Starting August 7, 2010, AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit, Greyhound, Muni, SamTrans and WestCAT Lynx will be relocating from the Transbay Terminal to the new Temporary Terminal at Howard and Main Streets in downtown San Francisco. The completion date for the Transbay Transit Center is 2017.

Just one and a half blocks away from the existing terminal, the Transbay Temporary Terminal will house these transit operations while the new Transbay Transit Center is being built.

SPECIAL OPEN HOUSE
A special Open House will be held on Tuesday, August 3 from 4pm-7pm to learn how the Temporary Terminal will operate. There will be tours of the open air facility, refreshments, and giveaways. For more info on the Temporary Terminal, visit temporaryterminal.org.

History buffs read this great post from Market Street Railway about the beginning and ending of the Transbay Terminal: “Last Tour at Transbay”.

Check out the Guide’s recommendations for enjoying the holiday weekend:

ALCATRAZ EXCURSIONS
For the best possible view of The City’s 4th of July fireworks extravaganza, enjoy a special evening on the San Francisco Bay aboard Alcatraz Excursions. From 7:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on July 4th, the price is $50 for an adult, $40 for children 5 to 12, and free for children 4 and under. On board, snacks, cocktails, wine and beer will be available for purchase.

For more information, call 415-438-8365 or to purchase tickets go to alcatrazexcursions.com

PIER 39 WATERFRONT CELEBRATION
Starting at 3pm on the 4th of July, a star-spangled day lineup of free live band performances in the PIER 39 Entrance Plaza. Mustache Harbor will play from 3-5 pm and Tainted Love will take over from 6-9:30 p.m. Throughout the day, there will be street performers on the ALPINE SPRING WATER stage. Stay at PIER 39 for the City of San Francisco’s annual fireworks display starting around 9:30. Free admission.

For more information visit, pier39.com.

AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS HORNET
Spend an exciting patriotic holiday on a ship that affected the course of history – the Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet. The annual 4th of July celebration starts at 11AM-10PM. The USS Hornet is a registered State and National Historic Landmark and participated in WWII and the Apollo 11 moon mission.

This family event will feature live music on the flight deck, interactive games for all ages, and a bounce house for kids. Tours of the famous aircraft are available throughout the day until 8 p.m. There will be live concerts on the Flight Deck starting at 2 p.m. Food, beer and wine will be available for purchase during the event.

Admission is $25 for adults ($20 in advance) and $10 for children ages 5-17. To purchase tickets or obtain more information, call 510-521-8448 ext. 282 or visit usshornet.com.

The USS Hornet is permanently berthed at 707 W. Hornet Avenue, Pier 3, Alameda. Parking is free.

20TH ANNUAL FILLMORE JAZZ FESTIVAL 2010
Celebrate July 3rd and July 4th weekend at the largest free jazz festival on the west coast—the FILLMORE JAZZ FESTIVAL. Music takes center stage – or rather – 3 stages located on California Street, Sutter Street and Eddy Street. There are two entertainment areas on Jackson Street and O’Farrell Street. All celebrations and festivities start at 10AM and end at 6PM, both days.

For more information, directions, vendor and parking information, go to fillmorejazzfestival.com or call 800-310-6563.

4th of JULY at THE BERKELEY MARINA
The biggest 4th of July party is on the South Shore of the Berkeley Marina from noon-10PM. There’s music, dancers, jugglers—all for free! Adventure Playground, always a favorite, is open 11AM-8PM. Get your face painted, try the giant slide, or splash in the water at the beach! There’s live entertainment from noon until 9:30PM on the main stage including Troupe Tangiers & Sharifa’s Habibis, The Allman Step Brothers Band, Sadza Marimba, and Incendio plus entertainers in smaller venues around the marina. There’s art & craft booths, massages, free sailboat rides from 1-4PM, dragon boat rides from 2-6PM (bring a set of dry clothes), and much more including the grand fireworks off the end of the Berkeley Pier at 9:30PM. Let’s hear it for the red, white, and blue…but keep it green, too. The party shouldn’t leave the environment trashed. If you can, bring your own dishes—Frisbees double as plates! A bandana is your cloth napkin to use at all of the international food booths.

