Glitterati Roll Call and The Guide

[glitter]

This thread complies and links to resources and glitterati all around the world. add to as you see fit.

If you want to make corrections to this list please send a PM to flyingturtle or plupp-plupp.

International Travel
Alt-Guide to Being an Ex-Pat?
Anyone use Couchsurfing.com?

Austraila

adellia
clockwork cat
hipkitty - Wollongong
pollysaccharide-canberra
pudding
street_spirit
Tracey
vest - western
weedwrath
Adelaide

clozzajayne
eixmi
Kalysto

Melbourne

crumpet
linsky
MlleEmily
nikki-shell

Perth

BeTz
Tinkerbelle
vest

Sydney

k8
gadgetgirl
superpowers
yield

Canada

dollyrocker
Dorothy Parker
kit-kat
merededeux
mindshare
PrincessSquishie
twinkle
Alberta

jess152 - the Rockies
Lady_is_a_Tramp - Calgary
suspectdevice - Edmonton
trillium

British Columbia

aelin - Victoria
cyan - Tofino
drewgrl
kit-kat

New Brunswick

i_like_weenies

Ontario

deleria - Trent University
Gil-helen19 - Nestor Falls
Polesmoker69
thora
turbulence
Toronto

RESOURCE GUIDE (further down)
a_heart_apart
aspiring
indiegurl
kitchen
kneesocky
Lady_MacBeth
little edie
Lyrae
righteous

Windsor

erin_luv
themaverick

Quebec

iridescent
Montreal

go here for info! (or just scroll down)
or here for more!
checkersumthing
ghostsintheradio
SeraAngel

Saskatchewan

greenbean

Denmark

Lulu

Egypt

harriet -Cairo

Finland

Brutalis

France

Dame Tartine - Paris
liliamalice - Remis

Germany

DivineMsEm - Heidelberg
loomis - Heidelberg

Hungary

idared - Budapest

Japan

dumplingrrl - Tokyo

Netherlands

WorkAndPlay

New Zealand

Kelly.
Toast. - Nelson
La Mariposa Roja
Tempest

Norway

bookstorecat

Portugal

bequitas - caldas da rainha

Slovenia

Ljubljana RESOURCE GUIDE (next page)

Spain

maura k - Barcelona

Sweden

aliwa - Linköping
klaradetroit - Stockholm
Morgan
plupp-plupp - Göteborg/Gothenburg
T-mart

Taiwan
Hovercraft
Tajikistan

arabella

United Kingdom

rachiepachie
superfurry
England

bag-lady -Hampshire
intastellaburst - Bristol
Laverne - Brighton
moonlady - Bristol
notmarcie - Manchester
rachiepachie
ragazza - Leeds
The Mother
London

brit-knitboy
Dolly Dimple


Northern Ireland

frecklyface - belfast
mongoose

Scotland

lozenge
Wales

fireinhereyes - South Wales

United States

miss e- LBC
LolaBella
sadpencil
Northeast

AesSedai
amigarabita - new england
suzy creamcheese - new england
Connecticut

CorbinsMama
krazigal72
Delaware
Maine

chantal - Machias
Maryland

glccafar
ktbaynes - College Park
quichelorraine
Baltimore
kazoogrrl
lulabelle
nakedfotolady
Massachusetts

Berkshires RESOURCE GUIDE (further down)
cinnamongirl
Peaches - Western
val3ntine - Amherst
Boston
dybbuk
em-geek - Cambridge
eva666
Lonebuffs
modforpretend
Ms.MonkeyMagic
nung nung
sexy_secretary - Sommerville
slacker
Cape Cod
Marina-Trilobyte
zil
New Hampshire

stoliedina
tofufairy
vivian
New Jersey

mystril
Shade
VioletKarma - south nj
WildSnowflake
New York

Aryn
Fortunate Orange - Buffalo
guttergrrl - Albany
jasmineT - Rochester
littlespacebug - New Paltz
Martita - The Adironacks
Upstate
girlonthewing
Iris
Lady_Stardust - Tonawanda
mentapiperina
NYC Area
RESOURCE GUIDE (next page)
ashular
athos
branch
carecare
deadulasch
glitter
irish_eyes
ladyyuck
madgeylou
niki6
pinkcardigan
sneakerpup
Brooklyn
1bluestar
achintobe
bessbess
hellakitty
ithinktoomuch
Ninnycat
tabularasa
twish
Pennsylvania

