Sodium Glow
Nick.Fisher gives us this unadulterated view of SESF:
Crop of da Noe, Bernal, La Lengua and Bayview.
Full Moon Fever, Bernal Rising
Sutromygod
Wow. Just… wow.
Herb Caen on Sutro Tower: “I keep waiting for it to stalk down the hill and attack the Golden Gate Bridge.”
photo by Stuart Dixon > alybooboo > itsnotthatserious > generic
The reaction to the tower when it was built in 1971-1973 is rather different than today (via sutro.org):
Supervisor Dianne Feinstein:
“This is undoubtedly one of the worst structures, visually, I have an opportunity to view.”
Allan B. Jacobs, Director of City Planning, City and County of San Francisco:
“It’s pretty terrible – esthetically, environmentally, from about every standpoint you can imagine.”
Supervisor Robert E. Gonzales:
“In the fall of 1971, when it was one-fourth built, I called it Godzilla the Monster. Now it’s Godzilla fully grown. I think it’s ugly. When it was approved in 1966, no one recognized the magnitude and overpowering effect it would have.”
Period quip (via reader Sean):
“It’s the packing case the Tramsamerica building came in.”
And here’s what was a minority (and admittedly biased) opinion at the time:
Russ Coughlan, general manager of KGO-TV and president of Sutro Tower, Inc.:
“I like the way it looks. It’s as attractive as anything that structural can be. I don’t think it’s an eyesore. I think it’s attractive and has its own identity…”
More in line with today’s thinking, or at least for many who have moved here since it was built.
Peapod Represents Haiti, Bernal in the House
Peapod is a worldwide youth music program started by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. Last year they worked with the Adobe Foundation to open branches in Oakland and Redwood City that give kids access to video and music production equipment.
In addition to mentoring in the performing arts, youth participants will receive structured multi-media training in video, audio, photography, design and art, enabling them to creatively express their points of view on vital issues and contribute to social change in their communities.
The aim of the campaign is to nurture self-expression, creativity, community involvement, and digital literacy among young people — the kind of education these organizations feel is critical for today’s youth.
The Redwood City kids wisely chose the top of Bernal as a location for their rather awesome “Stand Up For Haiti” video to support earthquake relief efforts.
Click to get to the Vimeo HD version (and choose the HTML5 player button to save your CPU).
Click for more on Peapod, and Adobe Youth Voices.
Note that Partners in Health (PIH) is the Burrito Justice approved vector for Haiti donations. The rainy season is about to start and they need all the help they can get.
Mission, C’est La Langue
Mission Mission recently wrote of Chloe’s paper representation of the Mission.
However, Chloe is not bound by the third dimension. Even more awesome is her map of San Francisco.
I am particularly impressed by her representation of the Mission and specifically LA LENGUA. Merci pour la langue!
Take the time to check out the rest of her 2-D artwork.
By the way, I miss Amuse Bouche. :(
Bjork Is Angry
The Norsk institutt for luftforskning — you probably know them better for their 1985 album “Hunting High and Low” and the #15 hit Take On Me — a ha ha ha. Anyway, NILU, or the Norwegian Institute for Air Research recently released a released a rather sobering computer model of Iceland’s ash flowing over Europe. Here’s the prediction for the 20th.
I took the liberty of looping and speeding up their timelapse video, thus saving NILU’s FTP server from certain doom.
Doesn’t it move just like smoke from a cigarette?
My sympathies to all those stuck in airports right now. Friends of mine stranded in Ireland slept in the movie theater of the 14 hour ferry to France in an effort to get to a cab to any train to Paris.
Also, I thought I was being Mr. Clever Person by telling people that 6 days on the boat between the UK and NYC would be much better that sleeping in any of the world’s finest airports. (You’d also get to sing the “I’m on a Boat” song. Until fellow refugees threw you overboard.) Alas the Cunard sailing is already sold out.
(Thanks to Dr. Jeff Masters’ blog on the Weather Underground for the pointer to NILU map.)
