nat's travel guide

This is usually exhausting business travel. But I have been trying to sniff out interesting things to do in the places I visit, and sometimes I manage to find them.

So, I thought: why not make a list of my favorite discoveries?

My father was a travel writer for two decades, and sometimes I would tag along when he went somewhere cool. He reviewed hotels and restaurants and golf courses around the world.

This list is a bit different from his reviews; I've not bothered to list attractions that you've probably already heard of. This is my list of the secret spots that I'm proud I stumbled into (or had recommended to me). Hopefully it is interesting to you too.

If you find inaccuracies in this page or have suggestions of your own, please let me know.

Cafe Gratitude. 2400 Harrison Street (M-S 9am - 10pm)

Vegan, organic, locally grown and raw food. Lots of things made out of nuts that you didn't know could be made from nuts. The ice cream is exceptional, especially considering no milk is involved. Check out their menu. An essential part of any hippie tour of NorCal.

. . .

The Concrete Slide. Near the corner of 20th and Seward.

In a park overlooking the Castro, there is a double-wide slide made out of concrete. The park features a beautiful city view. The slide features an exciting dip in the middle and is speedy and fun. Bring cardboard to sit on.

Dollar theater. 2230 North University Parkway.

Well, it actually costs $1.50 for evening shows, but that's still pretty good.

Brewvies. 677 South 200 West.

Movies, food, beer, wifi.

Batofar. 11 quai François Mauriac.

An old fishing boat converted into a tiny bar/nightclub in the fairly desolate 13th arrondissement. I think Saturday night is the best night; a live MC lazes on stage accompanying low-key downtempo with a big glass of red wine in her hand. People (not me) smoke pot openly and the whole vibe is very cool.

One time I went there, I was lucky enough to catch blinkenlights playing on the front of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France across the street.

The web site is terrible.

. . .

Manif. à velo. First Saturday of every month, 14h00 at Place de la Bastille.

This is Paris's version of the San Francisco "critical mass" phenomenon: hundreds of bicyclers, rollerbladers, rollerskaters and other people riding human-powered forms of transporation take over the streets of Paris. The route changes from month to month, is sanctioned by the police, and often ends on the hill up at Sacré Coeur.

And it can be enormous: up to 5,000 riders have participated. I have sat in a café on Bd du Montparnasse and watched the Manif go by for forty-five minutes. I took a video.

Numerous stores in Paris rent bicycles.