Oscar Mayer’s Wiener Wagon might not be welcome in the (808) State, but San Francisco just loves its weiners, so y’all come back now, Mr. Oscar G. Mayer.
As seen recently on the 101, under the Sutro Tower (now with Digital – ahora mas que nunca!)
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A small crowd greeted Rev, Jessie Jackson this afternoon near San Francisco’s Federal Reserve Building at 101 Market Street.
“Restructure loans, don’t take our homes,” was the initial chant as Jessie and company walked up and down the sidewalk.
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His quiet voice commands attention, that’s how it goes at a Jessie Jackson rally.
And ever the experienced marcher, he’s using New Balance 293’s.
Sounds like a better use of money than bailing out GM…
He’s still out there right now, so check it out.
I’m thinking this is a 1965 (Chrysler) Imperial Crown - check it out as it makes an appearance on the 101 freeway. Now you’d probably prefer to drive a 1960 model or even a Chrysler 300 letter series, but this white whale will do in a pinch.
Crank up the oldies on the AM radio and change the station whenever they start talking about having to bail out Detroit. No matter, this aging rig will certainly get you more friends than Sinatra.
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Sic transit gloria Chrysler
See? It’s legal to ride your bike on this stretch of the 101, so long as you keep to the right.
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This fellow is waiting at a traffic signal between the lanes on an Interstate 101 offramp somewhere in San Mateo County.
The six foot high pennants are a nice touch. Don’t leave home without them, especially when lane-splitting on a recumbent trike.
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Vaya con Dios, jinete del triciclo.
Get it? Bug! Real Estate people drive around in Volkswagen Bugs. Isn’t that precious? When I was a kid, all we had to ogle at were pink Mary Kay cars.
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And even while driving down the Interstate at 55 per, they still have time to show doggies a little love.
Think about that the next time you mock a real estate broker or salesperson.
Welcome to the 415, but stay out of the west side. You should do fine.
Raconteur Andrzej Sochacki really gets around, but it just so happens he’s staying in our little burg tonight. Judging by the way he’s been hauling up the coast from Acapulco, Mexico on El 15D and more recently on The One and The 101 in his 15-year-old Land Cruiser, he’ll be in Oregon soon.
(Do you think this 1.5 decade-old Toyota is ready for the ash heap? It has more life in it than a brand new Chevrolet Trailblazer, believe it or not.)
He’s going the distance. What drives him so? Why does he journey around the world, around the world?
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Vay con Dios, André
It used to be quite the scene, apparently, on San Francisco’s Van Ness, where drivers heading to the Golden Gate Bridge could see umpty ump new car dealerships all the way up the street. But times have changed, and one of the last new car dealerships on the avenue, Ellis Brooks Chevrolet, is going, going, gone. So now there’s no place to buy a Chevrolet in town.
The Chevy sign is still shining on Van Ness. Click to expand:
Some of the Auto Row buildings are still around, but they’ve been repurposed. Like the Cadillac Building at 1000 Van Ness for instance. Can you imagine a time when one single dealership ocould have 260 employees? Let’s look back to 1964, via the Willie Brown biography from James Richardson:
“That day, pickets appeared in front of San Francisco’s posh Cadillac salesroom on Van Ness Avenue. Joining the pickets, Thomas Burbridge, the NAACP branch president, said they were protesting “the fact that out of some 260 employees San Francisco Cadillac hired only seven Negroes.” Eight police wagons were dispatched, but no arrests were made. Willie Brown and John Dearman showed up as well. They decided to take a stroll through the showroom and see what would happen. “Willie represented a lot of pimps, and they all drove Cadillacs,” Dearman remembered. “Willie and I walked out of the picket line and walked into the place. Willie was playing it really straight, just like he was really interested in buying a Cadillac, and the sales people were exceedingly helpful.”
These days, anyone trying to sell a car on Van Ness would be very happy for this kind of attention. Oh well.
Good-bye Auto Row.
Now, we’re not talking about temporarily closing down a freeway to cars on Father’s Day like they did in Pasadena a while back, to the horror of Rob Anderson.
And we’re not talking about an illegal bicycle romp in traffic the way the Crimanimalz do it on the 405.
We’re talking about you legally riding your bike on the right side of some of California’s 4000 miles of freeway.
Well, according to the California Department of Transportation, maker of melty orange and blue cupcakes, si, se puede! Yes, you can ride your bike on about 1000 miles of California freeway.
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For proof, check out this white sign in Marin County on the 101 South. You see? It says “BICYCLES MUST EXIT” so that means, assuming you didn’t ignore any ”Bicycles Prohibited” sign, it’s all good for you to be on this stretch of freeway. Q.E.D. Res Ipsa Loquitur.
Here’s the CalTrans version:
Of the more than 4,000 miles of freeways in California, about 1,000 miles are open to bicyclists. These open sections are usually in rural areas where there is no alternate route. California Vehicle Code Section 21960 says Caltrans and local agencies may prohibit bicyclists from traveling on freeways under their jurisdiction and that they must erect signs stating the prohibition. There are no signs permitting bicyclists on freeways. When a bicyclist is legally traveling on a freeway, he/she may be directed off the freeway at the next off-ramp by a sign that says “Bicycles Must Exit.” The freeway will be posted at the next on-ramp with a sign that says “Bicycles Prohibited.”
And here’s the Vehicle Code:
21960. (a) The Department of Transportation and local authorities,
by order, ordinance, or resolution, with respect to freeways,
expressways, or designated portions thereof under their respective
jurisdictions, to which vehicle access is completely or partially
controlled, may prohibit or restrict the use of the freeways,
expressways, or any portion thereof by pedestrians, bicycles or other
nonmotorized traffic or by any person operating a motor-driven
cycle, motorized bicycle, or motorized scooter. A prohibition or
restriction pertaining to bicycles, motor-driven cycles, or motorized
scooters shall be deemed to include motorized bicycles; and no
person may operate a motorized bicycle wherever that prohibition or
restriction is in force. Notwithstanding any provisions of any
order, ordinance, or resolution to the contrary, the driver or
passengers of a disabled vehicle stopped on a freeway or expressway
may walk to the nearest exit, in either direction, on that side of
the freeway or expressway upon which the vehicle is disabled, from
which telephone or motor vehicle repair services are available.
(b) The prohibitory regulation authorized by subdivision (a) shall
be effective when appropriate signs giving notice thereof are
erected upon any freeway or expressway and the approaches thereto.
If any portion of a county freeway or expressway is contained within
the limits of a city within the county, the county may erect signs on
that portion as required under this subdivision if the ordinance has
been approved by the city pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section
1730 of the Streets and Highways Code.
(c) No ordinance or resolution of local authorities shall apply to
any state highway until the proposed ordinance or resolution has
been presented to, and approved in writing by, the Department of
Transportation.
(d) An ordinance or resolution adopted under this section on or
after January 1, 2005, to prohibit pedestrian access to a county
freeway or expressway shall not be effective unless it is supported
by a finding by the local authority that the freeway or expressway
does not have pedestrian facilities and pedestrian use would pose a
safety risk to the pedestrian.
See you out there. Stay safe!
Apparently, the freeways of California are open to scooters, if they’re the right kind. Like this Suzuki Burgman for instance, seen on the 101 heading north in Marin County.
Read all about these fast scooters here (and discover the set up for the Chronicle’s off-colour moped joke here). Maybe this is your new set of wheels?
