e_juliana | Entries tagged with nb

The shitty cover band at Grant & Green is playing a cover of Juliana Hatfield's "Spin The Bottle". I fucking hate that song, and they're not even doing it justice. ARGH.

edit: Oh, jesus. Now they're doing Sublime's "Santeria". KILL KILL KILL.

second edit: It keeps getting worse - now they're doing Radiohead's "Creep". stabbinates eardrums out

yet another edit: AHAHAHAHA. Now it's Madonna's "Ray Of Light". Seriously?

moar edit: I'm fairly sure Everclear's "Santa Monica" doesn't translate to pseudo-hardcore, but props for trying something new.

son of edit: I was wondering how long it would take them to get to Pearl Jam. Oh, and it's "Evenflow". Of course it is.

again: OH NOES. They went from Elastica's "Connection" to Blur's "Song 2". OH SHITTY COVER BAND NO. (My gods, he can't even get the "Woo hoo" right.)

once more into the breach, dear friends: Alice In Chains now. sigh

once more: I think they're trying to rap? OH GODS, THEY'RE DOING "JUMP AROUND". It's like the entire playlist of Stuff White People Like!!

Seriously, dudes. At the very least, you could perhaps stop attempting to give new layers to the phrase "soulless hacks". IJS.

Current Mood: cranky
Current Music: shitty cover band

and his cronies at the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Association (which used to be headed by him and is now headed by his wife)

Sound Off: North Beach Booze Ban

Supervisor Aaron Peskin's move to ban new liquor licenses in North Beach may end up loosening considerably after today's San Francisco Planning Commission hearing, but at least one critic says the suggested concessions aren't enough.

The ordinance up for review today would ban all new on and off-sales of alcohol in the North Beach Commercial District. That means that no new bars, liquor stores or restaurants that sell alcohol would be able to open for at least five years. It would also prohibit the transfer of licenses within the neighborhood and would automatically revoke the license of any business that closed for more than 30 days.

However, Peskin's office indicated today that the supervisor would accept recommendations by the San Francisco Planning Department to loosen the restrictions. In a report, the department made three major recommendations to change the ordinance:

Instead of an outright ban, planners recommended a cap on the number of licenses. That means no additional alcohol-selling establishments could be opened, but that if one closed, another could open. The planning department also recommended that licenses be transferable within the neighborhood, and that the 30-day clause on considering a business abandoned be lengthened to 18 months.

A source within Peskin's office indicated the supervisor was open to those suggestions. The concern, according to Peskin's office, is not necessarily controlling drunken behavior in the neighborhood, but controlling the types of businesses that open there, affecting the character of the neighborhood. The supervisor is seeking a way to make the neighborhood more friendly to service-oriented businesses like hardware stores and other retail.

But North Beach Chamber of Commerce head Marsha Garland said that even if the proposed changes to the ordinance go into effect, she would still oppose it.

"With the impact of online shopping, retail’s never going to be the same again. You cannot force a shoe store into a shop when the landlords are charging restaurant prices. It doesn’t work that way," Garland said today. "They’re not paying any attention to the reality. You’ve got to let the market determine what goes into the space."

Full text of ordinance (PDF)

The only retail that I patronize in my neighborhood is the grocery store and the liquor store - I can't afford the cakes or the cards or the clothes that are sold (I can't even fit in to the clothes - stupid boutiques). I would love it if more affordable retail went in - but the hardware store got forced out because it couldn't pay its lease any more. How are you going to take care of that, Peskin? Are there tax breaks for small businesses? Are there serious tax breaks for necessary businesses like a hardware store or a pharmacy? No.

I seriously think that Peskin & co.'s dream vision of North Beach is something out of 1950. Ain't gonna happen, folks. We've got Chinatown encroaching again, young families leaving the neighborhood because they can't afford it, the old folks who remember how it was dropping like flies, and empty storefronts all over the place. Simply, North Beach is dying, and it's being replaced with people who don't remember and don't care. Banning liquor, beer, and wine will not solve the problem, and will only exacerbate it by stemming tax revenue that could be used for the benefit of the neighborhood.

(Oh, and using the fact that we got voted one of the best neighborhoods to live in the States? Doesn't work, because the frontage has changed radically from the two years ago that the survey was taken. So shut up already.)

(Seriously, I'm about ready to move to Polk Gulch just to get away from these people.)

Current Mood: angry
Current Music: Don't You Know Who I Think I Am? - Fall Out Boy

Actually, I have a country-based running mix, but I think I need a "sprinting" one. And maybe a bandom one. And maybe a Celtic punk one (though that would probably overlap with the sprinting one a lot). And then just a general "songs that make J happy to run" one. I forsee much music geekery.

One of the first ones that would go on the "sprinting" one would be Kazzer's "Pedal To The Metal". I enjoy the hell out of it for some weird reason. Also, it makes me think of

serenada and

cass404, but for different reasons. (cass because it's driving, serenada because it sounds like something you could put a Krav montage to.)

