The Fro Fro Blog

New York Post, Saturday Edition

"Shopping is my cardio." -- Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw

After Mom's magnificent Thanksgiving feast and a couple of days of the ensuing leftovers, I was ready for some Carrie Bradshaw-style cardio.  Thankfully the holiday sales are in full force, so the damage wasn't extreme.

My first stop was Smythson, the Bond Street stationer, to replenish my supply of little leather-bound books to jot things down in, plus notecards and envelopes.  There's always lots to be thankful for not just at this time of year, and Fro Fro believes in handwritten expressions of gratitude.  My parents raised me right.

Next, I hit one of Carrie's favorite cobblers, Manolo Blahnik, and a few of my favorite Fifth Avenue F's including  Fendi (It's my monogram after all!) and Ferragamo (lured in, no doubt, by the poster for Australia -- Ferragamo did Kidman's shoes for the movie). 

 

Product (RED) has set up a retail store on Fifth Avenue between 53rd and 54th where you can buy (RED) merch and support their efforts in Africa.  While there, I signed up for (RED)WIRE, their digital music magazine launching December 1.  You get exclusive tracks from major artists and (RED) gets $5/month for AIDS relief in Africa.  Learn more about (RED)WIRE and sign yourself up here.

 

After a few hours on my Fifth Avenue treadmill, I'd worked up quite an appetite.  What would Carrie do?  Lo and behold, I found sweet relief at Crumbs Bake Shop's 52nd & Madison location.  You may recall on an earlier NY visit, Crumbs was my winner in a chowdown versus Magnolia, and I'd been craving their Oreo cupcake almost every day since (on the days I'm not craving the ones from Hey Cupcake in Austin, but that's another story).  Yesterday I scratched that Oreo itch, and got a taste of their Hostess (OMG...watch out Thomas Keller!), Reese's and Cappucino varieties too. 

 

Just a taste, though.  I didn't want to spoil my appetite for dinner at Park Avenue Autumn.  Stay tuned for the delectable details!

New York Post, Tuesday Edition

I'm home-sweet-home for Thanksgiving and while of course that means family time for Fro Fro, it also means exploring some of my favorite stomping grounds. 

I hit some of my best-loved Madison Avenue boutiques that don't have San Francisco outposts, like G.C. William (1137 Madison), Olive and Bette's (1070 Madison), and Searle (1124 Madison, 805 Madison). 

My day also included:

Hot chocolate-to-go from La Maison du Chocolat (1018 Madison) that was so deliciously thick, sweet and rich that it stopped me in my tracks...

 

...appreciating the fine art at Christian Louboutin (941 Madison)...

 

...and a journey back in time at Kenneth W. Rendell Gallery (989 Madison), poring over historical letters, autographs, documents and manuscripts....  One of my favorites was a letter from Frank Lloyd Wright: "I am willing to do my part when doing it will get results.  Are you ready to go?"

Speaking of doing my part to get results, I did mine to try to stimulate the economy.  Unfortunately, there were very few other customers in the stores despite amazing sale prices.  Definitely not good news.

So what's this little slave to commerce to do?  Head down to the Barrymore Theater in Times Square to see Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), and Raúl Esparza (Pushing Daisies) in David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow."  Now that's a hot lead!

 

   

How I Spent My Summer Vacation 2008

Happy summer, everyone!  I've missed you, darlings, but as you'll see from this post, I've been frolicking about, conjuring up content for you.   There's soooo much to tell, and so many photos.  So what I'll do is give you the brief overview and a few of the photos here -- then you can head over to Webshots and see the full album.  How's that?

Fourth of July Weekend
The official start of the season, and what a treat -- my cousin Dana came for a visit from Chicago for a friend's wedding.  We camped out at the Claremont, shopped in Berkeley and brunched at Bette's Oceanview Diner. (Read the full Bette's post here.)

