Patty "yes, I changed my name" P.'s Profile

I'm really torn on this one. Love the workout, but hate the cost.

Why is Bar Method so expensive? Whyyyyyyy??? I used Groupon to get get 2 classes for $24. Fine. New clients can get 30 days unlimited classes for $100. Kind of expensive, but fine. After that promotional deal, who spends $300/month on a workout facility? Obviously plenty of people, as business at The Bar Method seems to be pretty bumpin'.

Trying to move past the price, the classes are pretty kick-ass -- literally, my ass really hurts right now. Along with my thighs, abs, and arms. I never knew 2 lb weights could cause me so much pain, or that my whole body could shake like I was going through an exorcism, or that sitting against a wall and pressing up on a bar could be so damn hard.

This is a workout you will feel, though only if you are doing it correctly. Fortunately, you've got no other choice. The instructors will physically move you into the correct position, and I guarantee going from wrong to right makes it about 100x more painful. I particularly enjoyed Hannah's class. I wanted to hate her because she has one of the hottest bods I've ever seen, but she was just too damn nice!!

But at the end of it all, I can't stop obsessing over the price. The Bar Method is great, but I felt just as good of a workout from my pilates classes at Crunch. And that was for less than a third of the cost. Bar Method, perhaps we shall meet again someday when I am married to a very rich man -- I can see it being plenty worth it when it's someone else's money!

I'm kicking myself for not having known about this place when I lived in Berkeley. Although, it would have been a very dangerous discovery. I'm somewhat thankful to have the perilous Bay Bridge standing between myself and Crixa Cakes.

Crixa Cakes are beautiful, but I've grown to be wary of beautiful pastries. Too many times I've suffered the disappointment of biting into a stunning piece of cake only to find that it is dry and flavorless. Crixa Cakes is particularly special because their pastries are both gorgeous AND delicious. Not an easy feat.

I arrived around 4:30 pm and the selection was still pretty decent. The decision making process was a tough one, but I went with a slice of Tiramisu and a natural velvet cupcake. My fellow pastry lover had the Jamaican rum chocolate mousse cake and a mango tea.

*Tiramisu: Espresso soaked sponge cake with brandied mascarpone cream, dusted with cocoa. This cake was rich, but that didn't stop me from finishing it in about 30 seconds. The mascarpone cream was incredible and layered in the perfect ratio to the cake.

*Natural Velvet Cupcake: Velvety chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. If ever a cake were described as "velvet", this would be the one. Rich, yet smooth. And complimented perfectly by the rosette of vanilla buttercream on top.

*Jamaican Rum Chocolate Mousse Cake: Two layers of chocolate sponge cake soaked with fragrant Jamaican rum and two layers of bittersweet chocolate mousse. I tend to steer clear of alcoholic desserts because they are usually too strong, but the rum level in the cake was just right. Enough to taste, not so much as to make you feel as though you just took a shot.

I am already looking forward to my next trip to Crixa Cakes, and the more time I spend on the website, the longer my to-try list becomes....black forest cake, Budapest coffee cake, carmela, chocolate orange mousse cake, fresh ginger cake, lemon cream cake....

Finally!!

I finally hauled my ass out to Oakland for Bakesale Betty's fried chicken sandwich. Now I can die a happy and accomplished-feeling person.

The highlights of my experience include, but are not limited to, the following:

*Free chocolate chip cookie to help ease the pain of the long line (which moved rather quickly anyhow). And the cookie was delicious. Soft in the center, crispy around the edges, excellent chip to cookie ratio.

*The efficiency of the entire set-up. I'm an efficiency freak...I obsess over it, and Bakesale Betty has been the first place to impress me in quite some time. Orders are taken and shouted back to the kitchen, payment is processed, and food is handed off. All in less than 2 minutes. Remarkable.

*Fun was being had by all...patrons and staff alike. I particularly enjoyed the B.Spears jamz blasting from the kitchen and the girl in the bright blue Betty wig assembling sandwiches.

*Perfectly fried chicken. I didn't love the slaw on the sandwich (too spicy and cilantro-y) but that became immediately irrelevant upon biting into such crispy crunchy chicken.

*The lemon ice is addicting...like lemonade, but somehow different. More tart than sweet with very fine pieces of pulp.

*The general ambiance of persons looking to enjoy some delicious food in the casual ironing board table environment. Despite everyone's hunger, no one was cranky. A good cookie and some chicken will do that to you.

Bakesale Betty was worth the wait, and most definitely worth the trek to the East Bay. I can't wait to return with a bigger appetite to sample more of Betty's famous baked goods!

How does this place only have 6 reviews?? Apparently it's some sort of hidden gem. I don't mind sharing, it's probably for the best that all this pizza is not solely reserved for me.

A friend of mine lives nearby Del Mundo, and I usually pick up a slice or two to tide me over during Top Chef so I don't eat my arm while watching all that delicious cookery.

The pizza is pretty good, as long as you get it when fresh...I saw a cheese slice the other day that wasn't looking so hot. Large thin crust slices with a variety of toppings -- cheese, pepperoni, meat lovers, veggie, Hawaiian, and pesto.  They were out of pesto last time I was there, but the woman working gladly squirted some pesto sauce onto a slice of cheese for me. You know, because ordinary cheese pizza just doesn't have enough calories on its own.

In addition to pizza, there are sandwiches available at the deli, along with a variety of mediterranean delights (falafel, dolmas, tabouleh, hummus, etc). I have yet to try any of these, but they don't look bad. And there is a market area in back with a surprisingly large selection of beverages and cookies.

Some special things to note: cash only, open late -- after bars close late -- and, I have a friend who has never waited in the late night line at Del Mundo and left without a date. This is magical pizza.

I know how to watch football. It usually involves drinking beer, eating delicious fried food, and paying attention to the screen when everyone starts screaming.

Only when I tried to play football did I realize that I don't have a clue on any of the actual rules of the game. Turns out you don't need to know the rules when you've got such a kick-ass team. 11-10 victory -- go SF/North Bay!!! .....was anyone there actually from the North Bay??

I learned that I can kind of catch sometimes and that I'm pretty good at grabbing those tricky little flags. Is that a useful life skill? And special thanks to Darryl for nearly pulling my shorts off while going for my flags. Even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined so many Yelpers would see my ass. Awesome.

All in all a super fun event! I got to see some good friends, finally meet some of my Yelp pals in person, and meet new ones! Looking forward to next year -- I'll try and learn a few of the rules and will probably wear tighter shorts.

I will admit, I'm no rose garden expert. I see some other reviewers have been to some gorgeous rose gardens in the Pacific Northwest. I'm pretty jealous. The only other rose garden I have been to is the one in Berkeley, which I prefer over the one in GGP.

Aside from being 2nd place in a list of 2 rose gardens, this was my favorite place to lounge, picnic, and read on a sunny day until I discovered the Botanical Gardens. Sunshine, grass, flowers....what is there to complain about?

I guess I do have one small complaint. A lot of the roses look sad every time I'm there. I'd blame this on the time of year, but I've seen wilty looking roses from April-October now.

With the exception of the few roses who look like they are struggling to survive, it really is a lovely spot. I don't think I'd bring anyone into the park just to see this garden, but it would be a nice place to stroll through and spend a few minutes en route to somewhere else. For a triple threat, I recommend that flower aficionados hit up the Rose Garden, the Botanical Gardens, and the Conservatory of Flowers.

The search for a new gym continues....as I continue to grow out of all my clothes.

At the end of my 7-day trial period at Gold's, I knew for sure that this was not the gym for me. The knife if the coffin: no spinning studio. Spinning is my cardio of choice, so a gym without spinning is almost useless to me. The SOMA location does have spinning, and a membership to Gold's would give access to both gyms, but it's just too far out of my way.

I decided to give Gold's a shot anyway, thinking I may love their yoga classes so much I'd join. I studied the online schedule, picked the most convenient time, and arrived ready to get my bend on, only to find out that the online schedule is wrong and there was no class.  They let me know that the person who updated the website left the company. Well Gold's, it's an employers market out there...so hire someone!! Highly irritating.

I did attend one pilates class during my weeklong trial, but it was a let-down. The class was way too low-key...if I were paying for this membership, I would not feel I was getting my money's worth. Even if it's just pilates, I want to really feel it, I want to SWEAT. This was more a glorified stretching session.

This Gold's does have some redeeming factors. Friendly staff, clean facilities, ample equipment, lots of big TVs, machines that face windows not mirrors, open windows with fresh air circulation, and the guys are all hitting on each other -- not on me.

They did offer me a great monthly rate, but in the end, Gold's just doesn't have what I'm looking for.

My roommate is obsessed with the wave organ. He brings countless first dates here, claiming it "works like a charm". I had to check out this magical panty-dropping place for myself.

I arrived with big expectations. The Wave Organ was filled with 15-20 teenagers getting high. Not impressed.

With the end of San Francisco's summer coming soon, my fellow unemployed friend and I decided to take advantage of this gorgeous late October weather. Time to go boating!

Stow Lake is supposedly haunted, and I was terrified, especially with this being Halloween week and all. My friend reassured me that the ghost only comes out at night. She was the designated captain, and I the first mate, so I had to trust her. Onward we went.

The rentals are run out of a small concession stand. We paid $25 for an hour with the paddle boat (it's actually $24, with a $1 deposit, which will be forfeited if you capsize your boat or return late....what exactly is $1 going to do for them??). The guy at the rental counter was relatively friendly and I enjoyed his efforts to upsell us on some popcorn and an icee for our boating adventure.

We had a ridiculously fun time. We picked the paddle boat over the row boat because we are lazy, but it still took some effort. And that thing moves pretty slow, so it took the better part of an hour just to get around the lake. We also stopped for multiple photo shoots and had a mid-lake dance party to Miley Cyrus Party In The USA, which took a good amount of time.

I fancy this would be a good place for a date. I would not decline if some gentleman brought me out here on a rowboat with a picnic lunch, bottle of wine, large diamond ring, and an important question. I suppose I'd have to start going on dates for that to happen. Oh well.

Bikes are rented on the opposite side of the concession stand. We considered renting a tandem for the bargain price of $12/hour, but it was starting to get dark and neither of us has attempted riding a bike in years. I didn't want to be lost in the park on a bicycle built for two when the ghosts starting coming out.

All in all, a glorious day. And not a ghost in sight!

After a delicious dinner, Jenny W moved her bday party over to Madrone. The evening went as follows...

The Good:

*Fun theme nights. We happened to be here on 90s night, which was perfect for the bday girl. At first I was liking only about 1 out of every 3-4 songs, but the music got better as it got later. It would have been cooler if the big movie screen showed more music videos.
*Delicious infused vodkas. Including pineapple (my fave!). Though I heard reports that the cucumber vodka wasn't great.
*Friendly staff. The bouncer and bartender were both very nice to our group, making sure we were ok anytime we stepped outside for air and assisting us in a timely manner as we ordered.

The Bad:

*Cover charge. Sure, it's only $5, but this is San Francisco, not LA. I'm not down with paying to get into a place where I'm already planning to spend money. Or at least have others spend money on me. Even the bday girl had to pay...BS!
* We were here on a Friday and it was crazy crowded. The bathrooms are all the way down at one end, and it was like braving a mosh pit just trying to get to them. And then they smelled disgusting.

The Ugly:

* It gets hotter than hell in there, and that room does NOT circulate well. Aside from the doors being open and fans blowing, I nearly had a heat stroke, and this was sans any alcoholic influence. People were nice enough to make room on the couch for me to sit before I passed out.

I would return to Madrone, but likely only during the week and during happy hour. I'd like to get a chance to actually breathe comfortably and take a look at the place when it's not quite as crowded, and I'm always a sucker for HH deals!