Posts Tagged ‘15’
Monday, August 17th, 2009
You knew that something big was going in Japantown when you saw this big sign go up last week – lots of people worked late into the night to make sure Saturday’s opening of the glassy “NEW PEOPLE” centre went off without a hitch.
Putting the finishing touches on the second-floor carousel at 9:00 PM. Click to expand:
And here’s the result Saturday morning, via the ubiquitous Steve Rhodes, who, like Visa, is Everywhere You Want To Be:
And, bonus, J-Town hosted a J-POP Summit to celebrate the building’s opening. Hello Kitty, Harajuku Girls, etc. in the house:
Post Street, as witnessed by Elanine A.
Read all about Saturday’s festivities here, via Robert Selna and here, where you can see tofu connoisseur and Supervisor Ross “The Boss” Mirkarimi helping to kick things off.
Excelsior! Good Luck NEW PEOPLE BUILDING!
Tags: 15, 15th, 1746, 1746 post, 2009, august, Buchanan, building, center, district 5, fillmore, glass, grand, j-pop, j-town, japan, Japanese, jpop, jtown, Mirkarimi, new, new people, opening, post, ross, ross mirkarimi, San Francisco, street, summit, Supervisor, webster
Posted in events | Comments Off
Monday, August 17th, 2009
Get up to speed on professional volleyball’s recent four-day visit to San Francisco right here. And read on to see what it was like yesterday during the Finals.
Pro beach volleyball with gold medal Olympians under the golden Sun - what better use could you have for the old Piers of San Francisco? Click to expand:
Let’s pass by the sponsor’s tent to see the rainbow of Crocs shoes…
…and here’s the mise en scene at Centre Court in the mini-stadium. This is a pretty good transformation of Piers 30-32. You don’t get the total SoCal experience as you might in counties Los Angeles, Orange (yes, The O.C.) 0r Fun Diego, but it isn’t bad at all:
First the Women’s Final. (Results here and better photos here.) Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs took on Jen Kessy and April Ross. See how high above the net they can get?
You don’t know where the spike is going to go. Will the ball go to the left or the right…
…or just slam right through your arms? (NB: KGC stands for Kentucky Grilled Chicken)
And on to the Men’s Final, with John Hyden and Sean Scott taking on recent gold medalists Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser. Here’s Phil the Thrillhissself:
These fellows are a little tall. See? Todd Rogers injured finger didn’t seem to slow him down too much:
And here’s the “Beast of Beijing” flying along above the sand:
Guess who won?
Joe Gallo presenting the giant check. Barefoot Wines is owned by Gallo? Did not know that.
So there you have it – an accessible, world-class sporting event that doesn’t cost and arm and a leg, right here in our little town. That’s the AVP San Francisco Open.
See you next year!
Tags: 13, 13-16, 14, 14-16, 15, 16, 2008, 30, 30/32, 32, April Ross, august, avp, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, AVPNext AVP, Barefoot Wine, bay bridge, beach, beijing, california, Championship, crocs, cup, Elaine Youngs, gold, Jen Kessy, John Hyden, Kerri Walsh, medal, misty may, Next, Nicole Branagh, Olympics, Phil Dalhausser, pier, piers, pro, san francisco south of market, Santa Clara, Sean Scott, shoes, soma, Sponsors, sports, stanford, Todd Rogers, tour, volleyball, volunteers
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Sunday, August 16th, 2009
See? The dancers of Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu made a big stir in San Francisco yesterday with Hit & Run Hula. Read all about their peregrinations via Leanne’s report at SFist.com.
In front of the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Click to expand:
And then poof, they’re gone almost before you know it. But they came back to pose for a group shot:
All and all, quite a successful execution of Hit and Run Hula.
Hit & Run Hula
Saturday, August 15
Will you be there when dozens of hula dancers ambush a San Francisco hot spot and break into dance?Visit the Hit & Run Hula Event Page for more information!
This ONSITE performance is generously supported by: Grants for the Arts, Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, San Francisco Foundation and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.
10:00am – Ferry Building (south end)
10:45am – Pier 39
11:30am – Union Square Plaza. Follow us around for more performances in the area.