While Dana went to the wedding, I dined on Tagliatelle with Rabbit Ragu Balsamico, Porchetta (basically pork and more pork) and not one but two desserts at Oliveto.  I've become something of an SF snob lately, so it was great to have such a delish meal over in the East Bay.  The hostess was on to me, though -- she said "I love your dress. You got that in the city, right?"  Right you are.

Martha's Vineyard
The Vineyard is one of my favorite places on Earth.  I had three goals for this trip and I'm pleased to report I achieved them all:
1) Spend quality family time with the 'rents, Uncle Robby, Helen, Ray and little John
2) Get a nice tan
3) Finally finish Calvin Trillin's The Tummy Trilogy    
The first two were easy.  The last one had been a challenge  -- I'd been reading that book for about five months or so, as you may have noticed in my Recent Reads column on this page.  Why?  Trillin chronicles his gastronomic adventures so vividly that I'd read three or four pages and have to put the book down because it made me too hungry.  I'm even seriously contemplating a trip to Kansas City just to sample some of Arthur Bryant's BBQ, especially the burned edges of the brisket.

We dined at Bleu in Mashpee Commons prior to catching the ferry at Woods Hole.  The Vineyard menu included Lobster Rolls at the Edgartown Yacht Club, Ice Cream at Mad Martha's, Murdick's Fudge (Uncle Robby's fave -- we taste-tested it ourselves in the car before anyone else could have at it), a lovely albeit long dinner at L'etoile, and a day that included both breakfast and lunch at Espresso Love.  There was also a delicious dinner at the Schapiros' place in Chilmark featuring super-fresh local fare.  Fish, salad, freshly-baked bread, and fruit pies for dessert. Then there were beautiful morning runs and tennis games to keep my caloric karma balanced.

New York, New York
Hot town, summer in the city.  Made my obligatory (yes, it's such a chore) trip to Nellie M. to make some choice additions to my wardrobe.  Did you know Citizens of Humanity makes petite-size jeans?  Oh, the humanity - no shortening!

Then Mom, Dad and LeBro James and I went to BLT Steak for my NY birthday celebration.  Best. Popovers. Ever.  We ordered so much food that they had to open the leaves of the square table to make it round so it could hold everything.  

The next day, there was a Cupcake Chowdown on the Upper West Side.  Read all about Magnolia vs. Crumbs here.

Birthday Weekend in Wine Country
In my younger years, I developed something of a reputation for throwing memorable birthday bashes.  Yes, why not celebrate me!  However, this year I decided to forgo the big production number in favor of a Napa Valley getaway.  I stayed for three days, and on Saturday Rebecca and Greg came up to spend time with the birthday girl.

The weekend included a breakfast at Bouchon Bakery, brunches at 25º Brix (the Yountville outpost of TWO's David Gingrass) and Redd, and dinners at Go Fish and Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen.

I stayed at Villagio Inn & Spa, which has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation. (Thanks to Vezeo for the tip!)  I had a 90-minute wrap and sports massage, and my hypothesis that it would be wonderful was proven correct.  The resort is right on the main drag of Washington Street in Yountville.  Walking-distance neighbors include a few Thomas Keller establishments (French Laundry, ad hoc and the aforementioned Bouchon), Michael Chiarello's NapaStyle and Bistro Jeanty.

On Monday back in San Francisco, JoJo organized a birthday dinner for me at Sushi Groove South.  What a blessing to have such great friends.  Bring on the Cilantro Rolls! 

The 3-day affair turned out to be the perfect way to celebrate the big 4-1.  That's right, Dara Torres and I are gonna take on the world this year. 41 and fabulous!

Click here to see my "How I Spent My Summer Vacation 2008" photos Webshots.

Day Trippin' to Napa

While I do have the Danskin Triathlon coming up in a couple of weeks, I decided to do a different kind of triathlon yesterday -- a day trip to Napa with Rebecca.  Instead of the usual swim - bike - run, it was run - eat - shop (then eat some more).

