July 3rd, 2009
When they tell you “Fog could shroud S.F. fireworks“ up in Fishermans Wharf at 9:30 PM on the Fourth of July 2009, what they really mean is Fog WILL shroud S.F. fireworks, barring some Act of God, or Gaia, or Whomever.
Sometimes the weather is good, sometimes not. This year, not.
Check it out from 2008. Click to expand:
Eliya via Flickr
This is by no means the worst case scenario. So when they talk about special low-level fireworks and let’s cross our fingers, they’re spinning. And spinning is just the polite term for lying. So, what do you do? Head on over to the Mission District, where they’ll have oodles of Yelp-rated, illegal, illicit, MUY PRO HI BI D ADO (now I say that in Spanish because that’s how exotic and not allowed it is) fireworks, fog-free, for free. Just check out this screen saver album from 2007.
Of course, you can always go with the flow and follow the madding crowd northward into la niebla, le brouillard. And who knows, maybe it will be clear the way it was in 2007. Thusly:
This is the view you had from Crissy Field on 7-4-2007 – those lights at the bottom have something to do with Fishermans Wharf.
But dude, don’t drive up there. Even if they didn’t block off the streets and you already had a parking space waiting for you, you’d still have to drive out of there in a traffic jam when the show’s over at 10:00 PM. Of course, you could always hang out at all the places that will be open up in the Wharf after the show, but maybe you’d be better off driving into the City with your bikes in tow and parking South of the 101 near the Giants’ AT&T Park. Then you could ride up the flat, flat Embarcadero (on the sidewalk – it’s legal) back and forth.
Can you dig the colors, man?
But if that doesn’t pan out, you could follow the cable cars on Hyde (that’s the one north-south street they don’t block off, in my experience) and drop off the brood. Whatever you do, stay off of Van Ness. Or you could BART it to the Embarcadero Station and then hoof it up to Pier 39. But forget about MUNI, ’cause walking would be faster.
And most likely it will be foggy anyway, you’ve been warned.
Dress warm. Panthers out.
Fourth of July Waterfront Celebration
Saturday, July 4, 2009
1:00 PM to 9:30 PM
“PIER 39 invites you to enjoy a fun-filled Independence Day celebration. Rock out with ‘Take 2′ from 1-4pm followed by San Francisco’s favorite 80’s cover band, ‘Tainted Love’ from 6-9:30pm. Immediately after the entertainment look to the sky as the City of San Francisco lights up the night with it’s Firework’s Spectacular, accompanied by a musical simulcast from KISS FM 98.1. PIER 39 has the best viewing area on the bay! In addition, 39 of PIER 39’s businesses will remain open after the fireworks so that guests can miss the traffic, enjoy the PIER, have a drink, get a bite to eat, and shop. Click here for the list of locations open after the fireworks. Sponsored by Crystal Geyser ALPINE SPRING WATER, DeLoach Vineyards, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, The San Francisco Examiner, Tawain Tourism and Asus.”
Tags: (BART), 2007, 2008, 2009, 511, aquatic park, at&t park, ave, avenue, bay area, bicycles, bike, blanket, bus, cable cars, clouds, coit tower, Crissy Field, district, film, fire works, fired up, firework, fireworks, fishermans, fishermans wharf, fishermen's wharf, fog, forecast, fort mason, forth, foruth of july, fourth, ft. mason, herb caen, hyde, illegal, Jefferson, july, marin, marina green, mission, movie, Muni, Municipal Pier, of july, oppier 39, pacific heights, park, parking, photographs, photos, presidio. telegraph hill, priohibidado, prohibidado, prohibited, russian hill, San Francisco, SFPD, street, transit, van ness, walking, way, weather, wharf, youtube
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July 2nd, 2009
This was the scene today on Van Ness, where these bikini-clad PETA protesters sat in a tub of red water. Why’s that? Something to do with chickens – read about it below.
¡Yo quiero mi garda!Chasque para ampliarse:
The mise-en-scene:
A passer by checks things out:
PETA rep Jena Hunt talking with Sebastian “cBas” Kunz from ClearChannel 910 KNEW / Green 960:
Two PETA members in red bikinis will be crammed together in a tank of “bloody” water with the message “McDonald’s Scalds Chicks to Death” to protest the abuse that chickens suffer in slaughterhouses that supply the fast-food chain.
