Shopping advice: San Francisco

if you're looking for house/techno, tweekin's always worth a visit - it's in the lower haight near fillmore. and if you go there you can stop at robotspeak (www.robotspeak.com), my housemate's computer music store, right next door. (shameless plug, that!)

for eclecticism, open mind (divisadero @ oak or fell) is fantastic. racks and racks of used vinyl - rock, electronix, hip hop, reggae, jazz, soul... if you've got an hour or two, you can usually dig out some gems. not seriously cheap, but not terribly overpriced. and there are in fact some bargains.

Other Lower Haight shops: Compound Records recently closed (sad), but Groove Merchant (good old funk/soul vinyl) and Spundae (technoish) are still around.

In addition to Open Mind, Record Finder at the corner of Market and Noe is also good for old vinyl. Just around the corner on Market is Medium Rare Records, the "gay techno" store. (Okay, so it has more than just gay techno, but when you're a small boutiquey music store in the Castro you tend to stock a lot of Ibiza trance.)

And, if you have the time to get over to Berkeley, there's always Mod Lang (corner of University and Oxford) for good British imports and a solid used bin.

Jack's Record Cellar is the fucking worst!! the people that work there are old and mean, and they don't sell jazz records by black people. i've never even gotten a hello or a nod when i walk in there and i'm the only one there.

my all time favorite store in the city is Grooves on Market, almost in the Castro -- all vinyl. it's literally owned by the sweetest mom and pop (Ray and Joan). they're in their 50s or 60s and ray is drunk and stoned at work and he just talks your ear off dancing around telling stories about records he loves. i'm in the store 2-3 times a week.

also in the Castro on market is Streetlight records - on the same block i think - as the "gay techno" store.

I think Record Finder also sux balls. not only do they have awful selection of records, i was considering buying a record store when i first got unemployed from my webdesign job and the owner was thinking of selling. he has the ugliest store, tore up records, bad selection,,, and he wanted 100,000$ plus 4000$ a month for rent (he owns the building). there's no way everything in his store equaled 100grand.

Virgin in Union Square has a huge selection, but is overpriced (and can be found anywhere, so what's the point?)

you really can't go wrong w/Amoeba and Aquarius

PARKING!!!!

There are a few free parking spaces in the TOWER RECORDS at Columbus and Bay or you can take the CABLE CAR. These are two reasons this should be your tourist's choice.

Parking is available and cheap at KEZAR STADIUM, two blocks from AMEOBA in the Haight...the first hour is FREE with your validated stub! You will still have to pay a buck or two because you will spend at least 2 and a half hours in AMOEBA. Taking PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION? For tourists, the Muni bus ride to the Haight will be worth the fare. I don't think I need to explain.

Enjoy yer visit. Happy shopping. Mayor Willie Brown appreciates your business.

HILLS

MUNI

LARGE SHOPPING BAGS

hmmm...ok, that's three...but you know what I mean

ONE REASON FOR BART:

COLISEUM

BEER

hmmm...ok, that's at least two reasons...but you know...

ha!

oh yeah, another great store in Berkeley is http://www.saturnrecords.com/cgi-bin/saturn">Saturn Records

ok, just kidding

Oh, don't kid me like that, Jason! I was gonna have my driver take us around in the Escalade.

I really could use the shopping to cheer me up after Erick Dampier (pronounced "DAMN!!!!-pier" this evening) blew those crucial free throws. If my seats weren't so far away I would have yelled at him and gave him a piece of my mind!!!! Really, I would have...

Were we talking about classical music?

If anyone's ever coming to Baltimore, I'll be happy to return the favor. After all, as all the bus benches say, we are The Greatest City in America.

