha, now it's back! For how long? Who can say. It's probably being brutally torn down right now. However, that shouldn't stop you from erecting a swing in your own neighborhood.

OK, maybe you should not put up a swing since it's bad for the trees. And also dangerous for sensitive passersby. Plus, city officials would crap their bureaucracy-loving pants if joy-inducing swings started popping up on every hip street corner. Then again, swings are so much fun. As Mission Mission commenter Ben Carpenter gleefully points out, "The swings should multiply exponentially every time one is cut down."

If only, Ben. If only.

Love it or hate it — pst, we love it — the new playground in Dolores Park got a wee bit of a makeover with some fun street art. Jeremy Novy painted some of his famous koi on the rubber matting. You like? He also drew some clouds and a line of ants, both of which are sure to delight the thong of kids playing in the park again. Mission Mission has more images for your enjoyment or disapproval, depending on which side of the street-art fence you sit.