Fireside Lounge For those who aren’t familiar with the tiny appendage attached like a tenacious little barnacle to the lower side of Oakland known as Alameda….that’s what it is.  You reach it and escape it vis a vis one of two means, a tunnel on one end, and a bridge

            Just a fraction of the collection of oddities at Cafe Van Kleef   Oakland is not San Francisco, and therein lies what attracts and repels many people to and from the East Bay city.  San Francisco in the west, framed by delicate curls of

I work at a restaurant that happens to be situated in the Marina;  “Happens to be situated” because neither it’s concept, cuisine or clientele are emblematic of said District.  It’s a qualification I find myself adding when mentioning my workplace to friends or acquaintances. Part of me wants to be

Dark and divey, Edinburgh Castle is just one of those bars at which you always want to drink. It’s nothing fancy. It’s just a spacious and unpretentious pub; but still pretty awesome. The first thing you will notice upon entering Edinburgh Castle is the decent sized smoking room. It’s a

Lately I’ve been feeling very dive-y when it comes to bars.  Eff spending an hour doing my hair and makeup — I just want to go somewhere in a hoodie and hang out with my PBR in a dark, smelly corner.  Obviously it’s fun to dress up and sashay around