Also, I would like the rain to stop now, please. I'm tired of rain. I'd like to go running without the Gore-Tex.

In totally unrelated news, I kind of need this bike.

Mmm, Marina-bashing. Always fun, and rather hilarious in this case.

I have a rant brewing about the current/ongoing political jackassery going on in my neighborhood, specifically about one Mr. Aaron Peskin and his cohorts/asskissers in the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Association (

debg, can Solange or JP take them on?), but I'm waiting until my blood pressure comes down a little bit. But Peskin and Hizzoner Newsom can both shut the fuck up and sit down.

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Lucky Man - The Verve

To the gentleman who decided that 3:45 a.m. was a lovely time to park at the intersection of Grant & Green and play "Freebird" as loud as your white GMC SUV would go as you air-drummed your yuppified heart out:

May the love of your life go on talk shows to talk about how ridiculously bad of a lover you are, may your dick shrivel up and fall off, may you never listen to any decent music again, may any vehicle you drive from now on be painted a bright sparkly pink and only have 8-track.

No love,

The extremely sick woman who couldn't even get the voice together to yell, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!", and who would have pelted your car with pink paintballs had she had them.

Current Mood: crankytired
Current Music: not fucking "Freebird"

Of course, Peskin is taking credit for it....

North Beach declared one of 10 best U.S. neighborhoods
John King, Chronicle Urban Design Writer
Tuesday, October 2, 2007

The nation's top planning organization has confirmed what Bay Area residents and smitten tourists already feel in their gut: San Francisco's North Beach is one of the greatest neighborhoods in America.

The district - which was once an Italian enclave leavened by a sprinkling of bohemians, now a dense agglomeration of sidewalk cafes and a population that spans the ethnic and social spectrum - was named as one of "10 Great Neighborhoods in America" today by the American Planning Association.

The 41,000-member organization took note of the atmospheric collage of low buildings around such historic gathering places as Grant Avenue and Washington Square. They also acknowledged the tenacious way that residents have fought to keep out chain stores and development projects that might water down "its eclectic mix of mom-and-pop shops, nightclubs and polyglot character (that) make it one of the city's most unique and authentic communities," according to the announcement.

The designation from afar, while it might seem like a statement of obvious to the fans of such institutions as Caffe Trieste or City Lights Bookstore, was greeted with proper enthusiasm by local officials. In a statement released by the association, the neighborhood's supervisor, Aaron Peskin, called the award a "fitting tribute to one of America's greatest urban neighborhoods." Mayor Gavin Newsom handed off credit: "Thanks to the efforts of our planners and engaged residents, North Beach continues to reflect the personalities of the many people who have lived or worked here for the past 100 years."

Other neighborhoods singled out by the association include Park Slope in Brooklyn, San Diego's Hillcrest district and the Pike Place Market neighborhood in Seattle.

But we're still a pretty cool neighborhood....

From the APA website:

Authentic Character Is Intact 150 Years Later

This thriving, European-style neighborhood — nestled in a sunny, wind-protected valley between San Francisco's financial district, Chinatown, and Russian and Telegraph Hills — has evolved into one of the city's most unique and authentic communities. North Beach, with the help of planning and zoning tools, has managed to preserve its essential character: a mix of tolerance and tradition in both its built and social environments.

Designated one of the American Planning Association's top 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2007, North Beach attained international repute in the 1950s as the genesis of the Beat Generation. While it remains a popular pilgrimage destination for former beatniks, the neighborhood is anything but a relic. Its eclectic mix of mom-and-pop shops, nightclubs, and polyglot character make it a favorite among residents and tourists alike.

North Beach is, in many ways, a traditional neighborhood. It's rarely more than a few blocks walk to find a grocer, bakery, barber shop, hardware store, church, school or park. What cannot be found in the neighborhood are chain stores and fast-food outlets. And that's by design.

As early as the 1980s, the city placed controls on the type and scale of commercial uses as a way to help protect North Beach's identity. The idea was to promote homegrown businesses and discourage chains and franchises by including in local regulations descriptions of how North Beach businesses could operate. To further dissuade chain stores, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted in 2005 to ban retailers with more than 11 stores from locating in the neighborhood.

North Beach's identity has been formed over a century or more. Settled in the 1850s, the area's first residents were middle-class Americans. Thirty years later, two-thirds were immigrants, mostly from Ireland, Germany, and France. By 1939, more than 60,000 Italians had moved to this square-mile neighborhood, earning it the nickname of Little Italy. The streets were lined with Italian restaurants, shops, and social clubs. Tourists frequented the area, drawn by the quality and affordability of the local cuisine.

With the 1950s came an influx of beatniks who filled jazz clubs, coffee houses, and esoteric bookstores. Nightclubs along Broadway hosted top entertainers. Today you can find boutique shops and restaurants mixed in with dance clubs and risque venues, making North Beach a neighborhood of contrasts and one of the liveliest parts of town.