Podcast: Download the Hawaiian chant translation and play it while you watch the performance. Get mp3
2:15pm – Dolores Park
2:45pm – Castro (Market & 17th Street)
3:30pm – Academy of Sciences
4:30pm – Ocean Beach. Join us for a picnic!
And here are some future performances:
Saturday, September 19
Nā Mamo No’eau Presents:
Wehiwa – Choice
Time: 8pm
Price: $35
Location: Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center, San Ramon, CA
Info: San Ramon Performing Arts
Sunday, September 27
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
(Rescheduled Performance)
Time: 1-2:30pm
Price: Free!
Location: Yerba Buena Gardens,
San Francisco, CA
Info: Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
Saturday, October 17 – 8pm
Sunday, October 18 – 2pm
Director/Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne & Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu present:
Hawaiian Music Legend – Jerry Santos
Price: $35/$40 Reserved
Tickets on sale Wed, 7/22
Location: Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, San Francisco, CA
Info: CityBoxOffice.com / Tickets.com
Tags: 15, 15th, 2009, academy sciences, august, bus, california, Dance, golden gate park, Grants for the Arts, guerilla, hawaii, hawaiian, hit, hit & run, hit and run hula, hula hulu, hulu, I Ka Wēkiu, i., Ka, lei, luau, music concourse, Na, Nā Lei Hulu, Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu, ocean beach, Phyllis C. Wattis, Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, Phyllis Wattis, run, San Francisco, San Francisco Foundation, Wekiu, William, William & Flora Hewlett, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
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Saturday, August 15th, 2009
A kind of black celebration was held in Golden Gate Park this afternoon to mark the end of the MUNI’s San Francisco CultureBus.
See the death throes of CB via Steve Rhodes, Whole Wheat Toast, Plug1, Octoferret, MattyMatt, SftaJan, AgentAkit, and Jamison
Who showed up? Transit fans and local online royalty. Click to expand:
This 74-X couldn’t leave without baffling its last pair of tourists. They didn’t get on. Surprised?
All that was left was the filled-in pole hole that used to mark the CB bus stop:
Yes, the 74X is terminal. It’s dead, Jim
Here’s one last glimpse through the famous see-through bus:
Perhaps these brand new buses and their friendly drivers will soon be put to better use, just in time for the possible BART strike.
We Can Only Hope.
Tags: (BART), 15, 15th, 2008, 2009, 500, 74, 74x, august, bus, cal academy, calacademy, california, California Academy of Sciences, celebration, culture, culture bus, cultureBus, de Young, dead, failure, final, finished, gavin newsom, Governor, king, last, mta, Muni, municipal transit agency, museum, museums, nat ford, party, PM, race, San Francisco, SFMTA, strike, tep, tourists, transit effectiveness project, tut
Posted in transit | 2 Comments »
Saturday, August 15th, 2009
Read all about the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball competition in San Francisco right here. And, bonus, watch it live right now, right here(assuming you can handle a little Microsoft SilverLight software, that is.)
And you can also see some action on Comcast cable TV (somehow, not sure which channel) starting at 2:00 PM Sunday.
New mom Kerri Walsh wins a point in a close match yesterday. Click to expand:
See? The first game went into overtime:
No 90-pound weaklings here. Beefcake, Beefcake, BEEFCAKE!
Lucky fans can find a giant key in the sand to win, win, win! I think this was for a luxury stay at a Hyatt:
And the Marines are recruiting, using their giant red Hummer.
See you there!
Tags: 13, 13-16, 14, 14-16, 15, 16, 2008, 30, 30/32, 32, Ashley Ivy, august, avp, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, AVPNext AVP, Barefoot Wine, bay bridge, beach, beijing, bud light, california, Championship, Colin Kaslow, Colleen Hunter, crocs, cup, gold, Kerri Walsh, marines, Matt Fuerbringer, medal, Meghan House, misty may, Next, Nicole Branagh, Olympics, Phil Dalhausser, pier, piers, pro, Recruiting, san francisco south of market, Santa Clara, shoes, silverlight, soma, Sponsors, sports, stanford, Tim Wooliver, Todd Rogers, tour, volleyball, volunteers
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Saturday, August 15th, 2009
Today will see the last run of the San Francisco CultureBus (or “Culture Bus,” some people call it that). Yes, they’re “taking Old Yeller out back to shoot it and put it out of its misery.” But once you have a carcass, you need to find someone to take the blame for the FAIL. So, around whose neck should this screaming yellow albatross go?
