Quality (FM) radio in the Bay Area

I’ve just had to go through the most troublesome part of getting a new car (until you get your first scratch) - tuning the radio. Here are my essential stations for (1) avoiding ads, (2) getting good music, (3) learning what is going on beyond PST. Kudos to Mor, silentway, sfgate, andrea for their guiding light.

NPR

• KQED - NPR San Francisco (88.5)
  Lots of quality news and talk during the week. Deteriorates into 24 hour prairie home companion as far as I can tell at the weekend
• KALW - alt.NPR San Francisco (91.7)
  Lots of overlap with KQED, with benefits of occasional music (KQED is all talk), extreme leftism (for the US), BBC at random times, and less PHC.
• KPFA - alt. NPR Berkeley (94.1/89.3)
  Apparently an “East Bay KALW”

College Radio

One of the joys of living in America …

• KUSF - San Francisco Uni (90.3)
• KALX - Berkeley Uni (90.7)
• KZSU - Stanford Uni (90.1)
• KFJC - Foothill De Anza Community College (89.7)

Other specialist music stations

• KCSM - Jazz, San Mateo (91.1)
  Truly smooth.
• KFDC - Classical, San Francisco (102.1)
  A good cure for road rage, even with the ads.

Notable mention

• KFOG - Alternative rock, (104.5, 97.7)
  OK, so forget it in rush hour, but its pretty listenable at the weekend. Also 10 at 10 (both AM and PM) is good and commercial-free.

References

• A Guide to Bay Area Radio That Doesn’t Suck (awesome 1997-esque web design, but good tips)
• Complete list on andreas.com (uncensored)
• Complete list on sfgate.com (uncensored, but has benefit of showing who owns what - no surprises that ClearChannel is the winner with 8 stations. Still the list above adds up to 10 so there).

Lost in Los Angeles

I just spent a wonderful weekend in LA with Jon and Rashmi. Unlike my previous 3 visits, this time I really felt like I found "the city in the suburb".
Whats the secret to enjoying LA?

1. Buy a decent street map and skip the freeways. Last time I spent hours on I405 and I10 … this time drives down Wilshire, Western and Sunset stunned me with just how colourful the city is.
2. Have a car (OK, OK, so this is obvious, but you'd be surprised as to how many friends I have who have gone to LA and been p*ssed off that they can't get around easily on public transport)
3. Hang out with locals who know fun places to go and where to park.
4. If you can't hang out with locals, at least do some research before you go.
5. Through a combination of 3. and 4., know where you are going before you start driving (reference "trying to find a cocktail at 4pm in downtown Culver City)

Talking of research, here are some tips on museums, cafes, bars, restaurants and neighbourhoods I would recommend: