Living the NightLife

Picture this: girls in flapper dresses sip their cocktails while fish swim overhead. Looking up through the  aquarium, you can see a rain forest towering even further overhead, and young men sporting jaunty hats and dashing jackets wind their way up through the rainforest swarming with butterflies. They look down and laugh, seeing the people (us) who seem to be swimming underwater at the floor of the rainforest.

That was one of the surreal moments I experienced at the California Academy of Sciences last night. It was Thursday night, when the museum puts on an adult-only party that brings out the inner child. Last night's theme was Prohibition Era, and many people came dressed in costume to enjoy the cocktails, music, and displays. Ken Burns' new documentary on Prohibition was screened, as well, accompanied by a wine tasting. 

I've been to NightLife about three times since the museum re-opened it's doors in September of 2008, and it's an awesome way to experience the $500 million new building, with it's extensive aquarium, 4-story rainforest, state-of-the-art planetarium, and beautiful living roof. When the museum first opened, NightLife was off the hook like a crazy club scene, with long lines and packed dance floors. It's mellowed a bit since then, but still draws a decent crowd.

Last night, as I stood on the roof with an architect friend visiting from Beijing, we looked at the de Young museum, an SF icon in its own right which was darkly glowing in the fog, from the roof of the Cal Academy, and agreed that the fog made the experience even better. Then we took our cocktails and headed downstairs for more NightLife.

Interested in checking it out? NightLife runs from 6pm to 10pm every Thursday night. Tickets cost $12 per adult, $10 for members. You have to be 21 or up to go, and they do card. For more info, go the Cal Academy NightLife page.

Blushing for Blush

The 80's are back. Legwarmers are appearing in stores again, along with tight jeans and shirts with only one shoulder strap. And let us not forget the frozen yogurt.

Back in the day it was TCBY, but now it's more of a tiny mom and pop chain kind of thing, with serve yourself stands and toppings bars. With two kids to entertain, I've tried a lot of yogurt stores over the past year. But we recently checked out one that opened in downtown Burlingame that we really liked.

Blush is a small franchise, with five locations around the Bay Area: San Francisco (near AT&T Park), Dublin, Milpitas, Walnut Creek, and Burlingame. It is a little different than most of the other fro-yo shops that have popped up like mushrooms recently.

First of all, it's not a serve yourself place. Unfortunately, that means I can't get the teeny-tiny amount I usually do at other stores. But it makes up for that in a number of ways. Most importantly, it's a better quality yogurt, made from all-natural, organic Strauss dairy products. It's sweetened naturally with fruit juice. The other thing that I really like about Blush is that the space is more comfortable, with lots of seating. Okay, I admit I could do without the huge TV screens they have. But I do like the little patio out back of the Burlingame location.

So poof out your hair, squeeze into those skinny jeans, and head on over to Blush for a 2011 take on frozen yogurt. 

Here are the details for the Burlingame location:
1212 Donnelly Ave.
Burlingame, CA
(650) 558-8889

Hours:
Sunday through Thursday, 11am-10pm

Friday and Saturday, 11am-11pm

Details for their other locations can be found here.

Raving about Rave

We had dropped Esme off for her first day of school, and Emil was disconsolate. Life is so lonely without your big sister around. So when he said he really wanted a burger for lunch, I wasn't going to deny him. This is how we ended up at Rave Burger in San Mateo.

Rave has a comfortable, hip vibe to it. There are funny cartoons about meat decorating the walls, and I have to admit I was entertained by them. But really, if the burgers aren't good, then what's the point of fun cartoons? 

Don't worry, the burgers are good!  They are made with Niman Ranch beef, after all.

Emil ordered the slider off the kids' menu ($5) that came with fries and sliced apples. I had the Greek Burger with a vegetarian patty (I'm not really a vegetarian, but I don't eat meat all the time), which was loaded with tomatoes, feta, tatziki sauce, and olive spread ($9.50). I opted for the salad over the fries. It was yummy, and I kind of enjoyed the irony of eating my veggies surrounded by all those carnivorous cartoons.

So next time someone near me needs a burger fix, I know just the place to go.

Rave.

The details:
144 E. 3rd Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 342-6689

Hours:
Sun-Thu: 11:00AM - 9:00PM
Fri-Sat: 11:00AM - 10:00PM