Green Tortoise San Francisco Hostel Blog - San Francisco Events

Theatre made (semi) cheap and easy!

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:16:33 -0500

We, here in the beautiful city of San Francisco, are lucky enough to
be in one of the biggest theatre scenes in the country. There are 2
huge shows playing here right now that are fantastic!

1) Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical, Monty Python's SPAMALOT is the outrageous new musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic "Monty Python and The Holy Grail."

2) WICKED had its world premiere at San Francisco’s
Curran Theatre on May 28, 2003. This opening followed a long
development process during which the entire creative team and cast
immersed themselves in the brand new material at the Curran theatre to
launch a spectacular phenomenon that has since redefined theatrical pop
culture.

Whats that you
say? You haven't reserved tickets? You cant afford the astronomical
cost? Well there is a little known system for getting cheap, last
minute tickets. It's called the lottery system and it is explained @ http://www.shnsf.com/index.asp

But just so you know... A limited number of $25 Limited View side orchestra seats
close to the stage will be available day-of-show for each performance
of Wicked at the Orpheum Theatre or The Golden Gate Theatre box office
to enter their name in the Spamalot lottery.

As always the fine print...

-Limit of 1 or 2 tickets per person, CASH ONLY
-2
1/2 hours prior to each performance, ticket buyers may arrive at the
Orpheum Theatre box office to enter the Wicked lottery or the Golden
Gate Theatre box office to enter their name in the Spamalot lottery.
-2 hours prior to each performance the winning names will be drawn
-Winners
must be present (with valid photo ID) and able to purchase immediately
when their names are drawn or tickets will be forfeited. A parent may
vouch for a child with no photo ID.
-Lottery tickets, like all tickets, may not be RESOLD.

JACK LONDON: MAN OR SQUARE?

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:53:34 -0500

San Francisco has a little sister, and her name is Oakland. Oakland is sort of Jan Brady to San Francisco’s prettier, more popular Marica. Popular perception is sometimes misleading, as Oakland has a lot to offer besides its proximity to Berkeley. Below is a list of Oakland’s diverse charms, all just a short, pleasant and relaxing ferry ride away from the Green Tortoise. The ferry will deliver you to Jack London Square, Oakland’s newly renovated tourist attraction. Here you’ll marvel at Oakland’s rich cultural history, enjoy her varied restaurants, venues, and bars, and wonder why they named a section of a city after a dead author who wrote about wolves. (Answer: as a child, Jack lived in Oakland with his adopted family.)

JACK LONDON SQUARE FARMERS MARKET

If you happen to step off the ferry on a bright Sunday afternoon you’ll be greeted by the square’s famous farmers’ market. There’s everything from bright beads to homemade soap to my personal favorite, cooked on the spot Tamales! Oh man, one won’t be enough. Not for me at least. My personal record is four in one day. I’m not condoning that kind of reckless excess, but I’m not necessarily condemning it either. After perusing the square, you can rent a kayak and paddle yourself silly.

YOSHI’S JAZZ CLUB AND RESTAURANT

No longer unique to Oakland, this world famous jazz club just opened another venue in San Francisco’s legendary Filmore District. Both are worth your time, but Oakland’s Yoshi’s is the original, and somewhat more distinct. It is indeed a far cry from the dark, smoky nightclubs where jazz was conceived, but you’ll enjoy the lush atmosphere, stunning acoustics, and delicious (if not somewhat pricy) sushi. Dozens of legendary jazz musicians have played here over the years, from Pharaoh Sanders to McCoy Tyner to Dizzy Gillespie, to the ‘younger’ jazz crowd, like James Carter, Kenny Garrett, and John Zorn. Mos Def played a couple weeks ago. And coming up on April 25 and 26th blues legend James Cotton will by dropping by.

MERCHANT’S AND HEINOLD’S FIRST AND LAST CHANCE

What to do after vibing some jazz at Yoshi’s? Jack London Square’s two most prominent bars are a quick minute’s stumble away from one another. Merchant’s is my personal favorite. It’s the very essence of dive; the walls are covered from floor to ceiling in drunken scrawl, the pool tables are perpetually slanted, and the bartenders are often as tossed as the patrons. Heinold’s First and Last Chance Salon is a local favorite, well known for all the historical kitsch that adorns its walls, and notorious for its’ deeply slanted floor. After drinking in there for a few hours, you might think the earth is as slanted as the bar you’ve been drinking in. It’s just an illusion though; everyone knows the earth is perfectly flat.

HOME OF CHICKEN ‘N’ WAFFLES

Yes, chicken and waffles. This restaurant is quickly becoming an institution. On weekends they’re opened until three in the morning, so when the bars close at two and you can hardly see straight, consult this establishment for vision correction. It’s southern style soul food served with a unique Bay Area twist. They just reopened their lounge last winter, and between fancy mixed drinks and kickin Bay Area Soul a la Sly, Tower of Power, and Earth, Wind and Fire, you’ll be in for a real good time. You also won’t leave hungry. There’s nothing like being filled to the brim, waddling down the main drag into Oakland’s brisk summer nights…

Bay to Breakers: One of the city's finest traditions!

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:56:51 -0500

Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace that spans across the entire San Francisco penninsula. It starts at the edge of the bay and ends at Ocean Beach. Hence the name, Bay to Breakers.

The race was started in 1912, as a way to lift citizens spirits after the earthquake of 1906. Now, nearly a century later, Bay to Breakers is the longest consecutively running footrace in the world. Though numbers have changed throughout the years, the average participation currently is between 70,000 and 80,000 people! As you can imagine, this event is quite a sight to see.

Below is a picture of the massive crowd at the starting line:

Throughout the decades, the race has accumilated more of a party
atmosphere. Many participants walk the route behind the race, often
times carrying with them large quantities of beer. Some people push
decorated shopping carts holding kegs, and others even build floats for
the event. It is also a tradition to wear ellaborate costumes, or
sometimes nothing at all (except shoes, of course!) Yes, it has
certainly become more of a parade/ party, than just a race.

Some participants enjoying the festivities:

Speculators stand all along the course to watch the insanity. But, the best viewing can be found in Alamo Square at the top of Hayes street, near the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, or at the finish line on the Great Highway. Once the race ends, the party has just begun. Viewers and participants gather together for "Footstock" which is the celebration concert that takes place in Golden Gate park at the end of the race.

This year's race will take place on Sunday, May 17th. It is very easy to get from the Green Tortoise Hostel to any of the viewing locations. Or, join up with the GT crew to party along the route! Hopefully you don't mind getting up early (the race starts quite early in the morning). But it is definately worth it for the experience. Bay to Breakers is just another great reason to come to San Francisco!

For more info, or to sign up to run, visit the official website: http://www.baytobreakers.com

April events to begin to think about

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:24:20 -0500

A galactic range of options await any visitor to San Francisco. As we
roll into summer, celebrations and festivals abound in this magnificent
city. Here are a few suggestions from the San Francisco Convention
& Visitors Bureau for the month of April.

Cherry Blossom Festival: April 11-12, 18-19

It's easy to feel torn trying to decide which of all the fabulous San
Francisco spring events you should attend. Japantown's Cherry Blossom
Festival is among the best contendors for two weekends in April with
this year's Grand Marshall, actor and activist, George Takei. The
festival honors the diversity of Japanese Americans with traditional
fare, such as tea ceremonies, folk dancing, martial arts, taiko
drummers and crafts, and contemporary events like an anime fashion
show, a visit from Hello Kitty and her entourage and a karaoke song
festival. The main highlight for the city's large foodie contingent is
the street fair, which features cooking demonstrations and
mouthwatering cuisine - imagawayaki cakes filled with sweet bean paste,
takoyaki dumplings, deep-fried mochi balls, and of course, sushi. Most
of the events are free, and all of them are great for families.

Union Street Spring Celebration & Easter Parade: April 12

Forgo the traditional Easter bonnet and white patent-leather shoes.
This is one Easter celebration where the whole family can let their
hair down. Union Street's 18th annual free spring bash offers the
little ones bounce houses, climbing walls and pony rides, while their
parents enjoy alfresco dining, live music, fashion shows and vintage
cars. Everyone can participate in the Easter hat contest, and if past
winners are any indication, everything from grandiose floral
arrangements and feathers to stuffed bunnies, dyed eggs and balloons
are fair game.

San Francisco International Film Festival: April 23-May 7

As the oldest, and one of the most respected, film festivals in the
U.S., the SFIFF will once again strike the perfect balance between
celebrating the past and heralding the future of film. This year's
festival will feature the work of more than 100 established and
up-and-coming auteurs. Highlights will include two restored
masterpieces: Michelangelo Antonioni's 1955 drama "Le Amiche" and John
Cassavetes' 1974 award winner "A Woman Under the Influence." Gena
Rowlands, who won a Golden Globe for her role as Mable in Cassavetes'
film, and Robert Redford are expected to attend the event.

Opening Day on the Bay

The San Francisco Giants' opening series at AT&T Park is a sure sign spring has arrived.

April 7's home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers will have fans
rooting for the team to make their first World Series appearance since
2002.

Baseball isn't the only season that kicks off in April. Northern
California's boating season officially opens with a splash on April 26
as more than 150 vessels prance across San Francisco Bay in
well-choreographed formation for Opening Day on the Bay. Tug, tour and
commercial boats create a quite spectacle as they vie for prizes based
on whose "costumed" boat best interprets this year's theme, Legends of
the Sea.

Punkorama and Metal Maniacs Rejoice

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:03:11 -0600

So I have gotten a few requests from people for a nice smattering of punk and metal shows, let alone they are some of my favorite shows to list as they are my kind of music so here goes:

3/3 Thee Parkside- Thee Poop Chutes, ok not only do you get two guys doing covers of anything punk, but you also get to partake of $2 PBR and $2 tacos, this is a must in my opinion.

3/4 Thee Parkside- EPIPHANETTE, JESSE GRANT BAND, MANDOLIN MIKE WATSON, and GENTLEMAN JOHN PREDNY BAND, indie rock, folk, and a band that calls themselves Gothic Funk. . . I kid you not. Odd but interesting because of it.

3/4 Annie’s Social Club- Barbary Coast Burlesque, who doesn’t love a good burlesque show?

3/5 Thee Parkside- BLACK MOON RITUAL, GUSTO, SIRHAN SIRHAN, and RADIO CRIMES, pretty good punk all around.

3/5 Slim’s- Soilwork, Darkane, Warbringer, and Swallow the Sun, Awesome metal show, soilwork and darkane are both staples of the metal culture, I saw Warbringer at the Gilman before they got signed and they play some great thrash and Swallow the Sun is an excellent funeral doom band from Finland (the land of great metal) this show will be rocking.

3/6 Thee Parkside- ONION FLAVORED RINGS, SHOTWELL, THE FUCKING BUCKAROOS, and STREET EATERS, pop punk, folk, jazz, and the most punk is a pretty kick ass chick punk band.

3/6 Fillmore- Black Label Society, Zak freaking Wylde playing the guitar like mad, good old rock with a definite metal edge. Awesome.

3/7 Thee Parkside- 3pm: METAL HAPPY HOUR SHOW - NATIVEBURN, THE DUST, and IDOMENEO, ok metal, not really my taste as there seems to be too much hardcore in the metal. But it should be a nice cheap happy hour show. 9pm: CLUB FERAL - SCHLITZ CLAIBORNE, NATHAN CARRERA, MILK MILK LEMONADE, FLEABAG, DJ Gary Fembot, So I had a lo fi punk band and a Techno band, the rest are a mystery as I could not get their myspace pages to work.

3/8 Annie’s Social Club- Black Cobra, Eternal Elysium, Dusted Angel, and Damnweevil, this is an excellent doomy metal show. If you want an underground metal scene experience in San Francisco check this out.

3/8 Thee Parkside- 5pm: REDUCED TO RUIN, FRED ODELL & THE BROKEN ARROWS, Twangy country influenced music. 9 pm: STAR FUCKING HIPSTERS, SECOND SHOT, and THE PENNY DREADFULS, 2 awesome punk bands worth checking out for sure and one blink 182 wannabe pop punk crap band. I see no reason to miss this show.

3/7 the Gilman(Berkeley)- Hardcore show, 7 bands short and hard sets. I cannot read all the bands on the flyer so I am just going to say if you like local hardcore type bands this will be a good show.

3/8 the Gilman- Brocus Helm, Havoc, Laceration, IT, and Pillager, thrash metal would be the main influence of these bands, which makes sense seeing as though most of them are from the bay area. Should be an excellent show full of metal energy.

3/13 the Gilman- Embrace the End, Early Graves, Antagony, Agenda of Swine, and Fallujah, mostly hardcore that longs to be metal, but a couple of the bands pull off a decent death metal blend.

3/14 the Gilman- The Prids, Disaster Strikes, Swann Danger, and Modern Day Witchunt, we have 2 indie punk bands, one more indie the other more. . . we’ll say new wave, and 2 hardcore bands. Should be an interesting show for sure.

So there you have it, if you like punk or metal and can’t find anything here you are interested in then I don’t know what to tell you. Have a great week.

Kyle @ GT

Noise pop continues

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:47:54 -0600

Hello again and now for some more shows going on in the bay area, hold onto your hats:

2/27 Benders happy hour- Maus Haus, Sugar and Gold, and Tempo No Tempo, house and club music fans rejoice this show is for you.

2/27 Mini Bar- The Art of Noise Pop, they don’t just have bands they have Art, go check it out.

2/27 Great American Music Hall- Cryptacize, Rafter, and That Ghost, gonna have to dub this one indie rock synth pop.

2/27 Slim’s- The Morning Benders, The Submarines, The Mumlers, and Rademacher, A little indie rock, some big band thrown in, some ghetto tech, and of course some pop. Should be a good cross section of pop music.

2/27 Bottom of the Hill- Dear and the Headlights, Kinch, Big Light, and A B and the Sea, see previous Noise pop posting.

2/27 Café Du Nord- Port O’Brien, Odawas, Afternoons, and Dame Satan, some acoustic folk, psychedelic folk, some pretty straight up indie rock, and some nice subdued blues infused indie. Really dig Dame Satan myself.

2/28 Benders happy hour- Music for Animals, Aim Low Kid, and Audio Out send, Pop indie to an extreme.

2/28 Bottom of the Hill- The Matches, Dizzy Balloon, and Ex-Boyfriends, see previos noise pop post.

2/28 Apple Store Downtown- Themselves, Rainbow Arabia, Yoni Wolf, and Boy in Static. Come on, how many times do you get to say you saw an indie show at an Apple store? Indie and technology explains the show, should be fun.

2/28 Swedish American Music Hall- Bob Mould, Mark Eitzel, Donovan Quinn, Jason Finazzo, nothing quite says indie pop music like a bunch of whiney old men singing about heartache.

2/28 Café Du Nord- Portugal. The Man, Girls, Love is Chemicals, and Agent Ribbons, a decent smattering of indie pop. I like the first and last bands best myself.

2/28 The Rickshaw Stop- Clues, Loch Lomond, Harbours, The Red Verse, a few of these bands really have something going for them, that unique sound that makes your soul warmer, go and have fun.

2/28 Bottom of the Hill- Sholi, The Dead Trees, Everest, Jake Mann, See previous Noise Pop post.

2/ 28 Mezzanine- Flosstradamus, N.A.S.A., Wallpaper, and DJ Morale, a little more on the indie hip hop side of things.

And don't forget that Wondercon is going on all this weekend, sure to make all the comic geeks and nerds come a screaming out of the woodwork. We are all excited about The Watchmen movie coming out, maybe someone staying here will get tickets.

Free First Wednesday of each month at Discovery Museum

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:27:56 -0600

The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor facility at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge,
serving over 300,000 visitors per year on its 7.5 acre Sausalito
campus. It is the only children’s museum in the U.S. to be located in a
national park, and the exhibits are admired and emulated by other
children’s museums nationwide. The Museum is recognized as the leading
children’s museum dedicated to developing childhood creativity,
nurturing future generations of creative thinkers and innovators. With
this emphasis on creativity through play, we encourage children ages 6
months to 8 years to develop into curious, creative, adventurous
lifelong learners and explorers.

More Shows and Such

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 04:05:48 -0600

So I found this lovely festival spread over 18 different venues from Feburary 24th until March 1st called Noise Pop. I have a list of the bands that should be there and for more detailed information go to:

http://www.noisepop.com/the-2009-festival

Looks like one hell of a good time, here are the bands that will be performing:

A B and the Sea, Afternoons, Aim Low Kid, The Aimless Never Miss, An Horse, Antony and the Johnsons, Audio Out Send, Ryan Auffenberg, Big Light, AA Bondy, Boy In Static, Broken West, Built For the Sea, City Light, Clues, Colossal Yes, Matt Costa, Crime In Choir, Crown City Rockers, Cryptacize, Cut Off Your Hands, Dame Satan, The Dead Trees, Dear and the Headlights, Deerhunter, Karina Denike, Dizzy Balloon, DJ Morale, David Dondero, The Dont's, The Drums, Mark Eitzel, Evacuee, Everest, Ex-boyfriends, Jason Finazzo, Flosstradamus, Robert Francis, French Kicks, The Fresh and Onlys, From Monument to Masses, Laura Gibson, Girls, Goblin Cock, Harbours, Here Here, Peggy Honeywell, The Hooks, Infinite Body, Japanese Motors, Kinch, Kings & Queens, Kool Keith: Dr. Octagon vs. Dr. Dooom, Kowloon Walled City, kutMasta kurt, Les Savy Fav, Lilofee, Loch Lomond, Love is Chemicals, Lumerians, The Mae Shi, Stephen Malkmus (Solo), Man/Miracle, Jake Mann, The Matches, Maus Haus, Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele, The Morning Benders, Bob Mould, The Mountain Goats (solo), Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, The Mumlers, Music For Animals, N.A.S.A., Goh Nakamura, AC Newman,Thao Nguyen, No Age, Odawas, Thee Oh Sees, Papercuts, Picture Atlantic, Port O'Brien, Portugal. The Man, Donovan Quinn, Ra Ra Riot, Rademacher, Rafter, Rainbow Arabia, The Red Verse, Mike Relm, Josh Ritter (solo w/string quartet), Scissors For Lefty, Sholi, The Sleepover Disaster, Sleepy Sun, Dave Smallen, Sean Smith, St. Vincent, Kelley Stoltz, The Submarines, Sugar & Gold, Telekinesis, Tempo No Tempo, That Ghost, Themselves, Tiny Television, Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death, True Widow, Two Sheds, Tyvek, Unnatural Helpers, Veil Veil Vanish, Martha Wainwright, Wallpaper, Warship, White Circle Crime Club, Devon Williams, Yoni Wolf

More shows to come

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:26:10 -0600

So I had just written out about all the shows that were going on this week when the computer decided to erase everything when I hit submit. So as a quick update as I do not have the time to re-write everything until I come back to work tonight, I saw Giant Squid on Friday and the show was awesome. A wall of sound that carried me on a great and wonderful journey as it soothed my troubles away.

2/8 Bottom of the Hill- The Adolescents, pivotal to punk rock as a whole, if you like any brand of punk but haven't heard these guys, then rectify that and go to a show.

2/8 Stork Club(Oakland)- Giant Squid, Should be another great show, check them out

Well I will have your full friday the 13th/VD update soon sorry for any inconvenience.

Valentines Day Events!

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:46:19 -0600

Ah, Valentines Day. A day of love, romance,
and...pillow fights??? In San Francisco, dinner and dancing are not the
only things you can enjoy on Valentines day.
Here are some upcoming events for February 14th that you can enjoy either by yourself, or with a sweetie!

--Pillow fight @ Justin Herman Plaza (Embarcadero Center) @ 6pm
That's
right, a giant pillow fight! Show up early, because when the clock
tower strikes 6:00, the battle begins. Just bring your own pillow
(natural materials only, since some things do drift into the bay).
For more info, visit http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1439593/

-- The 4th annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival @12 noon.
833 Market Street, Suite 812.
4 different classic, silent films.
For more info, visit http://www.silentfilm.org

--The 3rd Annual All-Mediums NUDE Art Show! @ Space Gallery, 1141 Post street. Free after 8pm, $5 after 9pm.
Sexy accordion music, house, funk, indie/pop, and a special appearance by Chuck the naked saxophone player!

--Feb
12, 13, & 14. The University of San Francisco will host a
production of the Vagina Monologues, to participate in the campaign to
stop violence against women and children. If you have not seen this
classic production, you must! It is hilarious and enlightening.
For more info, visit http://www.myspace.com/444006299

If you don't have a date already, the Green Tortoise is the perfect place to find one! See you all soon...

Shows and events

nospam@example.com (Green Tortoise Hostel) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 02:20:05 -0600

So we have a lot going on here in San Francisco. Concerts, Film Festivals, even a Comic Convention coming up. So keep on coming back here as we update our guests to all the fun and excitement this city has to offer. Check out:

http://www.greentortoise.com/san-francisco-hostel/guestinternet.html

and look through the events we have listed, it gets updated with new information as often as we can, and if you need more just let us know when you stay what you want to know about the city so we can best serve you. Also if you like our blog here don't hesitate to checkout our myspace and facebook pages and add us as a friend. That way you can always know what's going on. Feb 5th-22nd will boast the 11th annual San Francisco Indie Film Festival. It should be great because it's not just movies, there are several parties hosted by the indie fest orginizers, like the Big Lebowski Party, that make this a great event. I mean not just great film, but music, debauchery, and booze, what more could a fan of "The Dude" want in life? The best part is you can get a half price admission if you dress up like a character from The Big Lebowski @ $5 ($10 full of course) or most of the parties are free with a ticket stub from one of the festivals movies. So if you like film, and you want to get wasted after watching a good movie, this is the place to have a great time.

Kyle