My go-to place for working out and exercise is usually the Lyon St. steps at the end of Broadway, right by my house. It’s always great to work out outside and you can always see tons of motivated people every morning running those brutal flights of steps that span 2 steep blocks. I usually work out with a great trainer there named Jarrod Cariola who was training at the JCC (Jewish Community Center) for many years. Jarrod went out on his own but has very limited time because he is also a Fireman with the SFFD!
For Gyms, other than the Jewish community center I’ve always liked working out at the Olympic Club. Founded in 1860 it’s one of San Francisco‘s oldest clubs and it has everything you can imagine from basketball to swimming to golf and tennis. Personally I play a lot of squash there and love their squash courts. And it has a recently revamped grill where you can satisfy your hunger post workouts.
My favorite sport is tennis and I generally play either at California Tennis Club or at Bay Club SF Tennis. Steve Jackson is the head pro at the “Cal Club” and he is really terrific. At Bay Club, I’d recommend Jeremy Aksdall-Jansen who is a former world-ranked player from the UK and he delights in bludgeoning the ball and running you around a lot, which is right up my alley.
For sore muscles, sore back, things out of alignment or any other physical issues we have a miracle-worker named Lorenz Schweitzer who is a Rolfing specialist and he’s very strong, not for the faint of heart! If you are into Rolfing, a form of alternative medicine originally developed by Ida Rolf (1896–1979), and you understand the benefits of Structural Integration (translation deep bodywork and physical manipulation) then Lorenz is the guy. His website is rolfingsf.net
For clothes shopping, when I’m not hunting for vintage t-shirts all the time, I go to Wilkes Bashford or Isaia to get more elegant attire. Isaia has a spectacular shop on Maiden Lane and if you’re so compelled you can play a tune at the giant red piano or spin a vinyl on the upstairs turntable in between trying on clothes. It’s a fun store. For a great and unusual shopping area that isn’t overrun with tourists and the same old shops, Hayes Valley is the place to go. It has an incredible variety of shops in a relatively small radius, packed with many hip stores to choose from.
To get some of the freshest and healthiest foods post-workout or even if you need last-minute catering, try the Bi-Rite Market. There are two locations in San Francisco and they pride themselves on offering the best tasting, sustainably grown, responsibly produced foods available. At least once a week I scramble to buy up some of the many different varieties of quality almond milk that they sell, and they always have really great organic fruit, good cheeses and a little bit of everything else. But the real elixir there is their incredibly fresh and delicious homemade ice-cream. They make very inventive combinations of ingredients and flavors like Crème Brûlée, Snickerdoodle or Eggnog-Brandy.