frenchkitty213 - southeastern
geekychic
GreenJug
nucular - state college (shout out to the lions from flying turtle!)
Rype - Phoenixville
Philadelphia
RESOURCE GUIDE (further down)
neurochic
sporkie
weezil
Pittsburgh
Meegie
stitchgrrl
TuffJess
Rhode Island

bluewhiskey - Providence
Vermont

misshawklet

Southeast

honeybee - appalachia
emma81399 - Gulf Coast
tigrrrl
Alabama

greenie - Tuscaloosa
littlelilly
new wave smash - Montgomery
queenxofxhearts - Mobile
twistupgirl
Arkansas

craftyasschick
rainbowbrite
Florida

DISNEY WORLD/ORLANDO AREA Resource Guide
beja - Tallahassee
carlee134 - West Palm Beach
FailingAngst - Bayonet Point
justme
PencilSkirt - Clearwater
pixiestixchick65 - Boca Raton
son_sue
Tampa
aquevian
craftygoddess13
red_glitter_heels
Sewfie - Tampa Bay
Georgia

bekahbekah - Marietta
iciclegirl - Centerville
real stars - Savannah
Sofagirl
Athens
ceebee
laoni
Ori
princesakati
Atlanta
Ad Nauseam
alexia - kennesaw
ambergeek
anniebeegoode
becca_13
bettiepee
brains_please
caropop
ceebee
downinthecheapseats
heartlaurie
knittinator
lilpurpletoes
m*babylon
sarikat
xiola
Kentucky

krystle - Shepherdsville
pixielily - Louisville
smachel
Lexington
Slowgraffiti2000

Louisiana

Padiwack - New Orleans
Mississippi
Di is awesome - Hattiesburg and Jackson
North Carolina

aunt agonist
favorgrl
meganball - Black Mountain
PurpleDoor
Rosal
seventwelve
viciouskittie - wilmington
Asheville
naturallysteph
jessemae
South Carolina

Jzane - Rock Hill
subnomadgirl - North Myrtle Beach
synofthecity - Columbia
MsPriss - Aiken
Tennessee

funkyutopia
jettesette
Lauralie
nijoli
Memphis

Eliza Cherry
kattwalk
Virginia

eliza_beth - Hampton
fuzzydice - southeast
lavina_short - Richmond
lusiwho
moon_lemming
oldskoolgeek
Sheena
Northern VA
Green_Faery - Alexandria
flyingturtle
megusta - Fairfax and Richmond
StpRcsm
Washington, D.C.

hazel1 - DC Metro (MD)
hollandcox
lookleft
nicegirl512
Snow Ghost Seven
wannabekate
wendy_darling
West Virginia

Midwest

Lyssalicious
Illinois


Sugarhigh
whatsername - Beecher
Chicago
agnes
Atomic Mama
bratgirl
cinnachick
decadence
evilducky
i heart metal
isarabunny
ketalady
knittykat
ladyjane
leopoldsmumsy
luckychere
LulaBelle Designs
lysergic id
Lyssalicious
maisey
missalison
mintimindi
monkeybusiness
moonunit55
pb&j
VoodooToaster
Indiana

Eliza Cherry - Muncie
Erika
PamTheQueen - Danville
PinkDreams21
Bloomington
LuciMama
milyssa
violi
tinygoatstacker
Indianapolis
abbygirl7
engineheart
leblanfo
tstrayer76

Iowa

KelliJo14 - Des Moines
Melynn
nataxia
silverfish2007
supernova_green
thekittyvoice - Iowa City

Kansas

lethal_aleatha - Manhattan
MixtapeEqualsLove - Topeka

Michigan

GlassPrincess - southeast
jktaylor
kate
scaredsilly
Minnesota

Twin Cities

bee - Saint Paul
Corina
Del
Jeansweasel
lems
pianogirl
ruggedchick - Saint Paul
valagator
Vikarious
wakingoogah


Missouri

Rzngrl
secondhandsnatch
SlipperyShade
theboy - kansas city
twiggs - kansas city
St Louis
RESOURCE GUIDE
edelweiss
partysaurus - burbs of
picapica
purpleacre
redsweetpea
Ohio

calzone - Athens
graciesparkles
stinkerbelleRock
supernova
Columbus
eloquent
pomly
tuiren

