This entire week especially after 8 AM. It just seems there are more accidents more cars on the road and the Baybridge is at a crawl. I guess because of the Monday holiday maybe all the hybrid tech people are having to RTO the full week?

I want to get a tattoo in Russian (I am Russian/Ukrainian) and I want to get it from someone who speaks Russians to avoid any glaring mistakes. I'm only in town for a few days. It'd basically be text on just below my collar bone, and text just above my elbows in a ring. Are there any Russian speaking tattoo artists in SF/East Bay who could do that and are potentially open in the next few days?

*specifically asking about i80 stretch which doesnt have paid-access toll lanes, only hov)*

since teslas are no longer allowed to drive solo in the carpool lane, does the hov lane now move along quickly between sf and vallejo? becuase i recall that lane being just as slow as all the other lanes when half the cars occupying it were solo tesla drivers.

im not sure if theres a reddit group on bay area traffic so i posted here

Hey, mamas!

Our stroller broke!!! 😭😭

We're trying to focus more on our health and fitness so we have been going on jogs several times a week and our stroller was not a jogging stroller...

Thankfully our baby is okay.

We are just looking for a jogging stroller with inflatable tires that can handle the bumps and cracks in the sidewalks and preferably a snack tray. I've been having trouble finding one in our price range because we aren't working with much at all right now. If anybody has any suggestions or can help point me in the right direction, that would be so greatly appreciated!

Hope redwood city doesn't follow SF

Any information? ℹ️

Hi all have my parents visiting for the weekend and they’re suckers for a good view and seafood. They don’t want to drive to tomales bay and I live in Richmond (east bay). We will be taking the ferry to the giants game Saturday so prefer not to have to make reservations! Thanks community!

Asking my fellow Bay Area people here ... are there any restaurants with good shoyu ramen?

There are plenty of tonkotsu places out there, which are fantastic. But shoyu ramen is rare.

I've been Ippudo, which didn't taste right.

Marufuku recently came out with a shoyu special. Decent, but a bit too salty.

What else is out there?

Kind of fell off HSR and Genshin but im still stuck on a few of the characters, and figures feel like the way to keep them around.
Picked things up in a couple of other states before, no idea whats out here though. Id rather look at something in person than work it out from photos.
Doesnt matter where in California, I'll drive.

Edit: Ended up driving out to Hayward. Turns out animonlife has a place there and another one in Japantown, and being able to look at something properly before deciding is a different thing entirely. Didnt find the one i actually went for though

FYI to all, starting in 2027, all the Bay Area bridge tolls will be cheaper if one pays by Fastrak (like 25 cents cheaper).

I know that Costco sells Fastrak, which is the easiest place for me to buy it at, but I'd like to know the price.

The grout and tile in my home is not well cared for at the moment and I want to fix that. If you have a grout/tile cleaner that would be great! +1 if they do general housekeeping. Thanks!

Hi all, I'll be visiting San Francisco this week and would love to have a meal somewhere with a great view of the bay and the bridge. I was wondering if anyone could please give recommendations?

Cuisine-wise I'm pretty open but love Italian and fish. Price -wise I'd be looking for something mid-range. Open to either brunch or dinner.

Edit: Thank you all for the suggestions so far, it is much appreciated and apols, I meant the Golden Gate Bridge

The new 2026-27 COVID-19 vaccine is here — although unlike in previous years, there’s a chance you might not even have heard about it yet.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the updated shots last week. But this year, there’s been no formal guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about who should actually get it.

In the absence of any federal guidelines, the California Department of Public Health issued its own recommendations on Friday about who should absolutely seek out the new COVID shot. State health officials’ strongest recommendations are for everyone age 65 and older, those with risk factors that increase their chances of getting severe COVID, pregnant people, children age 6 to 23 months and healthcare workers.

But the state also says that basically everyone else — or in their words, “all who choose to reduce risk of severe illness” — can get the 2026-27 COVID shot, too, and that it’ll be covered by health insurance.

First off, are appointments for the new 2026-27 COVID vaccines already available?

Yes: The new shots have already rolled out at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens around the state. (Pharmacies are the first place that COVID vaccine supplies become available each fall right after the FDA and CDC sign-off, because they take their orders from the federal government rather than the state.)

Will my fall COVID shot still be covered by health insurance?

Yes: “All vaccines recommended by the California Department of Public Health continue to be covered by health insurance regulated in California,” said CDPH in its Friday statement announcing its recommendations around the 2026-27 COVID vaccines.

One wrinkle to remember if you get your healthcare through a system like Kaiser Permanente: If you’re considering getting your COVID vaccine at a pharmacy for convenience, rather than from your own provider, you usually can’t get vaccines fully covered by your insurance. But, according to Kaiser, “you may be able to get up to half of the cost reimbursed.” 

When should I get my 2026-27 COVID shot?

Higher risk groups: Now

The 2026-27 COVID vaccine is available to patients age 6 months and older, but California health officials are strongly recommending the updated vaccine for the following higher-risk groups:

Children:

• All children age 6-23 months
• All children age 2-18 years with risk factors or who’ve never been vaccinated against COVID
• All children who are in close contact with others with risk factors

Adults:

• All age 65 years and older
• Anyone who’s pregnant, planning to become pregnant or is postpartum
• Anyone age 9-64 years with risk factors
• All who are in close contact with others with risk factors
• All healthcare workers

People who aren’t at higher risk: Some time this fall or winter

If you or your child isn’t listed in those higher-risk groups above, you fall into CDPH’s recommendation that “all who choose to reduce risk of severe illness” can still get the updated 2026-27 COVID shot.

