What’s “new” here except for the video itself?
“San Francisco’s new sweet spots“ by losangelestimes:
In closing, “Oh … I don’t go to the Avenues.”
Heh.
In mitigation:
I want to live in los angeles
Not the one in los angeles
No, not the one in south california
They got one in south patagonia
You know, after you been bitten hundreds of times by bedbugs, which, you know, are all over the place in San Francisco. Still.
Like at your hotel, dear Visitor.
Like, I don’t know, did the Hotel Whitcomb,change its name owing to some issue with bedbugs?
The old Ramada is now the new Whitcomb. But it’s still the same place:
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Oh, here we go:
“Downtown Bedbug Attack Costs Ramada $71,000“
(I don’t know if I’d call this area “downtown,” but anywho, wow.)
Now, let’s hear from Kris Betz, Hotel Whitcomb Director of Operations, to get a (somewhat) canned response to a relatively recent allegation of infestation:
Dear Guest,
We are sorry for any discomfort that you may have experienced and we are very concerned about what happened. We want you to know that it is our highest priority to provide our guests with the cleanest rooms possible. We have a dedicated inspection team of trained staff that inspects all our rooms to ensure that these cases do not arise.
As you mentioned that you did not find any evidence, so it is possible you could have encountered them elsewhere. Please note that this incident has nothing to do with the cleanliness of our rooms. Please rest assured that this is not a reflection of our facilities cleanliness, as we take pride in providing excellent service and the cleanest accommodations, for all our guests.
Please feel free to contact me at your convenience so we may discuss any circumstances which may have occurred and please accept our sincerest apologies.
Kris Betz, Director of Operations”
I don’t know, man, I feel sorry for the Euros what stay at this place. They’re pretty much all gorgeous,* in-shape,* natural blond(e)s,* who just want to have fun in the 415, you know, they just want to pose for photos with big American police cars and fire trucks and stuff like that and what’s so wrong with that?
I feel sorry for them when they get shot and killed on Mason in Union Square or run over and killed by drunk drivers on Masonic or bitten 400 times by bedbugs during one stay.
I kind of feel that we’re letting these people down. I feel we’re shirking our obligations to our tourists.
If I were Director of Operations at Hotel Whitcomb, I would engage in total war with the bedbugs.
And I wouldn’t write “Dear Guest” letters what discuss possibilities and evidence.
Just saying.
*Unlike me.
Famed restaurateur Gordon Ramsay is moving on from restaurants to hotels starting today – HOTEL HELL debuts tonight on the Fox.
Check it:
“If [hotels] suggest they will upgrade you to the honeymoon suite, don’t take it. I’m trying to be serious because it is somewhat shocking. I just didn’t think it could shoot that far. I’m talking about if you shake a can of Coke and open it.”
OK fine.
Actually, GR, I was thinking that bed bugs might belong at the top of the list.
Market Street, USA:
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But, hey Gordo, are you going to come to the 415? We need you here.
Speaking of Market Street and bed bugs, here’s what the Hotel Whitcomb (renamed from Ramada Plaza not too long ago because of a massive lawsuit involving bed bugs and ballyhoo) will send out to you if you report dozens of bites on your porcelain skin:
We are sorry for any discomfort that you may have experienced and we are very concerned about what happened. We want you to know that it is our highest priority to provide our guests with the cleanest rooms possible. We have a dedicated inspection team of trained staff that inspects all our rooms to ensure that these cases do not arise.
As you mentioned that you did not find any evidence, so it is possible you could have encountered them elsewhere. Please note that this incident has nothing to do with the cleanliness of our rooms. Please rest assured that this is not a reflection of our facilities cleanliness, as we take pride in providing excellent service and the cleanest accommodations, for all our guests.
Please feel free to contact me at your convenience so we may discuss any circumstances which may have occurred and please accept our sincerest apologies.
Kris Betz, Director of Operations”
That’s how we roll in San Francisco’s corrupt Mid Market Twitterloin.
So sure, you’re covered in bites, but:
1. You probably got bitten somewhere else, not at Hotel Whitcomb!
2. Or maybe you’re just making things up, maybe you’re insane!
3. Or maybe you’re not insane but you’re a criminal who wants to shake us down for, I don’t know, another big fat $71,000 judgment / settlement!
4. Or maybe you did encounter bed bugs in one of our rooms, but probably you didn’t experience any discomfort, right? Kind of a no harm no foul kind of thing!
5. And, in any event, our rooms are clean. Did I mention that before? Our rooms are clean. Can I mention this fact four times in five sentences? YES I CAN!
Save us, Gordon Ramsay.
EXPRESS, Inc has just announced what it’s going to do with the former Gold Dust Lounge on Geary in Union Square – it seems we’re going to be blessed with a 16,000-square-foot “flagship” store.
Here’s what EXPRESS has to say about it:
“Located at 301 Geary Street, the Union Square location is comprised of approximately 16,000 square feet and will feature two floors, plus a mezzanine, of selling space. One of the vacating tenants delayed Express taking possession of the space. The property is owned by Handlery Hotels, Inc.”
Yes, that delay was the talk of the town.
Anyway, bygones.
I think this is it, a “dual-gender Denim Lab” as seen in Pennsylvania’s King of Prussia town, an East Coast version of Emeryville I guess:
Click to expand – more shots at the RetailDesignBlog
All right, together now:
Dual-Gender Denim Lab!
Dual-Gender Denim Lab!
Dual-Gender Denim Lab!
Myself, I just got a pair of “Kirkland” jeans on sale at our dual-gender Costco #144 in SoMA. $11-something. (Now that was a deal because normally they’re $13-something. And I remember when they were just $12-something, back in the day. Ah mem’ries…)
All the deets:
“COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 23, 2012 – Express, Inc. (NYSE: EXPR), a specialty retail apparel chain operating over 600 stores, today announced that the company will open two flagship locations in Times Square in New York City and Union Square in San Francisco. Both locations are scheduled to open in 2013. Union Square, located at the corner of Powell and Geary streets, is scheduled to open next summer; and Times Square, located at the corner of 46(th) Street and Broadway – in the heart of the Bowtie – is scheduled to open in the fall.
“We are extremely excited to officially announce both of these flagship locations for 2013,” said Michael Weiss, chairman, president & CEO of Express, Inc. ”The age old mantra of ‘location, location, location’ was certainly at work in the selection of these two properties. These flagships will not only reflect the strength of our fashion authority within these two cities, but also serve as a gateway to our brand for international visitors and shoppers as part of our international expansion strategy,” he added.
Times Square: Located at 1552 Broadway, the Times Square location is comprised of approximately 30,000 square feet and will feature three selling floors. The prominent location also includes a 125 foot tall, 9,000 square foot LED sign package on the facade of the building facing Broadway. The property is owned by joint venture partners SL Green Realty Corp. and Jeff Sutton.
Union Square: Located at 301 Geary Street, the Union Square location is comprised of approximately 16,000 square feet and will feature two floors, plus a mezzanine, of selling space. One of the vacating tenants delayed Express taking possession of the space. The property is owned by Handlery Hotels, Inc.
Both locations will be constructed in Express’ new store design created by Japanese design firm, Wonderwall. With uptown finishes and downtown cool, the store features design elements of refined chic and forward-thinking composition that creates individual spaces with a sense of style. Divided into three sections of Men’s, Women’s and a dual-gender Denim Lab, products are divided by lifestyle categories and outfitted by gender. A refined Express brand is conveyed through the use of modern industrial fixtures, displays and textures. Mortar walls and concrete floors create an open, expansive space accented with aged oak wood floors. Glossy white walls divide the space into rooms and provide a dynamic contrast to the natural wood outrigger shelving system.
About Express, Inc.:
Express is a specialty apparel and accessories retailer of women’s and men’s merchandise, targeting the 20 to 30 year old customer. The Company has over 30 years of experience offering a distinct combination of fashion and quality for multiple lifestyle occasions at an attractive value addressing fashion needs across work, casual, jeanswear, and going-out occasions. The Company currently operates over 600 retail stores, located primarily in high-traffic shopping malls, lifestyle centers, and street locations across the United States, in Canada and in Puerto Rico, and also distributes its products through the Company’s e-commerce website, www.express.com.”
