With love from San Pancho: merry xmas, happy holidays +happy new year 2011!

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With love from San Francisco, wishing you all happy holidays and a peaceful, relaxing, 

and big wild party to celebrate the end of year and receive a brand new sunrise in 2011.
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Frenchie, and you are there. -- BART

Hot ginger dose -- Outdoor sitting at Outerlands

BART parking -- Passing by parked bikes at the 24th and Mission BART station.

Jump -- Crunchie sidewalk, somewhere in North Beach

Blinkies -- Butterlap pit stop in the Presidio

Sweet ride. -- Chatting with a fellow randonneur, outside Trouble Coffee in Outer sunset.

Red bow white ride -- Outside Orphan Andy's in the Castro

Greetings from foglandia, from a quiet Golden Gate Bridge sunset fog view

Chillaxing +drinking lots of coffee and, maybe will give it a try at skating that ice rink at Union Square or Embarcadero (!!)

I'll be back to the blogesphere after the Holidays, in January. Thanx for reading, as always. Mucho love.

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'til next year!

♥xo.meli

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Butterlap holiday buttercups!

Warm up and break a sweat before you stuff your face with pumpkin pie and Christmas Anchor steam ale. I know I will.
If you are one of the few of us here in the City for the Holidays, come out and ride tomorrow -Wednesday night!

 The Legion of honor knew it was butterlap wednesday and put their holidays lights out so I could take a photo =)

♥Butterlap | Meets Wednesdays at Ferry bldg. 7PM
Ends at Bender's around 9PM • about 17-18mi ride

Festive cute trio - meet Charlie, Marijke y Nick

Clear views to the city night lights, from the Ft.Mason pit stop.

Denise and her BEAUTIFUL bike sharrow sweater!!

Presidio stop at Lincoln blvd

Nio's bici

Butter Bill strikes a pose. He got caught up in the blogesphere sporting his infamous buttercup jersey by Kevin over at Uptown Almanac [link] --Rad!

Marcovision

Garmin map from 12/15, via ButterBill!: LINK (Bird eye included, thanks!):


**If you are an uber procastinator and need some posters for your last-minute holiday gifting, send me an email and I could bring some down to the Ferry bldg tomorrow evening.

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Photo del día: your dose of vitamin C

citrus punch

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Bikes and the slow life: Anthology

Anthology magazine is a new quarterly beautiful independent publication, ran by two fantastic local women, locally based in the Bay Area.
I was honored and humbly flattered when I was contacted to interview for an article. At the time, I had no idea what array and variety of subjects visual design would be involved, which turned out to be fantastic. So I had the interview, more like bike chat conversations, with each of the ladies. This took place back in May (old saddle still lived and spoke card is from fresh from Bike to Work Day), the magazine was launched this past October.
So, to close this long week and almost this year, here I am. The article is titled "Nice Ride" with Frenchie in the spotlight♥!!

This is what a cyclist looks like. Says me!

The photograph was taken on an early morning at Coffee bar on Mariposa, one of my many favorite spots around San Francisco. The photo session was lots of fun and I even got to meet a few handsome local firemen. 
It was quite a thrill to flip through tha pages and see the photos. The design and photography, as well as the typography is well thoughtout. They also feature a local business spots, yummy eats and in the mix a coffee man and some pizza recipes along with it. So Bay Area!!...

pizzaaaaaaaaaaaaaH -- gimmee!!

There is also a informational nicely written by Velouria of Lovely Bike! which goes into detail why it is important and crucial that you find a bicycle that fits you well and learn to identify what works for you and your needs. Basic!

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Launch party reception event | West Elm, Emeryville 
Here are some photos of la Calitexican and I at the reception party more than a few weeks ago, causing crafty troubles in the East Bay. The event took place at the West Elm in Emeryville (Next to Berkeley, for those of you outside the area). The photobooth was super fun!

a lady DJ spinning the night away

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The excitement to be featured in a non-biking magazine (as I have also previously expressed in BUST's article post from last year) is to be able to be part of the exposure and once again show that you don't need to be in great shape, wear specific clothing or items and in particularly, show that San Francisco is completely bikeable and no hills, nor myths, nor train tracks should stop someone from at least trying it out. If that could reach and potentially inspire or motivate anyone of you out there, or if it already has by looking around you and grab a bike to use it as a tool to get around town -- then that is just pure joy.

I love fashion and I like to dress up even if I'm picking up a pizza around the corner. I've always said that one should ride in whatever one is comfortable with and what feels natural to you. If you are happy and comfortable whether it is a dress, boots, sportswear, lycra or jeans, or whatever it is, then do it. 

You will conquer any bike route and see your confidence blossom to a different level while at it.

After almost a decade of bicycling in this foggy-steep-hills-fine and fantastic city, there is tremendous room for structure improvement, but the large increase of bike ridership in the recent years has shown that it is possible to ride the hell out of this city. Women, more women, more women!! let's be represented.

Anthology editorial ladies, many gracias
+thanks for reading my blog and adventures
♥xxo.meli

Now get off you computer and go ride, and get a paper cut from an actual paper magazine!! =)

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Los events: the weekend starts today!

TGIF TGIF TGIF TGIF TGIF TGIF!!!

Friday: Bike Share Technology Showcase 10am

Mayor Newsom and city officials will be showing off San Francisco’s own bike sharing program, thanks to a $7.9 Million pilot program. Come see the future of commuting.  

10am-3PM Civic Center. via sffuncheap.com
+info here: link

Saturday: Heist gallery 7-9pm

+info: mike giant + heist gallery

Saturday +Sunday: Renegade fair holiday sale 11am-7pm

"Join us for the 2nd Annual Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale in San Francisco on December 18 + 19, from 11am – 7pm in the Concourse Exhibition Center’s East Hall (620 7th St.)"
Free event
+info here: link

Sunday: Endangered Species Big Year Bike Tour 9:30am

This sounds really outdoorsy cool!
Sunday, 19 Dec 2010, 09:30
Meets at the Bazaar Cafe - 5927 California Street
+info here: link 

Sunday: Annual Holiday/Christmas bike ride

From SFbike.org/chain

'Tis the season! Don your Santa hat and join the SFBC's annual two-wheeled tour of some of our favorite city's festive light displays. This year's route is a moderately hilly 8 miles with a special surprise picnic destination. So bring your granny gears and a tasty snack to share with other hungry cyclists. And if you've forgotten the words to some of those old Christmas carols, well, we'll remind you.

Free event. Heavy rain cancels
Meets at Panhandle statue on Baker/Oak+Fell

This ride was printed with one of my photos from the 2009 post!! 
and also digitally published on SFgate/96hours by city wheelwoman Anna and other of my fabulous peeps (CTX+V!) were quoted. Awesome!!
See article here: Bike about town | Holiday Lights Ride: Viewing the best of S.F. cheer

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With love from: Eindhoven

Eindhoven by sindändùne
 

Meanwhile in Europe, mi amigo in Amsterdam Álvaro took this photo in Eindhoven, Netherlands while visiting his friends.
He makes fun of our sunny 38°F/3°C winter here in Northern California, but I still interwebs-love him =)

He tells me this shot, is an underground-style bike parking structure. Someone get me to Europe soon, I need to party with some cute boys and roam around on bikes all day on that side of the globe. kthx.

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Photo del día: winter dreaming

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Good morning, at 39°

Because it does feel insanely cold after a heat wave of mid-70°s spoil Fall season treatment, oooookay!!!
Last night after finishing butterlap, I saw the temperature had reached 40°. It didn't feel too cold, but my cheeks were nice and crisp. I love that feeling.
One of the mornings before the Thanksgiving break, my girlfriend Muffin and I got together for another one of our early morning coffee sessions. We try to chose different locations around town from time to time. The weather indicated 39° that day and it was also pretty windy. As a whimpy native Californian, I knew it was remarkably cold when my fingers got a little numb while riding.

See, it wasn't that cold if this guy was roaming in shorts. So was I, but with my tights under.

Getting some sunshine on Market.

Layered.

This cute guy was spotted near the Ferry Bldg.

