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Locals Talk
AJ Davenport
Age: 48
San Francisco
- When I took the Hotel Matchmaker test these are the words I selected:
- Fun-loving/Energetic, Sophisticated, Stylish, Worldly/Sensual, Dynamic/Vibrant
- My favorite activities include:
- Performing, reading, history, art, photography, singing, attending live performance, vintaging, going to museums.
- I was born and raised in:
- Illinois but I've lived in SF longer than anyplace so that makes me a native by default!
- I currently live:
- Just off Alamo Square in the Western Addition
- What do I do to make a buck?:
- Office Administrator by day, Actor by night and Diva by desire.
- 5 things I love about the San Francisco Bay Area:
- 1.The views (the corner of Duboce and Divisadero near the Castro neighborhood is a favorite) 2. The cultural melange (Indian food in the Hispanic Mission) 3. The history (The San Francisco History Room at the Main Library is a treasure trove and I can't wait till the old mint re opens as the SF Museum!) 4. The Food! (Taste the world without every leaving the city!). 5. The weather (Who needs a wool coat!)
- My favorite local hidden treasure you shouldn't miss:
- The abundance of small theatre. There are over 100 nomadic theatre companies [means that the company does not have a space of its own] in the city. There are lots of intimate [under 100 seats] theatres in the city, sit this close to the action! ACT, Berkeley Rep and the other big theatres don't take the chance on doing small, cutting edge shows. For a great overview of the Bay Area Theatre scene check out www.theatrebayarea.org. And as an added bonus, you can purchase half price tickets for most theatre productions at the Tix booth in Union Square. You get a deal, the company gets a paying guest and Theatre Bay Area gets some support as well.
- My perfect day spent in the San Francisco Bay Area:
- Start with breakfast at Judy's in the Marina (2268 Chestnut, 922-4588), walk off those yummy potatoes and omelet with a visit to the Palace of Fine Arts and Fort Point, then back to Fillmore Street. Take the 22 Fillmore bus [what I like to call the Riches to Rags Ride] to the Mission have a burrito and then view all the murals (especially those on Balmy Alley - see the description under the 100 Unique Things to Do) then I hit the vintage boutiques, thrift and book stores along Valencia Street. Hop on BART at 16th or 24th and Mission Streets and get off at Civic Center take a stroll through the Main Library, make my way home through Hayes Valley, with a stop for a cocktail (depending on my mood) at Absinthe, (398 Hayes, 551-1590) to see and be seen, Jardinière (300 Grove, 861-5555) feeling elegant or Marlena's (Hayes and Octavia 864-6672) a friendly neighborhood pub. Change clothes and head up Fillmore to Rasselas (1534 Fillmore, 346-8696) for an evening of great jazz and Ethiopian food.
