Good Weekend for November 21-23

Learn about transit history while pedaling this Saturday. (Courtesy photo)

A great bike ride

Transit history bike tour: San Francisco has lived through 150 years of rapid and radical change in how people get around, commute and move goods in and out of The City. Inevitably, the history of transportation is the history of the people who built the systems, ran them and rode on them.

From clipper ships and steam schooners, ferries to transcontinental railroads and urban streetcars, “Good Roads” bicyclists of the 1890s to the Critical Mass cyclists of today, the shape of San Francisco transit has been contested and debated, planned and redesigned, again and again. Learn about the storied past to help shape the future. [Meet at noon at CounterPULSE, 1310 Mission St.; $15 to $50 sliding scale to benefit Shaping San Francisco; shapingsf.org]

— San Francisco Bicycle Coalition; sfbike.org

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market top picks

Pink Lady apples
Celery root, above
Walnuts
Shallots
Oranges
Collard greens
Golden beets
Dried oregano
Chorizo

A great city walk

Haight-Ashbury walk: Come explore streets, sidewalks, parks and vistas that tell the story of a Victorian-era resort area that became a neighborhood of San Francisco merchants’ gingerbread houses. A strenuous walk. Offered every Sunday at 11 a.m. [Meet at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page St.]

San Francisco City Guides, a 30-year-old nonprofit organization conducting free walking tours spotlighting San Francisco history, architecture, legends and lore, is a program of the San Francisco Public Library. Tours offered seven days a week year round. Visit www.sfcityguides.org or call 415-557-4266 for more information.

Take a hike

East Bay whoopee: Rising high and dipping low between the metropolitan areas of Oakland and Walnut Creek is one of the East Bay’s least-used outdoor playgrounds, Briones Regional Park, above. There are plenty of wide dirt roads for mountain bikers, while hikers and their dogs get to escape into its 6,000 acres of ridge trails, valley descents and park benches perfectly perched for scenic breaks.

For a full-spectrum experience, hike the seven-mile Briones Loop Trail, which takes you through a rich creek canyon, up high along ridges and alongside fall colors of red madrones, maples and black oaks sporting yellow leaves. A midpoint high greets you with a view of towering Mount Diablo from the Table Top Trail, pictured.

For a shorter, more level jaunt, hike the Abrigo Valley Trail to the Maud Whalen Group Camp (two miles round-trip). With rolling hills and thrilling scenery, a Briones afternoon is a little bit country, a little bit rock ’n’ roll. For directions and more information on hiking Briones, click the link.

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Friday night

Centerpiece concert: The World Music Festival presents “The Reeds Give Way to the Wind.” Master musicians from around the world perform. [Show at 8 p.m.; talk at 7 p.m.; Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St.]

Improv troupe: The Double Entendre troupe performs a pair of improvised movies. The audience provides the title; the group takes it from there. [8 p.m., Theatre of Yugen/Noh Space, 2840 Mariposa St.]

Sister Helen Prejean: Author of “Dead Man Walking” and a leading death-penalty abolitionist will speak at First Presbyterian Church. [7:30 p.m., 1140 Cowper St., Palo Alto; $10-$20]

‘Greetings’: A warm and witty holiday comedy about a young man who brings his fiancée home for Christmas. [8 p.m. today and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Coastal Repertory Theater, 1167 Main St., Half Moon Bay; $15-$25]

Saturday

Hip-hop celebration: The S.F. Hip Hop DanceFest continues through the weekend. Saturday’s lineup includes troupes from Russia, the U.K., Canada, New York and the Bay Area. [8 p.m., Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St.]

Cuban duo: Gema y Pavel, a singer-songwriter duo from Cuba, perform. The pair’s sound contains Afro-Cuban folk, jazz, flamenco and bolero elements. [8:30 p.m., S.F. Women’s Building, 3543 18th St.]

Classical piano: Brazil-born Arnaldo Cohen, regarded as one of the great Romantic pianists, performs music by Bach/Busoni and Chopin. [8 p.m., Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave.]

Wine soirée: The Beaujolais and Beyond Festival features French food and wine, fashion and a silent auction. Proceeds benefit the French-American Chamber of Commerce. [5:30 p.m., Hyatt Regency, 5 Embarcadero Center]

Concert and auction: Art for Literacy hosts a benefit concert and silent auction. Works by local artists, food, drink and a musical performance by Louis Prima Jr. are on the bill. [7 to 11 p.m., Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason St.]