Day in the Life
Quick, what’s this?
Pollock?
An aorta? Or a Picasso? There’s gotta be an eye and an ear in there somewhere…
Perhaps a wiggly Mondrian? Or the lower GI tract from the Transit for Body map?
Alas, no. It’s a day in the life of Muni, according to NextBus. 1) Downtown, 2) Mt. Davidson and 3) the Mission respectively.
Plotted from NextBus data by the ever awesome Eric Fischer.
Eric informs us that the data is from about noon today (the 14th) to noon yesterday (the 13th).
Black < 7 mph
Red < 19 mph
Blue < 43 mph
Green > 43 mph
Given thick blue line through the tunnel, it includes light rail. Given their ‘speed’, the J, L and N don’t even register beyond 19 mph.
But there is too much red and black, too much below 8.1 mph.
Give me more blue! I want more dedicated right of way and pre-paid boarding. Or I will demand many tunnelling machines!
No No SoCha, Si Si La Lengua
Facepalm. SFGate is at it again.
While they clearly recognize the impending superiority of La Lengua, they keep calling it unworthy names like “SoCha” or “San Jose Guerrero.” (SanJoGue?) Come on people, stop being so derivative and/or literal. Never mind that the 555 Bartlett building (hey, open a bar called the Triple Nickel!) would be in NoCha, not SoCha.
La Lengua es claramente más awesomente!
I am proud to say that people who are not me have already taken to the comments section spreading the awesomeness of our toponym. The SFist thread is already well covered, but once again I ask you to hold your noses (and any other orifices) and dive into the SFGate thread. A grand party will ensue once we get it in print!
Amazingly there are a few rational voices in the SFGate comment pit. This is my favorite:
heyyoukids 4/13/2010 8:55:43 PM
To those of you complaining about CC/Army getting remodeled and “ruining your commute”: bite me. I live here and I’m freaking sick of crossing the street with my daughter and having to watch out for all you pinheads going 40mph hell-bent for the 101 all the while talking on your cell. I hope the new street makes you late every day.
UPDATE: Oh CurbedSF, I thought you knew better. (Clever title though.)
Get on it, folks.
1960: Road By (In & Over) The Bay
Once again, Eric Fischer to the retrofuture with San Mateo County’s 1960 Master Plan.
BART around the Bay, to SFO via Brisbane, and over the southern bridges.
And look closely — that’s not 101 along the edge of the Bay, it’s a super-extended Highway 87 from San Jose to SF, extending through marshland and to the east of SFO.
And of course a dam.
Those mid-centurains sure had it in for the Bay, slicing and dicing it in their dreams.
There is a dam across the Dumbarton Bridge, turning the south end of the bay into a freshwater lake.
All kinds of freeways that never happened: the Bayfront Freeway from San Francisco to San Jose; the Willow Road/Sand Hill Road freeway in Palo Alto; a Skyline Boulevard freeway north of where it meets Interstate 280; extension of the Route 92 freeway west to Highway 1; extension of the Highway 1 freeway south; Interstate 380 extended west and east; Route 84, 92, and 238 freeways in the East Bay; and the usual ones in San Francisco. No Southern Crossing, though.
And BART around the bay, and on the Dumbarton Bridge and San Mateo Bridge. In San Francisco and Oakland the routes still follow the 1956 Regional Rapid Transit alignments.
Pavement to Parks – Noe vs the No
Tonight at 6:30! Come to 665 Elizabeth St to show your support for the trial plaza at 24th and Noe! Better get there early because it sounds like there will be a crowd.
Whether you can make it or not:
Email Andres Power to show your support.
Email Bevan Dufty to show your support.
In addition to a nice pedestrian plaza, I think it could actually *help* traffic on 24th. Given the congestion, I *already* take Jersey instead –which is exactly what the No Forces claim will happen if the plaza goes in place!
Just try it! You might like it!
Burrito Justice 