Thursday, March 20, 2008

Pennzoil Speed Oil Change Center has saved my life

I would go so far as to say that the Pennzoil Speed Oil Change Center, located at 3601 Pearl Ave, has saved my life. It's certainly saved my car much wear and tear over the years. The mechanics are efficient, friendly, and honest. They'll always let you know if your tires are wearing thin, your wiper blades need replacing, or if your air filter has started choking. In addition, they'll recommend what will work best for your car, whether it's a synthetic blend or something simpler. And if they can't fix it, they'll send you to someone who can. You gotta love their honesty.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

SF jaunt

So what with my incredible time at WonderCon last week, I was itching to return to SF and absorb the Mary Blair exhibit at the Cartoon Art Museum. A couple of friends and I drove to South SF and took BART in to Montgomery. We regaled ourselves with the Mary Blair art along with the museum's other collections (my favorites included "Sex and Sensibility" as well as the film cells and 1700s era etching...most awesome). My only regret: I wanted more of the Mary Blair pieces! The woman was absolutely brilliant. And not only that, but SJSU can claim her as their own. I'm so proud to be able to say that I graduated from the same university as this award-winning, Jacqueline Kennedy impressing, talented mother of two. Damn straight.
Once we'd finished up at the art museum, we headed up Kearny to Baladie Cafe for some Middle Eastern lunch fare. On the way, we passed Maiden Lane. Just the day before, due to a PBS special (yes, I'm addicted at times), I'd learned that this was ironically named, since it had formerly been a street of prostitution. I was stoked to find it. In any case, we headed on because we were starving.
Once at Baladie, I ordered their reasonably priced dipping platter, which came with tabbouleh salad, humus, tomato, cucumber, falafel, and flatbread. Their humus was ridiculously good. I kept dipping and scooping until I was absolutely stuffed. My friends ordered a wrap and a soup/spinach pie combo, respectively, and we were all raving about the goodness. I kept saying that I lived in the wrong city, because SJ has nothing like this place. Mmmmmmm!
After lunch, we wandered over to the nearby Paul Frank store (I believe it was on Hardie), then ended up heading uphill (and paralleling Kearny) on Grant St. This inevitably led us into Chinatown. I knew that this was the time to pick up a Good Luck Cat, since I'd been looking for an authentic one for some time and wasn't about to buy the bookstore kit one. I found a pouting one which suited me just fine, and also found a monkey trio for Jarrod and a protective figure for myself. (Loved it!) We popped in and out of a number of stores, until my friend admitted that we were slowly making our way towards the City Lights bookstore.

City Lights! I'd been wanting to visit the place for a good 9 years and simply hadn't known its whereabouts. (Holy Ferlinghetti, Batman!) And we were off. On the way, I spotted St. Mary's church, a place which had been constructed before the 1906 earthquake and which had managed to avoid destruction. We continued up the hill and finally reached Columbus Street. I think that we spent a good hour or so in the store, wandering down to the basement, heading upstairs to the poetry section, perusing dozens of amazing titles. (I was especially intrigued by the "Stolen Continents" section). I purchased a collection of poetry and a postcard emphasizing the store's devotion to free speech. (And if you're unfamiliar with it, just look up the history of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl," and you'll get the picture). Just incredible...
At this point, it was nearing six and time to get back. We crossed over to Kearny and headed back to BART that way. Two guys asked us for directions to a bank, so thankfully we didn't look touristy. (I've made a conscious effort to avoid looking so, although my occasional photography may out me). I'm all about walking with a purpose and really getting to know a city. You never know when you'll need it.
I also noticed that the aforementioned Maiden Lane was open, whereas it had previously been gated off. I couldn't resist running into the street and "frolicking," as my friend put it.
I look forward to my next trip....