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Sunday Streets Chinatown a Modified Success – Sunny Skies – Brought to You by PG&E, “City Family”

Sunday, September 18th, 2011

I don’t know, there were lots of people out there, so that was good.

On the other hand, this no-cars-allowed “Walking Streets” event was brought to you by PG&E, the company what just blew up eight people a year ago and then lied about the circumstances of that these past 12 months.

I’m still not sure what the point was for this “walking-oriented” Sunday Streets but oh well.

Here’s the beginning, at Bush and Grant “Avenue.” (Note Chiu-bacca and red-shirted handler spreading the word of the mayoral candidacy of Board of Supervisors President David Chiu.)

Click to expand

And the middle, featuring a wealth of counterfeit goods on sale, and T-shirts for $2.88, just like any other day:

And here’s the end, with pretty much all the whimsy I could find today. (In aggravation, a NIMBY group was using this same very block to recruit more NIMBYs.)

That’s it.

Thanks, PG&E, I guess.

“The Chinatown-North Beach Walking Street event is made possible by the lead sponsorship of Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) with additional support from State Farm Insurance. Other Sunday Streets sponsors include Bank of America (Lead Sponsor for the 2011 Sunday Streets Season), AT&T, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Kaiser Permanente, California Pacific Medical Center, UCSF, Shape Up, The California Endowment, Bi Rite Market, REI, Sports Basement, Mikes Bikes, Bike & Roll, Bay City Bikes, and Blazing Saddles, along with in-kind support from the American Red Cross, Bay Area, City CarShare and media sponsors SF Examiner, Clear Channel and Scoutmob.”

Ping Pong Tournament 9 to 11:30 (Waverly Place)
Activities for kids by Chinatown YMCA 11:30-4 (Waverly Place)
Chalk art, Kai Ming Head Start, Experience Corps (Commercial Alley)
Art in Kerouac Alley
Poetry readings – Grant near Vallejo
Freedom from Training Wheels (Grant & Green) and free Valet Bike parking by SFBC (Vallejo & Grant, and Portsmouth Square)
Kids arts and crafts by Emerald Tablet & North Beach Merchants (Fresno Alley)
Climate Change Education and Department of Environment host kids activities (Fresno Alley)
Bike presentation sponsored by The New Wheel (Grant & Vallejo)
Magician performance and childrens activities 1400 block Grant – sponsored by Carmel Blue, Schein and Schein
Food sampling and cooking demonstrations – 1500 block Grant – sponsored by Little Vine
Pet area – Grant and Lombard – sponsored by Jeffrey’s Pet Store
Clown show – 1500 block Grant – sponsored by Macchiarini Design
Zumba dance exercise – Coit Tower, 11-1
SF Recovery Theater - Coit Tower 1:15-2
Supervisor’s Rock with DND Band at Coit Tower, 2-4

Tags: 2011, ave, avenue, bay area, board of supervisors, bush, chinatwon, Chiu-bacca, coit, counterfeit, David Chiu, election, explosion, goods, Grant, Mayor, north beac, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, pg&e, president, san bruno, San Francisco, SFMTA, sponsorship, State Farm Insurance, streets, sunday streets, tower, walk, walking, Walking Street
Posted in streets | No Comments »

Awesome Video: It’s a Jet Ski Critical Mass – Cruising Flooded Long Island Town During Hurricane Irene Aftermath

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

Wow:

“Long Islander responds to Hurricane Irene in most Long Island way possible: with jet skis and Linkin Park”

In San Francisco, Critical Mass has become a term synonymous with ignoring red lights,* right?

Now, what if you could critical mass in a flooded town on a Jet Ski?

That’s gotta be the flattest town in all creation. (Alluvial plain?) Don’t try this on Market Street, you know, post-global warming – it’s got slight rises that would ruin your Jet Ski fun.

This video only has 139K views?

It should have more by now, IMO.

*Now, I’ll admit CM treats red lights a bit differently, but, in my book, ignoring red lights = ignoring red lights.

Tags: 2011, bay area, california, critical, flood, flooded, hurricane, irene, lights, long island, mass, new, oceanside, red, San Francisco, streets, york
Posted in paranormal | No Comments »

Pizza Pizza: The Genius of Justin Beck

Monday, July 11th, 2011

Has somebody put Justin Beck‘s name up for a MacArthur Fellows Program grant yet?

Via Justin Beck - click to expand

Somebody ought to…

Tags: 2011, award, bay area, california, camera, candid, Fellows, Grant, image, images, justin beck, MacArthur, MacArthur Fellows Program, mirror image, photo, Photographer, photographs, photography, photos, pic, pics, pizz, pizza pizza, Program genius, San Francisco, street, streets
Posted in paranormal, photography | 2 Comments »

Call Us When the Shuttle Lands: SF StreetsBlog Goes Looooong Form to Tell Us Something About Auto Repair Shops

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

[UPDATE: @StreetsblogDC Can you explain/justify the stsblog sf article that compares car repair shops to cancer? is.gd/km5OCw]

Uh, what?

Do you climb into space, to the world where you live, SF StreetsBlog?

Or, in other words:

“njudah Greg Dewar:

Ever read something that just makes you say WTF? http://bit.ly/mODLOU“

And oh, speaking of car repair shops within a stone’s throw of Fulton and Divisadero, let’s all say bye-bye to BODY MASTER USA / Auto City. One supposes it couldn’t afford the rents in pricey NoPA these days. How long will the iconic Transformers graffito last?

Click to expand

And oh, speaking of car repair and Transformers, leave us take note of lovely Megan Fox…

…who knows better than to tangle with the urban NIMBYs of the 415.

She knows that the Future is all about Rural Auto Repair.

Hurray!

And oh, it appears as if I was able to make my point with the word count coming in well below 1300.

Hurray!

My uncle has a country place
That no one knows about.
He says it used to be a farm,
Before the Motor Law….

Tags: 2011, Aaron Bialick, auto, bay area, body, california, graffiti, How Should Repair Shops Fit in San Francisco?, Megan Fox, repair, San Francisco, SF, sfstreetsblog, streets, streets blog, streetsblog, Transformers
Posted in paranormal | 13 Comments »

The Happiest Place in the World Isn’t DisneyLand, It’s the Fell Street DMV – Just Look at the Lines

Friday, June 17th, 2011

And this isn’t the half of the line – it stretched out beyond view.

Hey, why don’t we fix it so that the “customers” of the Worst DMV in California wait indoors while the employees work outdoors in the rain – why don’t we try that for a change?

Click to expand

Just saying, Bro.

Tags: 2011, baker, bay area, broderick, california, cuts, department, dmv, fell, Governor, motor, place, San Francisco, streets, unhappiest, vehicles, world
Posted in cars, paranormal | No Comments »

One-Way Blocks of Hayes and Fell Street in Hayes Valley To Go Two-Way? SFMTA Holds a Public Hearing Friday

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

The NIMBYs and small-time millionaire bidness owners of Hayes Valley don’t want you Sunset District-living Chinese-Americans driving your Toyotas through Hayes Valley when you head home from SoMA.

NOT AT ALL!

So, why not take out lanes, put up No Left and No Right signs and do whatever else they can to prevent west-bound traffic using Hayes to get to Fell, aka The Panhandle Freeway? See below for the deets.

Oh, and speaking of Fell, well, the Hayes Valley Merchants Association doesn’t want you using a few short blocks to jink from eastbound Oak to 10th Street southbound and the freeways beyond neither. They want you using hopelessly-clogged Octavia instead. (Hey, who thunk up our disastrous Octavia Boulevard “Boulevard-Movement” experiment, anyway?)

Look at all these trees proposed for Hayes Street – how many of them are useful fake cell-phone-antenna trees? Probably zero.

Don’t even try it, Sunset denizens. All the outreach meetings are over and done with, and you weren’t invited. You are not a stakeholder. You are the Yellow Horde from the West. So, shut up, pay your taxes and deal. Whether you like it or not.

And who knows, maybe someday the SFMTA will come on up to like 32nd and Lawton or someplace way out there and then outreach you about how tout le monde should pay for your neighborhood improvement project.

