Get ready for safe outdoor activities this week including alfresco dining with music at Tosca Cafe in the Saint Joseph's Art Society courtyard; a stroll through the newly reopened Japanese Tea Garden; and dinner and drinks on car-free Valencia Street.
Plus, listen to a new podcast with Brown Sugar Kitchen's Tanya Holland; get sweaty with workout and meditation classes taught by Black women in wellness; and start your mornings at Zeitgeist's new breakfast pop-up.
Visit KitTea's new kitten room. While cafe services are currently on pause, the cat cafe now has not one but two rooms full of adoptable rescue cats. Opt to visit the grown cat or kitten lounge, with social-distance measures in place including reduced capacity, temperature checks, and 40-minute long visits; open daily. // Book on kitteasf.com
Explore the reopened Japanese Tea Garden. A 100 guest limit, one-way pathways, mask requirement, and closed high-touch areas will ensure that you have a safe and serene experience; Wednesday through Sunday, 9am to 5:45pm. // Purchase tickets in advance if possible, japanese-tea-garden.square.site
Start your week with Samovar's Mindful Tea Time. You'll be guided through an ancient movement and breathing meditation, followed by a mindful tea tasting. Be sure to pick up Samovar's Ryokucha Green Tea first; Monday from 7am to 8am PST. // Free, register on samovartea.com.
Listen to "Tanya's Table," the new podcast from chef Tanya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen. Season One launches Tuesday with 14 episodes featuring tastemakers including Alice Waters, Gina Torres, Kevin Youkilis, and more. Episodes air Tuesdays through November 3rd. // muddhousemedia.com
Tune in to "Afrofuturism: Risen From a Poet's Sun," from Litquake on Lockdown and Museum of the African Diaspora. Bay Area poets James Cagney, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Thea Matthews, and Tureeda Mikell explore how technology, science, arts, and culture have impacted the African Diaspora. Need some new summer reading? Be sure to purchase the poets' books from a local bookstore; Tuesday from 6pm to 7:15pm PST. // Suggested $5 donations, litquake.org
Donate $30 or more to a Black Lives Matter organization, and receive a Perry Florals coloring book, featuring illustrations of stunning flower arrangements. // Details on Instagram
Watch Roxie Theater's Mixtape-In-Place. The selection of 45 films—all under three minutes—explore everything from fear to self-reflection to goofiness. After watching, vote on your favorite mini film and catch a Q&A with filmmakers on Thursday; available through Thursday. // $5-$20 suggested donation, eventbrite.com
Join Saks Fifth Avenue and the League to Save Lake Tahoe for a virtual version of the 51st annual fashion show and luncheon. Enjoy three days of programing including an exclusive preview of the Oscar de la Renta Pre Fall / Fall 2020 Collections; a conversation with creative directors Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia; beauty secrets with Laura Kim and makeup artist Gucci Westman; and an auction, Thursday through Saturday at 5pm PST. // Register on savethelakefashion.com
Dine outside on Valencia Street. On Thursdays through Sundays from 4pm to 10pm, two single blocks between 16th and 17th and 18th and 19th will close to vehicles and provide plenty of space for al fresco dining, shopping, and strolling. // 7x7.com
Stop by Zeitgeist's new Thursday morning breakfast pop-up, Zeitcafe. Start your day with the Mission Subi sandwich—pork, scrambled eggs, seaweed, and jalapeño aioli—plus bloody marys, beer, espresso drinks, and cold brew courtesy of nearby Four Barrel's coffee cart; Thursdays from 8am to 1pm. // zeitgeistsf.com
Dine alfresco with Tosca: Summer at St. Joes. While the anticipated unveiling of Tosca Cafe's makeover never happened thanks to COVID-19, new owners Nancy Oakes, Anna Weinberg, and Ken Fulk have transformed the courtyard of Saint Joseph's courtyard into an experience complete with live music and four courses of Italian dishes—including A16 pizza—and wine pairings by James Beard Award–winning sommelier Shelley Lindgren. Seatings at 5:45 and 8:30pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. // $85 per person, reserve on exploretock.com
Pretend like you're on the red carpet and turn on Sonoma International Film Festival's 2.0 Virtual Film Fest. The event kicks off Thursday with a screening of Baghdad in My Shadow; the first 20 viewers who use the code S8HBX3YOH6HDBOY will receive a free screening (available through Sunday). // The fest runs through Sunday, Aug. 2; for a full schedule, go to sonomafilmfest.org.
Hear from Bay Area drag artists about the intersection of drag and spirituality. During each episode shown on Glide's Facebook, B0NNi33 Vi0L3T will interview drag queens with unique spiritual experiences, styles of drag, ability, gender, age, and race, with all donations benefiting Transgender Culture District. Interviews at 7:11pm PST on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday through August 16th. // Stream on Facebook
Work up a sweat and support Black women with Revive in Power: Move for the Movement, a virtual wellness marathon benefiting The Okra Project. During this four-hour event, take six back-to-back classes taught by black female fitness and mindfulness instructors including Thick, a bootcamp-meets-dance party with The Assembly's Amber Quiñones. Pop in for HIIT cardio and toning strength class Paula Posse Party with SF Soul Cycle instructor Paula Markey, or Breathwork for Liberation with meditation specialist and The Mind Games podcast cohost Hailey Lott; Saturday from 9am to 1pm. // $50 recommended donation, eventbrite.com
If you're sad the Inner Sunset location is closed for good, head to Nopalito's new Bi-Rite Ice Cream–adjacent takeout window. Pro tip: Take your chips and guac or tacos de carnitas across the street to a social-distance circle at Dolores Park; Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 6pm. // nopalitosf.com
Shop local vendors at High Five's weekly retail pop-up. While reopening for nail service isn't an option yet, stop by on Saturdays to pick up nail supplies and goods from small Bay Area brands like La Nadia Jewels and Heavenly Soap Company. This week, before shopping, head to the nearby Panhandle for High Five's outdoor workout pop-up to get your booty kicked for 45 minutes during Bootyology 101 (11am PST); shopping from 10am to 1pm PST. // Details on Instagram, register for the workout ($15 suggested donation) on highfive.as.me.
Picnic at Japantown Plaza every Saturday and Sunday through September 27th. After you pick up takeout—think sushi, donburri, and sweet crepes—and sake from Japantown's many eateries, a host will welcome you to a table by the Peace Pagoda. Enjoy music and heat lamps while you munch, 11:30am to 8pm PST. // Free (present a receipt from a restaurant), sf.funcheap.com
Check out a new park. Nestled between Rincon Hill skyscrapers and steps away from the Transbay Transit Center, you'll find Guy Place Mini Park, a 3,500 foot space featuring three outdoor "rooms" with native California grapevines, a steel fence designed by artist Adriane Colburn, and a pet fountain.
Stream Grace Cathedral's first ever Virtual Sound Bath. Sound bath musical director Gabriel Gold and local musicians Sam Jackson, Loriel Starr and Timothy Surya Das will take you on a meditative, whole-body experience from the comfort of your own living room, Saturday at 5pm PST. // $10, details and registration on gracecathedral.org.
Listen to SF Mime Troupe's "Tales of the Resistance." Thenine-part radio serial, released every other Saturday, will feature four storylines—detective noir, adventure, horror, and sci-fi—that will converge in the October 24th series finale. // Series airs on local radio stations, or listen ($10 suggested donation) on sfmt.org.
Stream Injunuity films and listen to a discussion with the creators. A combination of animation, music, and thoughts, Injunuity is comprised of reflections on the native world, history, and present experience; Saturday at 11am to 12:30pm PST. // Details and registration on sfpl.org
