Posts Tagged ‘alley’
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Is this a scene from Austin Texas or Austin Alley in San Francisco?
Of course the parking spaces out in front of this banal building have the requisite brace of yuppy imports (Subaru, BMW, Mercedes, Acura), but there’s also a couple of pick-em-ups in there too, and Texans love their pickups. Let’s look for more clues.
Mmmm, there’s a Victorian in the background next door, and all the license plates say “California” and there’s that San Francisco-looking AUSTIN sign too – that all adds up to the 415.
But whoever thought it was a good idea to build suburban-style housing/parking like this in San Francisco has clearly made a huge mistake.
Click to expand
Oh well.
Tags: alley, arrested development, austin, banal, bush, california, capitol, cars, frank norris, franklin, gob, gough, i've made a huge mistake, lots, parking, pine, place, San Francisco, street, texas, way
Posted in architecture, buildings | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
You all know Webster Street, right? It’s Fillmore’s little buddy, taking people from Market Street north all the way up to our mismanaged Marina Yacht Harbor.
But take a look here to see what happens after it crosses Hayes Street. It turns into boulevard for some odd reason, for some 11 blocks, only to shrink back down again into a regular street at the intersection at Bush.
Looking north. The traffic heading up this street, (like the silver SUV) needs to jog right to get on the other side of the very wide median See that? It’s goes parking lane, bike lane, slow lane, fast lane, huge median, fast lane, slow lane, bike lane, and then another parking lane:
Here’s a bird’s-eye view. From Grove to Bush, from the Western Addition to “Little Osaka” (the cartographers’ favorite term for what people actually call Japantown in real life) it’s an unbusy boulevard, for an only-Gaia-knows-why purpose:
I cry foul.
Here’s a modest proposal – why not de-boulevard (v.t.) Webster by getting rid of the useless treed-up median and the twin northbound lanes for the entire three-quarters of a mile? Would anybody miss the median and the extra lanes? I mean, Fillmore does the all the heavy lifting with traffic and buses and whatnot, right?
That would leave us with 200,000 square feet of space to do whatever we want with. What would you do with 3.5 football fields worth of space?
In Japantown, some people already want to shut down the northbound lanes for extra parking or for temporarily housing businesses displaced by planned seismic upgrades for buildings on Post Street. But why not just kill the whole boulevard now in one fell swoop?
(Poorly-designed Octavia Boulevard has the opposite problem of having too much stalled traffic idling away, blocking travelers journeying east and west. Oh well.)
In conclusion:
What do we want?
A de-boulevarded Webster Street!
When do we want it?
Now!
(Repeat as necessary.)
Tags: alley, avenue, bike, boulevard, bridge, bush, cyclists, de-boulevard, deboulevard, fillmore, grove, hayes, ivy, j-town, japantown, jtown, lane, little osaka, mall, median, parking, pedestrians, post, San Francisco, street, strret, trees, webster, western addition, wide
Posted in streets | 3 Comments »
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
This was the scene last night at 901 Market on the wrong side of Fifth Street, where Urban Realty Co, Inc. held a meet-and-greet to show off the CityPlace project planned at 935-965 Market Street. The event attracted plenty of media attention but turnout wasn’t all that heavy, at least at first:
Click to expand
Would you like another quarter-million square feet of “value-based retail” in your Mid-Market area? That’s the issue of the day.
The Wizard of Oz Market Street?
Let’s see what’s in store for us, behind the curtain. Is this a Yale Box?
You Make The Call:
The view from the Tenderloin:
Stevenson now:
And Stevenson in The Future:
Market Street now:
And Market Street in The Future:
I’m sold. So there’s no reason to actually attend the meeting. Leave us depart into Autumn’s chill:
Let’s build this thing. Light the candle. Start the reactor, free Mars.
Tags: 901, 935, 935-965, 965, alley, CityPlace, Co., fifthe, improvised incendiary weapon, market, mid market, open house, project, retail, San Francisco, sixth, soma, stevenson, street, tenderloin, Urban Realty
Posted in architecture, buildings | Comments Off
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Word comes today from Anna Bloom of the NewYork Timeseses‘ Bay Area Blog about how production of NBC’s horrible Trauma TV series will shut down tonight.