For more information go to anotherbullwinkelshow.com or call 510-548-5335. Free Admission. Berkeley Marina, 201 University Avenue.

CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY AT THE CANNERY’S FAMILY FESTIVAL
Come and celebrate Independence Day, July 4th, at THE CANNERY’s Family Festival. There will be face painting to entertain the children, live musical performances featuring local artists playing classic American hits plus delectable food offerings by THE CANNERY’s fine selection of restaurants and cafes.

The festivities begin at 11AM at the Courtyard Stage at THE CANNERY. Face painting will be available from 11AM-3PM. Show your red, white and blue spirit by letting Janelle the Clown paint your cheeks with your favorite Independence Day symbol! Live music entertainment begins at 12NOON and runs through 7PM, and starts again after the fireworks.

THE CANNERY is located at 2801 Leavenworth Street, at the foot of Columbus Street, overlooking the San Francisco Bay.
For more information, call 415-546-0800.

Happy Birthday USA!

Hold on to your hats and bonnets, Union Street is preparing for its 19^th Annual Easter Parade & Spring Celebration this Sunday, April 4, from 10 am to 5 pm. San Francisco’s renowned shopping district will host a full day of free events, activities, entertainment and a wildly popular Easter Bonnet Contest. Everyone is invited to partake in the festivities from 10am-5pm and of course, a very special bunny will make an appearance, with a number of his friends.

Affectionately dubbed the “Biggest Little Parade” in San Francisco, the Union Street Easter Parade is not to be missed. Beginning at 2pm as many as 45 units with hundreds of enthusiastic participants including everything from vintage cars, rainbow-clad stilt walkers to flamboyant floats and costumed characters will make their way the five blocks down Union Street from Gough to Fillmore. The public is invited to join in the parade for free.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Easter Bonnet Contest Judging at the Info Booth @ Buchanan from 11:15 to 1:15: Adults, children, pets, and more can enter!

On the Main Stage at Buchanan (the times are subject to change, except for the Parade & Bonnet Awards):

10-11         Fred Anderson Juggling
11-12         Dana Smith the Entertainer
12-2          Tim Cain, well known children’s singer
2-3           Parade
3-3:30      Cheer SF
3:30-4:15 Easter Bonnet Contest Awards
4:15-5       Jimbo the Clown

Kid’s activities that take place on Union Street from Gough to Fillmore (5 blocks) throughout the day from 10:00-5:00pm:
Photos with the Easter Bunny
Jest Jewels bubble Wrap Jump, 1869 Union St
Enchanted Crystal Garden, 1895 Union St
Peekadoodle hands on kid’s craft area
Pony Ride & Petting Zoo
Face Painters
Balloon Animal Creators
Kid’s Inflatables
Stilt Walkers
Trackless Train for kids to ride
Tea Cup ride
Wandering Costume Characters
SPCA Van
SF Library Bookmobile
Cupcakes from That Takes the Cake, Kingdom Cake and Kara’s Cupcakes

For more information about the event call 800-310-6563 or visit UnionStreetSF.com.

The Fisherman’s Wharf Crab Festival is a month-long celebration of the City’s culinary obsession and its love affair with Dungeness crab. Throughout February, the Festival features special restaurant dining promotions, scavenger hunts, walking tours of the Wharf, behind-the-scenes visits at Fisherman’s Wharf, and much more.

For more information on events, restaurants, and recipes go to: visitfishermanswharf.com

Blue Mermaid’s Award Winning Dungeness Crab and Corn Chowder

Ingredients
2.5 quarts apple-wood smoked bacon
5 diced onions
5 diced celery
2 oz chipotle powder
4 quarts pasilla chili diced
2 jalapeno peppers sliced in half with no seeds
5 diced Yukon gold potatoes
Crab base to taste.
2 gallons heavy cream
6 oz of cream cheese
1 sheet pan roasted corn
1/2 cup chipotle powder
1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning

Instructions
STEP 1: Add 2.5 quarts diced apple-wood smoked bacon, render the bacon then add 5 diced onions, and 5 diced celery. Saute for 5 minutes.

Add 2oz chipotle powder. Add 4 quarts pasilla chili diced, and 2 jalapeno peppers sliced in half with.no seeds.

STEP 2: Add 5 diced Yukon gold potatoes.  Add enough water to cover potatoes.  Add crab base to taste.

Bring to a boil until potatoes are aldiente.  DO NOT OVERCOOK.

STEP 3: Add 2 gallons heavy cream.  Puree 6 oz of cream cheese with some of the chowder. Add to chowder.

Add roux until right consistency which is velvety and not too thick.

Finish with 1 sheet pan roasted corn,1/2 cup chipotle powder, and 1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yields 12 gallons.

For a great excuse to leave the City and visit Sonoma country during the cold weather, Wine Road’s annual Winter Wineland is a rare opportunity to meet winemakers, taste limited production wines, new releases or library wines. Some wineries will offer food pairings and others will have tours. For a list of wineries and their programs go here then scroll down for the downloadable pdf…and plan your tasting adventure.

January 16 and 17
11:00 am – 4:00 pm
120 wineries, 50 lodges
Ticket price will include wine tasting at all of the participating wineries for the weekend.

Advance online ticket prices are: $40 Weekend,  $30 Sunday only, $10 for Designated Drivers
At the door prices will be $50 Weekend, $40 Sunday only, $10 for Designated Drivers
Tickets sales are final and non-refundable.

3 FOR ALL and True Fiction Magazine, the legendary, internationally-known San Francisco based improv troupes join forces on Thursday, December 31 for an evening of comedy, drama and impromptu mayhem. Using suggestions from the audience, the members of 3 FOR ALL (Rafe Chase, Stephen Kearin & Tim Orr) and True Fiction Magazine (Regina Saisi, Barbara Scott & Diane Rachel) spontaneously create thrilling theatrical stories where none existed before. Don’t worry…you won’t be dragged up on stage. But you will be on the edge of your seat in amazement as these fabulous stories are created right before your eyes. In an era when tickets for New Year’s Eve events can exceed $100, this unique show is a great value for $30. A first-rate evening of theater, affordable tickets and inexpensive parking. Important note: This event has sold out every year, so call for tickets soon. Show at 8pm (ends about 10pm) at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco. Tickets are $30 for general admission reserved seating; $25 students & seniors. For information and tickets, call 415-345-7575 or go to www.fortmason.org/boxoffice.

Steve Silver’s Beach Blanket Babylon, the world’s longest running musical revue, welcomes the new decade with two special New Year’s Eve performances on Thursday, December 31, 2009. Both the 7pm & 10:15pm shows will feature a pastiche of the best and worst of 2009 – Beach Blanket Babylon style.  Guests at each show will receive champagne and See’s chocolates.  The second show, ending at the stroke of midnight, will feature post-show dancing until 1:30am.
The New Year’s Eve Extravaganza also includes a chorus line of tap dancing Christmas trees, special parodies of traditional Christmas carols and a gigantic Yuletide hat.  Snow White continues her fast-paced musical journey around the world in search of her “Prince Charming” and encounters a star-studded, ever-changing line-up of hilarious pop-culture characters along the way.
Beach Blanket Babylon plays at Club Fugazi, 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (Green St.) in San Francisco. New Year’s Eve tickets: $190 – $65. For tickets call (415) 421-4222 or visit www.beachblanketbabylon.com. Photo I.D. required.  Persons under 21 not admitted to evening performances.

Victorian Home Walk tour will include a visit inside a home decorated in the 1890′s holiday style, along with the regular houses which are decorated on the outside. It’s a true Victorian Christmas experience! Walks will be given December 1-31. Meet in Union Square on the corner of Powell and Post Streets, across from Saks Fifth, Sunday-Saturday 11am. Cost is $25. For more information, call 415-824-2666 or visit www.victorianalliance.org.