Why is PETA going after the Golden Arches? McDonald’s currently allows its U.S. chicken suppliers to use a slaughter method that causes many birds to endure broken bones and other abuses. Birds have their throats cut while they are still conscious and are often scalded to death in tanks of hot water. PETA has urged McDonald’s to require its suppliers to adopt an improved slaughter method called “controlled-atmosphere killing” (CAK), which eliminates some of the worst abuses that birds suffer. In 2005, McDonald’s produced a report concluding that CAK offers significant animal welfare benefits over the conventional slaughter method, but the company has not required any of its U.S. suppliers to switch to it.
“McDonald’s has refused to lift a finger to stop its American suppliers from scalding chickens to death and abusing them in other hideous ways,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “McDonald’s customers across the country are now saying, ‘I’m hatin’ it,’ every time they spot the Golden Arches.”
To learn more about the campaign and to watch PETA’s McCruelty video, please visit PETA’s Web site McCruelty.com.
And There You Have It.
Tags: 600 van ness, 910 am, 960, Animals, Big Mac, bikini, blood, cBas, Chicken McNuggets, chickens, chicks, chihuahua, civic center, cruelty, cruelty to animals, dead, dog, fast food, French fries, Golden Arches, hamburgers, Happy Meals, Jena Hunt, knew, McCruelty, McDonalds, people for the ethical treatment of animals, Peta, plastic, protest, Ray Kroc, red, Ronald McDonald, San Francisco, Sebastian Kunz, street, tenderloin, tub, van ness, water
Posted in protests | No Comments »
July 2nd, 2009
Boy, it was touch and go for a few years there, but news comes today that our beloved NIMBYs have managed to preserve the Great Northern Parking Lot of San Francisco.
See it? 700 spaces, free of charge. It’s historic, you know. When the U.S. Army wasn’t out there killing a million or so Filipinos it managed to create the GNPLoSF. Therefore, these parking spaces are sacrosanct:
Now that that pesky modern art has been gotten rid of, a question remains over what to do with the upper end of the Main Post. You know the Burger King corporation had an outlet that served as an Army Mess on the Presidio for so many years, it would be only fitting to give it the right of first refusal to get a chance to replace the famous itty bitty bowling alley that’s up there now.
An artist’s conception, avec just one installation of evil modern art thrown in to see if the NIMBYs can tolerate it.
You see, that old, historic Presidio BK was a place “where a simple guy serving his country could get an inexpensive meal with a stunning view.” Wouldn’t it be nice to honor those memories with the biggest Burger King in the world? Put it right where the museum was supposed to go.
Either that, or a Jollibee. Your choice.
Tags: 2009, 22, 22nd, 6:30, 7th, analysis, Anthony, april, april 22, april 22nd, art, association, Bechtle, benz, Berkeley, bmw, board, california, camp, contemporary, contemporary art museum of the presidio, contemporary art museum presidio, cow hollow, Craig Middleton, Crissy Field, Curtis F. Feeny, Curtis Feeny, David Bancroft, David Grubb, David R. Grubb, directors, don, don fisher, doris, doyle drive, dyads, eir, eis, environmental, Executive Director, Family, Film Society, fisher, gap, Golden Gate Bridge, heights, hotel, impact, J. Michael Shepherd, landmark, lodge, Lori Brook, Main Post, marina, Mercedes, Michael Shepherd, military, modern-art museum, museum, nancy, Nancy Conner, Nancy Hellman, Nancy Hellman Bechtle, National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation, nimbies, nimby, pacific, palace of fine arts, PM, porsche, presidio, Presidio Historical Association, report, Robert Burke, San Francisco, T. Robert Burke, texan, the gap, theater, theatre, tony, transportation, trust, Veerkamp, walking tour, William Wilson, workshop
Posted in museums | No Comments »
July 1st, 2009
Here’s what Twin Peaks looks like after the intentional act of arson over the weekend:
Click to expand.
This is what it looks like a little higher up from the Twin Peaks Overlook:
It seems like a pink Hindenburg crashed:
And the remaining balloons look like the start of a Christo art exhibit
Anyway, it looks like a few road flares could have done the damage, which amounts to about 150 square feet or so of charring.
