Starting to freak out about being cooped up inside? You’re not alone. As much as we’d all love to get back to living the way we did pre-coronavirus, the reality is that we’re probably going to continue spending more time indoors. The good news? We’re here to help you make the most of life at home, with tons of fun and creative ideas to keep you busy. From virtual wine tastings and sourdough starter kits to personal styling sessions and DIY flower-arranging boxes, you’ll (almost) forget the feeling of cabin fever.
25 Fun Ways to Experience the Best of the Bay…at Home
•
Published May 21, 2020
1. Puzzles have become popular again, and we found one with a cool local connection. Order SF artist Leah Rosenberg’s 500-piece puzzle of Pinhole Coffee’s Color Wall in Bernal Heights and test your skills.
2. Tune in to Patagonia’s film series for a taste of the great outdoors.
3. Learn how to salsa, samba, hip hop or bhangra by taking an online dance class with Dance Mission Theater.
4. Finally ready to join the breadmaking bandwagon? Local favorite Mr. Holmes Bakehouse offers several at-home Survival Kits—from beginner (chocolate chip cookies) to advanced (sourdough, brioche donuts and bagels).
5. Stay home but make it stylish (and finally retire those sweatpants). Book a personal styling appointment with Everlane.
6. Boba Guys bring new meaning to tea time with IG Live recipe tutorials from their recently released Boba Book.
7. Curious to try gua sha at home? Take a live clean-beauty master class with one of Credo Beauty’s IG Live tutorials.
8. Missing out on that trip to Napa you had planned? Not to worry. Get the Wine Country experience right from your own home with a virtual group tasting with Clif Family Winery. Their wine tasting kit even comes with snacks, like curried nuts and chocolate bars for you to nibble on while the staff walks you through each pour.
9. Stay on top of new music and support local indie artists during this tough time with a membership to Noise Pop’s Culture Club.
Courtesy of the Oakland Zoo
10. Have kids at home? A subscription to the Oakland Zoo’s Behind The Scenes Live program will mean hours of endless animal entertainment (and lots of learning).
11. The de Young Museum has postponed the big Frida Kahlo exhibit until it can reopen (phew!). In the meantime, brush up on your art history with a virtual stroll through the museum’s galleries using Google Arts and Culture.
12. Take a break from storytime duty at home and let the San Francisco Library host your kids instead. Tune in to SFPL’s IGTV every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. and every Saturday at 10 a.m. for its Sweet Stories series.
13. Take up a new hobby and learn how to paint California poppies with 3 Fish Studios. Or just buy a piece and support these local artists—their online shop is open 24/7.
14. Book a virtual hair appointment with a stylist at Edo Salon. They’ll send you the tools you need and then meet you on Zoom or FaceTime for a tutorial on how to trim your own locks.
15. Bring Paris chic vibes straight to your house when you order from tiny Hayes Valley boutique Gazette. Owner Charlotte Boedec will even give you a free virtual tour around her boutique before she hand-delivers your new threads in her Prius.
16. Come Friday night, it’s time to party. Join the Oakland Museum of California for its weekly get-together, now online. Every week the museum’s staff shares playlists from some of your favorite DJs so you can get your dance on from home.
17. Mix up a creative cocktail to accompany your Friday night dance party, courtesy of Blackbird’s mixologists, who will walk you through step-by-step over IGTV. Not in the mood to fix yourself a drink? Order one of Blackbird’s bottled cocktails to-go, and leave a generous tip.
18. Up your flower game with Matilda’s Bloombox. Order a box every time you need a pick-me-up, and the team will send fresh flowers to your door, along with instructions on how to create a beautiful arrangement.
19. Leave it to SF’s very own designer extraordinaire Ken Fulk to create an adult coloring book of gorgeous interiors to keep us creatively occupied for hours.
20. Work on your downward dog with a free virtual yoga class at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Instructor Nicolette Telech will lead you in a vinyasa session from a different location in the garden every week.
21. Learn about the history of denim with a virtual tour through the Contemporary Jewish Museum’s current exhibit “Levi Strauss: A History of American Style.”
Courtesy of Boudin
22. Summer is around the corner, which means it’s the perfect time to host a crab feast with your family, compliments of Boudin Bakery. The feast includes all the proper fixings: fresh steamed Dungeness Crab served with butter and homemade cocktail sauce, sourdough, Caesar salad, pasta marinara and crab bibs, of course.
23. Keep the learning going for everyone in the family with Wide Open School, a free educational portal with online courses in everything from science and math to life skills and emotional wellbeing.
24. Attention, chocoholics: You can set up a chocolate bar tasting with Dandelion Chocolates, where you’ll learn about tasting techniques and how to identify flavors over a group Zoom session.
25. Take a break from Love Is Blind and keep yourself cultured with SFMOMA’s online artist interview series with such icons as Judy Chicago, Kara Walker and Robert Rauschenberg.
