Around the bay in November 2008

Published: November, 2008 

Ice, Ice Baby

While San Francisco rarely sees snow, there are plenty of opportunities to experience a cool holiday tradition at four ice skating rinks in the city:

Holiday Ice Rink at Embarcadero Center presented by Wachovia: Nov. 12 – Jan. 4

Ice skating returns to Justin Herman Plaza with the Holiday Ice Rink at Embarcadero Center.  Delighting families, couples and ice skating enthusiasts for 15 years, the Embarcadero Center’s rink will be open to the public for nine weeks. Admission: $8.50 for adults; $5 for seniors and children 10 years and younger on weekdays after 6 p.m. and weekends. Admission on weekdays until 6 p.m. is $8 for adults; $4.50 for seniors and children 10 years and younger.  For more information, visit www.embarcaderocenter.com/ec/attractions.

Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square: Nov. 12 – Jan. 4

Ice at the San Francisco Zoo: Nov. 24 - Dec. 31

Visitors to the western edge of the San Francisco peninsula can have a full day of family activities including ice skating at the San Francisco Zoo. The Zoo’s ice skating rink will be available for an additional charge to park admission. Open daily, rain or shine, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (closed Christmas day). The San Francisco Zoo, 1 Zoo Road. For more information visit www.sfzoo.org.  

Yerba Buena Ice Skating - All Year-roundYerba Buena offers ice skating all year long, but this time of year, the view of the city from the rink’s wall of windows is especially charming. Located in an urban rooftop garden at Yerba Buena Garden, 750 Folsom St., the skating rink is open for public skating 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Admission: $6.25 - $11. For more information, visit www.skatebowl.com or call (415) 777-3727.

Light Up for the Holidays

Embarcadero Center’s Building Lighting: Nov. 21

The Embarcadero Center’s building lighting will go green during the 27^th Annual Building Lighting Ceremony. This year the exterior building will be illuminated with 2-watt bulbs, which use cold cathode technology instead of a 15-watt bulb. The new bulbs will use 13 watts less per 17,000 lights throughout the holiday season. The lighting ceremony will be followed by an ice show, fireworks display and Winter Carnival at the Holiday Ice Rink at Embarcadero Center presented by Wachovia. The festivities start at 6 p.m. and are free to the public. For more information, visit www.embarcaderocenter.com/ec/attractions.

PIER 39/Fishereman’s Wharf Tree Lighting: Nov. 23

A multi-cultural celebration, PIER 39’s Holiday Tree Lighting will feature Bay Area groups performing seasonal favorites from around the world, including holiday traditions from Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa.  PIER 39’s majestic tree, decorated with 400 ornaments, 500 bows and 2,000 LED lights will be lit at 5:30 p.m. in the Entrance Plaza by local NBC Chief Meteorologist John Farley. The festivities are from 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. and are free to the public.  For more information, visit www.pier39.com.

Market Street Holiday Snowflake Lights: Nov. 18

For the first time in 103 years, San Francisco’s Market Street will be lit for the holiday season.  Presented by PG&E, five-foot wide energy-saving LED illuminated snowflakes will hang from Market Street’s signature Path of Gold light poles this winter. The Market Street Association is reviving a tradition that once had merchant associations compete for top honors in decorating contests. (The Path of Gold lights that run the length of Market St. from Steuart to Castro streets were originally installed in 1916 and continue to cast a distinctive amber glow on one of the City’s main thoroughfares.) Initial installations of the snowflakes will adorn the lamps at Second through Fifth streets November 18 through January 2009. A lighting ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. in front of the Westfield San Francisco Centre. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.marketstreetassociation.org

Sauce Boss to be Crowned

In celebration of Italian culture and cuisine, FIERI is hosting the world’s largest tomato sauce competition in San Francisco from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 2 at the Saints Peter and Paul Event Center, 666 Filbert Street in North Beach. Bay Area restaurants will compete for the coveted distinction of being named The Boss of the Sauce! The event has attracted the attention of television producers for spotlight coverage to be evaluated by the Food Network.  Proceeds from the event benefit Saints Peter and Paul Church, and FIERI, in preservation of the Italian culture and language. Restaurants will present their sauce to the attending general public in elimination rounds, and then to a panel of celebrities for final judging. The first 100 attendees are the first round judges. This competition provides a platform for deciding the best of the best! Beer, wine and specialty cocktails will also be served. Cost is $20 per person. For more information visit
www.bossofthesauce.org.

Local Restaurants Support

Our Troops!McCormick & Kuleto’s Seafood Restaurant in Ghirardelli Square, (415) 929-1730, and Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto in Berkeley at 1919 Fourth Street, (510) 845-7771, have announced that they will be offering all U.S. military veterans a free lunch or dinner entrée on Sunday, November 9, in appreciation for their service to our country. McCormick & Kuleto’s and Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto are participating in what is a nationwide Veterans Appreciation program on the part of the McCormick & Schmick’s family of seafood restaurants. Due to the success of last year’s event, McCormick & Kuleto’s and Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto will hold this year’s event on the Sunday prior to the national Veterans’ Day holiday on November 11 to enable families to dine together with the veterans in their lives. The restaurants will offer a free entree to those defined as a veteran by the Veterans Administration, Title 38 U.S. Code 101, which is a person who served in the active military, Army, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard, and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. Veterans will be asked to show proper identification.