This week brings live drive-in opera, a Kentucky Derby celebration at Kendall-Jackson, the annual Bay Area Book Festival, a Top Chef face-off dinner, and not one but two delicious bake sales to support the local AAPI community.
Have a great one.
Don't miss the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley's spectacular Southern African Collection super bloom. The garden's colorful display just might be its most impressive in three decades. It won't last long—see it this week. // The UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. (Berkeley); reservations required, berkeley.edu.
In celebration of the Super Pink Full Moon in Scorpio, join the Center SF for an evening of live music and Kundalini meditation. Charge, celebrate, give thanks, and seek healing through balance by making your way through a performance room, sound and meditation room, and team room; 6pm to 7:30pm Monday. // The Center SF, 548 Fillmore St. (Lower Haight), thecentersf.com
Move and groove during a Rhythm & Motion Fusion class at Yerba Buena Gardens. Wear your sneakers, shake your booty, and sweat it out with fellow socially distanced dancers; noon to 1pm Tuesday. // Yerba Buena Gardens (SoMa); register on ybgfestival.org.
Honor Lawrence Ferlinghetti, founder of beloved City Lights bookstore, during a special SF Chronicle tribute with Tony Bravo and performing guests Gary Kamiya, Tongo Eisen-Martin, and more; Wednesday at 5:30pm. // Register (free) on sfchronicle.com.
If you find yourself in Napa, have dinner at North Block Hotel's new restaurant. From chef Nick Tamburo (formerly of Momofuku), the menu includes naturally leavened pizzas and dishes cooked on a Japanese grill. // North Block, 6757 Washington St. (Yountville), northblockyountville.com
Practice yoga outdoors with Love Story Larkspur. The Valencia Street studio's new Marin space is complete with a canopy tent. // Marin Country Mart, 2257 Larkspur Landing Circle (Larkspur); register on lovestoryyoga.com.
Spruce up your home with a piece of furniture or art from Female Design Council and Nicole Hollis' Benefit Art Auction. Proceeds will provide designers, artists, and architects with financial support; 9am to 5pm Wednesday and Thursday on Instagram. // Find more details at nicolehollis.com.
Experience an eight-course tasting menu prepared by a team of Top Chef competitors. Sobre Mesa's Nelson German and 7908 Aspen's Byron Gomez will share dishes inspired by their Dominican and Costa Rican heritages, respectively; 5pm and 8:30pm Wednesday and Thursday. // Sobre Mesa, 1618 Franklin St. (Oakland); tickets ($165-$250) are available on eventbrite.com.
See the San Francisco Opera live and IRL at the Marin Center Drive-In. You'll enjoy a performance of The Barber of Seville from the safety of your own vehicle; 8pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with additional dates through May 15th. // Fairgrounds and Lagoon Park at Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags (San Rafael); tickets ($50 per car) are available at sfopera.com.
Support the SF AIDS Foundation by Dining out for Life. The weeklong event will feature special menus at select SF restaurants including Canela, Catch, and Emmy's Spaghetti Shack; Monday through Friday. // For a list of participating restaurants and info on how to get involved, visit doflsf.org.
Thank you to our partners at SF AIDS Foundation.
Drive into Oakland Theater's parking lot for a live performance of The Waste Land, Lisa Ramirez's one-person show adapted from T.S. Elliot's famous poem; 8pm Wednesday through Sunday, additional shows through May 16th. // Oakland Theater at Flax Art & Design, 1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Way (Oakland); tickets ($25-$35 per vehicle) are available at oaklandtheaterproject.org.
Snap a rockin' selfie at Musiquarium @ The Selfie Market. The interactive, 'grammable experience includes 10 rooms themed around musical genres including disco, reggae, rock, and hip-hop. Don't forget your most colorful mask; Thursday through August 29th. // Westfield SF Centre, 865 Market St. (SoMa); tickets ($29/adults) are available at showclix.com.
Eat sweets in support of the AAPI community during Bake Love Not Hate. The event kicks off Friday with an online benefit auction (score a pair of Allbirds or plants from Rooted). The Saturday bake sale in Oakland will feature treats from Boichik Bagels, La Farine, Firebrand Artisan Breads, and more. Sunday is a Day of Giving at local businesses. // More info and schedule at bakelovenothate.com
Done your most fanciful hat to celebrate Derby Day with Kendall-Jackson. Expect a special farm-to-table experience featuring Southern specialities filled with pork, pecans, and bourbon all paired with limited release K-J wines. Or, get a meal to go; Friday and Saturday (order by 10am Thursday for takeout). // Kendall-Jackson, 5007 Fulton Rd. (Santa Rosa); reservations and ordering on exploretock.com.
Join fellow bookworms for the Bay Area Book Festival. Programming includes authors and speakers Vendela Vida, Joyce Carol Oates, Bonnie Tsui, and more; Sunday, May 2-9. // Full event details on baybookfest.org
Consider the complex relationship between humans and food in Poached, Pruned, Peeled, by Ink Dwell studio founder and artist Jane Kim. Opening reception is 5pm to 8pm Friday; exhibit is on view through June 26th. // Palette Gallery, 816 Folsom St. (SoMa); register for the reception on eventbrite.com; palette-gallery.com.
Purchase a box of pastries from Zuni Café to support the AAPI community. More than 30 pastry professionals are participating—think 20th Century Cafe, Neighbor Bakehouse, and Jane—and all proceeds will benefit AAPI Women Lead, APACCSF, and Third Culture Bakery community safety kits; Saturday at 11am until sold out. // Zuni Café, 1658 Market St. (Hayes Valley), details on Instagram
Zen out with some furry friends during Lemos Farm's Goat Yoga. While you move through 45 minutes of relaxing poses, up to 20 small goats will climb on you and roam about. Stay to feed and pet the goats afterward; 10am and 11:30am Saturday and Sunday. // Lemos Farm, 12320 San Mateo Rd. (Half Moon Bay); tickets ($35) are available on eventbrite.com.
Watch Dances for Doing, choreographer Catherine Galasso's two site-specific duets inspired by artist Jen Bervin's exhibit of the same name. The topic: shelter in place; 8pm Saturday, Sunday, and June 27th. // Catharine Clark Gallery, 248 Utah St. (Mission); tickets ($30) are available on cclarkgallery.com.
Peruse photographs by Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, Adam Fuss, and more at the Fraenkel Gallery Pop-up; open 11am to 4pm Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment, May 1st through June 30th. // 3695 Sacramento St. (Presidio Heights), fraenkelgallery.com
Catch live music at Yoshi's. Reserve a dinner table for access to shows including the Steve Carter Trio on Thursday and Afroholix Jazz Quartet on Saturday; 6pm Wednesdays through Sundays. // Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West (Oakland); schedule and reservations on yoshis.com
Stock up on Korean-American staples at H Mart's new SF location. The popular Queens supermarket's new Bay Area location also has a food hall with six vendors—save room for beef stew or fried chicken. // 3995 Alemany Blvd. (Oceanview), hmart.com