Fisherman’s Wharf and the St. Francis Yacht Club will once again present the oldest and largest lighted holiday boat parade on San Francisco Bay. More than 100 boats, each festooned with lights and holiday decorations, will parade along the waterfront on Friday, December 11, 2009, starting at 6pm. Great viewing from PIER 39 and Aquatic Park in Fisherman’s Wharf.

A holiday tradition since 1994, this year’s parade will include members of the St. Francis Yacht Club, Fisherman’s Wharf Fishing Fleet, Golden Gate Yacht Club, PIER 39 Marina, and the Sea Scouts. The parade route will begin just off of PIER 39, proceeding west past Fisherman’s Wharf, Fort Mason and the St. Francis Yacht Club, and will turn around off of Crissy Field to return along the waterfront.

Spectators can enjoy wonderful views from Aquatic Park, PIER 39, the Marina Green, and Crissy Field. In addition to offering a fantastic vantage point, restaurants along the Wharf will be featuring traditional holiday menus. The Fisherman’s Wharf Fishing Fleet will remain lit throughout the holiday season. The best viewing of this spectacular display can be found at the Sport Fishing Harbor along Jefferson Street between Jones and Taylor.

California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park will offer extended holiday hours: December 21-23, 9:30am – 6:30pm and December 26-30, 9:30am – 6:30pm, January 1-2, 9:30am – 6:30pm, January 3, 11:00am – 6:30pm (normal closing time is 5pm). Also, don’t miss:
PENGUIN FEEDINGS
Daily at 10:30 am & 3:30 pm
The Academy’s African penguins are always especially animated during meal time. Watch the birds dip and dive in their tank at the end of African Hall as a biologist dons a wet suit and hands out vitamin-stuffed herring and capelin. Each feeding takes 10 minutes, and questions are encouraged. Free with Academy admission.
CORAL REEF DIVES
Daily at 11:30 am & 2:30 pm
Watch as a diver suits up in SCUBA gear and plunges into the world’s deepest living coral reef exhibit. Outfitted with an underwater microphone, the diver will answer all of your reef-related questions. Free with Academy admission.
SWAMP TALK
Weekdays at 1:00 pm
Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm
Join us at the Swamp to learn about some of the Academy’s most popular animals, including American alligators and alligator snapping turtles. You’ll find out what it takes to care for these amazing creatures, which are native to swamps in the southeastern United States. Free with Academy admission.
BUGS! 3D SHOW
Daily, every hour on the hour
This 25-minute film is a remarkable foray into the insect life of Borneo, using immersive 3D technology. Named the Best Special Venue film at the 2009 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, Bugs! follows the life cycles of Hierodula, the praying mantis, and Papilio, the butterfly. Slide on your special viewing glasses and see for yourself what all the buzz is about. Free with Academy admission.
JOURNEY TO THE STARS PLANETARIUM SHOW
Daily, Proceed to the planetarium entrance upon arrival for the day’s schedule and to pick up your passes.
Travel through time and space to experience the dramatic lives and deaths of stars. Witness brilliant supernova explosions, dive into the heart of the fiery Sun, and watch it transform into a red giant five billion years in the future. Along the way, you will discover the deep-rooted connection between humanity and the stars. Free with Academy admission; seats are limited and show passes are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
SHARK & RAY FEEDING
Every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00 pm
Join the Academy’s shallow reef residents for lunch at the Mangrove Lagoon. Watch and ask questions as a biologist feeds vitamin-stuffed fish to the sharks and doles out a special diet of chopped clams, shrimp, squid and fish to the rays. Free with Academy admission.
CHILDREN’S STORY TIME FOR AGES 2-5
Every Thursday and Saturday at 11:00 am
Children aged 2 to 5 and their parents are invited to the Early Explorers Cove to listen to stories about nature, science, and the wonderful world around us. Free with Academy admission; space will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
California Academy of Sciences is located in Golden Gate Park at 55 Music Concourse Drive. For more information, call 415-379-8000 or go to www.calacademy.org.