I didn't know Jack

It's right across the bay. So close, and yet somehow in the ten plus years I've lived in the Bay Area, I haven't spent much time in Oakland. Until recently, that is.

Jacob and I decided to enjoy a mini-vacation with the kids this past weekend, so we booked rooms at the Waterfront Hotel on Jack London Square in Oakland. Our main prerequisite in choosing a hotel was that it have a swimming pool, and the Waterfront has that and more. Other perks include a fun nautical theme, a cozy fireplace in the lounge, and a much better than average hotel restaurant, Miss Pearl's Jam House.

We swam in the heated pool, enjoying our harbor-side location. It almost felt as if we were swimming with all the docked boats. We shared the pool deck with a bunch of tattooed hipsters from San Francisco who were celebrating a friend's birthday. I guess some people might not have enjoyed that, but we did. It made us feel like we were part of the party.

Dinner at Miss Pearl's was solid: cheese grits and shrimp, a catfish po-boy (which the waitress unfortunately called a "poor boy"), and jumbalaya. And we enjoyed the live music from a distance, since it was in the bar area and we ate in the dining room.

But my favorite food experience of the weekend had to be The Fat Lady. Just a block from the hotel, this classy, dark restaurant/bar has a definite New Orleans vibe. The decor alone sucked me in - carved architectural details, nooks and crannies galore, gorgeous bathroom tiles. But the food was also great, especially the crispy spicy potatoes served with lemon and sour cream. I'm sure the kids would say that Ben and Jerry's, which was practically next door to the hotel, was their favorite food experience of the weekend, but to each her own.

We spent the morning at Fairyland, the children's theme park that will celebrate it's 60th anniversary this year. It was just a hop, skip and a jump down the road, on the shores of Lake Merritt, and it provides a refreshingly old fashioned entertainment experience, with classic story tales brought to life in little play areas.

For lunch we headed up to the village area of Montclair, getting a feel for the Oakland hills. Although we had hoped to try Amba, a Mediterranean restaurant, we discovered it was closed on Saturdays. So we wound up at Flippers for burgers at the kids' request. Lunch wasn't a highlight, but we did enjoy strolling the neighborhood, a jumble of mom and pop shops nestled into the heavily wooded hilly terrain.

All told, we had a charming weekend in Oakland, and especially at Jack London Square. The square itself provided lots of play opportunities for kids and adults, even if there were a disturbing number of empty storefronts. They set up a dance floor and host dance lessons every Friday night in the summer. The DJs aren't stellar, but it's free and if you don't take it too seriously, it's also fun.

The kids scrambled all over a giant anchor from a real ship, which they thought was super cool. And Emil educated me on the log cabin with the grass roof: "Mommy, mommy! That house belongs to a man who's been dead for a real long time!" He was so serious as he said this I could hardly keep from laughing. Apparently, this was the take-away he had from Jacob's attempt to describe the replica of Jack London's Alaskan cabin.

Sunday morning, just before loading the car and heading home, we strolled the weekly farmer's market and picked up some fresh produce. It was a pretty near perfect stay-cation. And now I can say I know Jack, or at least Jack London Square.

A Tale of Two Water Temples

I recall the first time I ever heard someone say the words "Hetch Hetchy" blissfully as they drank down a glass of water straight from the tap. It was 1997, I had just come to San Francisco, and I didn't know what Hetch Hetchy was. Now, 13 years later, I am teaching my children about the great battle that John Muir waged and lost for Yosemite Valley's twin sister: the Hetch Hetchy Valley.

Our lesson started just yards down the road from Filoli: The Pulgas Water Temple. It's a Roman renaissance structure (round, with grand columns) built by a French stone mason named Albert Bernasconi. A reflecting pool stretches at the temple's feet, with blue gurgling water in a formal rectangular shape.

"This is where our drinking water arrives all the way from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir," I explained to Esme and Emil. I told them - in simple language - how there was a big disagreement about whether we should dam the Hetch Hetchy Valley for our water or not. I described what the Hetch Hetchy looked like and what animals lived there before it was filled with water. I also said that millions of people live where we do, and that we use a lot of water, and that the water has to come from somewhere.

We were standing behind the temple, listening to the water bubble up from the aqueduct as we watched the water shoot down a concrete half pipe towards the lake.

Although I wrote about Filoli last week, I didn't go into great detail about the estate's first owner, William Bourn. He was the president of the Spring Valley Water Company, one of the last remaining private water companies in the country at the time. I had once assumed that he was John Muir's natural enemy - fighting for the right to fill the majestic Hetch Hetchy Valley, harnessing the water of the Tuolomne River for San Francisco use.

In reality, though, Bourn was opposed to the Hetch Hetchy plan, arguing that the Spring Valley Water Company could supply San Francisco's water needs fine without it. In 1910, Bourn contracted Willis Polk - the same architect who designed Filoli - to build a water temple designed after the one in Tivoli, Italy. This was not the water temple at Crystal Springs, however. This was the Sunol Water Temple, located in the East Bay, at the foot of the Alameda watershed.

Meanwhile, the battle raged over Hetch Hetchy, continuing even through the building of the aqueduct that ran from Yosemite to the Bay Area. The public had approved the project to bring fresh Sierra Nevada water to the city, but the Raker Act required that the city use Spring Valley Water Company water until either the city bought the company or there wasn't enough water to supply the city's needs.

It wasn't until 1934 - after an aging Bourn had sold the Spring Valley Water Company to the city for $41 million - that the Pulgas Water Temple opened to the public, commemorating the arrival of the Hetch Hetchy water from 167 miles away. The public gathered and watched the first of the water trickle and then roar into Crystal Springs Lake.

Once I learned about the Sunol Water Temple, I knew I had to visit it. A quick search online led me into the drama of its more recent history. Old newspaper articles came up, describing how the temple had fallen into disrepair. The structure was damaged and apparently abandoned after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. But succumbing to pressure from members of the Sunol community, the San Francisco Public Utility Commission finally agreed to renovate it and open it to the public once again.

A Chronicle article from September 2000 describes the re-opening of the Sunol Water Temple, but hints at further disagreements. The SF Public Utility Commission had plans at the time to use the surrounding land as a huge gravel pit, while members of the community wanted vineyards, microfarms, and a wildlife preserve instead. Nothing I could find online told me what the outcome of the debate was.

So yesterday, Jacob and I headed east with the kids. The community of Sunol is tiny and rural. We drove through Niles Canyon, marveling at the steep green hills all around us. When we arrived at the Sunol Water Temple, I was disappointed to find the gates closed and locked, with a sign that said "Open Monday through Friday, 9am to 3pm."

But I could see that there was no major gravel pit surrounding the temple, and there was a sign on the gate that read "Sunol AgPark".  A quick online search explained this program "to provide public education about sustainable agriculture and natural resource stewardship, and promote a connection between urban residents and their regional watershed lands."  Apparently, the people of Sunol won their battle.

Emil and Esme talk about Hetch Hetchy often now, especially since we drive past the Crystal Springs Reservoir everyday. Emil recently said, "It's too bad they didn't make the right decision, Mommy. Isn't it?" I answered that I didn't know what the right decision was. And Esme, who fell in love with Yosemite the first time she visited it, asked, "Couldn't they have found someplace not so beautiful as Hetch Hetchy to fill in?" I still don't know. 

But I'm glad my kids are asking the questions.

 

Practical info, if you want to visit:

Pulgas Water Temple
Open Monday through Friday, 9am - 4pm
To get there: Take 280 to Edgewood Road Exit, go West on Edgewood Road, and then turn right (north) on Canada Road. The entrance to the water temple is about 2 miles from Edgewood Road on the left.
For more info, click here.

Sunol Water Temple
Open Monday through Friday, 9am - 3pm
To get there: Take Highway 84 (called Niles Canyon at this stretch) towards Sunol. Pass the exit signs for Sunol, until you get to Paloma Way on your right, which is the entrance to the water temple.
For more info, click here.

If you're interested in learning more about Hetch Hetchy, and the history of San Francisco's water sources, I highly recommend the book "The Battle over Hetch Hetchy" by historian Robert W. Righter.

