Best Places to Catch the NBA Finals in San Francisco

Best Places to Catch the NBA Finals in San Francisco

By Pablo Vadillo

It has been one crazy season. The defending NBA champions have done the unthinkable time and again. The critics have spoken and as the time arrives the two powerhouse of the NBA collide for a final series to determine who is the best of the best. 

Naturally you'll be looking for the best places to catch a game or seven so here's a handful of my favorite sports bars around San Francisco.

Rumors

A newer sports bar located in SOMA. They offer a variety of different foods, beers and best of all great happy hour prices 3-6pm on game days. ($3 beers on tap and $5 bar bites) Try the truffle tater tots, my favorite!

Check out more information about Rumors here.

Kezar Pub

Across the street from Kezar stadium, it combines the best San Francisco has to offer. There's about 50 different screens to capture your attention. The 1980's ambiance can make it feel a little dated, but we feel it really just adds to the character of the place. 

For more information about Kezar click here

Golden Gate Tap Room

One of the city's best kept secrets. It's right smack in the middle of downtown, very close to Union Square, in the heart of the city. At any point in time they have about 25-35 beers on tap. It's two stories is chock full of games that range from pool to shuffleboard, darts and more. Not only that they have flat screens to boot. Even though this place is huge, it does fill up. Ideal for bigger parties and groups looking to watch the game together or just have a fun night out.

For more information about the Golden Gate Tap Room click here

San Francisco Athletic Club

Located in lower Pac Heights, San Francisco Athletic Club offers everything you need to catch the game of choice. Great bartenders and friendly servers will make this one of the best experiences for catching the big game.

They do have great bar food and beers on tap for your enjoyment, plus tons of flat screens!

Find out more about SFAC here  

Giordano Bros

Love sandwiches and sports? So do I, and let me tell you Giordano Bros, will not disappoint! Locals and transplants alike share in the Pittsburgh-esque environment making it ideal for you that love an authentic East Coast vibe. Big Sandwiches, Big Flavors all for the Big Game. Need I say more?

Check out Giordano Bros here

Let's go Dubs!!

Pablo Vadillo is an entrepreneur, REALTOR, public speaker and non-conformist living in San Francisco, CA

415.570.4115

Pablo@Vadilloestates.com

CA BRE # 01786428

10 Essential Apps for San Francisco Transplants

We've all moved to a big city at some point in our lives. I personally just moved back to San Francisco after living in Los Angeles for the last few years. As I'm sure you well know it can be pretty intimidating and even overwhelming at times. So here's some helpful applications for your smartphone to help you navigate the city.

Getting Around:

Like I said, at first San Francisco can seem intimidating, and this is where this marvelous app comes handy. City Mapper helps you get around and master the tricky Bart, Bus and Muni systems. (Which, while we're on the subject, NEVER forget to pay when you get on Muni, getting a ticket does happen and isn't cheap)

Citymapper is available for iOS and Android.

Now when it comes to getting around, cabs and taxi services in San Francisco can be pretty expensive, and if you're seeking a more personal experience, try Uber or Lyft. They were both born in San Francisco and are a less expensive alternative to taxi services.

Uber is available for iOS and Android

Lyft is availabe for iOS and Android

Arts and Entertainment:

SF/Arts has been the trusted resource for city goers with interests in culture and art with more than 1,000 events all centered around the art and culture San Francisco has come to be known for. While it has been a website some good folks have put it together in an easy to use app.

Search has been made easy as well as the ability to purchase tickets to desired events at your fingertips. With events ranging from art galleries to drum circles, parades, poetry readings and concerts, there's something for everyone from every scene to any price range.

                                     

SF/Arts Express is available for iOS and Android.

There is also Detour which is a great application for iPhone users. Learn the city's history and share with your friends what makes this city truly unique. The Group Sync feature allows you to share the experience with your friends from the ones who know it best, the locals.

Detour is only available for iOS – sorry Android users!

Ever think to yourself, "Man, I just want to go out and do stuff." ? Well with Do Stuff now you'll know what to do! Do Stuff allows you to easily connect to San Francisco's unique vibe and scene. Plus it filters out the noise, allowing you to really enjoy the best of drinks, venues, concerts, events and more.

