|
|
 | Style that goes to your head Long gone are the days when proper ladies and gentlemen were never seen in public without a hat, but people today still like to put on a new bonnet at Easter. Until the other day, I didn't even know that there were "hat holidays", but Lis Smith of ADS Hats on Valencia in the Mission said that following Easter, the Kentucky Derby is the most popular day for hat purchases. But with a month and a half of rain in San Francisco, there hasn't been much use for a hat to keep the spring sun out of our eyes.More |  | Pulling Your Body Into Shape With Pilates Somehow I missed the celebrity-fueled Pilates craze a few years ago. Even if Demi Moore's Pilates-toned body (not to mention alleged plastic surgery) helped her land a younger man, I don't really want someone like Ashton Kutcher for myself anyways. I only grew curious about Pilates when, following my regular workouts at a major chain gym, I pedaled past the small white building at 19th and Bryant in the Mission that houses The Corner Studio.More |  | Vibrant Vintage There's something meditative about spending a rainy afternoon browsing through a vintage shop. I often catch myself staring at an old coffee cup or faded photograph for five or ten minutes, lost in the recollection of some childhood visit to my grandmother's house or imagining what life was like for whoever owned the artifact before.More |  | Provisions of Brazil I couldn't seem to set foot in a boutique last weekend without hearing the pulsing beat of Brazilian electronica. It's no surprise, though. It seems with the growing population of Brazilians in the Bay Area, follows an increasing local fascination with all things Brazilian. And though I know some people only associate Brazil with the Amazon rainforest, Carnival and thong bikinis, it's a huge country with a lot to offer.More |  | Rolling with the Times Smack-clack, smack-clack, smack-clack. The sound of a skateboard rolling down the sidewalk still causes me to swivel my head. Though I've never owned a board, and have only randomly ridden around parking lots or driveways, I've always been interested in the sport, not only for the creativity of the moves that the skaters invent, but also for its general edginess.More |  | Capture Stills and Motion I admit I've never been an early adopter of the latest gadgets. I was the girl still transcribing my college papers on an electronic typewriter when everyone else graduated to the computer. Maybe it's because I'm cheap, but I'd like to tell myself that I am just practical. If I don't need something, I won't go out and buy the newest thing just because it's available.More |  | Candy Store for the Creative Walking through an art store brings back memories of my hometown's sweets shop, with tubs of ice cream in a kaleidoscope of colors and large glass jars of candy stretching in a rainbow along the shelves. As I roam through the range of writing implements, paints, and papers, I want to touch and try everything in the store. San Francisco doesn't lack for places to satisfy these creative cravings, but Flax art & design is one of the best places to indulge your artistic appetite.More |  | Hair Styles So Good, It's Almost a Crime Located in what's practically the dead center of the heart of the Castro, Notorious For Hair has been in business for almost 20 years. Notorious is a full-service salon and will take care of your appearance literally from head to toe. Everyday, clients ranging from drag queens to librarians pass through the red door and climb the stairs to the second floor location to have their hair and skin shaped to perfection.More |  | Pet Pleasing Purchases I will admit with no shame that I spoil Guinevere, my Staffordshire Bull Terrier. For her 10th birthday last year, I bought her an ox-blood red leather collar with silver stars and a black leather leash to replace the old nylon ones she had been sporting for years. For Christmas, I gave her a furry squeaky toy in the shape of a fox that she managed to rip up in about two weeks. I also feed her organic dry dog food and indulge her addiction to what I call 'dog crack', otherwise known as Greenies chew treats.More |  | Exciting Pre-Vacation Destinations Summer always sparks the wanderlust in me. I don't know if it's the constant stream of tourists with dazed faces I see all day wheeling their luggage past the cable car turnaround or my need to escape the summer fog that inspires me to pack my own bag and head out on my next adventure. Though I live in one of the top tourist destinations in the world, even I need to go and see what the rest of the planet has to offer. My favorite part of preparing for my journey is checking out new carryalls and contraptions at the luggage stores, making travel shopping a destination in itself.More |
|
