Capital chic: From Bay Area to inauguration
Sylvia Rubin, Chronicle Fashion Editor
For the once-in-a-lifetime parties in Washington, D.C., this week, San Francisco's first lady did not fret about what to wear. "I'm basically wearing my clothes from my closet," wrote Jennifer Siebel Newsom in an e-mail...

Cougars - unyoung women on the prowl
Carolyne Zinko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Standing tall in a thigh-baring mini dress with a neckline that exposed her ample cleavage, Melanie Garrett, 50, stood out from the crowd in the Faz restaurant bar in Danville on a recent weeknight, and not just because...

Gitane a feast for the senses
Michael Bauer
Some restaurants, such as Bix and Cafe Claude, are so out of the way that what most people would consider a deterrent becomes part of the allure. These are places that defy the real estate maxim of location, location,...

Spiritual quest nets a soul mate
Louise Rafkin, Special to The Chronicle
She was in the Tenderloin. Hearing footsteps behind her, she glanced back. It was the shine on the shoes that really caught her attention. It was March 2007, and Selma Omer, now 30, had recently moved to San Francisco....

Helping ill kids have fun at camp
Shelah Moody, Chronicle Staff Writer
As founder of Camp Arroyo in Livermore, Elaine Taylor is dedicated to bringing joy to seriously ill children. In 1990, Taylor and her husband, Barry, who ran a successful office equipment dealership, stablished the...

Nibbling, sipping to help Make-A-Wish
This week Bay of Hope The Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival presents a benefit concert for homeless youth. Performers include the Oakland Youth Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and California Youth...

Chef Mourad Lahlou's favorite palate pleasers
Aidin Vaziri, Chronicle Staff Writer
At Aziza, chef-owner Mourad Lahlou brings the delicate flavors of his native Morocco to San Francisco. Here, he tells us about the places that make him feel at home in the Bay Area, from his favorite tattoo studio to a...

PiX
The Alameda Civic Light Opera kicked off its Hope for Tomorrow project, which provides tickets for children and their families to attend a performance next season. 1 Ray Chavez (from left), Dean Starnes , Laurie...