(but actually record fairs scare me)

I saw Willie Brown in the Columbus Day Parade. He waved at me, but didn't throw me any sweets.

as far as dance music, there are tons, but you're sorta limited since you're not buying vinyl. some of these places probably sell a handful of cds, but probably not the most diverse selection since that's not their market. check out BPM in Hayes Valley, and there are tons of dance stores on lower haight (tweakin, etc).

also in lower haight is Groove Merchant. it specializes in rare jazz, funk, soul. stuff the hip hop producer and beat head would pay big bucks for. the place is expensive, but definitely knows what it's doing. 'Cool Chris' that owns the store is sometimes too cool for his own good. they have a few cds on the back wall. sometimes stuff that you can't find at other stores (i got my Chains & Black Exhaust there).

i've never really gone through Open Mind's cd selection. they look like they may have a good selection of stuff, but i only go there for the records.

man, you're making this hard, i think the only really good place to buy cds in the city is Amoeba. with so many people going in and out of there, there's always new and good used stock. the staff is pretty helpful. sometimes i find stuff in the Berkeley store that i can't find in the sf store, so i try to make a trip out there every once in a while.

i guess Rasputins is ok too. both stores. i used to really hate the SF store, but i've found some things there. i guess it's just close to my house so i waste time there when i have nothing to do.

i wouldn't go to Aquarius looking for hip hop. they've got the weird idea that Anticon is the best hip hop being made?

there's a little hip hop store in Berkeley a block off of the main part of Telegraph. i forget the name right now but i'm tempted to say Funky Riddims. once again, mostly vinyl and the owner Craig was kinda not cool to one of my friends one time so i don't go in there anymore.

if you're looking for new commercial stuff, and you know when a cd is going to come out, use Best Buy to your advantage. in the first week of release, a lot of their commercial hip hop is almost half what it would be in other stores.

also check out some online sites: http://www.hiphopsite.com/ http://www.turntablelab.com/ & http://www.dustygroove.com/

You have an internet connection, buy it online, that's what I do if I can't find something at Amoeba or Mod Lang, usually.

alex, i wouldn't say it's super clean (unless you mean it's not covered w/the feces of those eating at it all over the walls)

I like both but after Yank Sing you can take a post-prandial stroll to the Embarcadero/Ferry Building. After Ton Kiang, you're still in the foggy middle of nowhere western end of Geary.

This should be their new advertising slogan.

no? they must've changed their ingredients then

Love it.

Fuck you, Michael, I grew up in the foggy middle of nowhere western end of Geary.

Your point being? Do you live there now? Do you send all your visiting friends there? I'm messing with you a little bit. There's loads of good food out there but after you've eaten, what do you do? The Balboa? The Legion? You can only do the coast/beach/Sutro Baths if it's not too cold or windy.

I'll have to give it a try again. Usually, nowdays, I get a pulled pork snadwich.

what I really miss in this city is a decent cajun/creole restaurant. (RIP Crescent City - I hate you Noodle Thai Bowl)

Yeah, I feel this way too! Stupid West Bay!

Strangely enough it isn't usually. A lot of weirdos still go down to Kate's Kitchen which baffles me every Saturday morning.

I hear Blue Jay Cafe on Divisadero is making the best basic brunch in town, these days.

Right across from Memphis Minnies is the delicious Rosamunde Sausage Grill. Get a sausage and take into the Toronado. And if you like dance music, you can check out my favorite record store - Tweekin' - a couple doors down.

Upper Haight has nothing to offer (forget about Cha Cha Cha). NOTHING.

Try anything at Tartine, when you are visiting Aquarius. They have the BEST BREAD IN THE WORLD, and everything else is fabulous too. If you have time for a full meal, try the newly-opened Pizzeria Delfina, a couple doors down. Or, if you want to splurge, eat at Delfina proper (make a reservation).

If you want to get in on the hip Peruvian food trend (I'm not that into it), try Limon.

If you REALLY want to try something wonderful, make a trip to Canteen restaurant, in the Tenderloin. It's not near any good record stores that I know of, and you'll have to make a reservation, but it is (IMHO) the best new restaurant in the city.

And, for the REAL best non-greasy-spoon brunch in town, head to Boulette's Larder in the Ferry Building, for some TLC Farm eggs and the best beignets you've ever had.

Rosamunde is awesome.

Tartine is lovely. So is Delfina, though I don't know the pizzeria yet.

ChowHound

Don't forget Cheese Board.

A16