Oh well.
Tags: $28, 2009, 27, accelerant, accelerants, arson, christmas tree, fire, flares, Gay, giant, june, morning, night, parade, pink, plastic, pride, road, San Francisco, triangle, twin peaks, weekend
Posted in crime | No Comments »
June 30th, 2009
This yuppie got delayed up a bit during his evening drive through the “Theatre District” and the Flank on his way back to San Mateo County the other day. He looked a little peeved due to the pedestrian on the left smashing her fist onto the hood of his Volvo. It was quite the scene.
Click to expand:
Note the undercover cop avec bicycle and camcorder at the ready.
Tags: 6th, attacked, car, cop, crime, fist, flank, golden gate, hood, market, pedestrian, San Francisco, SFPD, sixth, street, tenderloin, theatre, theatre district, undercover, volvo, yuppie
Posted in streets | No Comments »
June 29th, 2009
Once a month, like clockwork, you’ll see the folks from Iraq Moratorium at the corner of Fell and Masonic, doing their part to help you “THINK PEACE.”
This hula hoop is new though:
Click to expand
See them every third Friday of the month.
Tags: corner, evening, hula hoop, intersection, iraq, iraq moratorium, peace, protest, rish hour, signs, think, war
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June 29th, 2009
The Western Addition, contrary to what Wikipedia would have you believe, used to encompass all of San Francisco west of Larkin Street. You’ll find the term “WESTERN ADDITION” in the property records of all sorts of high rent San Francisco real estate. But smaller enclaves have been carved out over the years, most recently with the North of Panhandle Area. This process is now complete, so the shrinking Western A has shrunk again.
And here’s the proof. First note the Underwood typewriter and then take it from there. These hipsters are moving out, but they’ll be replaced.
As seen on the eastern side of Divisidero:
Click to expand.
Hang in there, Western Addition. Those real estate agents will stop subdividing you, eventually.
Tags: 5 five, agents, area, brolers, district, garage, golden gate park, hipster, larkin, neighborhoods, NOPA, north of pandhandle, north of panhandle, pacific heights, panhandle, real estate, sale, San Francisco, typewriter, underwood, western addition
Posted in streets | 1 Comment »
June 27th, 2009
San Francisco proper has 30 numbered streets, but only one has the gumption, the temerity, the will to make it across Market Street AND to keep on trucking up and over the nearest ridge, hilly geography be damned.
That makes 17th the King of All Numbered Streets in San Francisco.
Click to expand:
Ahora mas que nunca, 17th es el rey de todas las calles numeradas.
Tags: 17th, 17th street, all, castro, district, flag, freedom, Gay, hilly, king, market, mission, numbered, pride, rainbow, San Francisco, seventeenth, street, weekend
Posted in streets | 1 Comment »
June 27th, 2009
See? It’s legal to ride your bike on this stretch of the 101, so long as you keep to the right.
Click to expand:
Details here.
Tags: 101, 21960, bicycle, bike, california, CalTrans, cvc, cyclists, department, freeway, illegal, legal, must exit, prohibited, ride, San Francisco, San Mateo, transportation, Vehicle Code
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June 26th, 2009
It’s Tut! It’s dazzling! As you know by now, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs is opening tomorrow at the de Young Museum.
This is King Tut’s royal headband. His mummified head wore it for over 3000 years, but now it’s available for you to view in Golden Gate Park.
Click to expand - go ahead, they won’t bite:
Inlaid Diadem with Vulture and Cobra. Gold, glass, obsidian, carnelian, malachite, chalcedony, lapis lazuli. Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun (1332–1323 B.C.). Thebes, Valley of the Kings, tomb of Tutankhamun
Tags: 2009, 2010, california, carnelian, catalogue, chalcedony, cobra, de Young, Diadem, discount, famsf, Gavin, glass, gold, Golden Age, Golden Age of the Pharaohs, golden gate park, hotel, king, Lapis-Lazuli, malachite, museum, Newsom, obsidian, Pharaohs, sale, San Francisco, selket, serket, sneak peek, ticketmaster, tickets, treasures, tut, Tutankhamun, vulture, Zahi Hawass
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
