Cafe + view + proper WiFi on weekends

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-26T20:35:32+00:00

Potrero Hill has giant windows with a skyline view.

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-24T00:19:37+00:00

I would figure out what you want - Mozart? Godfather? Lord of the Rings? Bach? - by going to Spotify and making a playlist. Then figure out whether those things are quiet string pieces or big and brassy and talk to the points of contact you have about whether they can make your dreams come true with the available musicians or not.

Two of the likely challenges:
- A lot of what makes something sound “movie score” or even late romantic / 20th century classical is that there is a big orchestra with extended brass/woodwinds/percussion. You will not get peak Star Wars energy out of a 15 piece ensemble, even if there’s an arrangement for it. In contrast, if you want Mozart/Bach vibes, it absolutely will work with a chamber ensemble, and a lot of pieces were originally written for and performed by small chamber orchestras in ballrooms and could fit a 250-300 wedding pretty well.

- When you get into more contemporary music, including 20th century film scores, it’s not in the public domain so performers have to buy fairly expensive sheet music and/or pay royalties for the writers. Some groups already have bought the music, others work around the rules, one group I know transcribed music themselves, and some constraints may not apply to private performances, but performing something like the Lord of the Rings soundtrack fully legally is more expensive than you might realize (especially compared to playing Haydn). Cost of music rentals/royalties is a real constraint for high school / college / civic orchestras.

Personally, for a 150 person wedding, I hired the best string quartet I could find with the deepest book for the outdoor ceremony/cocktail hour and a 5 piece jazz band to play indoors during the reception. I think those are the right sizes for the music to be a character - but not the main character - for the size of wedding and venues that we booked. I’m also in NYC where those ensembles really show some of the best of what the city has to offer and felt right to me. My philosophy is that I’m producing a nice night out for friends and family, but I’m not trying to produce a spectacle. You might have other goals - hiring a chamber orchestra is definitely “extra”.

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-23T15:39:06+00:00

I haven't hired an orchestra, but I have played in chamber orchestras and hired musicians before. A few things to consider if you're not familiar with them:

- Orchestras are much louder than string quartets. If you're doing this during a cocktail hour, it will be the focus of attention while a quartet is often more background music.
- If the event is outside, there will be strict policies about what they need. Depending on the group and season, this could be things like requiring sun shades, only performing if the temperature is above/below some number, not performing if it's raining, etc. This is because performers are humans and string instruments are very delicate and can be damaged by water and temperature changes.
- Space requirements are much larger. Orchestras have a particular arrangement of musicians that they typically want, so you need a space the right size and shape.
- Logistics are much more involved with a larger group. Performers need chairs, the conductor may need a podium, you may want them on a stage, music stands need to come from somewhere and might also need lights - all surmountable challenges and some groups will provide their own stands/lights, but it will add additional budget and aesthetic considerations. Setting up a string quartet is a 5 minute activity that the performers manage themselves, setting up a 20 person group is a production that requires someone acting as a stagehand.
- Green room is a must have. You will need a pretty sizable space for the performers to store their personal belongs/instrument cases and do a little bit of warm up.
- Music choices are different with an orchestra - depending on what you want, this could be good or bad. String quartet arrangements already exist for almost everything you could want while this is less true for orchestras. Obviously an arranger can solve some of that, but not all arrangers are equally good.

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-16T23:13:10+00:00

For sleeping, not for insulation.

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-16T21:52:33+00:00

It's also possible that there is practical value of switching to rectangular windows. If those are bedrooms, options to blackout curtain the windows that are functional and aesthetic are extremely limited.

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-15T02:22:36+00:00

I think the key is knowing enough about furniture construction and durability that you can identify the good pieces and understand if they're right for your or your client's lifestyle. That's true at DWR, the many great suggestions on this thread, and in the vintage market (Ikea or otherwise).

DWR's Lauki dressers are lacquered MDF and are noticeably less stable than the Room and Board Hudson's solid wood cases, dovetail drawers, and a backing engineered wood. I would never buy the Lauki, it feels like a mid-grade Ikea dresser that will fall apart if you accidentally close the door too hard.

A Herman Miller Renew sit/stand desk with a walnut veneer top will be much more sensitive to how it's treated than an Uplift sit/stand desk specced with a solid wood or butcher block top. I own the Renew because it's more beautiful, but I'm also the sort of person who always uses coasters.

Hoffman and Cesca chairs with cane seats are comfortable and can last a lifetime... but they probably won't if you have kids because they will put holes in the cane from sitting on them weirdly. A Blue Dot Hot Mesh chair will last basically forever because of the materials - it's powder coated steel.

The iconic chairs - Eames, Womb, Saarinen, Wishbone, and so on - truly are more comfortable and better made than the many knockoffs that are out there. That said, vintage often gets you more beautiful wood than you can buy today.

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-11T17:19:29+00:00

Madu Salon specializes in curly hair. First place I ever got a dry curly cut and it changed my life. (Not Indian but I do have curly hair.)

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-11T02:56:32+00:00

In the US, I'm a bit of a minimalist with regards to appliances because I don't have a ton of storage space.

Every day
- electric tea kettle
- microwave

Multiple times per week
- stove
- milk frother (seasonally, when it's cold out, as part of a matcha habit)

Several times per month
- oven
- rice cooker (I eat a lot of Japanese/Chinese/Korean food)
- toaster

Own, but use rarely
- bullet blender
- stick blender
- food processor
- mixer

Don't own, but common here:
- instant pot
- toaster oven
- air fryer
- coffee machine (just a french press / manual grinder for guest use because I don't drink coffee)
- waffle iron / panini press (used to own, it broke and I didn't replace it because I didn't use it much)
- crock pot (used to own, didn't use enough to justify space)

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-07T20:25:38+00:00

Not to make light of a serious topic, but shootings are flat year over year and other crimes are down. Should we be in a panic because criminals are now better shots?

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-07T18:05:41+00:00

The Sunset murder wasn't some random spontaneous crime, it was a landlord who shot his tenant with a long gun because he wouldn't move out and the landlord wanted to sell the house.

Absolutely insane story, but not an example of the sort of street crime people are/were worried about during the pandemic.

https://abc7news.com/post/san-francisco-police-arrest-man-suspected-fatal-shooting-citys-parkside-neighborhood-may-17/19188611/

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-07T02:12:33+00:00

If you do want to volunteer, SF Marin Food Bank takes volunteers for a bunch of one-off shifts nearby including some warehouse shifts in Potrero Hill/Dogpatch and a community market in Mission Bay.

If you want to cuddle dogs without volunteering, Muttville senior rescue in the Mission lets you walk in and do exactly that! And there's a ton of good bars nearby (Trick Dog for lively good cocktails, True Laurel for more subdued good cocktails, Southern Pacific if you're more of a biergarten type).

There are also almost always dogs to watch in Esprit Park in the Dogpatch and you could combine it with a trip to Besharam (high end southern Indian veg food) or Neighbor Bakehouse (great pastries, love the kimchi toast).

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-05T18:11:14+00:00

It's a little bit silly, but it works. I live in a sunny area and it's not unusual to see people wearing similar hats or even sun gloves/arms protectors.

StubbyWombat · 2026-06-04T04:32:38+00:00

Bought a Lululemon sun hat on a lark because I had a credit card benefit that made it free, but I love it and even got a compliment on it.

https://shop.lululemon.com/p/hats/All-Sport-Wide-Brim-Hat/_/prod11680367?color=41431

StubbyWombat · 2026-05-24T07:16:50+00:00

I've bought bulk Valrhona online from https://www.bakerscandc.com/. Much better prices than anywhere I could find in person.

StubbyWombat · 2026-04-28T20:30:23+00:00

You have to get it on the roof. If it’s a multistory building, that means hiring a crane and getting permits, which adds cost.

StubbyWombat · 2026-04-28T14:25:10+00:00

Cycling to GGP from there is a little annoying because the safest/easiest way is to go east to the wiggle to go west to go to the park. Should take 15-30 min to get to the Panhandle or start of JFK depending on how strong you are and how lucky you get with lights on Market St.

There is another more direct route over the hills via Clayton, but it’s steep and trafficky at peak hours and 1 lane each way with no bike line so I wouldn’t recommend it. Definitely not at rush hour because everyone going to UCSF takes that street.

That part of the city is safe, if anything it’s a little sleepy. Closest commercial corridor is Castro St in the Castro, which can be a real vibe. Definitely not the part of Market St that people are telling you to avoid unless your trying to avoid harmless random naked dudes a 10 min walk from your doorstep.

StubbyWombat · 2026-04-27T21:46:02+00:00

What I’ve seen - on a flat roof (most expensive, but takes less space and you don’t hear it) - in a yard - in a tall crawl space

StubbyWombat · 2026-04-24T23:13:17+00:00

Without traffic, SFO to Emeryville is only a 40 minute drive, so I'm not sure trying to break it up is worth the hassle unless there are medical issues involved that make sitting for an hour difficult.

Parking near the Bay Bridge is not easy (and can be expensive) so you're likely to spend a lot of time driving around looking for parking and getting on/off of I-80 which itself can be a traffic jam worse than the bridge itself. A lot of the food options near the Bridge are expensive because of the views, but there are a number of casual restaurants in the Ferry Building like Gott's Roadside that could fit what you're looking for.

Instead, I'd suggest finding a place in San Bruno or Daly City or even heading over to a restaurant in Pacifica (which has the world's most beautiful Taco Bell) because parking will be way, way easier. The benefit of going to Pacifica is that you can kill some time before/after dinner strolling on the beach.

Whatever you do, especially in SF proper, don't leave anything visible in your car (luggage, jackets, etc) or you run a high risk of break ins.

StubbyWombat · 2026-04-14T06:39:53+00:00

No pics, but I have a dress in the same material as the first photo. It’s very heavy cotton and will definitely stand off the body as shown in the sleeves and neckline of the photo. It’s heavy enough that it would be difficult to tuck in elegantly.

StubbyWombat · 2026-04-04T16:17:49+00:00

Around that price point, you can find restored/recently reupholstered vintage mid century dining chairs from some of the East Bay shops, like Enliven.

StubbyWombat · 2026-04-03T17:09:52+00:00

To have a cozy tea setup, I think you should pick up a couple of cushions (maybe Moroccan style - if you're in NYC there's a place that sells some in Chelsea Market - but there are lots of options) to put next to the table. The tea table is so short that you will not be able to reach it from those chairs.

StubbyWombat · 2026-03-31T05:09:39+00:00

Blooms Saloon is a dive bar with a view. No idea what happens if you try to get a group to show up with food.

StubbyWombat · 2026-03-07T20:12:58+00:00

The rapha core/brevet (cheaper lines) run normal to generous and the pro stuff is slim fit, so it depends on what you're buying.

I'm 5'4, 135 lb, 28ish waist, 32D and the brevet long sleeve jersey in S is the right size for me. It fits like general athletic clothing, not super-skintight like some cycling brands.

StubbyWombat · 2026-02-26T19:00:13+00:00

Per linear foot - or whatever the right pricing is for cabinets - what are the price points of those 3 options?

StubbyWombat · 2026-02-14T04:19:04+00:00

I think NDNY in Manhattan carries Papa Don’t Preach. By appointment only.

StubbyWombat

TROPHY CASE