Ride Here Now: McLaren Bike Park in San Francisco

by Kate LowethNovember 2, 2021

Bust out the bicycles and snap on the helmets at San Francisco first-ever bike park! Located in SF’s Excelsior neighborhood (near the Cow Palace), McLaren Bike Park has been a welcomed addition to both the neighborhood and the local cycling community. Scroll down to read more about what you can find there!

The History of McLaren Park

Almost ten years in the making, the just under half-acre McLaren Bike Park is packed full of fun for youth mountain bikers and BMX riders. The bike park took over a city parking lot in McLaren Park, across from San Francisco Unified School District’s Science Resource Center. This long-neglected spot was often full of trash and went unused by the neighboring community. The addition of the McLaren Bike Park brings a safe spot for kids to exercise and hone their bike riding skills.

Photo: McLaren Bike Park

The Pump Track

The inner section, called the pump track, includes dirt mounds and steeply-banked turns. Designed for intermediate to advanced riders, traffic on the pump track is multi-directional so riders need to be aware of their surroundings when riding there.

The Skills Trail

Surrounding the pump track is the skills trail loop. Here, riders from beginners on up can practice turns, braking and navigating other riders on the trail.

The Future

Currently the park is open for drop-in riding where staff will be available to provide free assistance with bike riding skills. In the spring, the SF Recreation and Park Department will offer programming on site including classes like Bike Park Etiquette – Introduction to Park Riding; Bike Park Basics – Introduction to Pump Tracks; and Bike Skill Building – Introduction to Riding Elements. In the summer of 2018 you can expect to find their bike camp taking up residence there.

This is just the beginning for McLaren Bike Park. The pump track and skills trail are phase one of the project that will add cycling trails to eight acres of the surrounding property.

McLaren Bike Park
2050 Sunnydale Ave.
San Francisco, CA
Online: mclarenbikepark.com

Photos courtesy of the author except where noted.

WDW Is Turning 50 & Here’s Some Coffee to Celebrate

by Karly WoodSeptember 29, 2021

Walt Disney World is almost ready to kick off its 50th Anniversary Party, and of course that means there’s a new coffee blend to go with it!

Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company, the official speciality coffee of the resort has just announced the Walt Disney World® 50th Anniversary Blend. A dark blend of 100% Arabica beans from Central and South America, the blend also has notes of blueberry, black cherry and lemon.

In addition to a brand new flavor, the The Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Blend comes packaged in a special bag with noted golden castle imagery. Just like previous Joffrey’s coffee, it will be available at locations throughout Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.

Want to know where you can get a cup? Just head to the WDW Resort, in-room at Walt Disney World
Resort, Disneyland Resort hotels, Disney Vacation Club hotels and resorts, Joffrey’s Disney Springs–The Landing location, select Walt Disney World Resort merchandise stores in-park and at around the resort and at signature restaurants within Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

You can also purchase the Walt Disney World® 50th Anniversary Blend online at joffreys.com beginning Sept. 29.

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of Joffrey’s

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Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice: New Data Reveals Nation’s Seasonal Preferences

by Sarah ShebekAugust 23, 2021

Country roads…take me home…to the pumpkin spice latteeee. West Virginia is the king of pumpkin spice consumption, according to new data from Instacart. Fittingly launched right as Starbucks returns the ultra-popular PSL, the survey revealed the hottest seasonal flavor trends and the states most (and least) likely to jump on the pumpkin bandwagon.

Unsurprisingly, Hawaii is the least likely state to purchase pumpkin spice products on Instacart, probably due to the absence of a real seasonal fall. Meanwhile, West Virginia is 122% more likely to buy, followed by Iowa (90%), North Carolina (62%) and Ohio (60%). Other pumpkin averse states? Washington D.C., Louisiana and Massachusetts.

The top pumpkin spice products on Instacart? They’re all breakfast related! Coffee creamer came out on top, followed by the actual spice, ground coffee, cream cheese and bread. The company found that quick oats, protein bars, pumpkin and waffle mix and cereal are also hot pumpkin-themed products compared to 2019.

Instacart also noted that searches for pumpkin spice products started early this year, in late July. Retailers haven’t been hesitant to hype up their offerings either, from cup noodles to cookie dough to blizzards. Love it or hate it, the craze is on!

—Sarah Shebek

Featured image courtesy of Ryan Christodoulou, Unsplash

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This Is the Age That Kids Start Asking Tough Questions, According to New Survey

by Sarah ShebekAugust 23, 2021

Kids might be small, but they’re definitely full of big questions! And sometimes those innocent queries leave us speechless. A recent survey from British company comparethemarket tried to make those moments slightly more predictable by determining the average age for kids when they started asking life’s tough questions.