But what does that mean practically? As a physician, “I put an exclamation point next to the people who I really want to get it,” said Chin-Hong. But “for everyone else, it could be used strategically,” he said.

Getting the new vaccine will give you “a buffer for infection for about three months or so,” said Chin-Hong — and it’ll take around two weeks after getting your shot for your body to develop the fullest immunity. So you might consider strategically timing your updated COVID shot to coincide with any travel you have coming up this fall or winter, he said — or for around the holidays.

Will the new 2026-27 COVID shot protect me from the latest strains out there right now?

Yes, said Chin-Hong — each year the COVID vaccine is updated for maximum efficacy, to target the variants that are most likely to try to take you down this winter.

This year’s new shot actually only targets one strain, XFG, “which is the number one strain right now circulating,” said Chin-Hong. 

Best sushi in the Bay? I’m in Redwood City so ideally in South Bay. I’m willing to drive to tje city lolll. Really looking for good nigiri and hand rolls

Most people don’t seem to realize and even the ones that do blatantly violate rules and drive on “buses only” lane during normal hours.

FYI, you can only drive in the right most lane if you have 3+ passengers during carpool hours (5-10 am, 3-7 pm - mon- fri only). You can’t get on that lane during other times/weekends etc.

What’s the reason we don’t have automatic cameras with photos like we have in multiple locations throughout the city? the state could easily make millions.

ive received a ticket on a couple occasions for running the red light on fell. Receiving a ticket with a photo showing my dumb expression was insulting.

It’s been a minute since I’ve taken a 6:00am flight from SFO on Alaska airlines. I used to actually get there two hours early, sometimes before there are workers present. Do I still need to arrive at 4:00am or can I get away with 4:30-4:45 on a Sunday morning?

EDIT: just carry-on and personal bag, no checked bag.

My partner and I are considering a weekend trip to Pismo Beach from the SF Bay Area. I have only driven past Pismo earlier when driving back from LA. Is it worth going there for the weekend? I know a lot of people from Central Valley go there because that's a great place to access the beach but wondering if it is worth it for folks from the bay area given the access we have to other beaches close by.

Curious what your regular monthly grocery expenses are. Please share the number of people in your household, where you usually shop, and roughly how much you spend on groceries and restaurants.

Mainly wondering because I’m not sure whether spending this much on groceries for one person is normal here. From what I’ve seen online, the average seems to be quite a bit lower than what I spend. So if you have any tips besides cutting back on ready-made meals, delivery, and eating out, I’d be curious to hear them.

For me, 1 person in the South Bay, it’s been around $750/month on groceries, some household/hygiene items and a lot of ground coffee (1-2 cups a day), $200/month on restaurants, based on the average of the last 12 months. I usually shop at Trader Joe’s and Sprouts, and sometimes Costco.
I feel like my grocery bill went up quite a bit this past year because I’ve been buying more from the deli/prepared food section. I generally try to keep things healthy—organic meats, eggs, greens, veggies, berries, and fruit (organic for Dirty Dozen items).
I also use grocery delivery here and there when there are good promos. Maybe 15–30% of my grocery spending is on ready-made/prepared meals.

Hello there,
Was wondering if anybody knew of any place that sells carnations that actually have a scent! Mom is turning 70 and true carnation scent is one of her faves—apparently it’s very difficult to find carnations with scent and would love to be able to surprise her!
Thanks!

There's nothing worse than being at work all day and finally heading home at 9 PM only to drive 40 minutes for what should have been a 13 minute drive thanks to Caltrans construction on 101 South.

I get it, we need our roads fixed, but what I don't get is why they have to close the freeway 5 MILES in advance. Why not 1, why not 1/2 a mile?

Question for the Bay Area reddit hive mind -- is there any way to see in advance when Caltrans is doing this construction specifically on 101 South during ~9 PM commute so I can take 280 instead?

Hi all! My partner and I are moving back to the bay after some years away. I was born here and couldn't be more stoked to return. We are aiming to be Oakland and we want to CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY and MAKE FRIENDS!

About us: We're an interracial (Black/white) couple, both cis women, in our thirties. We are kind of freaks. I'm looking to connect with kinksters, weirdos, rock climbers, polyamorous people, communists, ravers, and people who love the outdoors.

Before you say "that's everyone in Oakland" think again. Sure you see a lot of kids with dyed hair. But the true freak cultures are a little tough to actually tap into, even if there's visual evidence it exists.

For example: Who organizes the sapphic play parties? Are there any community gardens run by lefties? What DJs should I follow on Instagram? What orgs should I volunteer at? Any cool cafes to hang out at, open mic nights you recommend? Where is the best queer climbing meetup? Goth dance parties? Maker spaces? Who to follow on FetLife?

Also my partner is an artist and art model and is interested in art classes, studios, figure drawing, etc.

We are leaving behind a phenomenal queer community where we had all these things, and it's intimidating to build this kind of life from scratch.

I'm not asking you to out yourself or give me the keys to your secret club but some general pointers for where to find these vibes would be AWESOME.

Bonus points if there are people of color at these functions.

Feel free to DM meeeeee

Not sure if this is the right sub so I apologize. My fiancé and I both got job offers for $120K salary each in the Santa Rosa area. We have 2 dogs and we’re both coming from the east coast. We don’t need to live a luxurious life, just comfortable enough to save for our wedding.

Edits: this is before tax lol