Rediscovering Filoli

The Filoli Estate is an early 20th Century American mansion that sits at the bottom of the hill from my house, near the Crystal Springs Reservoir. But in spite of it's proximity I hadn't been there in years, not since I wrote about it for the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Finding myself with a few free hours the other morning, I decided it was time to rediscover Filoli.

The 36,000 square foot home was designed by architect Willis Polk, and is in a style the PR folks for the estate call "Modified English Georgian Country House." Only the first floor is open to the public, and the self guided tour includes the ballroom (which Esme and Emil designated the princess dancing room), library, flower room, trophy room, dining room, and a kitchen that could accommodate a legion of cooking and serving staff for parties.  

There is currently a very cool temporary installation at the entrance of the main house: a vertical succulent garden which also serves as a dovecote. It was a highlight of our visit, making me want to replicate it at home.

But the estate is probably most well known for its formal gardens, which make me feel like I should be wearing a Jane Austin-era dress, or maybe a 1920s day gown as I wander around.  What is it about a walled garden that creates such a romantic atmosphere?

Unfortunately, the estate has become more commercial since the last time I was there. Now the room that adjoins the kitchen of the main house is an extension of the gift store, giving me the feeling that the store aspect to the estate is slowly growing and taking over the historic aspect like a weed, but oh well. I guess it does take a lot of money to run the place.

Filoli's 12th Annual Botanical Art Exhibit is currently on display through Aug. 1, and that is reason enough to make this the time to get acquainted - or reacquainted - with Filoli. While the exhibit isn't extensive, being housed in the Admission and Visitor's Center, it is impressive for it's quality. The detail and artistry in these original botanical drawings is stunning. It's a juried event, and is recognized as one of the finest examples of botanical art available.

And of course, you can buy botanical art prints and note cards to take home. Maybe Filoli, a name which comes from the original estate owner's credo "Fight for a just cause, Love your fellow man, and Live a good life," should become Filolise, with the addendum: "Sell your fellow man whatever you can."

But all joking aside, the Filoli Estate is a national treasure. It's located at 86 Cañada Road in Woodside. Admission: Adults: $15, Seniors: $12, Students and Children: $5, Children 4 and under: Free. 

The estate is open:
Tuesday - Saturday:
10:00 am–3:30 pm
(last admission 2:30 pm)
Sunday:
11:00 am–3:30 pm
(last admission 2:30 pm)

For more information, visit their website.

The search for mala ends in Chinatown

Ever since we returned from China, I've been craving Chinese food. I don't mean chow mein from the local take out place. I mean real Chinese food, the spicy goodness that we ate from street vendors and in little hole-in-the-wall restaurants all over Beijing. 

We wanted spice. We wanted Szechuan.

With that in mind, Jacob and I did a little bit of research and ended up in Chinatown at an unassuming restaurant called Z & Y.  It was packed, and we eyed a dish that looked like a huge plate of chili peppers. I had a strong feeling we had come to the right place.

The very first dish we ate (spicy numbing beef tender) surprised us with the tongue-tingling Chinese spice called mala. This little peppercorn-like nugget doesn't pack the typical heat. It's more of a tingling and numbing sensation that can be overwhelming at first. I'll confess, the first time I tasted it in China I wasn't so sure. By the end of our visit, though, I was hooked. I was thrilled to find it again in the US.

At the waitress's suggestion, we also tried the spicy fish with flaming chili oil,  and we had to go for the chicken with the explosive chili pepper, that dish we had seen on other tables that lived up to its name, being indeed an explosion of chilis. We also had the house cold noodle, another pleasantly hot dish.

We had some people in the party who don't eat meat and weren't into the intense spice, and they were more than happy with the vegetables - the dry sauteed string beans, the bean curd family style, and the spicy eggplant in a clay pot. A few people actually thought the vegetables stole the show.

I am very happy now that I've gotten my Chinese food fix, although I think I'll continue to seek out authentic Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area.

Here are the details:

Z & Y
655 Jackson St.
SF, CA 94133
Phone: 415-981-8988

Stern Grove Festival opens it's 73rd festival season

I know I just said that the Mountain Winery was the best place in the Bay Area to see an outdoor concert. But it has a close second or tie for first in Stern Grove. This eucalyptus grove nestled into the outer reaches of the Sunset District has been providing a summer concert series since 1938. And best of all, it's free. 

The season kicks off today with Angelique Kidjo, a world music diva with reggae/Latin/African influence. The show starts at 2pm, but because it's free and the seating is a free-for-all, I recommend getting there as early as possible to stake out a good spot.  You can buy food there, or bring your own picnic.

The rest of the season includes the usual appearances by the SF Ballet, SF Opera and the SF Symphony (a fabulous way to experience these cultural treasures gratis and in a gorgeous outdoor setting), as well as popular acts like Maceo Parker.

For more information, visit the Stern Grove website.

The Mountain Winery, music with a view

On your way to the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, you begin to suspect you're in for a treat. The road starts out normal enough, but then it curves more, the trees get denser, the houses spaced further apart, and the road lifts up and up until you feel yourself leaving the valley and heading solidly into the hills.

Even as you begin to suspect what's in store, the reality of it still takes your breath away. It's one hell of a view. A panoramic vista of San Jose and Silicon Valley stretches out at your feet. And there's a glass of wine in your hand.

Welcome to the Mountain Winery. It's about as California as a concert experience can get.

The winery has been hosting concerts since 1958, and the stage is set in front of a dramatic facade: a Gothic church entrance, moved there from St. Patrick's Church in San Jose, after the original church collapsed in the 1906 earthquake, set amid sandstone bricks.

We saw Zakir Hussein, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyers play there, along with Chick Corea, and it was an amazing show. Particularly the trio - take the tabla, the banjo and a classical cellist, and the result is musical alchemy. I felt like I could have ridden to heaven on the waves of that music. And I can't imagine a better setting for it.

There are restaurants that serve dinner on the premises, but we were pretty happy bringing a picnic dinner and enjoying the tables near the parking lot. Get there early to enjoy the setting.

For more information, visit the Mountain Winery website.

San Mateo County Fair on the cheap

We went to the first day of the San Mateo County Fair yesterday, and let me tell you, the carnies are still well rehearsed in the ancient art of parting you from your money.

We walked around, the children making us easy targets, as the games people called out to us non-stop, "Guaranteed to win! Get the ping pong ball in the bowl, win a goldfish! Come on, the kids will enjoy this!"

What with parking ($10), entrance fee ($10 adult, $8 child), carnival ride tickets ($3-$5 per ride), lemonade ($6), it all adds up. But it doesn't have to. I was scoping out ways to enjoy the fair without feeling like I was spending a fortune to be there.

The first tips come before you walk in the gates. Tip #1, arrive early (it opens at noon) and find street parking. It's not that hard, but you're out of luck if you get there late. Getting there early also avoids the big crowds.

Tip # 2, buy your tickets online. You can save $17 on a family of four by getting the Family Fun Pack for $19, admitting two adults and two juniors. Children five and under are always free. Individual tickets are also discounted if you purchase them online first.

If you're going to go on lots of the carnival rides, go ahead and get the carnival pass for $21. That's like 5-7 rides, if you're paying individually. There's plenty of free entertainment, with live music, livestock displays of fatted 4-H cows, pigs, turkeys, etc.

There are also lots of fun, free activities for children. Near the Livestock Arena is an area called Rancho California. Several little booths allow the kids to experience California's agricultural legacy, from tossing a lasso around a stuffed horse to riding little tractors. Kids can pan for gold, saddle a pretend horse, milk a pretend cow, or play dress up, and all for free.

Inside the Shopping Hall, there is a room with tons of legos, perfect for allowing creative children to go to town constructing something. Near the kids' carnival section, there is a free art zone and a free kids' karaoke stage.

One of the most fun free activities, though, has to be the pig races. Those little piglets squeal and run while the crowd cheers them on, and the man from Arkansas makes an entertaining host. It's good for all ages. For more details, visit the San Mateo County Fair website.