Certainly, Trauma has been traumatic for NBC, but what about San Francisco? Would we have been better off without subsidizing this inchoate production? Did we really pay SFPD officers to just hang out around the set for the filming of twelve episodes instead of having the cops do their regular jobs?
Duboce Park as seen by Troy McClure SF. Click to expand:
How does the Scene in San Francisco scheme work? The TV people pay for the cops but then we turn around and give the TV people all the money back?
“What costs are eligible for refund?
- Fees paid to City Departments for the use or rental of City property, equipment or employees including: Port, MUNI, SPFD [SFPD?], SFFD, DPT, DPW, Treasure Island, Recreation and Parks, and all City buildings
- All daily use fees paid to the San Francisco Film Commission
- All payroll taxes paid to the City and County of San Francisco.”
So after Unfortunate, Innocent-Looking Whore In Tube Top and Flip Flops #5 cashes her minimum-wage paycheck for two days of temping (no benefits obviously) and we pay the cops full salary (or full salary plus?) to not do their jobs, what are we left with?
Certainly, Trauma was good for certain people in San Francisco, but was it good for San Francisco and San Franciscans overall? Is this the kind of thing we want to do again? Are there any Lessons to be Learned here?
Mmmmm….
Tags: $28, 'Mercy, (AMTC), 2009, 22, 28th, Aimee Garcia, Air Medical Transport Conference, Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC), all's fair, alley, amy chozick, Anastasia Griffith, angela bromstad, Anna Bloom, backlash, bad day at work, Bay Area blog, beaucoup explosions, big bang, Billy Lush, blogger, Boone, bowl, broadway, cancelled, CAS, Cast, casting, choppers, chuck, Cliff Curtis, commission, community, concourse, craigslist, Credits, Dario Scardapane, death watch, deathwatch, debut, Derek Luke, district, divisidero, doctors, Dr. Joe, drinking, dunnes, earthquake, emt, emts, episode, executive, Executive Producer, extras, filbert, film, Film 44, film commission, filming, financial, fresno, Friday Night Lights, gala, game, gigs, golden gate park, green, halloween, helicopters, hollywood, horrible, hospital, hulu, idiot box, idiot panel, Jamey Sheridan, jay leno, Jeff Reiner, july, just horrible, justin herman, Kevin Rankin, LLC, Marissa, music concourse, nancy, nbc, new york times, north beach, open 4 business, open 4 business productions, open for business, open4business, pacific, pacific heights, parks and recreation, party, Peter Berg, pilot, plaza, plot, police, police department, Polk, Producers, Productions, rabbit, ratings, sam, San Francisco, san jose, Sarah Aubrey, Scene in San Francisco, scenes, september, set, SFPD, southland, street, stuck, studio, suck. ems, sucks, taping, technology, television show, trauma, TV, twirlypopper, Tyler, union, Universal Media Studios, viewing, watching, Writer
Posted in TV | Comments Off
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Well there I was looking for four Norwegian gals, trying to find Dow Alley without Google Maps (not functioning due to its monomaniacal obsession with upgrading the software on my so-called smart phone) and I stumbled upon the biggest motorcycle free parking lot that’s anywhere close to Union Square. I’m all like, why aren’t there meters for all the bikes here?
Anywho, take a gander, on the MapJack (as the view from Google StreetView was just too hard to figure out). It’s like a motorcycle showroom just out the back door of the ThirstyBear Restaurant and Brewery (ask about their Great Recesssion lunch specials).
See? On the sidewalk, in marked spaces, unmarked spaces, both sides of the street, not a ticket in sight (uh oh, see the comments, but still…) - it’s Biker’s Heaven. Click to expand:
How on Earth did the City neglect to meterize this lane when rates have gone up 180% (that’s $100 extra per month for a typical biker, and the SFMTA wanted to raise rates higher) so far this year?
Leave us travel back to 2004, when the towaway signs got took down and unmetered parking began:
“TOW-AWAY, NO STOPPING ANYTIME – RESCIND
UNMETERED MOTORCYCLE PARKING – ESTABLISH
Kaplan Lane, east side, from Clementina Street to the northern terminus.”
See that? The MUNI people, the people so rich they could afford to run CultureBuses all over town pretty much completely empty for months and months just for their own pride, actually turned down a chance to raise revenue. It’s amazing. It’s like a trip back in time when you take Clementina off of third to encounter The Alley of Free Parking.
So spread the word to all your two-wheeled buddies. Hurray!
Oh, wait a second, some of the hundreds of riders who regularly use Kaplan to Stick It To The Man want to keep things a secret. For example, Mark W. says:
Shhhhhh!!! 
So let’s keep things on the low down. This is a secret worth keeping, despite the occasional hit-and-run chain reaction accident. Of course, there are other places to park for free in San Francisco, but they’re not all hidden away like Kaplan.
So, this is how it’ll be. When I see you carrying your helmet at the Gold Club or the Metreon, I’ll just offer my knuckles for your knocking and we’ll both say, in unison: “Kaplan, baby!”
Let’s let Yelp’s Rachel S. make the final pitch:
“*a*b*u*n*d*a*n*t* motorcycle parking that’s strides away from Moscone center, Yerba Beuna Gardens and SFMOMA. Tiny note that’s, y’know, likely of little interest… it’s free. Gratis. No cuesta nada. Really. And what’s more, it’s safe at most all hours in my experience. Which sort’ve stands to reason given the surrounding businesses: the early-morning dark is monitored by the Starbucks’ clientele, the late-evening hours are overseen by Thirsty Bear’s patrons. Plus, the walk from your parked bike back to the real world is through either an architecturally rich alleyway or a sculpture garden, depending on which direction you’re headed. Win all around.”
See you there!
Kaplan Lane is in my ears and in my eyes/
There beneath the gray-ish urban skies
Tags: 2nd, 3rd, alley, area, bike, bmr, clementina, cultureBus, folsom, free, howard, kaplan, kaplan lane, lane, meters, meuseum of modern art, mission, moma, motorcycle, mta, Muni, ninja, park, parking, rates, scooter, SFMTA, soma, south of market, street
Posted in motorcycles | 2 Comments »
Monday, November 9th, 2009
Now, I’m not up to speed here – is Glenn the gay guy that just came out? Anyway, find out tonight on Channel 3.
“Glenn’s attempt to follow his heart puts his career — and safety — on the line. Meanwhile, Marisa gets a surprise visit from an old friend. Elsewhere, Rabbit helps a patient deal with his devastating loss.”
And guess what? Ratings are up a bit lately. If only certain judgmental people hadn’t been so negative, and if it didn’t cost millions and millions to film old-school, episodic, Hill Street Blues-style television in pricey San Francisco, well who knows, maybe Trauma could have gone a full season.
See this “delicious young lady doctor” tonight:
Click to expand
And see Aimee Garcia whenever you want, right here. (You know, some people were able to walk off the Hindenburg without a scratch - maybe A.G. will similarly escape Trauma without injury)
Read about the five reasons Trauma got axed here before you tune in tonight.
Set your Tivo for 9:00 PM.