The answer in MUNI chief Nat Ford. But not for the reason you might think.
“Is it he?” quoth one, “Is this the man?”
by him who died on cross,
With his cruel bow he laid full low
The harmless CultureBus.
Nat Ford is the Ancient Mariner:
Watchet, Somerset, England. Via Adrian Pingstone
Is the source of the idea of the CultureBus documented anywhere? Not that I’m aware of. Obviously, the whole program was highly redolent of the New York City “Culture Bus” that ran from 1973 to 1982, but who had the idea to revive CB here in San Francisco? Perhaps it doesn’t really matter.
Whether or not the CultureBus concept was forced upon MUNI, doesn’t MUNI have the right and obligation to tinker with the idea? Did MUNI do anything to alter the CultureBus program once it became obvious (I’d peg it at early October 2008) that the daily ridership was turning out to be extremely low? I mean something other than spewing the stereotypical platitudes you’d expect them to spew?
Here’s what MUNI did – it cut back service 66% in January and raised prices 43% in July. That’s it. Just how airtight were these unseen agreements made amongst the stakeholders? Nothing could be done? Srsly?
(So, it’s like the Great Helmsman, the Dear Leader appoints you manage the Yangtse River Watershed and then tells you to kill every damned songbird within a 500 mile radius - how would you respond? Here’s what you’d do, you’re a team player right? You’d execute the plan and then wait for millions to die, powerless to alter Fate. And then you’d say boy, that Great Leap Forward, boy, it just didn’t work out.)
Wouldn’t it have been interesting to try something different? Lower the price to $1.50 for the sole purpose of actually moving people about the City in light of the circumstances? Or just trying anything except the same old same old, month after month?
Oh well.
So there’s your albatross, Nat.
But that’s why you get paid the big bucks.
And as for you CultureBus, your pain is over, boy. Soon the Twitter birds will descend to lift you to Heaven.
Sleep! It is a gentle thing:
(In Elysium, there’ll be plenty of diesel and you’ll always be full of happy passengers.)
Good night, sweet CultureBus.
Tags: 15, 15th, 2008, 2009, 500, 74, 74x, august, bus, cal academy, calacademy, california, California Academy of Sciences, culture, culture bus, cultureBus, de Young, failure, final, gavin newsom, Governor, king, last, mta, Muni, municipal transit agency, museum, museums, nat ford, PM, race, San Francisco, SFMTA, tep, tourists, transit effectiveness project, tut
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Friday, August 14th, 2009
Well, construction is all finished at Piers 30-32 so the AVP Crocs Tour San Francisco Open is on today, tomorrow and the next. Read the press release below.
Competition in the Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup yesterday. The finals on Sunday will be in the temporary stadium.
Hunter/House and Kaslow/Wooliver Win Inagural Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup and Break into Main Draw of AVP Crocs Tour San Francisco Open presented by Barefoot Wine
Main Draw play begins 8 a.m. FRIDAY
SAN FRANCISCO (August 13, 2009) – Two beach volleyball teams have earned their shot at professional beach volleyball stardom Thursday at the inaugural Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup. Colleen Hunter and Meghan House (St. Louis), and Colin Kaslow and Tim Wooliver (Austin) have played into the Main Draw of the AVP Crocs Tour San Francisco Open presented by Barefoot Wine, professional beach volleyball’s only stop in the Bay Area.
The Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup featured the best players from sixteen volleyball leagues around the nation, each of whom qualified to play in San Francisco in the hopes of getting their chance to make it into the main event, the AVP Crocs Tour San Francisco Open presented by Barefoot Wine.
On the women’s side, Hunter and House defeated New York’s Dana Fiume and Ginger Schuster 18-21, 21-17, 16-14 to take home the first-ever women’s Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup title.
“We’re in shock,” House said. “As soon as the ball hit that net, we just started bawling.”
Hunter and House, now seeded 24th in the Main Draw, will take on ninth-seeded Angie Akers and Tyra Turner at 8 a.m. on Friday.
On the men’s side, Kaslow and Wooliver defeated St. Louis’ Phil Goedecker and Wayne Scott 13-21, 25-23, 15-10 in the final.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Wooliver said. “That’s why we play, to eventually make it to the AVP.”
Kaslow and Wooliver, also now seeded 24th, will attempt to upset ninth-seeded Billy Allen and Braidy Halverson.
Friday marks the start of Main Draw action at the AVP Crocs Tour San Francisco Open presented by Barefoot wine. Athletes set to play include Santa Clara native, Stanford graduate and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh and 2008 gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, as well as Beijing Olympian and Orinda native Nicole Branagh. Stanford graduates Matt Fuerbringer and Ashley Ivy will also take to the sand Friday.
The AVP Crocs Tour San Francisco Open presented by Bud Light continues Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Piers 30/32 in San Francisco. Sunday’s men’s and women’s finals will be broadcast live on Comcast Sports Net Bay Area, starting at 2 p.m. PDT.
Tickets are available at www.avp.com, www.sfgiants.com or at the onsite box office.
Along the piers they have more tents set up than you would find at a typical Quidditch World Cup. They were handing out free Barefoot Wine yesterday:
See you there!
Tags: 13, 13-16, 14, 14-16, 15, 16, 2008, 30, 30/32, 32, Ashley Ivy, august, avp, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, AVPNext AVP, Barefoot Wine, bay bridge, beach, beijing, bud light, california, Championship, Colin Kaslow, Colleen Hunter, crocs, cup, gold, Kerri Walsh, Matt Fuerbringer, medal, Meghan House, misty may, Next, Nicole Branagh, Olympics, Phil Dalhausser, pier, piers, pro, san francisco south of market, Santa Clara, shoes, soma, Sponsors, sports, stanford, Tim Wooliver, Todd Rogers, tour, volleyball, volunteers
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Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
Bay Area native Kerri Walsh is scheduled to appear in the 2009 AVP Crocs Tour San Francisco. It’s this weekend in the SoMA, on Piers 30 & 32.
Get your tickets now. Deets and photos below.
AVP CROCS TOUR SAN FRANCISCO OPEN TO TAKE PLACE AUGUST 13-16 AT PIERS 30/32
Professional beach volleyball’s only stop in the Bay Area to feature return of two-time gold medalist , Santa Clara native and Stanford grad
WHAT: AVP Crocs Tour San Francisco Open, professional beach volleyball’s only stop in the San Francisco Area, features world-class beach volleyball on the shores of the Bay. High-level athletic competition combines with a beach party atmosphere to make the tournament a perfect summer event.
WHO: Two-time Olympic gold medalist, Santa Clara native and Stanford graduate Kerri Walsh, fellow Beijing Olympian and Orinda native Nicole Branagh, 2008 Olympic gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, AVP Crocs Tour stars and Stanford graduates Matt Fuerbringer and Ashley Ivy.
WHEN: This weekend – August 13-16, 2009
WHERE: Piers 30/32, San Francisco, CA
TICKETS: Please visit www.avp.com or www.sfgiants.com for tickets. Tickets are also available at the onsite box office throughout the tournament.
From this, as seen on Monday…
…to this, as it looked last year:
Click to expand
And are they still looking for volunteers?
“To ensure a successful event, we are looking for volunteers to assist as ball shaggers, score keepers, ticket takers, hospitality assistants and more. To volunteer in San Francisco, please click here.”
Or if you just want to check things out, try it for free this Thursday:
Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup
Gates open when play begins at 8:00 AM – Free Admission
Start time 8:00 AM. End Time (Approx) 6:00 PM.
See you there!
Tags: 13, 13-16, 14, 14-16, 15, 16, 2008, 30, 30/32, 32, august, avp, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, AVPNext AVP, Barefoot Wine, bay bridge, beach, beijing, california, Championship, crocs, cup, gold, Kerri Walsh, medal, misty may, Next, Olympics, Phil Dalhausser, pier, piers, pro, San Francisco, san francisco south of market, Santa Clara, shoes, soma, south of market, Sponsors, sports, stanford, Todd Rogers, tour, volleyball, volunteers
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Saturday, July 18th, 2009
You’d think having 21 windows on your ancient, 1960′s-era VW T1 Type 2 Transporter would put you ahead in the windows race, but you’d be wrong.
