For some, the NBA finals are like Christmas and Coachella rolled into one. Others are oblivious until a sea of sports jerseys and toxic masculinity pack their neighborhood bars past capacity. Either way, it’s hard not to get swept up in the comradery that comes with rooting for one’s hometown team (made bittersweet when that team will soon be moving to the richer hometown next door). So if you’re already mourning the end of the drunken, rowdy chaos, it helps to remember that there are bigger bandwagons to jump on in the Bay than Warriors fandom. Life will go on.

1) Food, not in the form of a happy hour, game-day appetizer special

I Tried the Future of Fake Meat, and It’s Salty

“Trapped in our Oaklandivore bubble, it’s hard to remember that everyone on earth isn’t as obsessed with artisanal food culture like we are here. For Impossible Burger to do the impossible, you’ve got to imagine people all over the US going to the supermarket to grab a pound as casually as they’d buy ground beef.” Read more…

2) Art, not in the form of a blue-and-gold foam finger

An Encounter at an Art Gallery with Other People’s Terrible Children

“Then, like a patchouli tornado, a tribe of hippies appeared out of nowhere and descended on the snack table. I saw the alpha hippie tip a bowl of Doritos right into his mouth and then drink a cup of ranch dressing. Also, they had a kid in a poncho with them who was running around, touching the art. This was San Francisco, so everyone ignored the raiding party.” Read more…

3) Stress release, not in the form of pricey stadium beer

How My Brief Encounter with Marijuana Is Still Helping My Anxiety, Years Later

“Up until this point, I had refused to try marijuana because I thought that it would make me a bad person. I figured that I would lose some pure, good part of myself. Losing your weed virginity: it’s something you can never take back. I smiled while telling my friends that I had never had even one hit, like it was some oddity meant to be praised.” Read more…