Tag: Jimi Hendrix

Best tours in San Francisco

Just because we live in the Bay Area and are “locals” of San Francisco doesn’t mean we can’t still play tourist when we hit The City! In fact, it’s one of the more fun things you can do when you cross the Bay Bridge. I love just wandering around and finding new nooks and crannies of the city I had never noticed before.

As with any major city, San Francisco has its fair share of awesome tours, and these are five I have researched that I think you should take a chance on next time you visit! From art, to history, to food, you’ll get the real, full, behind-the-scenes experience of San Francisco with any of these. If you go, let me know how it went!

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1. Precita Eyes Mural Tour

On the third Saturday of every month, founder and director or the Precita Eyes Mural Arts Center, Susan Cervantes, leads guided mural walks through the Mission. It’s $20, but it takes you through an array from over 200 alley murals in the hippest neighborhood in San Francisco. You can get more info here.

2. San Francisco Urban Hike

Now, I hate to do this, but I think you can self-lead a tour rather than spend $49 on having it guided. This “urban hike,” which has gained in popularity given San Francisco’s plethora of lush areas, is something you can certainly research and do yourself. If you’d rather go with a guide, check out this link!

3. San Francisco Love Tour

If nothing else, San Francisco is known for its role in the Summer of Love. Former hippies and music lovers should be excited to pony up $48 for this radical tour, which takes participants through iconic neighborhoods from the 60’s, and hit main attractions like Golden Gate Park. You’ll see the homes of Hendrix and Joplin, and do it all from an old-school VW van!

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4. Teas, Temples and Beatniks Tour

Okay, you can’t beat a tour that combines two of the coolest neighborhoods in a city full of cool neighborhoods: Chinatown and North Beach. You get to try local food, get your fortune read, taste the famous fortune cookies, and venture into North Beach to see the old hangouts of legends like Jack Kerouac. Check it out here.

5. City Guides

You’ve probably at least heard of this tour. City Guides is a full-blown non-profit with more than 200 volunteers leading 50 walking tours all around San Francisco. Local history buffs share their knowledge and whisk you around the beautiful city. And the best part for those who want to pinch pennies – City Guides is all donation-based, and technically admission is free!

Pantone’s Color of the Year…Ultra Violet!

Another year, another color. The Pantone Color Institute has selected its 2018 “Color of the Year,” which it expects to influence design choices next year. According to the release, Pantone chose Ultra Violet because it conveys “originality and ingenuity.” They said they are fascinated and intrigued by the shade.

Pantone.com

I can’t disagree. It is a lovely shade of purple, which to me represents a majestic royalty – something or someone who is the best in their field. New apple watches are of a similar color, for example. It’s just a sheer coincidence that I like this color so much and also happen to color all my logos with a similar hue. Total coincidence. Objectivity at its finest!

In all seriousness, it is a really neat color, and I applaud Pantone for its choice. As for using it in a house? I have mixed emotions on that. It is pretty strong, and could freak people out to use such a deep, dark color on walls and other features of a home.

That said, this Houzz article includes some great shots of rooms redecorated with the Ultra Violet hue, and you can see that – if used properly – it would really make certain rooms pop.

From the Pantone website itself, they call the Ultra Violet color (PANTONE shade 18-3838) “a dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade.” Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, Leatrice Eiseman, says:

“We are living in a time that requires invetiveness and imagination. It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level. From exploring new technologies and the greater galaxy, to artistic expression and spirituatl reflection, ituitive Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come.”

Purple shades are always associated with royalty and artistic excellence (so, again, if someone like, say, you’re real estate agent had a purple logo…just saying!), as made famous by icons like Prince, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix.
Also according to the Pantone website: “Ultra Violet symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity, spurring individuals to imagine their unique mark on the world, and push boundaries through creative outlets.

Historically, there has been a mystical or spiritual quality attached to Ultra Violet. The color is often associated with mindfulness practices, which offer a higher ground to those seeking refuge from today’s over-stimulated world. The use of purple-toned lighting in meditation spaces and other gathering places energizes the communities that gather there and inspire connection.”

Wow, that’s like a color horoscope, and makes me proud to have a similarly-shaded color scheme to my work!