Just give it a few decades…

“Director of Transportation Engineering – Sustainable Streets Division will hold a public hearing on Friday, January 21, 2011, at10:00 AM, in Room 416 (Hearing Room 4), City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, SanFrancisco, CA 94102, to consider the following proposals:

Hayes Street Two-Way Proposal

ESTABLISH – TWO-WAY OPERATION

Hayes Street, between Van Ness Avenue and Gough Street (currently one-way westbound)

ESTABLISH – RIGHT TURN ONLY

Hayes Street, eastbound at Van Ness Avenue

ESTABLISH – LEFT LANE MUST TURN LEFT

Hayes Street, westbound at Gough Street

ESTABLISH – RIGHT LANE MUST TURN RIGHT EXCEPT MUNI

ESTABLISH – TOW-AWAY LANE MUST TURN LEFT

Hayes Street, westbound at Van Ness Avenue

ESTABLISH – NO LEFT TURN, 7 AM TO 7 PM, EVERYDAY

Hayes Street, eastbound at Franklin Street

ESTABLISH – TOW-AWAY NO STOPPING ANYTIME

Hayes Street, south side, between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street

Hayes Street, north side, between Polk Street and Van Ness Avenue

RESCIND – TOW-AWAY NO STOPPING ANYTIME

ESTABLISH – PARKING METER AREA 2

ESTABLISH – TOW-AWAY NO STOPPING, 7 AM TO 9 AM AND 3 PM TO 7 PM, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

Hayes Street, north side, between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street

RESCIND – TOW-AWAY NO STOPPING 4 PM TO 7 PM, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

Hayes Street, south side, between Market Street and Polk Street

RESCIND – BUS ZONE

Hayes Street, north side, from Franklin Street to 64 feet westerly

RESCIND – TOW-AWAY NO STOPPING 4 PM TO 7 PM, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

9th Street, west side, between Market and Howard Streets

Fell Street Two-Way Proposal

ESTABLISH – TWO-WAY OPERATION

Fell Street, between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street (currently one-way eastbound)

ESTABLISH – TOW-AWAY NO STOPPING, 7 AM TO 9 AM, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

Fell Street, south side, between Franklin Street and Van Ness Avenue

ESTABLISH – NO LEFT TURN

Van Ness Avenue, northbound, at Fell Street

ESTABLISH – TOW-AWAY NO STOPPING ANYTIME

Fell Street, north side, from Franklin Street to 90 feet easterly

Fell Street, south side, from Franklin Street to 50 feet easterly

ESTABLISH – NO PARKING ANYTIME

Fell Street, both sides, from Van Ness Avenue to 20 feet westerly

The above items have received environmental clearance from the San Francisco Planning Department through an Addendum to Environmental Impact Report dated December 16, 2010, for Project Title 2003.0347E – Market and Octavia Neighborhood Plan; Hayes & Fell Two-Way.

Tags: association, blocks, cars, district, franklin, gough, hayes, hayes valley, Merchants, one, SFMTA, street, streets, sunset, Sustainable Streets, Transportation Engineering, trees, two, two way, van ness, way
Posted in cars | 9 Comments »

Is the SFPD Still Offering a $250,000 Reward in the Aubrey Abrakasa Western Addition NOPA Murder Case?

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

It’s hard to tell.

Here’s some info and here are some old links that used to lead to the SFPD Crime Bulletin.

Anyway, here’s a fresh poster, so it seems that people are still trying to get word out.

Tags: abrakasa, aubrey, baker, bulletin, crime, department, dept., grove, NOPA, panhandle, police, reward, San Francisco, SFPD, shooting, streets, western addition
Posted in crime | 1 Comment »

Steady Rain in the Forecast for the First Sunday Streets Tenderloin – October 24th From 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, “Rain or Shine”

Saturday, October 23rd, 2010

[UPDATE: The Tricycle Music Fest West, you know, for kids, is starting later and heading indoors – the new time is just after noon and the new place is downstairs at our Main Library in Civic Center (across the street from the Burger King at 8th and Market). It’ll go ’til 3:30 PM today.}

The forecast for tomorrow’s Sunday Streets Civic Center, Tendeloin is nicht gut right now (not showers, not light rain, it’s simply regular “rain” ) but that’s not going to change anything ’cause they’re saying this joint will go off “rain or shine.”