Nebraska

smalltowngirl
Omaha
mittenz
spinninwheel
North Dakota
South Dakota
Wisconsin

glitterworkshop - Madison
good.disaster
MandaB123
Sugarhigh
rosyroosevelt
Milwaukee
Aliceinwonderland
emjwisc

Southwest

topazdebutante
Arizona


InHarmsWay
rawrlie - Tucson
tinstarmerchant
Phoenix
CraftyChicaAZ
costumekitten
dollyjnopp
PaTsyMareLLa - Scottsdale
rumplestiltskin
super_nuova
New Mexico

Albuquerque
olanaoaktree
Oklahoma

AmandaJ - Noble
Texas

fallin_dreams
loveplusone
quirkygirl
thinkgeek - Cypress
rabbit_sun
xjociex - Dallas /Carrollton
Austin

Church of Craft Austin: charlene@churchofcraft.org
The Workshop: http://www.theworkshopaustin
there is also a glitterati group that meets up in austin yahoogroups.com, the group name is ausglitterati.
ad_ho
HeatherC
inkmouth
katycat24
lushlife
sarahelizabeth
SublimeStitcher
sugarlemur
ursonate

Houston
LolitaContrer
lillil
wisheveled - rural, NE of
yardenxanthe

West

California

dominoeffect
evenstar
ginger
JediEmpressMel
jessystar
mmmfruit
rosecoloured
stacyzdesigns
supergirl
yourockmysox00
icraft - Central Coast
Northern Cali
dalva
Figwit
heathertea
jenfullmoon - Davis
littlebit
Missevilkitty2 - Modesto
missmuffcake - Modesto
nessypea - Sacramento
rivercat
Bay Area/San Francisco

RESOURCE GUIDE (further down)
athos
blissed
chelsea_belle
emsiemilia
FluffBoss
kittyroc
Laurasia
licorice whip
mariethebee - Berkley
Miss Ann Thrope
snoopy
vagabunda
Oakland
casiep
leslieduckie
s.rock
So Cal

archermoon - West Hollywood
AutumnSky
beckyziggy
Croquette
cupcake
faerie_eyez - Bakersfield
funkychicken7
jodysomething
juna
katxzombie
kellybelly
Liberty23
Meadow - Orange County
miss e
ocmaria
pinguino - los angeles
reynen&myles' mom - Long Beach
rosecoloured
SassieCass
sun bear
topazdebutante
tworedcherries
San Diego
misspenni
pinkcurtains
super_luminal
SweaterGirl
Colorado

Amelia
brawnwinn
command Z
Pearliepie
ponyjasper - Littleton
pretendingsanity
Idaho
Montana
Nevada

Las Vegas
angelam
MineralGrey
Oregon

glitterfairy13
Portland
buttonarcade
DillyDally
inky
mascarasnake
nataxia
Utah

Salt Lake City
artistgirl
booizzy
xjessiex
Washington

Ghosttown - Puget Sound
go-fish - Skamokawa
lizzz
skamama - redmond
Seattle

RESOURCE GUIDE (further down)
cinderelly
cmightym
Julia
Lucy Furr
Madame Ruby
meme
mishymisu
pufflygirl
purplerain
Sabriel
Sainte Eph
schnitzle
vratch
zazie

Tacoma
meexie
thriftstore_diva
Wyoming

Venezuela

craftyfingers - Caracas

_________________
Thanks
Tsia
Glitter
http://www.supernaturale.com

[glitter]

Toronto Ontario

best fabric shops?
There's a "fabric district" on Queen West just past University.
Another nice fabric store, which is not at all downtown, is
The Quilter's Palette It's fancy and expensive but wow, so inspiring! It's in Etobicoke, not far from the subway line.

For fabric you can browse along Queen West, my standby I guess is [url=
http://www.designerfabrics.ca]Designer Fabrics[/url]. It's "west Queen West" which is called Parkdale.

Where are the libraries?
There are tons of locations all around the city - check out http://www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/

What are the cool hip places to go?
For crafting, go to Lettuce Knit in Kensington market (very close to Chinatown), the Knit Cafe on Queen West (very far West), Romni Wools (a rather mean, but with good selection, LYS - also on Queen West)
For electronic music, check out Numb on Queen West. It's hard to find because it's upstairs, but it's there.There's a great park called Trinity Bellwoods where a lot of activisty-crafty things happen. There's a drumcircle every Tuesday night there.

We have a Church of Craft chapter, lots of music and art to see and hear. You can read our weekly papers here to get a feel of things:
Now
Eye

For restaurants, try Cafe 668 on Dundas West near Spadina. Good vegetarian Chinese food. For the same type of food you could also try Bo De Duyen on Spadina near Dundas. It's a second-floor place, really gross decore but great service, food & prices. The Living Well Cafe on Yonge near College (or Bloor?) is also tasty. Green Mango on Yonge just south of Bloor serves up yummy Thai food.

For art galleries, I am personally quite attached to The Power Plant at Harbourfront Centre. To get there, you go to Union station and take any streetcar. Get off after 2 stops. It's a great contemporary art gallery. There's also the AGO (it's huge) and a TON of smaller galleries (like Mercer Union)

For cinemas, my favourite is the Carleton on College street just past Yonge. Mmm. Wonderful place.

Best vintage/second hand shopping?
Kensington market is kind of the place for this. It's getting a little too well-known, though, and often gets mobbed by people with SUVs on Saturdays. Save yourself the hassle and go on a weekday.

There's also a good vintage store called Planet Aid on Yonge near Wellesley. On the main floor is pretty basic Goodwill-type stuff, but upstairs is the slightly more expensive but cooler clothing.

honest ed's is a discount store. it's sort of like a walmart except it is 2 or 3 floors and it isn't an evil chain (owned by a local man who does a great deal for the community). but it has dishware, clothing, towels, food, shampoo, etc. i think they might have a small section of toronto souvenirs too but i don't think the selection for that is very good. it's just pure kitsch with the massive vegas-style sign and the autographed photos of b-list celebs from the 70's hung on the stairways inside.

buy the pound is owned/operated by goodwill. nothing is really organized, it's just massive bins full of clothing so you have to dig dig dig to find something you like. (the purses, shoes, games, vinyl, etc. are not in bins and are more organized). but whatever you want to buy you put in a bag and it gets weighed at checkout. i don't know what the rate is but say $1 per pound and that's how the cost is calculated. so nothing is "priced" there. the bummer is that i think it has recently moved from the downtown core into a suburb called scarborough. might not be easy to get to if you are planning on relying on public transit when you're here.
_________________
Thanks
Tsia
Glitter
http://www.supernaturale.com

[hipkitty]

MONTREAL

what's going on in Montreal - SeraAngel

Make sure to visit

*Montreal Jazz Festival from June 30-July 11th, they have free venues outside of Place Des Arts and of course paid venues for the big ticket artists. - SeraAngel

* Just for Laughs - July 15-25 st.denis/ontario (latin quarter) Free venues all week and paid comedy shows. - SeraAngel

* Grand Prix from June 11-13, they also have free venues with all kinds of sports/race cars displayed around the city. - SeraAngel

* Chinatown - SeraAngel

* Montreal Old Port - SeraAngel

* Biodome/Insectarium/Botanical Garden - it's really beautiful in the summer with the lush greenery. They are all close together. A free shuttle bus takes you to each. I would set aside a day for this... - SeraAngel

* Mount Royal Park - on Sundays is amazing...there can be upwards of 100-150 people joined together playing on their tam-tams and vendors selling their crafts along side with crowds of people lying around reading or chatting with friends - SeraAngel

* Cinema du Parc, located in the Galeries du Parc, on Park Avenue and Milton (I think). You can find their listings in most coffee shops/bookstores around town. - checkersumthing

* Another fun place to check out is the Museum of Fine Arts, because the permanent collection is free. The museum is in two buildings across the street from each other, linked underground. I especially love the section with the 50's/60's/70's furniture. - SeraAngel

Places to eat

For vegetarians....
* Le Santrolpol - near Mount Royal Park - SeraAngel

omg...chuchai and santropol are my favourite places to eat in montreal! my hubby and i go there every time we visit the city.
i think santropol has non-veggie sandwiches too maybe? but the "killer tomato" sandwich is the best! - indiegurl

* ChuChai - vegetarian meat!!!, it's thai food so it can get a bit spicy. It's on St.Denis so if you get hungry while shopping - SeraAngel
* omg...chuchai and santropol are my favourite places to eat in montreal! my hubby and i go there every time we visit the city.
chuchai can be a bit pricy (we go anyway) but they have a little cafe next door called "chooch" (i think) and it's also a bit pricy but not as fancy. - indigurl

For Carnivores:
* Lefleurs - they have the best poutine (imho) located on St.Denis just past Sherbrooke. - SeraAngel

* Schwartz's Smoked Meat - On St.Laurent, they have absolutely the BEST in town...I've tried Ben's and Ruben's and it's not so good, so don't bother... If you plan on going make sure you aren't starving because there is ALWAYS a line up to get in. Generally for 2 the wait is about 10 mins but when it is really busy about 20mins. Don't forget to order a Black Cherry cola to wash it down! This is also near Mount Royal Park. - SeraAngel

* If you are into exotic, this is a good place for you. It's one of my faves... Abiata - Ethiopian (they cater to both vegetarians and meat eaters...) - SeraAngel

* casa de popalo (sp?) -- cute bar and yummy veg food (cheap!), good place to see bands and they have an ART-O-MAT (old cigarette machine converted to art vending machine!)...bring your loonies and toonies - indiegurl

Hotel

* paul and i usually stay at a little hotel called "hotel st. denis" on (duh) st. denis. it's an ok little hotel...nothing fancy but nice enough and so-so price (hrm...$80 maybe? i forget). the only thing is it's in a sorta sketchy neighbourhood. i think it's on the corner of st. catherine. all i know is that we had to dodge past the um..."ladies of the night" if we ventured out past 10pm or so. - indiegurl

Shopping

* St.Catherines - Main shopping malls like the Eaton
Center and the Hudson's Bay Company. Has the normal
retail stores ie. Gap, Tommy Hillfiger etc...
One store that may interest you is La Maison Simons,
it has very affordable clothing yet trendy....They
also carry high end stuff as well. - SeraAngel

* St.Laurent/Sherbrooke is more of the "high" fashion
district. It's what I like to call "EuroTrash". Very
expensive but very trendy. Stuff like Diesel, Miss
Sixty etc... - SeraAngel

*St.Denis/Sherbrooke is more eccletic, has different
kinds of stores, clothing, thrift, artsy....
By the way St.Denis is parallel to St.Laurent, they
are right beside each other... - SeraAngel

* Papier Au Japonaise - "the japanese paper place"
I love this store, it isn't as big as the one in
Toronto but it has almost as much stuff...
Authentic washi/origami paper every kind you can think
of and more! they have a catalog that you can look
through because they have too many to display.
they have sample packs for around $7-10 or you can buy
letter sized sheets for $1 or 2x3 feet sheets for
$6-13. - SeraAngel

* Here's also my guide that I posted on craftster - SeraAngel

_________________
Post reviewed by the Ministry of Truth

[AmandaJ]

I'm all alone in central Oklahoma. I've been scouring the area for points of interest... but there aren't really any that stand out.

[Wet Wet Wet 82]

You'll be on it in time. I'm going through the memberlist and put up those I estimate as being active. It's very subjective though and I'll ask everyone to have a look when I'm done. (Now I'm at C.) I think Tsia made the first draft from the old threads on the guide.

You're welcome to post info about various places in the meantime.

Edited to make more sense.

[glitter]

thank you for doing this plupp2 **ETA** and flyingturtle!!!. you rock.
_________________
Thanks
Tsia
Glitter
http://www.supernaturale.com

[flyingturtle]

...

[red_glitter_heals]

I'm in Tampa, FL.

Are you trying to get info about all of the cities, because if you are I would be happy to help you girls out with Tampa (at least as much as I can).

[Wet Wet Wet 82]

Yes, please add everything you know!

[flyingturtle]

...

[flyingturtle]

...

[flyingturtle]

SEATTLE

Newspaper
The Stranger

Where to shop?

* Fremont Shopping
* Capitol Hill Shopping
* On capitol hill, I recommend Agent X Clothing, who is an independent clothing designer
* Fancy is a cool little store in Belltown - lots of handmade stuff: Fancy 1932 2nd Ave
* moksha is my favorite place for clothes in seattle, it's on the ave (15th ave ne) and i dunno 48th st

Places To Eat

If you're not vegetarian then the ultimate in cheap eats is Dick's Drive-In. A Seattle favourite for 50 years.

Fabric/Craft Shops

Stitches provides fashion fabric, notions, and yarn to designers, home sewers, and creative people throughout the Puget Sound area.

Crafty Things To Do

PurlyGirls Stitch-n-Bitch
I Heart Rummage

[Wet Wet Wet 82]

BERKSHIRES
Places To Eat

* Also, there was a really great Italian/Mediterranean restaurant that was just around the corner from the gallery that we went to. I don't remember much except that their drinks were darn good! - modforpretend

* We went to an excellent coffee shop--I'm pretty sure it's the only one there--it's about 3 blocks from MassMoCA. Williamstown is nearby, and it's a college town, so there are probably some cute little eateries there. - girlonthewing

* spring street is the main drag in williamstown, and when i was going to school there there were a few fun, nice restaurants. not sure what's there anymore, but it might be worth looking into. - tabularasa

Make sure to visit

* A jewelry gallery in Lenox called Sienna. Lenox is a hike from N Adams, but if you've got the time, it's worth it. The gallery is owned by a friend of my sister-in-law's family and has the most goregous and interesting jewelry Ive ever seen.

http://www.siennagallery.com/

The website doesnt have much info up right now, other than a list of artists and their address. - modforpretend

* MassMoCA is definitely one of the finest contemporary art museums I've visited. The town is teeny tiny, you could walk through it in ten minutes. - modforpretend

* There's another art museum there, the Clark, which is having an exhibit of Jacques-Louis David's paintings. The whole area is gorgeous, so if you like outdoor activities, you can find things like that as well. - girlonthewing

* there's tanglewood (also in lenox) - don't know how much music you want to take in, but they have great classical concerts in the summer. - tabularasa

* the williamstown theater festival starts july 6 if you are into that - tabularasa

* spring street is the main drag in williamstown, and when i was going to school there there were a few fun, nice restaurants. not sure what's there anymore, but it might be worth looking into. - tabularasa

* you can go to the top of mt. greylock - beautiful views! - tabularasa

[flyingturtle]

SAN FRANCISCO

Hotels

* The Mosser was just renovated and is a small, quirky, boutiquey hotel. It's 2 blocks from Union Square. They have two types of rooms - ones with shared bathrooms (which run about $80 a night) and ones with Private baths (which run about $130 - $150 a night)

* The Savoy is another smaller hotel (but not as small as The Mosser). It's 3 blocks from Union Square. Most everyone stayed there and were extremely pleased with their rooms. I think rooms run between $120 and $170 a night:

* The Chancellor on Powell is always very cheap. And very nice. There is a Borders next door and it is right on the cable car route. The park is across the street. It's withing walking distnace of Market and Chinatown.

* The Red Victorian

* I stayed at a hotel quite central, it wasn't expencive at all. But that might be because we stayed for 12 days. - lulu

* As far as staying in a hostel, there's a rather nice one right above Fort Mason. It is on a hill that overlooks a beautiful view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge! - laurasia

* I've heard good things about the Green Toroise Hostel. It's in North Beach and pretty close to a lot of cool stuff - Chinatown, Union Square, Ferry Building, etc. - casiep

Places To Eat

* Chinatown is a fun place to walk around and has some good cheap eats. There's a veggie Chinese place called Lucky Creations that makes fake pork dimsum...always a treat! If you eat meat, there's tons of regular dim sum too! - laurasia

* North Beach is pretty fun too (and it's near Chinatown). Lots of yummy Italian coffee and cakes. - laurasia

* There's a fabulous farmer's market/craft market on Saturdays at the Ferry Building at Embarcadero and Market, down by the wharfs. (Wharves?) It's huuuuuge, and a great place to take pictures if the weather's good. - ginger

* The Castro on the weekends is always hopping, if you're not bothered by the gay lifestyle. MArcello's pizza at Castro and Market is delicious. - emsiemilia

Things To Do

* I really loved the Museum of Modern Art. I saw a museum of art and craft, but I never found it again so I left without going there. - lulu

- I second the SF MOMA. It's always inspiring and fun to see all the art there. - laurasia
- You also need to check out the MOMA and the nearby Yerba Buena Galleries and Cartoon Art Museum. - s.rock

* There's also a bookstore there called City Lights that's way cool and has a lot of history with the Beat Generation poets. - laurasia

* Coit tower, which is also in/near North Beach, is neat if you're up to climbing the hill to it. The views from up there are amazing and the inside of the tower has a stunning Works Progress mural that I love. - laurasia

* Golden Gate Park is my favorite part of the city. There's a Japanese Tea Garden that you can enjoy (and get tea in, should you want!). I also just love walking the park. It's really a beautiful place. - laurasia