Sketch comedy: The Killing My Lobster comedy troupe presents “Killing My Lobster Goes to 11,” a show toasting the group’s first 11 years. [8 p.m., Magic Theatre, Building D, Fort Mason Center]

Artisan fair: The Fine Arts Museums host their Holiday Artisan Fair. Wares created by top local artisans are for sale. [9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park]

Bird walk: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy hosts a one-mile nature walk. Presidio bird life is the focus. [9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; meet at Crissy Field Center, 603 Mason St., in the Presidio; RSVP: (415) 561-4323]

Maritime Day: The fourth annual Maritime Day is celebrated with the making of a signal flag, a cargo ship and treasure chest at Family Past Times Program. [1 to 4 p.m., San Mateo History Museum, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City; $2-$4]

‘Crop Till You Drop’: Bring photos and scrapbooking materials to the mini workshop to benefit Child Care Services. [10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pacifica Community Center, 540 Crespi Drive, Pacifica; $25]

Sinfonietta Orchestra: Performs Haydn, Mozart, Massenet and Tchaikovsky; conducted by Dr. Camilla Kolchinsky. [7:30 p.m., Spangenberg Theatre, 780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto; $6-$12]

Funkgiving: Sila and The Afrofunk Experience have teamed up with the Second Harvest Food Bank for a food drive for Thanksgiving; plus Point of Order, DJ Jeremiah and The Afrobeat Nation. [8 p.m., Little Fox, 2209 Broadway, Redwood City; $14]

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’: The holiday classic, based on the Capra movie, is about common man George Bailey and his guardian angel, Clarence Oddbody. [8 p.m., Pacifica Spindrift Players, 1050 Crespi Drive, Pacifica; $15-$18]

‘Season’s Greetings’: Opening of Christmas celebration that degenerates into three days of slapstick holiday angst. [8 p.m., Broadway by the Bay, San Mateo Performing Arts Center, 600 N. Delaware St., San Mateo]

Model trains: “The Golden Gate Express” has opened at the Conservatory of Flowers. Model trains zip through a miniature San Francisco in this garden railway exhibit. [9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Golden Gate Park]

Italian films: New Italian Cinema Festival closes. The day’s lineup includes “Puccini and the Girl” and the Cannes Grand Prize-winning “Gomorrah.” [Noon to 11 p.m., Embarcadero Center Cinema, 1 Embarcadero Center]

Good deeds: The Unsung Heroes Awards Ceremony celebrates Carter G. Woodson, the father of African American History Month, this year. A reception follows. [1 to 4 p.m., Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St.]

Stand-up comedy: Comedian Damon Wayans performs a stand-up show. “My Wife and Kids” and “In Living Color” are among his credits. [7 p.m., Cobb’s Comedy Club, 915 Columbus Ave.]

Gypsy influences: The Laurel Ensemble performs works by Bartok and Brahms that were influenced by Gypsy traditions. [4 p.m., Old First Church, 1751 Sacramento St.]

Archaeology events: The Asian Art Museum’s AsiaAlive program presents “Digging Archaeology.” UC Berkeley archaeologists conduct the afternoon’s demonstrations and activities. [Noon to 4 p.m., 200 Larkin St.]

Tall ship Lady Washington: The last day in port for tours, demonstrations and sailing. [10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pillar Point Harbor, Princeton-by-the Sea]

Home for the Holidays: Fundraiser for Ralston Hall restorations, with buffet luncheon, boutique marketplace, designer holiday decorations and live entertainment. [1 to 4 p.m., Ralston Hall Mansion, 1500 Ralston Ave., Belmont; $20-$35]

Linda Mar Beach plantings: Help by pulling non-native, invasive plants at Linda Mar Beach. [10 a.m. to noon, meet in the Community Center parking lot at 540 Crespi Drive, Pacifica]

‘The Thundergods’ Gold’ and ‘House of the Fire Demon’: William Edwards’ two mysterious tales of adventure, danger and lost treasure for young adult readers will be launched at Café Doelger. [5 to 9 p.m., 101 Lake Merced Blvd., Daly City]

Storytime with Mark Reibstein: “Wabi Sabi” story of a small cat in Japan searching for the meaning of her unusual name, depicting the ancient Japanese art of finding harmony and beauty in imperfection; illustrated in collage by Ed Young. [11:30 a.m., Kepler’s bookstore, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]

Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society: Tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart and the Tardo Hammer Quartet perform. [3 p.m., 307 Mirada Road, Half Moon Bay; $30]

La Catrina String Quartet: The young Mexican quartet performs music of Mexican and Latin-American composers. [7 p.m. Kohl Mansion, 2750 Adeline Drive, Burlingame]

Stanford Symphonic Chorus, Peninsula Symphony Orchestra and Vivace Youth Chorus of San Jose: Feature Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Copland’s Quiet City and Holmes’ Amherst Requiem. [1:30 p.m., Memorial Church, 459 Serra Mall, Stanford; $10-$20]

California Youth Symphony: Featuring the CYS Young Artist Competition winner, pianist Dong June Kim, at San Mateo Performing Arts Center. [2:30 p.m., 650 N. Delaware St., San Mateo; $10-$30 at the door]

Orquesta Salsa Sura: Plays heart-pounding salsa. [4 to 8 p.m., Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, 390 Capistrano Road, Princeton-by-the-Sea]

Pacifica Poetry Festival: Popular Santa Cruz poet Bert Glick reads from his work; plus other poetry along with Tom Ekkens and the Green Tea Band at Pacifica Performances. [2 p.m., Sanchez Center, 1220 Linda Mar Blvd., Pacifica; $20]

‘Merry Art at Main’: Twenty-four local artists offer handcrafted and unique works including ceramics, photographs, mixed media, paintings, prints and sculpture; plus refreshments and chance to meet the artists at the reception. [4 to 7 p.m., Main Gallery, 1018 Main St., Redwood City]