Tags: $28, 'Mercy, (AMTC), 2009, 22, 28th, Aimee Garcia, Air Medical Transport Conference, Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC), all's fair, alley, amy chozick, Anastasia Griffith, angela bromstad, backlash, bad day at work, beaucoup explosions, big bang, Billy Lush, blogger, Boone, bowl, broadway, cancelled, Cast, casting, choppers, chuck, Cliff Curtis, commission, community, concourse, craigslist, Credits, Dario Scardapane, death watch, deathwatch, debut, Derek Luke, district, divisidero, doctors, Dr. Joe, drinking, dunnes, earthquake, emt, emts, episode, executive, Executive Producer, extras, filbert, film, Film 44, filming, financial, fresno, Friday Night Lights, gala, game, gigs, golden gate park, green, halloween, helicopters, hollywood, horrible, hospital, hulu, idiot box, idiot panel, Jamey Sheridan, jay leno, Jeff Reiner, july, just horrible, justin herman, Kevin Rankin, LLC, Marissa, music concourse, nancy, nbc, north beach, open 4 business, open 4 business productions, open for business, open4business, pacific, pacific heights, parks and recreation, party, Peter Berg, pilot, plaza, plot, police, police department, Polk, Producers, Productions, rabbit, ratings, sam, San Francisco, san jose, Sarah Aubrey, scenes, september, set, SFPD, southland, street, stuck, studio, suck. ems, sucks, taping, technology, television show, trauma, TV, twirlypopper, Tyler, union, Universal Media Studios, viewing, wall street journal, watching, Writer
Posted in TV | Comments Off
Monday, October 26th, 2009
Leave us travel back in time to October 21st, 2009, when we last heard from NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin and NBC Entertainment chief Angela Bromstad:
“Gaspin and Bromstad are expected to make their next key moves to boost NBC’s fortunes within the next few days, when the network will decide the short-term fates of newcomers such as ‘Mercy,’ ‘Community,’ ‘Parks and Recreation’ and ‘Trauma.’”
Trauma? Don’t they film that in our little town, (the fourth-largest in the whole state, I’m proud to say)? Yes they do! Maybe NBC could commit to nine more episodes (the “back nine”) so we could have a full season of on-location shoots?
Well, here’s the news from last Saturday (the Day Without Wind, incidentally):
“NBC has picked up full seasons of Thursday night comedies “Community” and “Parks and Recreation,” as well as its Wednesday night medical drama “‘Mercy.’”
Well, what about Trauma? Hello-oooo, NBC? Hello-ooooooooo?
Uh oh.
No matter, twirlypopper pilot Aimee Garcia will still maintain her official website regardless of when Trauma gets cancelled. (You all seem to just love her.)
Click to expand
In light of recent developments, the unofficial NBC Trauma Deathwatch™ over-under date has been officially moved up to: November 30, 2009.
Adjust your wagers accordingly.
Enjoy it while it lasts – a new show (the Halloween one?) is on tonight at 9:00 PM.
[UPDATE: News tonight from the Hollywood Reporter is that Trauma is history as of today, October 28th, 2009. Oh well.]
Tags: $28, 'Mercy, (AMTC), 2009, 22, 28th, Aimee Garcia, Air Medical Transport Conference, Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC), all's fair, alley, amy chozick, Anastasia Griffith, angela bromstad, backlash, bad day at work, beaucoup explosions, big bang, Billy Lush, blogger, Boone, bowl, broadway, cancelled, Cast, casting, choppers, chuck, Cliff Curtis, commission, community, concourse, craigslist, Credits, Dario Scardapane, death watch, deathwatch, debut, Derek Luke, district, divisidero, doctors, Dr. Joe, drinking, dunnes, earthquake, emt, emts, episode, executive, Executive Producer, extras, filbert, film, Film 44, filming, financial, fresno, Friday Night Lights, gala, game, gigs, golden gate park, green, halloween, helicopters, hollywood, horrible, hospital, hulu, idiot box, idiot panel, Jamey Sheridan, jay leno, Jeff Reiner, july, just horrible, justin herman, Kevin Rankin, LLC, Marissa, music concourse, nancy, nbc, north beach, open 4 business, open 4 business productions, open for business, open4business, pacific, pacific heights, parks and recreation, party, Peter Berg, pilot, plaza, plot, police, police department, Polk, Producers, Productions, rabbit, ratings, sam, San Francisco, san jose, Sarah Aubrey, scenes, september, set, SFPD, southland, street, stuck, studio, suck. ems, sucks, taping, technology, television show, trauma, TV, twirlypopper, Tyler, union, Universal Media Studios, viewing, wall street journal, watching, Writer
Posted in TV | Comments Off