Leg 1: Run -- 6 miles at the gym

As with all my morning workouts, this set me up for feeling great the rest of the day.  It was also beneficial given how much I planned to eat and the clothes I expected to fit into on the subsequent legs.

Leg 2: Eat -- Oxbow Public Market

Oxbow Public Market is Napa's version of the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Market, featuring farmstands, restaurants as well as artisan purveyors of all kind of gourmet specialties.

Our first stop was Taylor's Refresher.  Taylor's started as a roadside shack near St. Helena. They've gussied up that location and expanded to the San Francisco Ferry Building and now Oxbow.  The new Oxbow location is just as busy as the other two; as we waited for our orders we watched the hustle and bustle of the kitchen...

...and by the time our food was ready, there were still no seats so we ate at a table standing up.  I didn't mind, since you know it's fewer calories that way. (Just kidding, of course.)  Behold the inimitable Taylor's Bacon Cheeseburger on an egg bread bun with secret sauce, and Sweet Potato Fries dusted with chili powder accompanied by a side of ranch dressin' for dippin'.

From there, we headed over to Three Twins Ice Cream, a Rebecca fave. The ice cream is very good, organic, and served in compostable containers with spudware spoons.  But what I liked best was that when I ordered two scoops in a small cup, the woman behind the counter asked which flavor I wanted to go in the cup first.  It makes a difference!  I went with Venetian Coffee on the bottom, Milk and Cookies on top.

The second leg was now complete and we were feeling great going into the next event -- the shopping leg!

Leg 3: Shop - Napa Premium Outlets

The Napa Premium Outlets are approximately a five minute drive from Oxbow, so after a brief transition we were  plunking down plastic at Barneys, Banana Republic, Gap, BCBG, Calvin Klein, Coach and Ann Taylor.  The credit cards didn't suffer serious injury, though, since on top of the outlet prices there were Memorial Day Sales going on.  So all in all, a very successful event.

Post-Race Celebration:  Julia's Kitchen at COPIA

After every race, I celebrate with a special meal, and this was no exception.

COPIA, the American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts, is located next door to Oxbow, so our entire day conveniently took place in a two-mile radius.  Julia's Kitchen is named after you-know-who, and when we walked in, she was on the flat screen TV in the bar area, whipping up something with Jacques Pepin.



We made our way into the sleek yet comfortable dining room, and settled into a meal that fired on all cylinders: taste, presentation and service.  Unfortunately, we also happened to be at a wedding!  Not literally at the wedding, but the event space is right next to the restaurant, separated only by velvet curtains.  I highly recommend calling ahead to make sure you're there on a night when there isn't a similar event going on, if possible.  Or at least don't let the overenthusiastic best man get hold of the microphone.

We were famished from our full day of shopping, so we dove into the bread basket and also enjoyed warm, fluffy, cheesy gougiers as we awaited our apps.

Rebecca had the Seared Sonoma Foie Gras with house-made brioche, strawberry gastrique, caramelized fennel and vanilla salt, and exclaimed that the strawberries made the foie gras fantastique!



I had the Braised Spring Lamb and Purple Potato Ravioli with sauteed Copia spring vegetables, garden mint jus.  The light, perfectly cooked veggies were complemented beautifully by the hearty lamb broth, and the entire dish tasted as good as it looked.

For our main courses, we ordered dishes that were noted in the menu as tributes to Julia Child's original recipes interpreted by Executive Chef Jeff Mosher.  If it looks like a duck, Rebecca will order it, so she had the Liberty Duck aux Cerises Duo: crispy duck leg confit, seared breast, forbidden rice, garden spring vegetables, local cherries and cherry jus...



...while I thoroughly enjoyed the Pan Seared Niman Ranch Ribeye with spring garlic potato puree, king trumpet mushrooms, tempura asparagus and sauce bearnaise.



The waiter couldn't even finish his sentence when asking whether we'd like to look at the dessert menu.  But of course!  One Fromage Blanc Mousse with blackberry jus, hazelnut dacquoise, and blackberries; and one Valrhona Chocolate Caramel Tart with bittersweet chocolate ganache, Copia garden sage caramel, creme de cacao ice milk float, s'il vous plait!




As lovely looking and tasty as the desserts were, they're not what I'd come back for.  The apps and mains were the real stars of the evening.

Check, please!



So, hopefully this "race report" will inspire you to take a similar day trip of your own.  In the meantime, keep checking back here for "training" suggestions!

Last Minute Christmas Gift Idea

For all the tech-savvy wine-loving Francophiles on your list -- courtesy of our Parisian correspondent, Deeaaahne.  Merci, Deeahnne!

New York Minutes

Spent last weekend in New York, catching up on my favorite Big Apple activities: enjoying time with family, delicious food and one-of-a-kind shopping.  Here are some of the highlights.

Friday

Lunch at S'mac, where they make a myriad of mac and cheese combinations, each in its own personal skillet.  I went for the Four Cheese.  Best part was the crunchy top layer -- inside was creamy and yummy, but I prefer a lower sauce to pasta ratio.  Tony B., you're still my #1.  (S'mac, 345 E. 12th Street)

Walked uptown to the Manhattan Mall, which is filled with every (how do I put this nicely...) "mid-market" retail chain you can imagine: Aeropostale, Express, Strawberry, Wet Seal, etc.  Why, pray tell, did I make this pilgrimage?  To get Bitten, of course!  Sarah Jessica Parker's clothing line is sold by Steve and Barry's, and I just had to see it for myself.  Could she really pull off affordable fashion, or are the two concepts mutually exclusive?  I entered the store and SJP was plastered on posters and endcaps and TV monitors everywhere espousing her mantra that "Fashion is not a luxury.  It's a right."  And I have to say the clothes do look cute, but as you might expect, the fabric is thinner than SJP herself.  I love you, sweetie, but I have to trust that my top is going to make it through more than one washing.  I bought one for $10.99 and we'll just have to see.  It's gonna look great with my pink Prada flats, though. (Bitten at Steve and Barry's in the Manhattan Mall, 6th Avenue and 33rd Street)

Speaking of shoes, I decided I'd had enough retail slumming and headed further uptown to a new 'hood.  You girls know what I'm talking about.  The shoe department at Saks Fifth Avenue, which is so big it has its own zip code (10022-SHOE). Take the express elevator to shoe heaven, where the shelves are mirrored so you can see each heel without picking up the shoe.  As Carrie said, "Shopping is my cardio," and Saks gave me one helluva workout.   Next to the shoe salon you can recharge in the Charbonnel et Walker chocolate shop, where the pastries whiz by on a conveyor belt.  (Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue)

Saturday

Breakfast with Emma at Cafe Sabarsky, the authentic Viennese restaurant at the Neue Galerie.  They serve their deliciously potent coffee in the Austrian tradition:  accompanied by a glass of water to soften the blow before eating your soft boiled egg in a martini glass and marble cake with whipped cream. (Cafe Sabarsky, 86th Street at Fifth Avenue)

Afternoon visit to famed chocolatier Jacques Torres, a.k.a Mr. Chocolate.  At his Hudson Street store you can sip hot chocolate while you watch them make all kinds of delectable confections.  I stocked up on my favorite: Dark Chocolate-covered Corn Flakes.  Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, sister. (Jacques Torres Chocolates, 350 Hudson Street)

Any trip to NY wouldn't be complete for me without a visit to Marina at my favorite store, Nellie M.  If you've ever complimented me on my wardrobe, chances are Marina picked the outfit -- and she came through again this trip.  (Nellie M. Boutique, Lexington Avenue at 88th Street)    

Dinner with bro Jamie at Gari.  We surrendered to the omakase (Chef's choice) and it was outstanding.  I can only show you half of the 10 pieces since after I shot the first five, the waitress told us they don't allow photography in the restaurant.  This may be the last photo scoop you'll see in The Fro Fro Blog, so enjoy it, people. (Gari, 370 Columbus Avenue at 78th Street)

Sunday

Jets vs. Eagles at the Meadowlands.  Here I am with Dad: he's got his gear and game face on.  Dad and his friend Johnny have been ticketholders since the Jets were the Titans, so our seats are spectacular.  Too bad the team wasn't today; we lost 16-9.  Still had a great time, and the burger at Johnny's tailgate was delish.