See?

It’d be nice if San Francisco had a backup plan, you know, a Plan B, for the precipitation that everybody knows is probably coming, but oh well. (It’d be nice if San Francisco were a place where planning events weren’t so involved and weren’t so expensive, but oh well, again.)

Stay dry. Here’s the sked:

October 24 – Civic Center, Tenderloin

Programs subject to change

Civic Center Plaza (Carleton B Goodlett Place, across from City Hall)
Main Sunday Streets Activity Hub
• Sunday Streets Info Booth and Volunteer Check In
• Sunday Streets Sponsor booths
• Community information tables
• Sunday Streets merchandise for sale- sponsored by Walk SF
• Free basic bike maintenance by REI, Lombardi Sports and Bike Kitchen
• Free bike rentals by Bike & Roll and Blazing Saddles
• Free test rides on PUBLIC Bikes
• STAR 101 FM Radio music broadcast and free samples of healthy snacks
• Science demonstrations by Climate Change Education

Civic Center North Lawn; (Carleton B Goodlett near McAllister)
• StreetSmARTS Mobile Free Wall Project presented by Department of Public Works and SF Arts Commission: Open to artists of all ages and abilities, materials provided
• 11 and 12:30 PM: demonstrations and intro classes by Capoera Brasil SF
• Live music by: Two Zmooth, YMCA Youth band

Pet Programs (Civic Center South Lawn; Carleton B Goodlett near Grove)
Presented by Happy Hounds Massage
• Pawsitive Tails dog training
• Northern Family Dog Rescue
• Hearing Dog Program

Bike programs (Grove between Larkin and Carleton B Goodlett)
Presented by the SF Bicycle Coalition and Presidio YMCA Bike Program
• Freedom from Training Wheels presented by the SF Bicycle Coalition
• Kid’s Bike Safety Rodeo presented by Presidio YMCA Bike Program
• How to load a bike on the bus, by MTA Sustainable Streets Program
• Free basic bike maintenance by REI, Lombardi Sports and Bike Kitchen (Civic Center)
• Free bike rentals by Bike & Roll and Blazing Saddles (Civic Center)

Tricycle Music Fest West (Main Library steps, Larkin near Grove)
Presented by the San Francisco Public Library & Friends of the Public Library
• 11:00 The Devil-Ettes and Pip Squeak A Go Go
• 11:30 Frances England
• 12:30 The Time Outs
• 1:30 The Sippy Cups
• Bookmobile (Northeast corner of Grove and Larkin)

Children’s Activities (Civic Center south playground, near Grove and Larkin)
Presented by Shih Yu- Lang YMCA
• Kid’s Games, Hula Hoops,
• Playworks
• Girl Scouts
• Head Start
• It’s Yoga Kids!
• Activities for teens and tweens with La Casa de Las Madres

Fulton Skate area (Fulton between Larkin and Hyde)
Skating Presented by the Calif. Outdoor Rollersports Assoc.
• 10 – 2:30: Free roller rink, skating lessons & skates
• 12:30 & 2:30: Slumdog Millionaire skate dance
• 12:45 & 2:45: Thriller skate dance
• RollerSoccer mini exhibition games presented by RollerSoccer International Federation
• Skateboard information with Downtown Streets Skate Shop

Grove Street & UN Plaza (Grove between Larkin, Hyde and Market)
• Eco games, info, composting demos by Department of the Environment (Grove near Larkin)
• Farmer’s Market (Market near 8th Street and Hyde)

O’Farrell Street (Polk to Jones)
Music, Activities and Family Entertainment
• Chalk drawing, kid’s activities and live music presented by the Great American Music Hall (O’Farrell /Polk)
• Chair massage, presented by California Pacific Medical Center (mini park O’Farrell / Larkin)
• Free bike safety gear and info, photo contest, presented by the Tenderloin Neighborhood Association (O’Farrell between Leavenworth and Jones)
• Hyde Street Band (631 O’Farrell near Leavenworth)