- Yes, you must check out Golden Gate Park, it's great. They've got a piece of the cable used in the bridge. I've heard that it's fun to rent a bike or a cart and go across the bridge, but I've never done it. - atermis.sun
- And def. Golden Gate Park- the whole thing, but esp. the gardens. - meganball

* Fisherman's wharf and Pier 39 is a must too! - 7aliens

- I would not recommend Pier 39 or Fisherman's Wharf if you have a limited time in SF. I work there, and believe me-- they are not the real San Francisco. However, if you want to take an awesome land and water tour of the city come and see me/us!! (http://www.bayquackers.com) - emsiemilia

* Go to the Mission District -- the mid-southeast part of the city, Mission/Valencia/Guerrero streets between 14th and 28th. Accessible via SF Muni buses 14 (Mission) and 26 (Valencia) and the 16thSt Mission and 24thSt Mission BART stops. It's a Latino/hipster neighborhood with awesome, cheap food (burritos! my favorites are the ones from Taqueria Cancun on Mission around 20th), lots of awesome thrift stores, art galleries and boutiques. There is a neat zine/handmade collective store called Needles & Pens on 14th around Guerrero. Mission Dolores is neat and Dolores Park affords beautiful views of downtown (and of all the attractive locals). This part of town is also full of bars and interesting performace art. Neighborhood guide - s.rock

- I second the Mission - go to El Toro and get yourself a taco or Taqueria Cancun and get a burrito - yum. - casiep
- Yay, another cheer for the Mission here. I was going to suggest that, but then I wasn't sure if other people enjoy it as much as I do :) - laurasia
- Also in the Mission District, there's this really rad store with tons of weird stuffed animals (like taxidermically stuffed, not like plush toys), & bones & plants, & random stuff. It's called Paxton Gate. & a few stores down is this pirate store, owned by Dave Eggers (the guy who wrote "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius"), which is also interesting. Weird, but interesting. - morgan

* definitely go to china town, and go to a fortune cookie factory! i had fun just walking the streets and looking at all the houses and buildings. the city lights bookstore was fun to see, because so many famous people got their start there. - pinkcurtains

- I agree with China Town. So much fun to just walk around & look at all the cheap crap to buy. You can find some cool crafty stuff, like origami paper & beads sometimes, & Chinese shoes. I want to get some Chinese shoes. - morgan
- my mom went on one of the free walking tours of Chinatown and raved about it. She said that it's hosted through some kind of nonprofit program by high school kids from the neighborhood and that they really give you an insider's perspective to what life in Chinatown is like. I've never been on one of those tours myself though. - laurasia

* The Haite-Ashbury district is interesting to walk around in. Lots of stores, & some hippies hangin' around. - morgan

* The Exploratorium is fun, although I haven't been in years. It's got all the hands-on science experiments for kids, but a lot of fun for adults, too. (It's like that science museum near Copenhagen, if you've ever been there, but bigger!). - morgan

* It's nice if you can go over the Golden Gate to the Marin Headlands, because it's really pretty there. There's Muir Woods, & beaches, & great views of the city. But I'm not sure how easy that is without a car... I know they have boat trips from the wharf over, though, which sounds pretty cool. I'm not sure where excatly they drop you off, though. - morgan

* Even just a boat tour of the Bay is nice. & Alcatraz is pretty interesting, too, but the tickets sell out in advance, so if you want to do that, go down & buy a ticket when you first get there, because it'll probably be a for few days later (or reserve one on the internet). - morgan

* Berekeley can be kind of fun to visit, too. Lots of shops & stuff down toan, & the UC Berkeley campus is pretty to walk around in. - morgan

* here are some good online resources:

http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/guide/
http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/guide/sf/neighborhoods/ - s.rock

* If you like nature, Glen Canyon is really fantastic. It's bacially in the middle of the city, but there's a lot to explore. You can pick some blackberries or climb the rocks for a beautiful view-- one of my favorite activities when I was younger. - emsiemilia

* Take a look at some of the houses in Pacific Heights. Some are absolutely AMAZING. I saw one the other day that looked like some sort of 200 year old haunted house. I can't even describe it. Just beautiful. - emsiemilia

* Look into all the stairways in the city. They're pretty neat. - emsiemilia

* Go to Twin Peaks. It's the only tourist destination I recommend. The view is great. But do go on a clear day. - emsiemilia

* I also like Baker Beach. it's touristy, but many out of towners I've taken like Alcatraz. and a quick stop at Fishermans Wharf but just to see the sea lions. - arabella

* I think SF is a walking around checking out the neighborhoods place. I haven't actually done any of these tours, but there are free walking tours offered every day (many different ones). Here is the summer schedule - arabella

* I love the Palace of Fine Arts. It's this beautiful outdoor structure with a swan pond in front, all open air...it's just so pretty, almost holy.
It's the perfect place to wear a dramatic outfit and take pictures of yourself and your friends...I have a whole series of them framed on my wall. - meganball

* And, even though I hate wine, I am really glad we went to Napa. It's beautiful countryside, and feels European. We had this great tipsy picnic at a vineyard- they sell gourmet deli stuff and you just buy a bottle or two. - meganball

* And shopping up and down Haight St. - meganball

*Family and Youth Activities - ginger

* Bring comfortable shoes - it's a hilly town! - casiep

* Oh, and don't forget a jacket - it can get chilly. - casiep

Crafty Resources
* Muse is in SOMA: I hear good things about Muse.

* Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics in Berkeley. Their classes I've found are less expensive than Muse, the teachers are great, and it's only a BART ride away if you're coming from SF.

* Fiber Resources

* Sewing and Needlework Classes

* Do you knit? Even if you don't, Art Fibers is an awesome place. - frenchkitty213

* Bay Area fabric stores

Fabric and Sewing Supplies
Fabric Stores

[flyingturtle]

PHILADELPHIA

Where To Stay

* There are a ton of hotels in Center City, but many are way expensive. I don't know anything about alternate places to stay - I know of one hostel by Fairmount Park, if you're into that. - neurochic

* if hostels aren't your thing, our family had great luck pricelining cheap hotel rooms in philly when we lived there. also, club quarters is usually cheaper than regular hotel rooms, and we stayed there when we were finding our apartment. - cmightym

Where To Eat/Drink

* go to reading terminal market and get a fresh, hot cookie for me... - cmightym

* i always like eating at Jones... good food, great atmosphere. - cmightym

* i love the cheese fries at my fav bar - sugar moms - becca_13

* you MUST eat at monk's on 15th and spruce... the monk's mussels are to die for and the fries that come with them are ammmmaaazzzing. they also have a million beers for beer lovers and a cozy atmosphere - real stars

* a fun dive bar is dirty franks, right on the corner of 13th and pine. - real stars

* the italian market is soooo fun on saturday, and it's near pat's and geno's, the famous must-try cheesesteak places... - real stars

* Rita's - super yummy water ice. they are all over. - flyingturtle

Things To Do

* the Philadelphia Museum of Art. when you go to the museum you can run up the steps all Rocky-like. - neurochic

- Art museum's free on sunday's too. - Rype
* The only thing I like to make people so is go to the Mutter Museum, though it isn't for the faint of heart. - neurochic

- i second the mutter museum if you're into the strange and icky. - cmightym
* Dirty Frank's has Quizzo Wednesday nights, too! And quizzo is awesome. - neurochic

* there's always independence hall, liberty bell, and all the other stuff you already know all about. - cmightym

* dancing at the 700 club. - becca_13

* March has the Flower show. Big middle-age, snobby women draw, but gorgeous non-the-less. Go during the week. - Rype

* China town is cool, too. There's the troc which is a smallish concert venue. I've seen Sleater-Kinney, Tricky and the Donnas there. Then you go around the corner for watermelon juice. - Rype

* Little Italy has a market street too. - Rype

* It's only a one hour drive tops to nice NJ beaches. Plus it's PA, so there's a Wawa in every niche. - Rype

* old city is really fun in the day time (beware of huge trendy clubby types at night, unless that 's your thing!), there are tons of little shops and galleries on 2nd and 3rd between market and race sts., roughly.... the only nite to go would be first friday of each month when the galleries are all open - real stars

* The Franklin Institute Science Museum is a lot of fun. A lot of hands on stuff to play with. My favorite was walking through the giant beating heart. - flyingturtle

* The Philadelphia Zoo America's first zoo, they have a lot of big natural habitats for the animals. None crammed in little cages. - flyingturtle

* Penns Landing A big outdoor area on the river. There is usually some sort of something going on. - flyingturtle

Where To Shop

* shopping is all down walnut, with more unique boutiques and antique stores camping out on locust street. - cmightym