Downtownlands

Well that was before 8am or so, after I caught some warmth and got rid of that jacket after taking this shot that morning. I almost that silly jacket which is not really functional but to feel like a mix of a Michelin-man and a human burrito at the same time. This jacket is not even water-repellant, a total FAIL in the lands of fog maximus. I never wear it, but I can almost say it was nice to wear it that morning and my friend loves to tease me since I have been saying for almost a decade that I will soon donate it. So I wore it to make her laugh about it. Soon...

We split ways and off we go.

Til next time! --- Chauu!

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With love from: Manchester

"Greetings from a slightly snowy Manchester China Town brrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

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 Winter snow parking in Manchester, shared by long time blog reader Georgie

♥Gracias/thanks for sharing!!

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Behind the scenes: the SF bike expo 2010!

Bike catwalk list

It is finally here! Another MEGA fun behind-the-scenes post, for the day we were all fashion bicycle models for Pedal Savvy at the SF Bike Expo in the Cow Palace, November 6th.
This was fun, we modeled, got tons of hairspray and fancy stuff on our hair, got our make-up done and off we went.

getting lots of hair spraysssssstsssssss

cheeeeeeese

here I am!!


I love this photo of KT, while she wasn't looking =)


make-up session. and I was ready for mi second dose of coffee!

"...Shall we read the following chapter..."

sssssup

the show isn't complete without Gwen's mom around =) We love her!!

Patricia

Katie super star doing some finishing touches on the bicycles.

The bikes included brands like Felt (mine came with a coffee cup holder...how apropos) Public, Electra, dutch bicycle, Globe, Dahon, and even a bamboo bike!!

bisous for everybody

Gwen at work

Gwen and us --- HAAAAAAAY

There was some review around the interwebs, blabbing upon how this stuff was so hip, unnatainable and how much it didn't represent the bicycle community across the states. You know what ---- this is San Francisco and it is a world-class city with all its flaws, beauties and struggles. We were all there because we opted to do so, opted to support our friend Gwen and the SF Bike Expo team and we are ALL riders between the ages of 18 to 40+, and although we don't represent everybody, we do our best to do so, work our ass off either in school or jobs, and bike every day. We also had two young children to model for the evening show with their dad, so cute!
Know that the companies and tailors, many of them locally-based, that provided their goods to be shown off, were more than proud to do so. We all don't buy an entire outfit, nor buy the latest and greatest to ride -- we are here because is fun, we are city people and if you don't like to see us having fun and enjoying our day off by being here all day in this fabulous bike fashion show, then don't get caught up judging against it. I'm also not about to promote the mentioned site link, which is in no big city, but somewhere in the east coast and probably snowed in. So that's that and that said..

Let your body move to the music, hey, hey, hey. 

Come on, vogue.

We had our favorite paparazzi and friends in the house!

we all love Richard

Dustyyyyyyyyyyy

…and then, the camera loves you


JD scored some rims

the we had a brush-up session

we are readyyyyyy to go!

Robin's finishing touches

triple troubles!! =))))

Matching reds - I hearts Joe!!

amour de ma sunglasses -- mi amiga KT of VéloVogue   

KT et moi had way too much fun back there!

We had a huge bike pile going on, so here are most of our bikes. It does a body good.
----

And what is a bloggera to do, asides drinking coffee and taking photos....

Richard caught me right-handed doing both, here is me and below the shot I took from the stage:

and here is, once again a shot from the bikecatwalk shot from the stage! =)))

the crowd!!!

  

+++can't get enough?! Here are more goodies

Photographers were Dusty (set not up yet) and 

Richard (with assistant Ivy and friend!) of cyclelicious whose set can be viewed here: link
Adrienne recently posted a cute SF Bike Expo "tribes unite" post at CYLRAB here: link

Just this week, the video sprung out from the blogesphere, was so happy to see the clip, which quite sums it up. +Eeek and whose legs are those sans tights?!? The videos sum up so much fun!!

Gracias y thank you to everyone that dropped by +enjoyed the show!!feed the models. and bring all the coffee to me!!
♥xxo.meli

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