As seen in wealthy Sea Cliff, the home (or former home) of Robin Williams, actress Sharon Stone, actor Cheech Marin, screenwriter Monica Cliff, real estate/casino tycoon Luke Brugnara, and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett.
Click to expand.
You need to add in two rear corner windows like this in order to get a 23 window model. Here below is the King of All VW buses. It won’t get you up the Waldo Grade in a hurry, but it will get you there, with or without green and blue bear dogs.
via VWBuses
The Richers of Sea Cliff Missed It By That Much.
Among American enthusiasts, it is common to refer to the different models by the number of their windows. The basic Kombi or Bus is the 11-window (a.k.a. 3-window bus because of three side windows) with a split windshield, two front cabin door windows, six rear side windows, and one rear window. The deluxe model featured eight rear side windows and two rear corner windows, making it the 15-window (not available in Europe). Meanwhile, the sunroof deluxe with its additional eight small skylight windows is, accordingly, the 23-window. From the 1963 model year, with its wider rear door, the rear corner windows were discontinued, making the latter two the 13-window and 21-window respectively. The 23 and later 21 window variants are usually described as Sambas.
Tags: 15, 1960s, 21, 23, 317 zqp, 317zqp, bus, california, canvas, district, el camino real, groovy, hippies, hippy, hippys, microbus, red, richmond, samba, sambas, San Francisco, sea cliff, seacliff, sunroof, t1, transporter, type 2, type ii, volkswagen, VW, white, Window, windows
Posted in cars | 1 Comment »
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
This was the scene yesterday on the steps of San Francisco City Hall yesterday. What did people make of this Assemblymember Dave Jones for State Insurance Commissioner rally? Read on.
A friendly knuckle knock (“or a fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab?“) from Supervisor Chris Daly amuses both Dave Jones and Julian Davis. Click to expand:
Luke Thomas interrogates Candidate Jones as Aaron Peskin and the Chronicle’s Marisa Lagos listen in:
First of all, who showed up? San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, Supervisors Chris Daly, Ross Mirkarimi, John Avalos, David Campos, and Eric Mar, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, Assessor Phil Ting, Board of Education President Kim-Shree Maufas, Democratic County Central Committee Chairman Aaron Peskin, as well representatives from the offices of Senator Mark Leno and Assemblymembers Fiona Ma and Tom Ammiano. Add those people to the list of endorsers, which also includes State Senate President Darrell Steinberg and State Controller John Chiang.
And what did the media have to say?
Fog City Journal - Luke Thomas - 6 hours ago
“Assemblymember Jones’ candidacy for Insurance Commissioner has been endorsed by a wide spectrum of San Francisco elected officials,” Peskin said, …
… Wednesday to endorse Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, who announced last fall he would seek the seat. Former board President Aaron Peskin, …
Numerous city officials gathered this morning on the steps of City Hall to endorse Assembly member Dave Jones in his run for state …
San Francisco Chronicle - 19 hours ago
At a hastily thrown together press conference Wednesday — hosted by former board president Aaron Peskin, who is now chairman of the San Francisco …
… Dave Jones, D-Sacramento. One couldn’t help but think it was a rally against possible opponent Alioto-Pier. Peskin had long battled against her when he …
It’s not often you find such unanimity.
Tags: 15, 15th, 2009, 2010, Aaron Peskin, Assessor, Board of Education, board of supervisors, Chairman, Chris daly, city attorney, City Hall, civic center, commissioner, controller, County Central Committee, Darrell Steinberg, dave jones, david campos, David Chiu, dccc, democratic, dennis herrera, elecetion, endorsers, eric mar, fiona ma, insurance, john avalos, john chiang, julian davis, july, Kim-Shree Maufas, mark leno, Michela Alioto Pier, Phil Ting, president, race, representatives Assemblymembers, ross mirkarimi, San Francisco, senate, state, steps, supervisors, tom ammiano
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