Thanks for a great weekend, New York.  You're a helluva town! 

Happy 100th to Neiman Marcus and Me!

In honor of their 100th birthday, Neiman Marcus gave away free samples of their famous chocolate chip cookies in stores today.  They came in a cute little commemorative bag, along with the recipe that spawned the urban myth (See my September Calendar).

The cookie is not too soft, not too hard, so it should appeal to lovers of both styles.  My favorite aspect is the chocolate chips -- just the right size, sweetness, taste and texture.  If the term al dente can apply to chocolate chips, these would qualify.  The recipe card simply calls for 1 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips, but they seem to be a bit larger and tastier than the norm.  (I can feel a Ryan Tate Covers exposé coming on...)

I devoured the entire sweet thing this afternoon, in celebration of the fact that I was able to get out of Neiman's without breaking the bank on another pair of Manolos (this time). 

I'm also celebrating another important milestone:  this is the 100th post on The Fro Fro Blog.  A hundred hugs and kisses to my dear readers -- here's to the next 100!

First on the Block: iPhone

That's right, people, I'm among the first to get a hold of the iPhone!  Intrepid reporter or marketing victim?  You decide.

I've been an Apple devotee ever since my first MacIntosh in college.  Corporate America gave me a PC, but I still have a Mac at home, plus multiple iPods -- a 2nd gen which I got after my 1st gen was stolen from my car, a mini, a (Red) nano and an itty bitty Shuffle for workouts. 

When I heard that at long last, the rumors were true and that Apple was coming out with a phone, I was beside myself with excitement.  That excitement turned to borderline insanity when I heard about the phone's magical features and saw the TV ads.  I knew I'd have to do whatever it took to get my hands on one, even if they did leave smudgemarks everywhere.  I asked for the day off from work and the countdown began.

Nothing anyone said could deter me.  "Apple's 2nd generation is always better and cheaper."  "The battery life will suck."  "AT&T's EDGE is way slow."  Who cares?  In my mind, the iPhone was a thing of beauty....and magic.  Have you seen the screen?  Or, the scrolling?  My God, I couldn't wait.  One of the features I was most excited about was the visual voicemail.  Rather than going through voicemails sequentially, not knowing who called, on the iPhone you see a list and you can pick which messages to listen to (or not).  Oh, Steve Jobs called?  I'd better listen to that one first. 

Anyway, I started figuring out my plan of attack.  Read up on reports of how the purchase process would work and tried to get some inside scoop.  Everyone seems to know someone who knows someone at Apple, but unfortunately no one was getting hooked up anywhere (as far as I know).  So I headed over to Walgreens and bought a folding beach chair for ten bucks, then started packing my "stakeout" bag with the following items:
- Sleeping bag (wasn't sure I'd need it, but it was in there just in case)
- CLIF Bars
- Smart Water
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Reading Material (Eat, Pray, Love, Gourmet, People, Blueprint and Self)
- Camera

I decided that the AT&T store on Union Street would be a better bet than the Apple store downtown.  But when would I need to get in line?  By Tuesday I was reading reports that people had already started lining up at the Apple store in New York.   Luckily, when I did a drive-by on Union on Thursday after work, no one had camped out yet.  Same when I went by again later that night after the "5 Core Skills for Mentally Fit Athletes" program at Sports Basement.  Figured if no one was there by then, they probably weren't coming 'til the morning.  Did another drive-by at 6am; still no one.  Am I the only one in San Francisco who believes the hype?  Finally, when I returned at 9:15, there were two guys sitting in front of the store.  Woo hoo - I'm #3!

