Darren Criss loves sharing music and places with a sentimental meaning. The award-winning actor and singer takes a trip down memory lane and shares all of his favorite places in his hometown, plus he curated some spots he's loving right now.
Amoeba Music
I’m probably the last generation of people growing up going to record stores and buying albums. Amoeba was such a fun place to go to. It was like an exclamation point on my hang-out day in the Haight. I loved going there, checking out albums, and listening to as many as possible. You could scan the bar codes and check out the music. There were always a lot of great artists coming through. It was a cool place to hang out, being around music and record people."
Wasteland
"Haight-Ashbury has all these great vintage stores. I really got into vintage clothing when I was a teenager. I remember I bought some bell bottoms here that I thought were really cool. I used to wear those at school, and I was like, 'Man, I'm so hip.' I love Wasteland."
The Alembic
"This spot opened after I left San Francisco, but when I go back to the Haight, I love to stop by here. As a cocktail bar owner, I’m pretty choosy about cocktail menus, but they have a great one. I pay a visit every time I’m in town."
Golden Gate Park
"Golden Gate Park is very dear to me. I’ve enjoyed going there recently as Outside Lands is now a fixture of the city. I loved going to the park for runs. I had soccer games and practice there, too. I’ve just had a lot of fun here walking around all times of the year. I love when it’s foggy and cold, and you have to dress up warm for a walk. I have a Pavlovian reaction when I smell the eucalyptus trees in the park. I have a very strong connection to the place."
Japanese Tea Garden
"One place in particular that I’ve always loved in Golden Gate Park is the Japanese Tea Garden. My wife and I are big Japanese culture fans. We taught ourselves to read, write, and speak Japanese during the pandemic, so it’s a big part of our life. I’m a fan of Japanese gardens, and I’m a big tea drinker, so it checks all the boxes for me. It’s a beautifully curated, traditional Japanese garden. It’s a peaceful place to have a contemplative moment in the park."
Marina Green
"When I was younger, we lived in the Marina, and I spent a lot of time with my parents at Marina Green—going for runs and doing stuff with my dad. My dad was a big runner. He always loved it there."
Crissy Field Center
"Crissy Field is a special place to me. I used to ride my bike here. In fact, it’s where I learned how to ride a bike. This park was fun for us because, obviously, our last name is Criss. So it became ‘Hey, this is our field,’ where we could ride our bikes. It’s an old abandoned landing strip for planes. They’ve transformed it into this really beautiful nature reserve in the past twenty years. A lot of the natural wildlife is coming back to the area, and it has completely been revitalized."
Bourbon & Branch
"I recently did the Hedwig and The Angry Inch musical on Broadway, and then I did its tour. I first got into the musical when I was growing up in San Francisco, so I would be remiss not to do it in my hometown. We were stationed at the Golden Gate Theatre in the Tenderloin, and there’s a cocktail bar close by that I’m particularly fond of. You can have a quiet drink there. It’s especially nice after a show when I don’t want to use my voice too much. It’s my idea of the perfect cocktail club."
CreoLa
"CREOLA is another newer spot I’m very fond of. It’s a great cajun, New Orleans–style seafood restaurant. My wife and I got married in New Orleans, and we love that city. I just stumbled onto this place when I went here for Sunday brunch. They had a lovely dixie jazz combo playing, which was such a nice treat. I had a delicious crab benedict here—one of the best I’ve ever had."
The Music Store
"My brother and I grew up getting a lot of music from The Music Store. We were really into bluegrass. My brother is a banjo player, and we’d go see a lot of local folk and bluegrass bands there. Shelby was the guy that ran the store, and I was always fond of him. You know, even at that point, I realized that having a mom-and-pop record store was special. I hope it can live on forever."
Great American Music Hall
"Every Sunday, I’d check the datebook in the SF Chronicle and look for great shows to go to when I was growing up. I saw one of my first concerts at the Great American Music Hall. I saw Phantom Planet open for American Hi-Fi there. I must have been 14 or 15 years old. Phantom Planet is a band that I've continued to love throughout my life. I even ended up playing with them, so the Great American Music Hall has a special place in my heart."
Stonestown Galleria
"I spent a lot of time here, particularly during the holidays because that's where I did all my last-minute Christmas shopping. I went to Good Guys for electronics, cool walkmans, portable CD players, and Tower Records to look at records and buy cool stuff there. The mall was a one-stop-shop for my brother and me during the holidays. And, we'd go to the food court, get a hot dog on a stick, and go see a movie."
Seniore's Pizza
"San Francisco is not a party city. It can be hard to find late-night eats. The only place that you can get a pizza after a night out somewhere is Seniore’s Pizza. It’s a place where you can find a bunch of young kids trying to squeeze in a pizza right before the whole city closes. It’s definitely a fixture for local San Francisco kids."
Submarine Center
"Submarine Center is hallowed, sacred ground. It’s in the ‘last meal’ kind of category for me. The sheer ecstasy that I have going into that little room and having one of the best sandwiches in the world is something that I do wish upon everybody in the world. Whatever sandwich you pick from the menu, it's going to be delicious. Submarine Center is a big leading player in the show of my life."
Philosophers Club
"If you want to live like a West Portal or Sunset kid, you hit up this dive bar next to Submarine Center. But if you’re one of the homies, you’d call it the Philly Club. So if you ever want to get a sandwich and hit the Philly club, tell 'em Darren sent you!"
Welcome to the buzzing world of the locavore movement, where your food choices become a powerful statement about sustainability, community support, and personal health. As locavores, the idea is simple yet profound: prioritize food that’s grown or produced within your local region, ideally through direct relationships with farmers and artisans. This isn’t just about enjoying fresh, flavorful meals—it’s a journey towards a more sustainable and equitable food system.
Welcome to the buzzing world of the locavore movement, where your food choices become a powerful statement about sustainability, community s
So, why make the shift towards a hyperlocal diet? It all starts with the intersection of politics and food. Every purchase you make is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in. When you choose locally sourced food, you’re advocating for reduced transportation emissions and less packaging waste. Moreover, you’re making a political statement that you stand for small-scale, sustainable farming practices that often fall by the wayside in industrial agriculture debates. Eating locally isn’t just a culinary preference; it’s a political action that supports the environment and local economies.
Farm-to-table isn’t just a trendy term; it’s one of the backbones of the locavore movement. This concept stretches beyond just buying and eating local—it involves building relationships with the people who grow your food. Imagine biting into a crisp apple picked from an orchard a few miles away or savoring a slice of bread made from wheat grown and milled in your vicinity. This connection deepens one’s appreciation for food and informs more conscious eating practices.
However, being a locavore also means being adaptive and seasonal in your eating habits. It’s about syncing with nature’s cycles and not the supermarket shelves. Yes, this might mean forgoing strawberries in the winter or waiting patiently for the first tomatoes of summer, but the reward is a reconnection with the natural rhythm of your local ecosystem. Plus, seasonal food is at its peak in both nutrients and flavor—a win-win for your body and your palate.
Let’s not forget the economic impact. When you buy local, your money stays within the community, bolstering the local economy and enabling farmers to keep producing spectacular food. It’s a sustainable model that fosters community resilience, ensuring that local producers can survive and thrive even when global food markets are volatile.
While the benefits of becoming a locavore are plentiful, embracing this lifestyle isn’t without its challenges. One of the primary hurdles is accessibility; depending on where you live, finding a consistent and varied supply of local foods can be difficult, especially in urban areas or regions with limited agricultural production. The cost can also be a barrier for many, as small-scale, sustainable farming practices often result in higher prices compared to mass-produced food due to the more labor-intensive methods used. Additionally, adjusting to a seasonal diet means that the availability of certain favorite foods can be limited during off-seasons, requiring a shift in eating habits and meal planning. Despite these challenges, the effort to overcome them not only supports a sustainable lifestyle but also fosters creativity in the kitchen as you learn to use what is locally available in new and exciting ways.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the locavore lifestyle, start with your local farmers’ market or sign up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box. Engage with local food guides and apps that connect you with local eateries and food producers. Remember, becoming a locavore is not about perfection; it’s about making more mindful, informed choices whenever possible. Every small change contributes to a larger shift towards a sustainable future. So, why not let your next meal be a reflection of your values and a step towards a better world? Join the locavore movement and taste the difference—it’s delicious here!
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Dutch officials and British economist to use guide to help city thrive in balance with planet
A doughnut cooked up in Oxford will guide Amsterdam out of the economic mess left by the coronavirus pandemic.
While straining to keep citizens safe in the Dutch capital, municipality officials and the British economist Kate Raworth from Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute have also been plotting how the city will rebuild in a post-Covid-19 world.
The conclusion? Out with the global attachment to economic growth and laws of supply and demand, and in with the so-called doughnut model devised by Raworth as a guide to what it means for countries, cities and people to thrive in balance with the planet.
The inner ring of her donut sets out the minimum we need to lead a good life, derived from the UN’s sustainable development goals and agreed by world leaders of every political stripe. It ranges from food and clean water to a certain level of housing, sanitation, energy, education, healthcare, gender equality, income and political voice. Anyone not attaining such minimum standards is living in the doughnut’s hole.
The outer ring of the doughnut, where the sprinkles go, represents the ecological ceiling drawn up by earth-system scientists. It highlights the boundaries across which human kind should not go to avoid damaging the climate, soils, oceans, the ozone layer, freshwater and abundant biodiversity.
Between the two rings is the good stuff: the dough, where everyone’s needs and that of the planet are being met.
As a boy in his twenties standing at the Kharagpur Station with thousands of people passing through him, who knew that the boy wearing a blue TC coat will one day lead the Indian national team. Yes, we are talking about Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
What could be more grieving then getting run out on a duck at your first International match? Only a magician can turn that failure to become one of the most successful wicket-keeper batsmen in the world. It was always inside him, that resilience, that fighting spirit, that calmness. There was a time when Jharkhand was famous for its coal mines and minerals but now, when you ask someone about Jharkhand, they will most probably say- "Oh! Jharkhand, the state from where Dhoni came from?"
Such is the influence of Dhoni.
Being the only captain to collect all the ICC trophies, being the wicketkeeper with most number of stumpings, being the batsman with most numbers of sixes hit, being the only batsman after Sangakkara to surpass the ten thousand mark, it wasn't a surprise why he was often called Mahendra Bahubali Dhoni.
It was not always the numbers that made him one of the legends of international cricket, it was also his humbleness and courtesy that made him great. One such example was when Ganguly was playing his last test match, and it was Dhoni who handed him the captaincy for last hours of the test match as a tribute and a mark of respect.
No wonder he was the best finisher in the world, even though the way he ended his cricketing innings broke hearts of millions. But still, you will always remain very close to our hearts. It is the END OF AN ERA.