Boeddeker Park (Jones and Eddy)
Presented by Friends of Boeddeker Park
• Tai Chi with Chris Sequeira 11 am to Noon
• Live Jazz Band with Melvin and the Mellotones at 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm.
• Games for kids all day in the park

Ellis Street (Polk to Leavenworth)
Sponsored by SF Recreation & Parks
• Tenderloin Recreation Center (570 Ellis near Larkin)
• Tenderloin National Forrest (Cohen Alley, off Ellis near Leavenworth)
• Tribute to the Black Hawk Jazz Club – music and performances presented by SF Recovery Theatre

Tags: 2010, 24, 24th, bay area, Bike Kitchen, Boeddeker, Boeddeker Park, california, civic center, Lombardi Sports, october, park, rain, rei, San Francisco, skate, streets, sunday, sunday streets, tenderloin
Posted in bikes, events | No Comments »

Remembering the Time When “South San Francisco” was Actually In San Francisco – The Bayview’s “Avenues, South”

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

This H. A. Candrian map from 1909 (on display at 100 Van Ness) shows no respect for the then-new City of South San Francisco (founded 1908) - you know, that town that used to be called “Baden” that’s about five miles to the south.

I say that because the Bayview / Hunters Point area is clearly marked “South San Francisco.”

See all those “avenues south” (both actual and planned)? They perished in the Great Renaming of 1909. Check it:

“There were three sets of numerical streets. First through Thirty-first streets ran from downtown into the Mission District. The growing Richmond and Sunset Districts had First through Forty-ninth avenues. The Bayview District had a similar list of avenues, First through Forty-fifth, which were suffixed as “Avenue, South.” In a pre-zip code era, these variations in designations for numbered or lettered byways just added to the other street name confusion in the city. The Post Office estimated that 500 letters a day were mishandled due to the problem of street names in San Francisco.”

Click to expand

Of course these streets are labelled alphabetically now, but not without a pitched battle at City Hall:

“When the dust cleared, and the final vote was taken on December 21, the commission did placate the priests by naming one street for Padre Palou (instead of Payne), another for Charles Carroll(instead of Cromwell), and a third for the California historian Hubert Howe Bancroft (instead of Belfast, the Protestant city in North Ireland), although Bancroft was still living. The north-south streets in the Bayview were lettered “A” Street, South, through “T” Street, South, with the letter O omitted. These were renamed using mostly prominent San Francisco pioneers, but met with no protest. Two non-pioneers’ names were chosen: Colonel George H. Mendell, who was responsible for laying out much of the coastal defense system and had just recently died, and William Keith, the popular California artist, the only other living person to have a street named in his honor.”

Thank goodness we don’t argue over street names anymore…

Tags: 1908, 1909, 2010, area, avenu, avenue south, bay area, Bayview, california, Candrian, City, H. A., H. A. Candrian, hunters point, map, renamed, renaming, San Francisco, south, south san francisco, street, streets, town
Posted in streets | No Comments »

Truth and Reconciliation Comes to Crappy Octavia Boulevard – SFCTA Hosts Public Workshops Tonight

Monday, September 27th, 2010

OMG, it looks as if somebody is trying to Fix Octavia. Get the deets about today’s workshops and open house, below.

IOW, hated Octavia Boulevard will be getting a little attention in the near future.

(Personally, I’d start by getting rid of all the parking spaces and all the medians – I’d de-boulevard the boulevard.)

Notice the color of the traffic lights?

Anyway, here’s the info. It’s as close as you’ll get to an admission from the Powers That Are that maybe, just maybe, Octavia isn’t just the most perfect thing ever.

See you there!

