(This postcard really doesn't have anything to do with this bike tour. I just figured I'd better have a picture of a cable car somewhere in this issue.)

The Cool Beans! San Francisco Bike Tour

(I recommend carrying a map with you so that if my instructions aren't clear of you want to go on side trips you don't get lost).

The bike tour starts out at Cool Beans! Cafe near the corner of 5th Avenue and California. Load up with some great coffee and a sandwich. Be sure to tell Sam or Henry (whoever's working when you're there) that you're about to ride the Cool Beans! bike tour.

Ride east on California to Arguello. Turn right and head south on Arguello.

Between Arguello and 2nd Avenue on Clement is a cool record store called Flat Plastic Sound owned by one of the guys in Polkacide.

Keep riding south on Arguello till you're in Golden Gate Park. Turn right and head west on Conservatory drive. Make a sharp left and head east on JFK Drive.

Remember that Jerry Garcia was busted somewhere in this park smoking crack in his car.

Follow the bike path signs as you come up to the intersection of Kezar and JFK. Cross Kezar and cut through the grassy area on the bike path. You'll exit Golden Gate park right at the corner of Page and Stanyan. Turn right on Stanyan and ride south for a block. Turn left on Haight Street and ride east through this mecca of clothing stores, restaurants and record stores.

Some of my favorite businesses on upper Haight Street are Chabella's Burritos, Comic Relief and Reckless Records (where Barbara Manning has kept her day job.)

When you reach Masonic turn left and ride north a block to Page. Turn right and ride east down the hill till you get to Steiner.

Open Mind Music is near the corner of Page and Divisadero.

Turn left on Steiner and head north for 3-4 blocks till you get to Alamo Square. Climb up the hill and look at the famous postcard view of the Victorian houses with the city's skyline in the background.

When you're finished here, turn around and head back south on Steiner till you reach Duboce. Cross this intersection sorta kitty-corner and you'll find yourself on Sanchez. Ring your bike bell and yell "Hello Mike from Broken Rekids!" really loud here. Then proceed South carefully crossing Market Street when you get the green light. Be careful this is a 3 street intersection.

Continue until you get to 16th Street where you turn left and head east to Valencia.

Near the corner of 16th and Valencia you'll

find both Poncho Villa's Burritos and Arinell Pizza (which is sometimes pretty good. Say hi to Dean if he's working)

Turn right and go about a block and a quarter to Clarion Alley. Make a left into the alley and check out all the cool murals including one by Greta Shred who publishes the zine Mudflap (see interview Cool Beans! #3). At the end of the block turn right and then right again into Sycamore alley. The giant blue van parked there near Mission Street used to be owned by me. The Residents used to live on Sycamore alley and now members of other up and coming rock bands live along here. Turn left and head south again on Valencia all the way out to where it meets Mission Street (about 10 blocks).

Along this stretch of Valencia you'll be passing the awesome Aquarius Records and the excellent Valencia Cyclery bike shop.

Hang and hard left on Mission Street and head Northeast. Across from the Taco Bell and next to the gun shop is Copy Central - 3181 Mission Street. This is where I get all the Cool Beans! mail. (mostly a bunch of lame promo records - write me a letter! I love letters!)

Turn right at the corner of Army/Cesar Chavez and Mission heading East on Army till you get to the 101 overpass. At this point you should get up onto the sidewalk and head underneath the bridge on the right side of the street. Watch out for broken glass through here and use the button to make the light change when you cross over Bayshore. It's probably best to walk your bike through this stretch because of the random broken glass and because the curb you climb down and up crossing Bayshore is pretty high.

When you reach the other side of this underpass hang a right and follow the sidewalk through the car wash.

Taqueria El Balazito is in the car wash here and they're usually open till about 5 O'clock on weekdays.

Ride across Marin Street and then onto Jerrold.

Now you're in my old neighborhood. Right at the corner of Jerrold and Napoleon is where I used to live. Say hi to my old roommates and the idiot hippy/rave kids who moved into 290-C when Revolver Distribution moved into it's new location.

Continue south on Jerrold past the Luxor Cab Company.

If it's about 3 O'clock on a Saturday, Sunday, Monday or Tuesday wave towards the cab yard. If you see Luxor 111, it's probably me driving it getting ready for my shift.

Hang a left on Toland by the Sugar Bowl Bakery/Restaurant (best French Toast in SF. Seriously.) and you're going Northeast again. At the intersection of Napoleon, Toland and Evans you're going to go north on Evans. Make a right onto Army/Cesar Chavez and ride under Highway 280. Make a left onto Indiana. Ride North past the yuppie loft spaces and a pretty nice park till you get to Mariposa. Hang a right and ride east past 3rd Street bending left and turning North onto Terry Francois/China Basin.

Here you'll notice tons of vans and campers. The cops hassle homeless people all over town, but for some reason don't bother

everybody living in their vehicles over here. A nice view of the bay and even numbered piers through here, but be careful of the random pothole.

China Basin bends left some more and ends at 3rd Street. Make a right on 3rd and follow it north across the Left O'Doul bridge up on the sidewalk. Make a right onto King Street and realize that this whole neighborhood is about to be torn down because San Francisco is building a new ballpark for the SF Giants here. King more or less turns into the Embarcadero - Recently renamed Herb Caen Way or something like that. You can ride the Embarc. all the way around to Fisherman's Wharf; and the excellent thing about riding around this way (counterclockwise) is that all the traffic is coming from your left and you can pretty much run every red light for the next few miles. Plus you get a bike lane for a lot of this stretch!

The Cool Beans! Bike tour pretty much ends at the Ferry Building (the big building that says PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO on the other side and has a big clock tower on it) but I recommend buying a copy of Short Bike Rides In and Around San Francisco by Henry Kingman and riding the rest of the way out to the Golden Gate Bridge (where you can see that I wasn't kidding about those crisis phones). - Matt

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