San Francisco - Alison Bing [149]
PURPLE ONION Map
415-956-1653; www.caffemacaroni.com; 140 Columbus Ave; admission $10-15; call for show times; 15, 30, 41, 45
Such legendary comics as Woody Allen and Phyllis Diller clawed their way up from underground at this grotto nightclub. Recently, comics took back the stage from lackluster lounge acts, and the club’s been rejuvenated – Robin Williams has even stopped by to test material. Bookings are sporadic; call ahead.
TEATRO ZINZANNI Map
415-438-2668; http://zinzanni.org; Pier 29, Embarcadero; admission $145-195; 7:30-11pm; F
Inside a 19th-century Spiegeltent (an opulent Belgian traveling-circus tent), top circus talent flies overhead, a celeb-diva croons, and clowns pull wacky stunts as you dig into a surprisingly good five-course dinner. This ain’t no B-grade dinner theater: a ‘clown-wrangler’ seeks out world-class talent in Europe and Asia, and the acts, menu and performers are refreshed quarterly. Former stars have included Joan Baez and Broadway’s Liliane Montevecchi. Dress for dinner, and arrive early to see the over-the-top harmonium and boutique selling tiaras and ostrich-feather opera gloves (ideal if you’re underdressed). Be prepared for audience participation – especially if you’re a looker.
* * *
GETTING TICKETS
Major events often sell out the day tickets go on sale, but you can often find tickets for sold-out events on Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) – sometimes for the original face value. Tickets are also sold on eBay (www.ebay.com), and not necessarily at bidding-war prices. The mainstream ticket-sales agencies include Tickets.com (www.tickets.com), which has walk-up locations at Giants Dugout Stores in SF (including 4 Embarcadero Center and AT&T Park); Ticketmaster ( 800-745-3000; www.ticketmaster.com); and Ticketweb (www.ticketweb.com).
The following ticket agents distribute tickets to a wide range of events and add a service charge.
Brown Paper Tickets ( 800-838-3006; www.brownpapertickets.com) Our favorite ticketing agency has transparent business practices and low fees, and 5% of profits go to community organizations; it’s the preferred vendor of many indie-arts organizations.
City Box Office ( 415-392-4400; www.cityboxoffice.com) Another top local ticketing agency for arts organizations, and other quality music, dance and comedy performances, as well as sports and events.
Mr Ticket (Map; 415-292-7328, 800-424-7328; www.mrticket.com; 2065 Van Ness Ave; 9am-5:30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat) A ticket broker that charges whatever price the market can bear; ideal when you’re desperate.
TIX Bay Area (Map; 415-433-7827; www.tixbayarea.org; Union Square; 11am-6pm Tue-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat, 10am-3pm Sun; Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde) Offers discount theater tickets on the day of each performance at a sidewalk booth on the Powell St side of Union Square. Half-price tickets (cash only) are available for selected events. You can also order advance tickets at full price. For theater venues, Click here.
* * *
Return to beginning of chapter
CLUBBING
SF is a city of DJs – the closest American equivalents are Detroit and Chicago – and it’s often the DJ, more than the venue, that determines the crowd at nightclubs. House is the dominant paradigm, with variations including techno-house, techno, electronic, progressive, funky-house, gospel-house, breaks and drum-and-bass. Hip-hop is also big, but it often gets mixed with house.
You won’t get into clubs wearing flip-flops, shorts or T-shirts (unless they’re fancy). You’ll usually only wait 10 minutes to get in anywhere, except at the city’s biggest club, Ruby Skye, depending on the night. Groups of men are sometimes turned away, unless they’re on the guestlist (see the boxed text). Groups of women are never turned away, unless they’re drunk. Couples usually get in everywhere. The following places have thumping sound systems and dance floors, but because of the flexible definition of club, we’ve placed some venues where you can dance under Lounges and in the Drinking chapter Click here.