NVV May 2011: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until mid-month.

May 2011

Front Page: St. Paul Church is 100 years old; local artist Eli Noyes designs a sheet of green stamps; car vs. ped accident at 24th and Church spurs local resident Kevin Daniels to pursue better enforcement (or lights) at the 4-way stop.

Letters: Cover to Cover closure lament; Gallery of Jewels adds a ramp for handicap access.

Features: Local resident opens mail-order basket business - the Noe Valley Day Break basket features Noe Valley honey, coffee beans, pastries and a Cafe XO mug; more ADA lawsuits targeting Pasta Pomodoro, Bacco Ristorante and Mailboxes Etc.; food gardening will be showcased at the Noe Valley garden tour on May 21; and 32 AT&T communications boxes are headed for Noe sidewalks if the supes vote yes on May 24 (for more info email AT&T's Mark Blakeman).

Cost of Living in Noe: Zephyr reports 13 homes changed hands in March, including 3 for over $2 million.  High-end homes are hot again in Noe.

Store Trek: Tango Advanced Nutrition (1311 Church St. at 25th); The Urban Chair hair salon (3650 24th St @ Fair Oaks) 

Rumors: None. Mazook's on vacation.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Closing: San Francisco Mystery Book Store

Noe Valley is losing another independent book store:

A final message to all of my loyal customers. I will be closing the San Francisco Mystery Book Store effective May 31, 2011. My landlords will be renovating the building and thus, I would need to find a new location. Since my current landlords have been SO very generous over the years, I know finding a place which has such a low rent would be next to impossible. I have LOVED my 10+ years here, having the most fun spending time with customers, turning them on to amazing books, mostly out of the ordinary and hopefully have introduced people to new and interesting series.

I will still be in the biz. I am holding on to my seller's permit and I will continue to sell online, but more about that later. I have set up a contact with someone in the UK (no, not the Duchess of Cambridge) who will be able to supply me with amazing novels by amazing authors who are not available here in the US as well as keep you up to date with new releases. Now that I will no longer have a storefront, I will also be reviewing books, and making 'yes' and 'no' recommendations.

Starting Saturday, May 7th, all inventory (including first editions) will be half price. Please stop in and say hello, or goodbye and perhaps even purchase a few books.

Thanks, Diane

[Photo: Google Street View]

Closed: Tuttimelon

As it began, so it ends - Tuttimelon will miss the summer season. For that matter, Tuttimelon in Noe Valley will miss every foreseeable summer season. We walked by today and they were loading refrigerators into small pickup trucks. They've had all sorts of issues, so we assumed a remodel. When asked? "We're shut down and clearing out."

Sorry, kids - no more Strawreo flavored Fro-Yo.

Fair Warning: DPT To Crack Down On Sidewalk Parking

Jersey St.

We learn from the SFPD Ingleside Station that the DPT will step up enforcement of Section 22500(f) of the California Vehicle Code, more commonly known as "parking on sidewalks." The DPT appears to believe that enforcing a policy last updated in February of 2010 will help close SFMTA's budget deficit (which we're not getting into here). In short:

Vehicles parked on sidewalks constitute an inconvenience for pedestrians and a hazard for people who are blind or otherwise visually impaired. Officers are to renew their efforts to cite violations...to discourage this ongoing and increasing problem.

Section VC2200F states: "No person shall stop, park or leave standing any vehicle whether attended or unattended, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a peace officer or official traffic control device..." DPT will collect $105 each time you stop "even for just one minute." We're going to go ahead and assume that Whole Foods customers will be exempt.

A full list of all parking fines is available here. Keep a copy in your glove box so you can choose the cheapest late-night option.

Survey: Design Your Corner Store

Sunshine Market at 4300 23rd Street wants to overhaul its one-review/one-star rating on Yelp. An Alvarado area neighbor forwarded this plea:

Sunshine Market at 23rd and Douglass is getting an overhaul. They are going to be re-stocking the store and wanted input as to what was needed. Below please find a link to a survey. Please fill out asap and pass on to others in the neighborhood.

Stellar Research Survey

[Photo: Google Street View]

105th Anniversary of the SF Quake – Scene from Noe Valley

Tomorrow morning marks the 105^th Anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (5:12 a.m. on April 18, to be exact). If you're wondering what it was like to be in Noe Valley during the Big One, neighborhood buildings were largely spared the quake damage and ensuing fires. But the 7.9 – 8.25 magnitude quake and aftershocks sent people around the city outdoors for days. This picture was taken after the 1906 quake on Valley Street.

For more photos of other parts of the city after the quake, the Chronicle reports that the SFMTA has released a trove of rare photos taken by John Henry Mentz, the photographer for United Railroads, the city's transportation operator at the time. Uptown Almanac has some of the best highlights here, including this astonishing one of City Hall.

[Photo: Greg Gaar Collection, via Foundsf.org]

Mission Streetscape Preview: Cesar Chavez Road Diet

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Wondering how the traffic flow on Cesar Chavez is going to work when it drops from 6 lanes to 4 as part of the Mission Streetscape Project? StreetsBlog posted this video that explains the mechanics and highlights the benefits to the neighborhood and drivers. San Francisco has over 40 streets that are on or slated for a "road diet" - thanks to a reader for pointing out that Valencia and Cesar Chavez are featured prominently in this film. Among the benefits the SFMTA cites are better traffic flow, revitalized retail, more parking, safer pedestrian walking areas, dedicated bike lanes, and more trees/green. And it looks better.

For Noe Valley car commuters that don't like the Cesar Chavez plan and/or just want to get to the freeway the old way, there's still some good news: road diets typically improve neighboring property prices too.

Food Bites: Gary Danko's Favorite Noe Restaurant and More

Once again, the little Sardinian restaurant at 30th and Church is getting some love from local foodies. La Ciccia was listed in NY Grub Street's link-baity but tasty article called Pasta Porn: 101 of America's Most Delicious Noodle Dishes.

"Husband and wife Massimiliano Conti and Lorella Degan serve elegant dishes with rustic flavors like this one featuring southern Italy's baked-pearl pasta, fregula. Cured tuna heart, shaved over the plate like bottarga, may be the oddity here, but the earthy, nutty pasta is the star, accented with fresh ricotta and Meyer-lemon zest."

La Ciccia also got another mention in an interview in the WSJ with celeb chef Gary Danko - he called it one of his favorite restaurants in SF.

New Restaurant Progress - Maybe: The long-rumored (and stalled) Vietnamese-fusion restaurant at 25th and Church had a visit from an inspector and got permission to cover the walls.

[photo: La Ciccia via Grubstreet]
[WSJ: Chef Savors Taste, Not Trends]