Western Addition / NOPA

NIMBY Early Warning System: Target - San Francisco

I had heard rumors of Target coming to the Metreon for some time. What I didn't know is that they are also considering opening a store in my neighborhood's very own vacant Orwellian complex of doom (also known as the former site of Meryn's).  

Please NIMBYs, don't fuck this up.  You've got over 600 vacant parking spots up there at the Geary location, and I've never seen more than 40 or 50 cars there when I popped into Best Buy.  These stores will generate huge amounts of tax revenue for the City and create around 200 jobs each.  And if the suggestion of creating a Target delivery service is taken seriously, even more new jobs will be available.  

For real though.  I want my discount 'Classics of the 80s' double feature DVDs and 50 pack of Mach 3 razors without having to pay for a Costco membership.  And I want my elderly Asian neighbor next door to be able to have the opportunity to have a half decent job in the neighborhood, and we all know that Trader Joe's isn't going to hire her.  

I Dig What These "Oh San Fran" People Are Selling

Back when I went to one of those stuffy liberal arts colleges and forever indebted myself to Sallie Mae and Citibank, there was this silly group of dorks on campus called “Art Attack!”  They went around getting permits/permission to hang 100ft tall Godzillas off of campus buildings and what not.  At the time, I thought they were idiots because institutional approval takes the fun and thrill out of everything.

I don't think it was until I got to SF and replaced my thrilling life of saving the world (via student activism) with the dull life of blogging and web development that I began to appreciate even the most institutionalized forms of public art.  Because, goddamn, a 100 foot Godzilla is nice to see before writing PHP for 8 hours.  Yeah, it's more romantic if someone had to break laws to get it there, but, nevertheless, it's there.

Which brings me to Oh San Fran.  These guys are not doing any crazy vandalism.  They're just doing small things around the city they call “happiness projects.”  Things light setting off a flurry of LED balloons:

Or hanging swings around various city parks:

It might not be as thrilling as wheatpasting a police station or a PBR mural, but it's rad to see people out there doing small things.

(hat tip Wooster Collective)

Hippies fuck up my Friday commute home with their misdirected BP protest, resulting in more gas use.

SF Weekly reports that KevMo's hippie cyclist cohorts are planning some kind of anti-BP protest party that should start momentarily.  I do like parties and I do like protests against foreign dickwad oil companies, but what I don't like is when you assholes do it at the ARCO station at Divisadero and Fell at 5:30pm on a Friday afternoon.  

The section of Fell between the Octavia off-ramp and Divisadero is the kind of one-way corridor where if just one asshole decides to double-park, it dominos and the entire strip turns from a 5 minute drive into a 20 minute drive.  So fuck you for ruining my Friday and causing hundreds of motorists to spend even more time idling in their cars, burning even more gas.  Also fuck you for taking this out on an individual station owner; because he's totally to blame for BP's irresponsible policies, amirite?  Dick.

Also, here's a New York Times article to explain to you exactly why you're a misinformed dipshit.  I'd gladly do it, but I have to leave work early to deal with this shit storm you've created for me on Fell St.

As Jon Stewart would say, here's your moment of zen:

“We think that area could be put to better use, like a park, community garden or storefront.”

~Janel Sterbentz, event organizer.

 

[UPDATE: 8:00PM, 6/11/10]

I drove by around 6:30pm.  There was a fair turnout who were only partially obstructing the entrance to the station.  Traffic on Fell was noticeably slower, with serious congestion beginning around Steiner. 

Photo courtesy of my shitty cameraphone and the extra traffic that allowed me to take this pic.

Bi-Rite Opening a Second Location on Divis

Best non-vegan Halloween costume ever.

Best non-vegan Halloween costume ever.

If you don't read Inside Scoop, you might have missed this: the folks at Bi-Rite are opening a second market (sorry Creamery fans) at Divisadero and Grove.  Paolo says “it's very much TBD,” so maybe they'll have a combination of the market selection with some scoop service.  Interesting part of the piece is that they compare Divis to 18th and specifically compare Golden Gate Park/Alamo to Dolores Park.  Maybe they are preparing for the business hit that the Dolores Park renovation will bring?  I'll personally be spending my lazy afternoons at Potrero del Sol, but that's mainly because I hate crossing Market St.  Is Alamo the next big thing?

(photo by jackhonky)

Dodgers Fans Call it NOPA

Guys, I don't spend too much time up in the Western Addition/NOPA/the Land of the Lost because it requires me to bike up a 4-block gradual incline to get there.  The horror!  I wasn't aware that there was a class war / NorCal-SoCal debate surrounding the proper name of the neighborhood.  Someone care to properly fill me in?

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