I’ll be in the Bay Area from the 21st to 24th of March on some business. I’ll probably have the 23rd all to myself and thought it would be fun to visit music shops there. I’m looking for places that sell folk instruments (whistles, ocarinas, flutes, etc) mainly.
I don’t have any particular purchase in mind.. just want to look around, play some instruments, and buy something if it catches my eye and fits my wallet.
Which are the shops that people usually go to for such things? Thanks!
Oh Boy, are you going to have fun. In the Fisherman’s Wharf area, go to Lark in the Morning, in the Cannery, and you will see all the folk instruments you care to. They’ll let you play them all. I was there a few times, including last month. They even have a theremin! Enjoy!
Thanks Jessie! I’ll definitely go to the Fisherman’s Wharf, since I’ve heard a lot about that shop. I was in Seattle last weekend and I visited the Lark there, and frankly I was a bit disappointed.
I was looking for whistles in particular then, and they didn’t have too many different whistles there for me to try. I anyway picked up a bunch of things and got to play the Hall crystal flute. I hope the one in SF is better.
They have some whistles: Chieftains, Howard high d, Water and Thin Weasels, Sweethearts, and a bunch of cheapies, Irish style flutes by Ralph Sweet, Casey Burns, David Williams and some others, but for me the greatest thing is the sheer variety of types of instruments. There are some beautiful antique instruments (a lovely boxwood and ivory double flageolette, for one). I played all sorts of things there, like the tongue drums, singing bowls and theremin. They do have some clay ocarinas. It’s a fun place. It’s probably a bit better-stocked than the one in Seattle.
Take the opportunity to try the concertinas. They’re in a locked case in front, but the folk will unlock it for you, and even let you use the practice room in back to give them a try.
As always, tho: if you have any plans to buy something at that store, make sure you know the going price for the same item elsewhere. I’ve seen concertinas there priced a full THOUSAND DOLLARS MORE than you’d find elsewhere.
last time i was there, i picked up a chieftian a that i really connected with. i loved the fact that they had small rooms in the back that they let me take about a dozen or so whistles into and play to my heart’s content. i agree that the selection is much better in sfo compared to seattle. have fun!
Heck, if you REALLY want to do Lark right, you will drive up the coast to their Mendocino store. The coastline along the route rivals any I have ever seen, including Hawaii!
SF has bigger selection than Mendo store, at least last time I was there.
They have premium brand whistles that are different than the ones we most often discuss here, but as others point out, the ambience is great.
If you are tempted by a pricey whistle, MAKE SURE AND PLAY THE FULL TWO OCTAVES. I made several bad buying decisions, being a bit giddy and sitting in the echoey trying rooms. I haven’t ever played a premium there that was as nice as my intermediately priced Burke but you never know… They do have thin weasels but the ones I played there were not distinguished.
Among the cheapies, you can see the ones we do talk about.
It’s one of those places that can be hard to focus and you miss things that you do then see on return visits.
If you like such things, I recommend their real bone bones. Just take your time and pick a set that matches well and curves nicely. You should also peruse some of their BOOKS about Irish music if so inclined, like the Breathnach “Folk Music and Dances of Ireland”. They are kind of jumbled together with the tunebooks.
There is a parking garage across the street from the Cannery, west by 1/2 block. SOMETIMES, you can park on the street. If you have teens, there is a skate shop across the street that the younguns like.
If you have some time, walk west and up one block to Ghirardelli Square and git yerself an ice cream sundae or other confection at Ghirardellis. A long wait if in the afternoon but pretty unique. Sharper Image is right across from there for gadget seeking.
Or, if you want to do the tourist thing, park at the Union Square or Ellis St. parking garage and take the cable car…the turntable is right near Ghirardelli Square.
Don’t forget to have an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista before heading back!
I was talking about the whole EXPERIENCE, the ambiance, the absolute beauty of the drive up there. Whistle shopping would be secondary to this aspect of the trip.
If you go, make sure you have plenty of picture recording media!
A couple summers ago I was camping with my family at Fort Bragg. We went to Mendocino in the afternoon and I left Lark with 6 new whistles (I had just graduated from high school the week before and had money to burn, what can I say…besides, they were all cheapies, I promise!) The camp ground was maybe a 3-5 minute walk to the beach, so when we got back, I went down to the water. I wandered a ways along the beach and there were absolutely no people anywhere. I sat on a large rock above the water and played my whistles through sunset…sigh Point is, yeah, they’re right, go to Mendocino…
Awesome! I think I’m going to come back to Champaign a few whistles richer and with that much less money . Given the time I have and my familiarity with the region (or lack of it), I think I’ll head to the Fisherman’s Wharf Lark. Thanks everyone!
Are you staying in SF proper? If so, don’t bother with a car…you can easily get to the Cannery by bus or cable car (depending on where you’re staying), and traffic can be a b*tch down there. Even if you’re in the East Bay, if you can BART over and get a bus from TransBay Terminal (or ride to the Powell Street Station and take a cable car). I don’t drive in The City anymore than I need to…the Metro/MUNI/BART systems are just so convenient.
Yeah, I agree. If you were in SF proper, or just across the Bay on a BART line, public transit would be the way to go, but Mountain View is closer to us than it is to SF, so driving is the way to go.
You can still, however, park at one of the garages near Union Square and take public transit from there, if you’re not comfortable fighting city traffic. It can get nasty down by the wharf, especially if you’re there on a weekend.
I know of a great vegetarian Chinese place that’s not too far from where you’ll be staying in Mountain View, if you’re looking for a good place to eat. We take all our meat-eating friends there . The sweet-and-sour “pork” is the best I’ve ever had.
and got to play the Hall crystal flute. I hope the one in SF is better.
(I had just graduated from high school the week before and had money to burn, what can I say…besides, they were all cheapies, I promise!) The camp ground was maybe a 3-5 minute walk to the beach, so when we got back, I went down to the water. I wandered a ways along the beach and there were absolutely no people anywhere. I sat on a large rock above the water and played my whistles through sunset…sigh Point is, yeah, they’re right, go to Mendocino…