I tell everybody who comes to town.
It’s my obligation.
Now, let’s hear from Northern Station SFPD Police Captain Ann Mannix:
“I just looked at our most recent crime stats and, no surprise to me, auto break-ins are up yet again… Help us out by taking anything valuable out of your car and encourage others to do so as well, especially your out-of-town visitors.”
Indeed.
Walking on, walking on broken glass in the Golden Gate Park Panhandle:
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So, first it was all like this:
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But now it’s all like this:
All the deets:
“PRESIDIO CREEKS SPRING BACK TO LIFE – RESTORATION OF DRAGONFLY CREEK NEXT STEP IN UNCOVERING PARK’S HIDDEN WATERWAYS
Presidio of San Francisco (September 21, 2011) — As the height of dry season arrives in San Francisco, the work to restore and expand the wetlands at Dragonfly Creek begins again this week in the Presidio. This effort provides an exciting opportunity to improve the parkland for both wildlife and visitors.
This is just one of a number of restoration projects in the Presidio and across the Bay Area intended to bring long buried or obscured waterways back to the surface, a process described as “daylighting,” which consists of excavating fill, removing buried culverts, and contouring the soil to create more natural, above-ground stream channels.
The many environmental and community benefits of these revitalization projects are currently visible in the Presidio, where Dragonfly Creek is one of several waterways that will be daylighted over the next couple of years.
“We have a unique opportunity in the Presidio to restore this creek to a more natural state,” says Mark Frey, an ecologist with the Presidio Trust. “Dragonfly Creek supports a remarkable diversity of native plants and animals.”
Revitalization of the creek, located in the historic Fort Scott district near the Presidio Native Plant Nursery, began several years ago with removal of eucalyptus trees and other non-native plants in favor of native wetland species. Now, as part of the environmental mitigation efforts associated with construction of the Presidio Parkway, the Trust is working with Caltrans to restore and expand the creek’s wetlands. Excavation and removal of Army-era fill will widen the floodplain, allowing the creek water to flow more freely and increase new wetland habitat. As a result, a small thicket of willows that grows along the creek and is teeming with birds will expand to four times its current size.
“We are pleased to have this opportunity to restore Dragonfly Creek,” says Craig Middleton, Executive Director of the Presidio Trust. “We thank Caltrans for its commitment to restoring the scenic beauty and natural character of this area as part of the Presidio Parkway project.”
The Presidio’s first daylighting project began six years ago in the area known as Thompson’s Reach, in the lower Tennessee Hollow watershed near Crissy Field. As part of that habitat restoration effort, the Trust removed some 77,000 tons of debris from the former Army landfill site, and a 400-foot section of creek was taken out of an underground pipe and brought to the surface. That winter volunteers planted 35,000 native plants of 100 different species in the area. The abundance of wildlife that has moved in— including birds, salamanders, spiders and rare butterflies—gives testament to the site’s success. A video highlighting the transformation at Thompson’s Reach can be seen at www.youtube.com/presidiosf#p/u/9/gPLmzJKtyRk
Daylighting’s history stretches back nearly four decades, but with public interest growing and community planners becoming more aware of the benefits, such projects have gained a new popularity in recent years. In addition to the efforts in the Presidio, three other projects are in the works in San Francisco and another in downtown Berkeley. Projects are also being planned or undertaken in cities as diverse as Reno, Nevada; Seattle; Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island and Zurich, Switzerland.
In addition to the work at Dragonfly Creek, the Trust is planning its most extensive and dramatic daylighting project at Quartermaster Reach, between Thompson’s Reach and the Crissy Field marsh, where the creek lies buried beneath a decaying parking lot. The plan re-unites this disjointed piece of habitat with the surrounding wetlands, transforming the lot into a large natural wetland full of native plants and animals. The creek will be unearthed and eucalyptus trees and other invasive species removed, creating a contiguous stretch of above ground stream flowing from Thompson’s Reach into Crissy Field marsh. Work is expected to begin as early as 2013.
Additional daylighting projects in the Tennessee Hollow watershed are set to begin in the next several years.
The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to administer the Presidio of San Francisco, an urban national park site located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The areas overseen by the Trust include expansive open space and spectacular views, a 300-acre historic forest, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. The park is home to 13 distinctive plant communities featuring 280 native plant species, 16 of which are rare or endangered. Thousands of hours of volunteer work have restored many acres of natural resource habitat. The Presidio Native Plant Nursery grows 60,000 plants each year to make this restoration possible. 21st-Century “green” practices are employed in all building and landscape rehabilitation efforts.”
This gaggle of visitors just couldn’t understand where the freak are the freaking taxicabs in this freaking town!
As seen at the intersection of “incomplete streets” Mission and 3rd:
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For that reason, there were agitated.
So there I was out getting exercise by getting those Billy Elliot rush tickets at the Orpheum Theatre* and I noticed the new name for this old hotel.
See? I totally read that as Hotel Whit.Com, ’cause, you know, I’m not hooked up right:
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But then I thought, oh, the Hotel Whitcomb, is that the place where they might have changed the name owing to some issue with bedbugs?
Oh, here we go:
“Downtown Bedbug Attack Costs Ramada $71,000“
(I don’t know if I’d call this area “downtown,” but anywho, wow.)
Now, let’s hear from Kris Betz, Hotel Whitcomb Director of Operations, to get a (somewhat) canned response to quite recent allegations of infestation:
Dear Guest,
We are sorry for any discomfort that you may have experienced and we are very concerned about what happened. We want you to know that it is our highest priority to provide our guests with the cleanest rooms possible. We have a dedicated inspection team of trained staff that inspects all our rooms to ensure that these cases do not arise.
As you mentioned that you did not find any evidence, so it is possible you could have encountered them elsewhere. Please note that this incident has nothing to do with the cleanliness of our rooms. Please rest assured that this is not a reflection of our facilities cleanliness, as we take pride in providing excellent service and the cleanest accommodations, for all our guests.
Please feel free to contact me at your convenience so we may discuss any circumstances which may have occurred and please accept our sincerest apologies.
Kris Betz, Director of Operations”
I don’t know, man, I feel sorry for the Euros what stay at this place. They’re pretty much all gorgeous,** in-shape,** natural blonds,** who just want to have fun in the 415, you know, they just want to pose for photos with big American police cars and fire trucks and what’s so wrong with that? I feel sorry for them when they get shot and killed on Mason in Union Square or run over and killed by drunk drivers on Masonic or bitten 400 times by bedbugs during one stay. I kind of feel that we’re letting these people down. I feel we’re shirking our obligations to our tourists.
If I were Director of Operations at Hotel Whitcomb, I would engage in total war with the bedbugs. And I wouldn’t write “Dear Guest” letters what discuss possibilities and evidence.
Just saying.
*Man, for $40 a pop, that’s the best live entertainment value in town, although I think it’s kind of random how good the rush ticket seats are – down in the Orchestra, up in the Mez, who knows. Now,you gotta show up two hours before the performance (at least two hours, and still there’s no guarantee that they won’t be sold out) so that’s your classical price discrimination in operation right there. Anyway, the fun ends August 21, 2011!
BILLY ELLIOT RUSH SEATS NOW AVAILABLE
30 tickets per performance will be offered at $40 per ticket.
**Unlike me.
Thusly:
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In fact, I had the presence of mind to have been Born and Raised in San Francisco. You see, I had it all planned out from the womb. (Actually, I forget, maybe it was the Divine Maker who arranged for me to be born in the 415.)
Oops, sorry, actually I was born somewhere else and came here, just like you. But I came here before you, ’cause I’m old. Anyway, I’m better than you for that reason.
And we’re both way, way better than these tourists, huh? Just look at them!
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Hurray for me!
I’m the greatest cause I live in San Francisco!
