‘Tis the season once more, and we find ourselves looking for thoughtful gifts for our favorite people. Explore this gift guide featuring small businesses and local artists showcasing their work in the East Bay. We’ve uncovered unique treasures perfect for gifting while also supporting the heartbeat of our local community.

PHOTOS AND WORDS BY ANDY SAMWICK I’ve visited chef Joe Hou at The Line Hotel since it opened last year. He runs the kitchens at both Tenderheart on the ground floor and Rise Over Run on the top floor and also plays host at a spectacular rooftop bar. Hou has

Things can get weird at Pier 23. It sometimes seems like all the forces in the universe collide there causing a perfect storm of what San Francisco should be like to those outside looking in. It’s a seafood joint, on the Embarcadero, with live music, a full bar, plenty of

A love letter to San Francisco Sausage & Beer. 

WRITTEN BY: SANDWICH If you’re looking for free fun, as in the free-space-in-the-middle-of-the-bingo-card fun, enjoy Bingo and Beer every Tuesday at The New Parkway Theater in uptown Oakland, conveniently located a few blocks north of 19th Street BART. Do something different. Go on a fun date. Yell Bingo.  It’s pretty

Here we are, years after Covid started closing doors of favorite venues across The Bay Area and we’re still feeling the continued impact of the pandemic’s wrath. Today, we learned that a beloved Oakland venue, The Golden Bull, is on the brink of closure and are reaching out to us

Inside a North Beach clock shop is an underground speakeasy and theater called Palace Theater. There, you’ll find SF’s best magic show, The Illusionist starring Kevin Blake. As you savor expertly crafted cocktails, prepare to be mesmerized by mind-bending illusions, featuring mind-reading and astonishing sleight of hand tricks that will

By Sheila Koren Animal rights activists have been gathering in Santa Rosa this past month for a significant legal trial concerning the Right To Rescue mistreated animals. In this case it’s chickens and ducks from Petaluma factory farms. Two similar trials over the past year (in St. George, Utah and