May 08, 2006
Week In SFist
Congratulations to Cement Brunette for winning our Second Gavin Caption Contest, with the entry: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and girlfriend Sofia Milos seen rehearsing their "I've Had The Time of My Life" Dirty Dancing number for the upcoming California Democratic Convention variety show.. Ha!
In other news, we saw some more movies for the SFIFF, including the controversial The Bridge, about suicides off the Golden Gate Bridge. We also saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Vik Muniz.
Hit Steve Jobs in the solar plexus! Hit Barry in the head! Hit an Anaheim Angel!
Help out our local schools through SFist's first DonorChoose -- there might be some prizes for you! Or help out a local barrista who's recovering from a nasty fall. Or stand up for our immigrant brothers and sisters.
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Sympathy for the Devil's Sliders
Apparently, Caltrans is gearing up to begin repair work on the disheveled Devil's Slide this week, but they're not offering any estimates as to when the road might once again be open to traffic. The official, public position is that the picturesque but perpetually rubbly stretch of Hwy 1 that links Pacifica to the coastal communities is "closed indefinitely." Hmm, that sounds like a long, long time.
But take heart Coastsiders, while dining in North Half Moon Bay on Saturday night, SFist learned through firsthand hearsay, relayed from a source that we were assured was "totally connected," that the latest insider estimate for the reopening of Devil's Slide is sometime around the Fourth of July. For coastal denizens about ready to lose their mother freakin' minds, this should offer some solace. We looked it up -- in the Thanks for Nothing category, two months does in fact beat boundless eternity.
Traffic, already straining the limits of the coastside's underdeveloped infrastructure under normal conditions, has been at DEFCON 5 since the Slide was closed to traffic on the evening of Sunday, April 2. Because Hwy 92 is now the only viable route in or out of a host of coastal towns from Montara to Pescadero, it's not a pretty sight during commute hours. And that's just down in Half Moon Bay. For upper coastsiders in El Granada, Moss Beach, Princeton, and Montara, it's worse. On April 3, the first day that Devil's Slide was closed, it was taking commuters an hour to move between the two El Granada stoplights on Hwy 1, a distance of about half a mile. Many commuters are now getting up before 5:00 a.m. just to have a shot at making it to work in under two hours.
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May 06, 2006
The Cala Bell Tolls for Thee
By the time you read this, all the good booze will probably be gone, but it's still worth noting that the Cala Bell at the west end of Haight is having a ka-raaaaaaazy sale! All liquor 20% off! Miscellaneous grocery 10% off! Spices, for the love of God, 50% off! Lucky thing we're in a supermarket, because we're going to faint unless we can buy some paper bags to hyperventilate into!
So we asked the cashier, as they rang up our Stoli and cardamom, OMFG WTF BBQ? Nobody knows for sure, but the Cala folks predicted that after the store closes for good on May 24th, it'll get torn down. We'll miss its 24-hourishness, but we still say good riddance -- a single-story building with an underused parking lot? You can't get much lower-density than that. What a waste of a deceptively large piece of property. We wouldn't be surprised to see 3-level apartments go up in its place, with ground-level retail; that seems to be working out pretty well at the location just a few blocks away where a empty lot was replaced by housing and stores.
Palms, Palms, Palms for the Poor
We were reading the Chron this morning and read up on their story about the planting of palm trees throughout the city. Let's just say right off we like palm trees. And let's just say that while we often find it kind of funny that we are planting palm trees in a city known for having tropical kind of days maybe once or twice a year, we still like the thought behind it. In fact, we think it's in a way, very San Francisco in that it shows our belief in being something reality says we're not but who cares?
Anyways, while the story was mainly about the history of the trees and our determination to plant more of them, we couldn't happen to notice that there was some criticism of the trees mentioned in the story. One person brings up the fact that from an environmental standpoint, palm trees aren't exactly the best trees in that regards, or at least there are infinitely more trees that could do better. But it was this statement by Randy Shaw of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic that caught our attention. Randy complains that the trees are "are associated with upscale places like Miami Beach" and that the planting of them on 6th street, where many poor can be found, "sends the wrong message."
We think that's a good point, actually. This being San Francisco, it definitely means that not only do the trees we plant should send a message, but a tolerant message, one that supports the plight of the poor and the oppressed. But what tree would that be?
So we began to think about it. What tree would not only send a more positive message to the poor, but also be in the spirit of this city?
Click here to expand "Palms, Palms, Palms for the Poor"
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May 06, 2006
SFist Whines & Dines: Kilowatt
In an effort to stop slumping sales, Old Navy is hoping to recapture their sales magic of the late 90s by enlisting a new canine mascot. You may remember when Old Navy was a hot brand, nearly every commercial featured “Magic”, an Airedale mutt rescued from the streets of San Jose. Since Magic was forced out of his job in the Spring of 2001 (press releases cited ‘creative differences’) Old Navy same store sales have tanked (PDF). Coincidence? We think not.
Old Navy has finally realized the errors of its ways and is hoping to find a new dog mascot to fill Magic’s sizeable paws. If your mutt (pure breeds need not apply) has what it takes to saves a sagging discount retailer, you can take him or her to an open casting call at the Marina Green on May 13 from noon to 4 p.m. If you can’t make it to the casting call, you can submit your information online at the Old Navy site.
If you think a cocktail might make your pooch less nervous for his or her big audition, we would recommend you check out Kilowatt on 16th St. near Guerrero. It is hard to visit Kilowatt and not see two or three dogs inside, where there is lots of room to run around and you can sit pretty much anywhere but behind the bar. There is usually a source of water near the entrance but the place is light on snacking opportunities. A great bar for dog socializing and a solid 3 St. Bernards.
SFists Stan and Bailey, contributing
May 05, 2006
From The Editors' Inbox
OK, so you know, we don't know who this is (maybe we'll hit Ireland's 32 on May 18 and find out!), we never recieved a demo from this person, and we got this one three times in the editors' box, and twice in our own. An embarrassment of riches, indeed.
Hi there. Just wanted to introduce myself.I sent a demo in to you a while ago. wonder if it was listenned to. whatever. Anyway. Got my amp up to 10 the other day at People's Park in Berkeley. cops came but liked the vibe too much to bust me. Rocked on. Could hear it for many many blocks.
In addition to being invited back to the Jupiter Ale house in Berkeley, I am also performing this MAY 18th at IRELANDS 32 in San Francisco. Members of my lineup have toured with Blues Traveller, written for national music magazines, and much much more. The music is kick ass. I have a self released EP out as well.
I would like to get a review of my work. the demo has been sent in to you. Let me know if you need another one. Thanks. :)
Win Passes To Art School Confidential!
Sure, Art School Confidential doesn't hit Bay Area theatres until May 12, but our pals at Larsen (drink!) know that SFist readers are always one step ahead of everyone else, and have given us a crapload of passes to an advance screening of the movie even SFist MiHi couldn't get in to see at the SFIFF.
That's right: SFist MiHi, denied entrance to Art School Confidential! Given that we always want what we can't get, that makes this movie hott hott hott in our eyes.
Enrage MiHi and enter below to win passes for you and a guest to see Art School Confidential on Thursday, May 11, at 7:30 PM, at the Embarcadero.
To Be Continued...
Two stories from last week are still being stories this week, so we thought we'd update everyone on what the latest has been.
First up, North Beach, where yet another big, fun festival has had the fun taken out of it. This time it's the North Beach Jazz Festival which also got it's liquor license revoked by the Parks & Rec Department. That means no booze will be allowed. Once again, it's at the bequest of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers and their Errand Boy, Aaron Peskin who are upset about the possibility of the peasants running around all drunk and ruining their jazz music & wine drinking. The vote had the usual not-quite-on-the-up-and-up shenanigans and suspicions that Peskin is sticking it to Marsha Garland of the North Beach Chamber of Commerce again. Organizers of the Jazz Fesitval are claiming that they'll have to close up shop because most of their money comes from booze sales.
And yes, this is and the alcohol ban at the North Beach Festival is making some people think that we're going back to the bad old days of the late 90's when the city tried to get a whole bunch of clubs to close. Where, oh where, is that SF Party group? Hello, party people.
Also rearing its ugly head is the battle over the closure of Kennedy Drive on Saturdays. The measure came up to a vote again (don't ask) but was shot down mainly by advocates for the handicapped who claimed that closing the park on Saturdays would be bad for disabled people. This means disabled people move up several places in the San Francisco Politically Correct Interest Group charts, well above bikers and environmentalists. It was Michaela Alioto-Pier who put the kibosh on it, first by offering amendment to amendment to try and change the legislation, then voting against it after all the amendments were added. This brought the nasty comments from Mr. McGoldrick and Mr. Ammiano. Questions have also been raised about how we're going to pay for all the new shuttle services to and fro as we don't have money for anything. And the neighbors are getting extremely restless. Gavin is still remaining mum, not wanting to interrupt his dinner with John Travolta, Tom Cruise, and his hot girlfriend, to weigh in.
There will be one more vote next week.
Mark of the Beast Appears in Castro; "That Sounds About Right" Says Rest of Country
We were strolling down Market St a few days ago when our eyes were caught by this fetching image -- apparently, He Who Walks Backwards has been doing so in the Castro, with a can of spray paint in hand. Ha ha ha, we love to joke about The Prince of Filth, but really this is just an advertisement for the sure-to-be-crapulent remake of The Omen. How considerate of Universal to spray paint a symbol of the unholy on the sidewalks! We can only hope that they had the good sense not to place one near the Open Bible Church. Because that would be HIGHLARIOUS.
Anyway, if you're feeling uppity, you can report vandalism like this to the DPW by calling 415-28-CLEAN. They're startlingly quick -- we've found that they can have messes cleaned up in under 24 hours.
Political JunkiEE
If you think the Ma v. Ja race is content-free, you should try the State Senate District 8 race between Leland Yee and Mike Nevin. Yawn, unless you like trying to figure out the byzantine nature of state politics personal relationships. (i.e., why didn't Gavin Newsom endorse San Franciscan Yee over San Mateo County's Nevin? Does it have something to do with the mysterious feud between Fiona and Leland?)
However, it looks like Yee's got some enemies -- maybe from his sponsoring of that law preventing the sale of violent video games to minors? A tipster passed along a hilarious anti-Yee website, called "Are You Kidding Mee??" (Okay, take away our Asian-American card, but c'mon! The "mee" is kind of funny.)
Richard Silver, the former clerk of the San Mateo County Board of Supes, has diligently compiled all the negative stories he could find about Leland, and put them all in one spot. Read about how the cops thought Leland was trolling for prostitutes on South Van Ness in 1999! Read about Leland Yee's arrest in Hawaii for shoplifting!
And enter a contest to come up with a snide nickname for Leland! Okay, folks, get us back our Asian-American card and don't come up with any racist-sounding names, okay? No panda jokes, nothing mixing up l's and r's, we don't want any of that. Make fun of Leland in a color-blind way!
Thanks to our tipster for passing the site along! Picture of Yee with Paula Abdul -- Paula was testifying in support of Leland's bill to regulate nail salons.
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Keep It Well-Lighted!
We can't take any more of this Bay Area independent bookstore stress -- first the Kepler's drama and now this? Venerated SF independent bookstore stalwart A Clean Well-Lighted Place For Books is on the market. Owner Neal Sofman says that it's been hard getting walk-in traffic at its Opera Plaza location and that sales have been steadily declining over the years. But what about that new Peet's that just opened next door? Surely that would help?
In fact, Sofman just sold CWLPB's brilliant domain name (bookstore.com) last month to an undisclosed party, for an undisclosed amount. (That would explain why we couldn't pull up any bookstore-specific information about Caroline Paul's reading two days ago for the Wednesdays column.)
Sofman is opening a new bookstore in West Portal, but emphasizes that it isn't going to be anything like Clean Well-Lighted: "It's a small neighborhood bookstore."
We're so sad! We love Clean Well-Lighted's book selection, remainders, and readings -- plus, we're only like two books away from redeeming our frequent buyers' card. Please let someone cool buy the place!
Picture from Steve Rhodes's Flickr account; Rhodes notes that he didn't take the picture.
SFIFF: Play
For once, there's an actual "we" behind the royal SFist first-person plural -- SFists Rita and Wendy went to see Play on Wednesday night, and were told, kind of challengingly, by SFIFF staff they would only give us two tickets if we were both reviewing the movie. We accept your challenge, SFIFF!
Here's a brief summary of the plot, so you can follow our dialogue: Lonely Cristina finds depressed Tristan's stolen briefcase at the beginning of the movie, takes his cool cigarette lighter and iPod, and begins stalking him through Santiago.
Rita: So what'd you think of the movie? Like I said to you afterwards, it really reminded me of a Chilean Amélie, where a cute but strange young lady (Cristina) brings humanity back to troubled neighbors -- but as you know, I think Amélie Poulain is a sociopath. I liked Play, though, and I really liked the music. What'd you think?
Wendy: I liked it, too. I really liked how colorful (literally) it was -- the furniture, the fashion, even Santiago, Chile itself. it was a good kind of kooky, with the music and the parts of the film that itself played like the video games in the arcade where we first meet Cristina. I found myself thinking that i want an iPod like the one she found - one where the batteries never seem to run out.
The music was great - did you catch who it was?
More dialogue between SFists Rita and Wendy after the jump.
Click here to expand "SFIFF: Play"
SFist Blotter
Everyone's talking about the man in the SF DA's witness protection program that was shot outside a Bayview auto body shop yesterday, in broad daylight. He had testified against two murder suspects before a grand jury. DA Kamala Harris called it "horrific," but otherwise seemed remarkably unsympathetic about the situation, saying that he shouldn't have come back to the Bayview if he wanted protection. "The first and last rule in witness protection is, don't go back to your danger zone," she said. The suspects in yesterday's shooting remain at large.
He's dropped the Li'l, and maybe now he should change his name to Pow-Pow -- two people were shot outside the HP Pavilion last night after the Bow Wow show. Bow Wow (no longer dating Ciara, if you care) was performing at Wild 94.9's Bomb 21 show, along with E-40, Federation, Rihanna, and Bubba Sparxxx. The two people's injuries are not considered life-threatening.
And we can't tell if this is encouraging people to take public transportation or not: apparently people are now stealing gas from cars parked in BART parking lots in the East Bay. BART did warn everyone, but also doesn't plan on increasing security -- no doubt because they're like, "see? we told you it was better to take public transportation." The police say to buy a locking gas cap, or "buy a Prius."
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SFist Cares - DonorsChoose Reader's Challenge
Companies are getting into blogging, why not non-profits? They are catching on and one of the organizations we talked about last year, DonorsChoose, is starting up a new "power of the blogs" campaign called, unsurprisingly, BloggersChoose. DonorsChoose allows teachers to submit proposals for classroom supplies or initiatives they want to accomplish but can't afford (shocking news - schools aren't well-funded, like, anywhere) and donors pick the ones they want to fund, in part or in total, and send the money directly to that proposal. Now, bloggers can get involved by pulling together proposals into a challenge and getting their readers involved in funding them.
We want to give you the opportunity to contribute to some of the projects of DonorsChoose through the SFist Cares Reader's Challenge. We picked some projects from local schools and hope you'll consider contributing. Some of those we selected require very little money to be fully funded (someone else has done the rest) and others need a bit more cash to get done. If you can't find anything in our list of projects, maybe there's something else there that speaks to your particular pet interests. We're hoping to raise a very modest $1000 for the various proposals we've picked.
Now, we should be very clear - Sars at Tomato Nation kicked off this BloggersChoose initiative a few weeks back and, after her readers raised $30,000 in a week shaved her head as a reward. We aren't going to shave our head or anything, but we sure will be grateful. We might even be able to rustle up some prizes from the SFist coffers so if you donate, hang onto your confirmation.
This isn't a winner takes all game either. If you are having your own challenge please leave us a comment with your link.
Click here to expand "SFist Cares - DonorsChoose Reader's Challenge"
May 04, 2006
Bedbugs, Bedbugs, Whatcha Gonna Do?
The good news is that vacancy rates are low across the hotel business in San Francisco. The bad news is that at least some of those rooms may be off the rolls as they are being fumigated. When we wrote our original post on San Francisco's growing bedbug infestation, we were at a loss to come up with direct reports of encounters with the parasites in some of The City's hotels. Well, Hotel Chatter dropped us a note to point to this tale of abject terror:
But by the morning of the 27th, my arms, legs and other parts of my body were full of bug bites (I took some pictures of the bites). As I was sitting on the edge of the bed putting my shoes on, I saw something crawling on the pillowcase. I carefully took a zip-lock type plastic bag and caught the little bug. I knew right away what I was dealing with.The good news is that Hotel Chatter has also had reports of infestations in Vancouver and London from just the past few weeks, so at least we're not alone as a worldclass travel destination where tourists are tormented by blood suckers and, apparently, bedbugs. So next time you decide to head back to a hotel with a Marina Girl or Guy you've picked up at MatrixFillmore, you've got yet another set of cooties to worry about. Might we suggest getting it on in the shower?I removed the sheets off the bed and found more bugs. I went to the front desk to report my find, and to my indignation, the person that was in charge didn't seem to care much. He absently told me he was going to report the incident to the manager. Even after I showed him the bites and the bugs in the bag I did not get a "We're terribly sorry" or "Is there something we can do for you", at the very least offer me some lotion for the itching and inconvenience.
Photo: Dramatic re-enactment of infestation at the Heritage Marina Hotel. Bedbugs pictured may not be actual size.