Upcoming Meetings

Monday, Sept. 27:
SFCTA Hearing Room, 100 Van Ness Avenue, 26^th Floor
OPEN HOUSE: 12:00–2:00pm
PUBLIC WORKSHOP: 5:30–7:30pm

Persons requiring translation services should contact the Transportation Authority at 415-522-4800

Background

The Market-Octavia neighborhood has seen several transformative efforts recently, most notably the opening of the Octavia Boulevard/Central Freeway project in 2005 and the adoption in 2008 of the Market and Octavia Better Neighborhood Plan. Octavia Boulevard is the first facility of its kind in the United States in 80 years, redefining traffic engineering practice through context-sensitive solutions. The Octavia Boulevard project has delivered a transportation facility that provides neighborhood access to a regional freeway while providing an attractive public space. A timeline of key Octavia Boulevard events is shown below.

This Circulation Study will quantify and evaluate the performance of the transportation system in the Market-Octavia area and recommend changes for improving travel options and traffic distribution in the area. The study will focus on multimodal and system-level perspectives. These multimodal transportation issues include:

Transit routing and reliability, and connectivity to regional transit
Automobile traffic circulation
Pedestrian crossings and facilities
Bicycle access
General wayfinding
Travel demand management strategies

The study will help support and advance key priorities of the 2008 Market and Octavia Better Neighborhood Plan including improved pedestrian circulation and transit facilities, as well as conversion of streets from one-way to two-way operation.

As the study area is both an active local neighborhood and a critical element of the transportation system for regional traffic coming to, from or through the area, the proposed solutions will need to address local, citywide and regional needs. This map of the general local area is consistent with the Market-Octavia Neighborhood Plan. Click here to see the study area map.

Study Objectives

The objectives of the Study are to:

Document existing conditions of the transportation system
Identify a multimodal package of transportation improvements through technical review and public input
Develop cost estimates for these top-priority projects
Establish a funding and implementation strategy that considers appropriate levels of contributions from public and private sources.

The Central Freeway and Octavia Boulevard Circulation Study will serve as a vehicle for discussion and coordination among local and regional stakeholders, while providing policy guidance for ensuring integration with the larger regional and long-term needs.

Potential Project List

As area needs are studied and possible solutions prioritized, information on potential projects will be posted here.

Study Products and Schedule

Preliminary Draft Existing Conditions Report. Includes Origin-Destination Survey from October 2009. Completed.

Public and Stakeholder Outreach. Engagement with key stakeholders and community groups. Ongoing. Key events planned for September 2010 and November 2010.

Technical Analysis and Project Development. Based on existing conditions and needs assessment, and stakeholder input, an evaluation framework will be developed for potential solutions, resulting in project screening and the selection of up to three potential projects. Conceptual designs will be developed for these three potential projects. September/October 2010.

Funding and Implementation Plan. Funding plan, including fair-share contributions, and implementation roles, steps, and issues. December 2010.

Final Report. Culmination of all recommendations and designs. January 2011.

For More Information

Send an email to Margaret Cortes or call 415.522.4826.

San Francisco Citizen

Posts Tagged ‘streets’

Sunday Streets Chinatown a Modified Success – Sunny Skies – Brought to You by PG&E, “City Family”

Awesome Video: It’s a Jet Ski Critical Mass – Cruising Flooded Long Island Town During Hurricane Irene Aftermath

Pizza Pizza: The Genius of Justin Beck

Call Us When the Shuttle Lands: SF StreetsBlog Goes Looooong Form to Tell Us Something About Auto Repair Shops

The Happiest Place in the World Isn’t DisneyLand, It’s the Fell Street DMV – Just Look at the Lines

One-Way Blocks of Hayes and Fell Street in Hayes Valley To Go Two-Way? SFMTA Holds a Public Hearing Friday

Is the SFPD Still Offering a $250,000 Reward in the Aubrey Abrakasa Western Addition NOPA Murder Case?

Steady Rain in the Forecast for the First Sunday Streets Tenderloin – October 24th From 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, “Rain or Shine”

Remembering the Time When “South San Francisco” was Actually In San Francisco – The Bayview’s “Avenues, South”

Truth and Reconciliation Comes to Crappy Octavia Boulevard – SFCTA Hosts Public Workshops Tonight

Upcoming Meetings

Background

Study Objectives

Potential Project List

Study Products and Schedule

For More Information

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