Minimalista Mama
Only what you need for your baby. Really. (OK – and some fantastic things you don’t that are pretty cool.)
San Francisco: Seesaw Update
I wrote about Seesaw’s great little cafe and play space a few weeks ago – we’ve LOVED having a place to go with Astrid where we could get great coffee and she could hang out with new toys and kids – but I have to revise my endorsement: they’ve closed the cafe.
I spoke with the owner this morning and, while promoting their classes (which we haven’t tried), she broke the bad news that the cafe wasn’t making enough money for them to keep it open. Perhaps if the cafe had been open more than just their inconsistent weekend hours it would have been more successful, but who knows? It’s a tough market out there right now. As with Recess‘ move over to a monthly subscription model (from their drop-in one) it’s a shame to see another we’re-here-when-you-need-us resource go away in favor of scheduled activities and pricey commitments, but there it is. Seesaw is now a private studio space only.
I’m really sad. It was lovely to have a sunny weekend destination that was welcoming to kids, especially in my old neighborhood of Hayes Valley where most of their great places to eat and shop are overrun by hipsters on the weekends.
I’ll keep you posted if I find someplace similar! And if you’ve been to their classes or workshops and have an opinion, please post a note.
2 comments on “San Francisco: Seesaw Update”
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Minimalista Mama 
Seesaw is still amazing. It has been fantastic to be a neighborhood Hayes Valley mom and to watch seesaw evolve into a working studio with wonderful classes and a rentable studio for parties.
My children take 3 of seesaw’s classes. They take Dr. Suj’s Be Friends class, a martial arts class, called Kuk Sool and a French Art Class. All these classes are taught by top notch, superior instructors who thoughtfully and creatively engage the children.
I am a huge fan of Sabrina, Dr Suj, the owner of Seesaw. While maintaining her business, she remains community focused, she gives scholarships to families and she creates times for counseling families. Seesaw is a huge reason, why I and my children love Hayes valley.
Thanks, Micheline! It’s great to get an inside opinion on the classes:) We’ve been holding off on signing up for any of them until Astrid’s nap schedule moves out a bit so we can get to morning commitments regularly, plus some of the ones I’d like to try are for kids a little older than she is now. I’ve had my eye on the art class you mentioned for a while now – we’ll have to give it a go.
I’m just generally disappointed that these great start-ups like Seesaw and Recess can’t maintain open drop-in time. I know it must be a stretch financially + hard to manage, but for mamas of very little ones, they’re a godsend. Maybe I should start one of my own in our living room!!
(I’m a big fan of Hayes Valley too btw – I lived over there for a few years before moving to Potrero. I’m delighted to see how beautifully things have grown over there and still miss the walkability and neighborhood even though we have a bit more sun where we are now and it’s often hard to get into some of the new restaurants. Stopping by the new cheese shop is next on my list!)