The next several hours weren't too bad.  It was a nice day, I had my reading material and the crowd was congenial.  Some were buying the phone for themselves; others were paid "sitters."  I couldn't imagine waiting nine hours and not even having the phone to show for it at the end, but who I am I to judge?  To each his own.   Every so often, someone would walk by and say, "What are you waiting for?"  At first it was fun and exciting to respond, "We're waiting for the iPhone!"  After about the thirtieth person, not so much.  Until we decided to have some fun with it.  One guy asked, "What are you waiting for," and we responded, "the Apocalypse."  Later, a woman asked, "Are you demonstrating against something here?"  I responded, "Yes.  Microsoft." (Just kidding, Bill.)

Periodically, we'd hear rumors and attempt to determine their validity.  I'd read somewhere that each AT&T store would have 40 phones each (still not sure if true and I didn't stick around to find out).  Someone else heard that when you went online to activate, you'd have to pay Apple $2,000 up front.  Of course, not true.  There were the stories of people on Craigslist offering to buy / sell iPhones for exorbitant amounts of money, and the nicer stories about those selling them on eBay and donating the proceeds to charity.  At one point we heard that there were over 150 people at the Apple store downtown.  Union Street was definitely the right move because by 3pm I don't think there were even 50 people there.

The AT&T guys (who were super-nice throughout the day, checking up on us, bringing bottles of water, but not giving up any info on how many phones they had) opened the doors at 6pm sharp.  They were letting a few people in at a time, and I was in the first group.  While others dilly-dallied over God knows what, I plunked down my plastic.  (No, I don't want to try it out first, I've just waited nine hours!  I want the phone!)   So I literally was first on my block to buy the iPhone today.

One reason it was so easy is that, as you may have heard, the activation process happens at home, via iTunes, rather than in the store.  What a godsend.  Once I got home, it took me no more than six minutes to get up and running, then a little longer to download my music.  The interface is as magical as I'd dreamed it would be, and I can't wait to play with my new toy this weekend!

Click on the thumbnail to see my iPhone Day 1 Album on Webshots:

by laurajf1

 

First on the Block: Reese's Elvis Cups and I'm NOT a Plastic Bag

When I was growing up, my Dad was a securities analyst covering consumer products, drug and entertainment companies.  In grade school that meant I was always the first kid on the block to try the new products that Dad brought home from his meetings -- like the Eraser Mate pen when it was first introduced, or a new cereal brand.  We always had lots of cereal in the house, and to this day I prefer to have at least two different kinds in my bowl at once.

So from a very early age, I was trained to crave the new new things.  This week, I was fortunate enough to get two of them.

Reese's Elvis Cups 
Hershey's is paying homage to the King's favorite sandwich with a limited edition Reese's cup featuring banana creme in addition to the peanut butter-in-my-chocolate, chocolate-in-my-peanut butter confection.  They go on sale in July, but I was able to order a tin of preview samples from Hershey's website, thanks to a tip from Candyblog.net.  I was excited to get them because not only do I love Elvis, I love banana and chocolate together, and I love chocolate and peanut butter together.  Therefore, due to the transitive property of trans fats, I should love the whole darn thing. 

So after inhaling the yummy peanut butter smell through the wrapper (like an oenophile prepares for  fine wine) I opened the package and took my first bite.  That first bite into a Reese's cup is always satisfying.  On the palate it's not too mushy and not too firm in front, and you've got the the signature ridged texture of the perimeter to enjoy in back.  I savor it for a bit, and then think....where's the banana?  I can see it in what's left of the rest of the cup, but I'm not tasting it in the bite I just took. 

The banana layer is almost the same consistency as the peanut butter, perhaps a bit more smooth.  However, it's only 1/4 to 1/3 the height, so the peanut butter really overpowers the whole thing.  Maybe the Reese's people need to talk to Daniel Patterson about banana essential oils.  I know, not likely. 

More info:
Review and great photos of the Reese's Elvis Cups on Candyblog.net
Buy a Limited Edition tin of Elvis Reese's Cups on HersheyGifts.com

I'm NOT a Plastic Bag
Anya Hindmarch is a British handbag designer who decided was high time to use high fashion to save our environment.  So she created an adorable canvas tote that you can take to Whole Foods to pick up your Amy's Meals, soy ice cream bars, dried mangoes, CLIF bars, whatever - and when they say, "Paper or plastic," you can say "No thank you!" and sashay out in style.

The bags were first made available in the U.K. and sold out almost immediately.  I've heard stories that they've been seen on eBay for 450 Euros.  Their arrival in the U.S. has been touted in all the usual rags (InStyle, et. al.).  Normally, Anya Hindmarch bags are priced in the $300 - $2,000 range, but these totes will only set you back $15 each.  That is, if you can get your hands on one.  They'll be available starting July 18th in select East Coast Whole Foods stores, but a limited number were being sold at Anya's stores this past Wednesday.

The minute I saw the bag I fell in love with it, and when I heard I could be among the first stateside to have one, I was determined to make it happen.  But what's a girl in San Francisco with no A.H. store in sight to do? The environment needs me!  Luckily, my devoted "Fro Fro Secret Shoppers" in New York City were ready to spring into action on my behalf.  I warned them how wildly popular the bags had been in England, and that they might have to wait in line, but they were not deterred.  Sure enough, when my Secret Shoppers arrived about an hour before the store was due to open, there was already a line half way down the block.  By the time they emerged, the line was all the way around the block, but their mission was accomplished and thanks to them and FedEx I have my bags in my hot little hands today. P.S. The 4,000 bags that went on sale on Wednesday sold out in 3 hours!

More info:
Anya Hindmarch I'm NOT a Plastic Bag FAQ
A first-hand account of getting the bag

I Heart Sports Basement

If you're into sports and you live in San Francisco, you're probably well aware of the wonders of Sports Basement.  If for some reason you're not, let me count the ways I love thee, SB:

1. Your store is ginormous (yes, that's a technical term) and filled with some of my favorite brands:  TYR, Speedo, Asics, Camelbak and about 200 others.  For those that don't live near a store, don't fret -- you can shop online.

2. You've got tons of parking. 

3. Your outlet prices + my SF Tri Club discount = why would I shop anywhere else?  I just got a new tri suit, one box each of my three favorite CLIF products (CLIF Builder's Bars, CLIF Nectar and CLIF Shots) and a stick of Body Glide for less than the retail price of the tri suit.

4. Your staff is super-friendly.

5. You're open until 8pm on weeknights, so I have time shop after work.

6. Your Speaker Series.  Seems like there's always an interesting program or two on your upcoming schedule, like the one on June 28: "Five Core Skills of Mentally Fit Athletes."  Or the speech on Monday night by Matt Reed, champion triathlete.  Matty gave me some interesting tips to keep in mind as I get ready for the Danskin Triathlon in Austin this weekend, including:

-- He trains every day -- doesn't believe in taking even one day off a week because if you add those days up, it's over a month and a half off.  I'm thinking a month and a half off wouldn't be the worst thing in the world but that's just me.
-- Start hydrating 2 days prior to your race.  Don't expect to get it done the night before.
-- Speaking of the night before, his typical pre-race dinner is an entire pizza.  Man, must be nice.  This guy's 6' 5" and ripped, of course.
-- During a race, he doesn't drink much water, but if it's a hot climate, he'll go through 2 bottles.  Since I'm probably looking at 95 degrees in the shade in Austin, I'll be sure to have enough H20.
-- For the swim, relax in the water.  Try not to think about the people around you, just focus on moving yourself forward.   I'm really going to try that this time.  Hard to imagine relaxing while getting kicked in the face, but I'll give it a whirl.

Wish me luck, and stay tuned for the Race Report!

More info:
Sports Basement
SF Tri Club
CLIF Bar
Matt Reed Official Site
Danskin Triathlon Series