Where do babies come from (and how long do you have before you have to answer that)? According to the survey responses, kids are about five and a half years old when they spring that question. Not surprisingly, parents varied on their answers. 40 percent answered it with the scientific facts, while 32% said it happens when two people love each other very much. A bit more humorously, 10% said that babies are purchased at stores.

Other big (and slightly less awkward) questions: what do you do for work and how much are things worth? The study found that kids are around seven when they start asking both of those. Almost 60% of parents said they answer honestly and 24% said they answer a bit more simplistically, so it’s easier to understand.

Finally, parents noted some individual tough questions they’ve heard from their kids, including “If everyone became vegan, where would we get cat food from” and “Did we come from the moon?” The survey included 1,000 UK adults in May and we’d be interested in comparing the results in the U.S.!

—Sarah Shebek

Featured image: Austin Pacheco/Unsplash

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Baby Jo Is Here & We’re in Love with His Unique Name

by Sarah ShebekAugust 18, 2021

ScarJo and Colin Jost (CoJo?) are parents! They’ve welcomed their first baby together and he has an adorable name—Cosmo! Jost shared the news on Instagram this afternoon, a big reveal after the couple kept the pregnancy mostly under wraps.

Cosmo joins Rose, Johansson’s daughter from a previous marriage. After Johansson met Jost in 2017, the couple was engaged two years later and married privately last year. The couple packs a powerhouse punch on the screen: Johannsson was the world’s highest paid actress in 2018 and 2019 and Jost has starred on Saturday Night Live for years.

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A post shared by Colin Jost (@colinjost)

In Jost’s Instagram post, he wrote “Ok ok we had a baby. His name is Cosmo. We love him very much” with humorous hashtags #wegotawaywithitforalongtime #nokidspolicy #weregoingtodisneyworld. Meanwhile Johansson keeps a low profile on social, but press noted that she conducted her media appearances for her newest movie, Black Widow, virtually.

Congratulations to the happy couple and welcome Cosmo to the world!

—Sarah Shebek

Featured image courtesy of Tinseltown

He’s Here! Tan & Rob France Officially Welcome Home Their Son

by Sarah ShebekAugust 2, 2021

Will Tan France’s baby rock the French tuck like dad? We can’t say. What we can say is congratulations to Tan and his partner Rob, who welcomed home their new addition today!

Baby Ismail has made his debut on Instagram and according to France, he was born early on July 10. The beaming couple shared two photos with their son to mark the occasion. In the caption France wrote “We love him so, so much. Like fully obsessed.” Insert all the heart eyes!

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A post shared by T A N . F R A N C E (@tanfrance)

France first shared that the couple was expecting in April, noting that they’d have the baby via “the most wonderful surrogate” and that Baby France was due in the summer. He noted “Something we’ve wanted for sooo many years. Our hearts are so full right now.”

The family resides in Salt Lake City, Utah and France stars as a stylist on the popular show Queer Eye with the rest of the Fab Five. His partner Rob is an illustrator and the couple has been together since 2007. We’re so excited for the new dads as they embark on the journey of parenthood!

—Sarah Shebek

Featured image courtesy of DFree/ Shutterstock

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Target’s Newest Badge Helps ID Asian-Owned Brands to Support

by Sarah ShebekMay 18, 2021

It’s easier than ever to support Asian-owned businesses online, thanks to a new initiative from Target. The retailer just announced a badge that identifies Asian-owned brands and they’re spotlighting these products online as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month continues.

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A post shared by Target (@target)

Whether you’re looking for coconut chips or a new children’s book, you can find the badge in the “At A Glance” section of the product description. It accompanies two other badges that Target has released in the past year: a Black-owned business badge and a women-owned business badge. And it’s in line with the company’s mission to leverage change and shift power to communities, as noted in March on the Target Foundation page.

“We stand firmly against racism, racialized misogyny, and xenophobia in all forms. Through our existing approach in driving systems-level change, we are committed to centering equity and investing in Black, Indigenous, and Person of Color-led (BIPOC) organizations. As part of our commitment to action against hate, we are investing $250,000 in organizations led by Asian Americans, working to empower the Asian American community, addressing gender-based violence and xenophobia, and advancing justice.”

—Sarah Shebek

Featured image courtesy of Target

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Planning a Paid Maternity Leave? You’ll Want One of These Careers

by Karly WoodMay 14, 2021

If you’re in major family planning mode, it might also be a good time for a career change. Career Expert site Zippia recently studied the best and worst jobs for expecting moms who are looking for paid maternity leave (because who isn’t?) and the results are pretty interesting.

Zippia scraped over one million job listings to determine which companies were likely to offer paid maternity leave by searching for specific keywords. Those jobs with the highest percentage of keywords offered the most maternity leave benefits. Here’s what they discovered.

photo: Matthew Henry via Burst

The following job titles had over 10 percent of listings that mentioned maternity leave:

1. Senior Reliability Engineer

2. Lead Engineer

3. Electronics Tehnician

4. Senior Recruiter

5. Technical Support Engineer

6. Technical Recruiter

7. Compliance Analyst

8. Sales Manager

9. Software Test Engineer

10. Enterprise Account Executive.

Notably, all of these job titles require tons of experience and don’t apply to the majority of job seekers who likely work in entry or mid-level careers.

Zippia also noted the worst job options when it comes to getting paid maternity leave, with less that 1 percent offering the benefit:

1. Cook

2. Server

3. Sales Engineer

4. Case Manager

5. Architect

6. Sales Specialist

7. Machine Operator

8. Systems Administrator

9. Administrative Assistant

10. Material Handler

Many of the worst job options for paid maternity leave pay less than $30,000 annually, adding to the already difficult challenges of how moms can afford to take time off for baby. Obviously not everyone can afford to make a huge career change, but knowing which jobs offer a paid leave definitely helps when it comes to planning––and waiting for the U.S. to finally get its act together on offering a national paid maternity leave program.

––Karly Wood

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It’s a Boy! Danielle Fisher Announces Pregnancy on 40th Birthday

by Sarah ShebekMay 5, 2021

Another boy will meet the world, because Danielle Fishel is pregnant! The former Boy Meets World star turned 40 today and had a sweet announcement ready to celebrate. She’s expecting her second son with husband Jensen Karp.

“I couldn’t be more grateful to enter my 40’s with my amazing husband and son, excitedly expecting the arrival of baby boy #2. My birthday wish is for all of you to tell someone how much you love them and walk through today with more patience than you normally might,” Fishel noted in her caption on Instagram, accompanying a glowing bump photo.

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A post shared by Danielle Fishel Karp (@daniellefishel)

Fishel and Karp married in 2018 and their first son, Adler Lawrence, was born a month before his due date in June 2019. The infant faced some health scares and spent 21 days in the neonatal intensive care unit, after being diagnosed with chylothorax. Today he’s healthy, happy and on his way to big brother status.

Proud dad Karp also posted a sweet tribute on his Instagram, penning “Happy 40th birthday to my life partner, a team captain and the greatest mom to our now soon to be 2 boys. She believes in our squad and even when I held a newborn Adler like he was a fragile piece of china for the 4 first months, she had the patience and care of a saint.” We’re looking forward to watching the Fishel Karp family grow!

––Sarah Shebek

Feature photo: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

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Starbucks New Espresso Drinks Are Shaken, Not Stirred

by Erica LoopMarch 2, 2021

Spring has sprung at Starbucks. The beloved brand recently announced its new spring menu—and now you can get a plant-based Shaken Espresso!

If you’re already a fan of Starbucks signature Shaken Iced Tea or Coffee, you’re in for a treat. On Mar. 2, the coffee retailer will debut an espresso Shaken option. Actually, Sbucks will debut two different Shaken Espresso menu items: The Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso and an Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso.

Why switch from your traditional espresso drink to shaken version? Of the Shaken Espresso option, Alicia Binion, senior product developer on Starbucks beverage development team, said in a press release, “The fun thing about shaking is it adds another dimension to the beverage.” Binion added, “It creates a rich texture on your palate—by just adding air. When you take that first sip, you get a wonderful froth that is infused with flavor.”

The Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso starts with a Starbucks Blonde espresso. The espresso is shaken together with brown sugar and cinnamon before it’s topped with oatmilk and ice. Binion described this drink, saying, “The delicate sweetness and the depth from the brown sugar pairs really well with the cinnamon and the Starbucks Blonde Espresso.”

Starbucks’ Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso also features Blonde espresso—and includes cocoa, malt, almondmilk and ice. Binion noted, “It’s fun with a little bit of familiarity at the same time.”

Along with the two new flavored drinks, Sbucks fans can also try an Iced Shaken Espresso. This option combines a full-bodied espresso with two-percent milk.

—Erica Loop

Photos courtesy of Starbucks

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ML Interest Tag: note

Ride Here Now: McLaren Bike Park in San Francisco

The History of McLaren Park

The Pump Track

The Skills Trail

The Future

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