Food:

Probably my favorite section to write. Seriously I love food. More food blogs with recommendations to restaurants that are off the beaten path and some of my personal favorite holes-in-the-wall to come, don't worry. In the meantime there's these two apps that will change your life. Seriously. I love food.

Want to eat healthy, but don't have the time? Try Sprig. They deliver delicious healthy alternatives to your ordinary Pizza and Chinese take out options (Again I love food, ESPECIALLY PIZZA AND CHINESE TAKE OUT! More on that later, I promise)

Sprig is available for iOS and Android.

If you're out and about and want to check out the street food scene then Off The Grid is perfect for you. The application is exactly as it's namesake, it's the off the grid restuarants in San Francisco. What the heck does that mean? Food Trucks. YES! In all of their delicious glory! What used to be a hush hush event where you had to follow a twitter feed to find your favorite food trucks it's all now conveniently all in one place at your finger tips. (Highly recommend Korean Tacos. Can't go wrong there)

OffTheGrid is available for iOS and Android.

Laundry:

Let me guess, you forgot to ask about washer/dryer, or worse, you did ask about it, and realized after walking through your apartment that any and all available space was to be used for anything but the clunky appliances. Another alternative used to be the gross machines in the building or trying to find time to go to a laundromat. Well not anymore. Now there's Washio an on-demand team will pick up and drop off your laundry with the tap of a button.

Washio is available for iOS and Android.

Real Estate:

Finding the right place to live can be difficult, time consuming and stressful. Let professionals like me at Coldwell Banker help you find your next home. Whether you're moving in, moving up, or moving out we can help!

Coldwell Banker is available for iOS and Andriod

Pablo is an Entrepreneur, REALTOR, Public Speaker and non-conformist living in San Francisco, CA.

Shoulda Coulda Woulda listened to these things...

Things I wish I knew at 21

By Pablo Vadillo

Now while this is titled, things I wish I knew at 21. Let's be honest, I known most of these things all my life, shit, I probably knew them then too, however, I didn't implement all of them to the best of my ability which is why Shoulda Coulda Woulda is a little bit better of a title.

So here's a couple things I hope you find early in life to where you can implement and set yourself up for success later on. Ready? Here we go!

1) Everything that seems like a big deal now, won't matter in 7 years.

Seriously save yourself the stress. I'm 28 now and I can't remember what I was pissed off about at 21. I was probably mad at something or someone, but I honestly can't remember now. This is to serve as a reminder to you that what may seem as a HUGE DEAL right now, probably won't matter in 7 years. Let alone 7 days, 7 weeks or 7 months. Save yourself the hassle, the stress, and be a good person.

Also no one cares about your back story, about your struggles, your education and your background. People care about what you can add of value to them and their lives. So even though that one certification you got that one time for that one thing, yeah, unless you're putting it to use, spare me.



2) Start making the right choices FOR YOU TODAY

Listen, once you leave school and the safety confines of your parent's nest, no one is going to tell you what to do. I mean why should they? You're an adult! Yeah? Cool. So stop making poor childish decisions and start developing the right habits. It's cool to be able to get into bars, it's not cool fast-forwarding 7 years and still going to the same shitty dive bar or drinking every night. That's just a recipe for being broke and a one way road to bad decisions and terrible habits down the line.

INSTEAD go to bed early, wake up early, and be productive everyday. You're not going to hit your goal overnight, people very rarely do, if ever. You're going to have to work at it a day at a time. So if it's going to take a while and time is going to pass anyways, why not start today.

Seriously. Start today.



3) Start Saving. Seriously

If you have $20 in your pocket and no debt, you're in a better financial situation than 70% of Americans. Probably more. So don't fall into the statistics, keep a level head and put a little bit away. Again, you're not going to save a million dollars overnight, however, building real wealth has never been built overnight. Even if it's $20 a year, SAVE THAT MONEY! (Also if you're making the right choices and not throwing away your money, you'll save more, faster!)



4) Work Your Ass Off!

Now's the time. You're young, you know everything, you have a ton of energy and you have a head full of hopes and dreams. It's time to start putting it into action. The one regret I don't have is that I've always worked my ass off. I started selling office supplies for Staples at 23, and before turning 25 I was running the consulting company in charge of the East Bay Area for their B2B campaign. I was the youngest person in my company, but that never mattered because I was the hardest worker and I let my work be the example and set the precedent. People came to me with questions because I made myself the "go-to guy".



5) Say "Yes" to Experiences, Say "No" to More Stuff

Go out. Live life. Say yes. Save your money to do the things you love. Travel to far away places, Eat at amazing eateries, tour wineries, paint, hike, dance, laugh, love. You only have one life and one chance to be young. Truth is, if you're working your ass off and making the right decisions you'll give yourself the tools to spoil and pamper yourself. All I ask is that you do it through experiences, not just material stuff. Stuff can always be replaced, memories are unique to you.









Pablo is an Entreprenuer, Realtor, Public Speaker, and Non-conformist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

San Francisco Again Ranks Among Top 10 Global Luxury Real Estate Markets

Sales activity for luxury properties slowed both globally and here in the Bay Area in 2015, but high-end real estate remains a greatly desirable investment for the world’s wealthiest individuals.

That’s according to Coldwell Banker's reports, which examine luxury real estate trends in the world’s top-tier cities. After growing by 16 percent in 2014, global sales of $1 million-plus homes further normalized last year, posting 8 percent gains. CB says that luxury-property sales plateaued in many international markets in the second half of 2015, in part due to global economic uncertainty and stock market volatility.

Luxury sales in San Francisco also showed more normal growth patterns in 2015, with volume up by 12 percent. Such sales grew by 62 percent in 2013 and 19 percent in 2014.

CIRE ranks the planet’s top 10 luxury real estate market on two scales. The Luxury Index includes factors such as the largest sales price, the average price per square foot, and the number of sales and current listings over $1 million. The Luxury Thermometer gauges market demand through growth at the $1 million-plus price point and the time it takes for such homes to find buyers.

For the fourth year running, CIRE named San Francisco to the Luxury Index, ranking at No. 8, with 2015’s priciest sale at $39 million. The other American cities on the list: New York (No. 3), Los Angeles (No. 4), and Miami (No. 7). London once again topped the list of high-end international real estate markets, with the most luxury listings and the world’s second priciest home sale last year — $141 million.

The Luxury Thermometer ranks San Francisco as the world’s fifth-hottest real estate market, higher than the other U.S. cities on the list (No. 6 Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and No. 8 Portland, Oregon). CIRE says that international buyer activity remains robust in San Francisco and that $1 million-plus homes sold in an average of 61 days, second only to Toronto for pace of sales. Globally, luxury properties took an average of 195 days to sell.

While there’s no denying that San Francisco is an expensive place to purchase a high-end home, buyers here get more per square foot than they do in some other major global cities. San Francisco luxury buyers paid just less than $1,000 per square foot in 2015, compared with more than $3,000 in Hong Kong and about $2,000 in New York and London.

Globally, CIRE points to the tech sector, the Bay Area’s bread and butter, as an important driver of wealth for today’s luxury homebuyer. The report identifies so-called “millenipreneus” — entrepreneurs between the ages of 20 and 35 — as a rising segment of luxury buyers that is fueling demand for real estate in cities with heavy tech presences.

The Sandbox

The SandBox

A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox.The lad dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (He was a very small boy and the rock was very huge.) 

When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn’t roll it up and over the little wall.Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, shoved — but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration.

All this time the boy’s father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy’s father.

Gently but firmly he said, “Son, why didn’t you use all the strength that you had available?”Defeated, the boy sobbed back, “But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!”“No, son,” corrected the father kindly. “You didn’t use all the strength you had. You didn’t ask me.”

With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

This story teaches us that no matter what we're doing, or where we're at in life, we can always use some outside help. Especially when these "rocks" come into our sandbox and we have to get them out.

Lessons from My Father

I wanted to take the time and write about some of the lessons my father, one of the most influential people in my life, has taught me throughout my 28 years of being around him. These lessons are applicable regardless of where you currently are in life.

1) The road to success is through hard-work.
My dad has always been the definition of work-ethic. He has done crazy things to make sure he is always able to provide for his family. It's this same work ethic that allowed him an opportunity to come to the US and provide my brother and I with opportunity greater than he ever had. Not to mention he has pioneered many different software applications and has gone from working to established companies to risking it all for a shared start-up vision.

2) Don't put your life in the hands of others.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard lectures and lessons from this simple sentence. "You yourself are responsible for your actions and your results, never ever let anyone decide what you can or can't do. Not even me." I've forged my own route to success living on this simple principle. I haven't relied on others for hand-outs and gimme's, I've found a way to work for myself, achieve results, and help others be successful.

3) It's ok to fail, it's not ok to quit.
I joke that I've been a failure since I graduated high school. Going from one failed attempt at success after another. From Real Estate to Xerox, College to my first start-up, Investing and working commission Business to Business sales. My dad has been there every step of the way pushing me to continue on this long and arduous path knowing that I may have not won the game yet, but the score is starting to lean in my favor.

4) Always find a way to help. Every problem has its solution. 
Since I was very little my father has tested me with a series of math and logic puzzles and riddles and has always told me that to figure anything out it all starts with asking the right questions. Don't be a victim to circumstance, you always have time to take a step back, re-evaluate and take a second look at the situation. By attacking things with a resolve mentality and asking the right questions, you can solve anything.

5) Find your passion and always do your best.
My father currently works 5 days a week and yet considers himself to be retired. He works with a big bank writing software code, problem solving, and creating. He's found a way to get paid to do what he loves. To some of us the thought of working 5 days a week in front of a computer reading and writing code might be torture, but to my father he's in his element and loves every second of it. His days of traveling Mon-Fri to all corners of the world are over and now he can enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Thank you so much Carlos Vadillo for being such a wonderful man, role-model and best friend. I couldn't be where I am without you.

Love,Pablo Vadillo

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

Again, I'm sure you've heard this before. I'm not going to blow your mind with things that you've never heard before, Just simply remind you of a lesson or two you may have forgotten.

Today's lesson is in Attitude. We've all heard it before. "Your attitude determines your altitude", which has always taught us that the way we approach things will determine the output of said approach. However it's much more than that. In an airplane, the actual Altitude of the aircraft is controlled by a piece of equipment called the... yep you guessed it, the Attitude. All of a sudden this idiom takes on a much more real life application. We all now that low flying aircrafts are dangerous, not only to the vehicle itself, but to the general population as well. So why is it that we let each other fly so low, without regard for the well being of the craft and the population around it??

Here's a story that was once shared with me that forever changed my perception and approach to everything. I hope you enjoy!

The Monk and The Travelers

One day a traveler was walking along a road on his journey from one village to another. As he walked he noticed a monk tending the ground in the fields beside the road. The monk said “Good day” to the traveler, and the traveler nodded to the monk. The traveler then turned to the monk and said, “Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you a question?”
 
“Not at all,” replied the monk.
 
“I am traveling from the village in the mountains to the village in the valley, and I was wondering if you knew what it is like in the village in the valley?”

“Tell me,” said the monk, “what was your experience of the village in the mountains?”
 
“Dreadful,” replied the traveler. “To be honest I am glad to be away from there. I found the people most un-welcoming. When I first arrived I was greeted coldly. I was never made to feel part of the village no matter how hard I tried. The villagers keep very much to themselves, they don’t take kindly to strangers. So tell me, what can I expect in the village in the valley?”
“I am sorry to tell you,” said the monk, “but I think your experience will be much the same there.”
The traveler hung his head despondently and walked on.

A few months later another traveler was journeying down the same road, and he also came upon the monk.
“Good day,” said the traveler.
“Good day,” said the monk.
“How are you?” asked the traveler.
 
“I’m well,” replied the monk. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to the village in the valley,” replied the traveler. “Do you know what it is like?”
“I do,” replied the monk. “But first tell me—where have you come from?”
“I’ve come from the village in the mountains.”
 
“And how was that?”
 
“It was a wonderful experience. I would have stayed if I could, but I am committed to traveling on. I felt as though I was a member of the family in the village. The elders gave me much advice, the children laughed and joked with me, and people were generally kind and generous. I am sad to have left there. It will always hold special memories for me. And what of the village in the valley?” he asked again.

“I think you will find it much the same,” replied the monk. “Good day to you.”
 
“Good day and thank you,” the traveler replied, smiled and journeyed on.

Life is what you make of it. As are our experiences. If you focus on the bad, you'll get the bad. If you focus on the good, you'll get the good. At the end of the day, it's all up to you.