Part of North Beach's appeal stems from restrictions on building heights and billboards that were prompted by neighborhood associations and implemented in the 1980s. Today, historic landmarks such as Coit Tower are visible; no skyscrapers block the view. Washington Square, the neighborhood's central open space, is a place for morning Tai Chi classes, dog walking, sky gazing, and several annual festivals.

Affordability — both residential and commercial — remains an issue in North Beach. Roughly 60 percent of the housing stock is rent controlled. An inclusionary housing program requires that new developments set aside a certain percentage of units as affordable. For example, the 341-unit North Beach Place apartments, which replaced crumbling 1950s mid-rises, opened to acclaim in 2004. This mixed-use project contains 34,000 feet of street level retail and a mix of residential units: public housing, low- and moderate-income, and senior citizen.

What truly makes North Beach unique are the people who live there. If they are left behind by the market, so, too, is the character that a century of effort has kept in place.

Current Music: So Alive - Love And Rockets

Went to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market today. The haul:

Torpedo onions
Artichoke
Tomatoes
Sweet yams
Morels
Buffalo mozzarella (from Cowgirl Creamery)
Cod
Cherries (which are already gone)

I'm growing basil and parsley at home - I was thinking of baking some basil focaccia tonight (an act of hubris in my nabe), and sauteeing the morels in butter with the tops of the torpedo onions. Maybe the artichoke tonight, too.

Tomorrow, insalata caprese, cod, and a yam-and-onion bake. Nom nom nom nom.

There were also sweetpeas at the market, which made me think of

jonquil. They smelled quite heavenly.

I also have to figure how best to deal with the rose I bought from Uncommon Rose - again, thanks to

jonquil. I know I'll need to repot it, but what's the best way? How do I not kill it? How do I keep it alive in my light well in a pot? Yipes! Thank goodness there's a gardening store near me. They'll be hearing from me on Saturday.

I love California. I love the incessant growing season, the relaxation, the produce. So nice.

Current Mood: nom nom nom

"If Zach didn't break me, none of y'all can."

Yes, the males of North Beach left a lot to be desired last night. Ptui on the lot of them.

Current Mood: grumpy
Current Music: Flogging Molly - Seven Deadly Sins

Landslide in North Beach. I'm fine, everyone I know is fine, but yipes.

CNN did a piece on it, complete w/video.

Finally remembered to email mom & Barndad, saying I'm fine.

Current Mood: surprised

I forgot to mention Fernet, though.

North Beach, where the men are boys and the women are strippers

At least, that's the impression you'd get if you only came in to my neighborhood on the weekends.

The other North Beach, the one I live in, is a place where everyone is familiar, even if you just met them. Where you're taken care of if you need it. Where there's always a dice game going on. Where you can go insane from all of the heavenly aromas emitting from the bakeries and the coffee shops and the Italian restaurants. Where there's big-band jazz at the Savoy every Saturday and a brass-band funeral almost every day. Where you'll be left alone if you want to be, and welcomed with open arms if you want that. Where you can hear the seals barking and the foghorns at night. Where you can climb a hill and watch the city go by and be in your own little world.

That's my North Beach, and I love it.

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Hank Williams III - 5 Shots Of Whiskey

This truly lovely ode to my neighborhood was pointed out to me by

noradeidre, and I am most grateful. It comes at a fortuitous time. (Though I dispute his assertion of North Beach being resigned or well-behaved. It's still bawdy and disreputable, just in a different fashion.)

It's also the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, which is probably why they have a tribute to North Beach up.

The full text of the article is under the cut.

( It was the end of the continent; they didn't give a damn )

We know the pot of gold is bogus, but we still keep going there. We've been doing it for years -- as young men, not so young men and now not young men at all. We keep heading to North Beach, keep turning left on Churchill Alley out of the Broadway tunnel, even though in those 30 years we have never yet once hit the jackpot, felt the supreme high, made the scene, danced the dance, met the chick, seen the best minds of our generation doing anything, let alone walking through the Negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix.

But it doesn't matter. There's always next time. And when you finally begin to understand that there ain't going to be no next time, that this is it, that's OK. You don't need North Beach to give up its secrets because you know them all. Because you're on the corner of Grant and Green in this sad old Italian valley beneath its two guardian hills looking down like kindly old paisans, and the waves are lapping down at Aquatic Park to the north and the filthy numberless alleys of Chinatown lurk to the south, and the glasses in every bar are full and Broadway is stupid jammed with John Dos Passos sailors and the Palmistry sign is reflected in the upper windows of Vesuvio and the parrots are flying above Washington Square and the Mason Street cable car rattle-clatters onto Columbus and you're at the dead center of town, the bull's-eye, where you've been a thousand times before and where you will always return, where you left your heart, and where you found it.
-- By Gary Kamiya

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: George Thorogood & The Destroyers - One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer