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July 31, 2009

Protested: La Boulange de Noe Valley

For those not following us on Twitter, the beer/wine license for La Boulange on 24th St is on hold due to protest. Can't wait to hear what this is all about... Somebody not like thriving businesses on 24th St?

[NVSF: More on La Boulange]
[NVSF: La Boulange To Noe Valley?]

July 30, 2009

Tidbits: Openings

Scott McDonald of Noeteca says "...our current projected opening date is September 9th. I'm hesitant to name an exact date because I fear it will invite additional delays ... So far the final stages seem to be running smoothly and the ABC is finally getting ready to transfer our license."

Andrew Calabrese is transitioning out of the Community Liaison role for the Noe Valley Whole Foods. "Shortly a Marketing Team Leader will be hired who will be answering questions and working with the community as I have been." But what we really want to know: "We are still looking at an opening date in late September. We are very certain that it won’t be any later." And that office in the old Noe Valley Video? Just that - a temporary office.

Finally, there's been some activity at 1298 Church St. Unfortunately, it all seems to be centered on the housing above, and not the restaurant space still bare to the studs and without a beer/wine license.

[NVSF: Noeteca: Still Coming Soon]
[NVSF: Whole Foods Responds]
[NVSF: Update: "High End Vietnamese Fusion"]

July 28, 2009

7X7 Doesn't Love Noe Valley

Noe Valley: Not On The Map

That plea for San Francisco residents to write an entire issue of 7x7? It worked--even if it is a thin issue. But alas, no mention of the 'hood (though Castro and Mission have their crowd-sourced entries). Should we be offended? Did they not like the letters or photos? Is Noe too far away for the average 7x7 reader (Chloe's, Toast, Savor and cheap nails/waxing exluded)? At least they gave us some love in May.

[NVSF: 7x7 Wants Your Love Letters to Noe Valley]

RIP: Kenny Thornton

The mail will arrive at the same time at houses in Noe Valley and the Castro today. But there will be a definite decline in good cheer. Mailman Kenny Thornton, who walked his route for 31 years, died last week at 72.

"He passed away getting ready for work," said Elizabeth Downing, his supervisor. "He was wearing his uniform."
[SFGate: CW Nevius]

July 27, 2009

Noe Valley Reading Club

Cary Friedman wrote us to tell us about a new book club that meets the third Wednesday of every month at the Noe Valley Branch Library. This month they're reading West of Kabul, East of New York by Ansary Tamin, and will get together August 19th at 7:00PM. For more information, send Cary an email. (Ed.--My old copy may still be at Phoenix Books.)

July 21, 2009

Deep Sushi To Become Izakaya...?

If not Deep Sushi, then somewhere in Noe Valley is a new restaurant called Izakaya (which is sort of a catchall for a Japanese bar that also serves food). Here's the ad on Craigslist:
NEW Izakaya restaurant in Noe Valley seeking Sushi Chef. Following job responsibilities;
• Knowledgeable in Asian and/or Japanese cuisine.
• Experienced with traditional sushi preparation and various forms (rolls, temaki, nigiri, sashimi, futomaki, etc), including choice of ingredients, design, and presentation.
• Expert knife skills.
• Innovative presentation of dishes.
• Responsible for sushi station hygiene and sanitation.
• Ability to take direction and provide direction when necessary.
• Ability to interact positively with the public.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Responsible for creating new dishes, assisting with menu creation.
********FOR CONSIDERATION, PLEASE EMAIL YOUR RESUME.********

Lose Your Dog?

From MH:
Found 7/20 4Pm, Shorthair pointer mix, liver and white spots, 5 year old male. Very friendly. Held at Noe Valley Pet Company 282-7385 till 7PM- then call Animal Care and Control 554-6364.

July 20, 2009

Stolen Bit Of Sidewalk Bliss

1044 Church St

The sign reads: "To whoever stole my table & chairs...Please bring them back as I miss them..." How sad! Sucks that someone stole the table and chairs, but really? Didn't see that one coming?

Introducing: Noe Valley Exchange


From Felicia:
I am a Noe Valley resident with a great vege garden in the back yard. I'd like to find other local gardeners out there who'd be willing to exchange produce/fruits grown in their backyard. For example, I've got a lot of zucchini about to come in, and I'd really like peppers or lemons in exchange. I figure there has to be others in the neighborhood who would have what I'm looking for and would be willing to do a neighborhood garden exchange.
It's a great idea, and we've been contemplating how to do this since reading a New York Times article last month on the same topic. Today we set up a Google Group called Noe Valley Exchange for trading home-grown fruit, vegetables, and other backyard farmer products. No money to change hands, and you know where your food comes from.

Please check it out, sign up and let us know what you think. Also let us know if we should add categories for goods and services.

[NYT: Neighbor, Can You Spare a Plum?]
[Photo: Vegetable Exchange]

July 19, 2009

Sunday Streets: One More Bike

24th St near Folsom

One More Bike is so much more powerful than One Less Car, no? There's something about a child on a bike that best illustrates best what Sunday Streets is all about.

[Sunday Streets]

July 14, 2009

Bubbles and Shampoo Opens With City Aid

Mayor Gavin Newsom visited Bubbles and Shampoo, a new Noe Valley salon, today to tout owner Claudia Ricarte's successful use of a $25,000 loan from the city to open her small business.

...[She is one of the first] participants in the San Francisco Revolving Loan Fund that has $800,000 in federal funds to loan to San Francisco's small business owners who can't get a bank loan and pledge to create a job for a low-income person.
No word on if the City helped Ms Ricarte obtain permits for construction.

Update: Details on how to obtain a similar loan through TMC Development Working Solutions are available here.

[SFGate: City loans benefit purveyors of beauty products and granola bars]
[NVSF: MadKat Morphs, Neighbors Unhappy]

July 13, 2009

Sold: Last Week in Noe Valley Real Estate

3917 26th ST

More homes than usual (for recent times) closed last week in Noe Valley. Garret Goldman provides a weekly listing of housing activity around the City, but to find out the selling price, you have to sign up for his newsletter. We've agreed not to publish sales price information received from Garret, but here's a summary of where the market is right now:

Under asking
  • 260 Day St; asking $1,095,750; 80 days on market (DOM)
  • 3917 26th St; asking $1,398,000; 173 DOM
  • 76 Jersey St; asking $1,595,000; 0 DOM(!)
  • 1522 Sanchez; asking $1,595,000; 41 DOM
  • 3888 23rd St; asking $1,029,000; 60 DOM (condo/TIC)
Asking or over asking
  • 4322 25th St; asking $2,599,000; 6 DOM
  • 138 27th St; asking $849,000; 34 DOM (condo/TIC)
[SanFranciscoSchtuff: Seductively Sold LX]
[NVSF: Maybe This Is Why Properties in Noe Aren’t Selling]
[NVSF: Noe Valley Real Estate: Still Rising?]

July 10, 2009

What Could Have Been: Crosswalks Edition

Streetsblog has a great set of photos of the new crosswalk at Market, Golden Gate and Taylor Streets. Soooo much better than what we have at Castro and 24th St here in Noe Valley.

[Streetsblog: Eyes on the Street: A New Crosswalk at Market, Golden Gate and Taylor]
[NVSF: Street Art: Crosswalks]

This Weekend In Noe Valley

Upper Noe residents calling themselves the Ladybug Gardeners kick off a monthly cleanup of the grounds at Upper Noe Rec Center this Saturday from 9:00AM-12:00PM. "We will have a City gardener and some tools. But bring gloves, your hand tools, water and a smile." This event will repeat on the first Saturday of every month. If you'd like more info, or to be notified of future events contact Joan Lionberger.

Tomorrow is also the Friends of the Urban Forest Noe Valley tree planting event. Didn't attend the meeting but still want to help? Send a note to heidi@fuf.net or call FUF at (415)561-6890 x110.

Saint James Church on Guerrero and 23rd is hosting a bake sale on Sunday, July 12 from 11:00AM-1:00PM. Proceeds will help to restore the 125 year old stained glass windows.

Anyone know of other events? Besides high summer at the Farmer's Market? In the comments, please.

[NVSF: Friends Of The Urban Forest Noe Valley Tree Planting]
[Photo: LadyBugRescue]

2010 Supes Race: Scott Wiener Makes It Official


In a move guaranteed to get picked up by at least 7 blogs, this week Scott Wiener announced his candidacy for District 8 Supervisor on YouTube (via Sweet Melissa).

Mr Wiener and Rafael Mandelman are official candidates, while Laura Spanjian and Rebecca Prozan are still sitting on the fence.

[NVSF: It's Official: Mandelman Enters Supes Race]

July 9, 2009

NVV: 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 stories we've covered at NVSF.

July/August 2009
  • Front page: Phoenix Books rises again, La Boulange comes to Noe, Just Awesome Games gets a microloan with some help from Good Morning America, world-class Jazz at Bliss Bar, and the senior lunch program saved through July 31.
  • Letters: Just two – one nostalgic for Magnolia Thunderpussy Cafe [Ed- we’re not making this up], and another about the economic downturn (it’s not as bad as the 70s - you can tell by the lack of garage sales).
  • Op-Ed: Chairman of Citizens United for Safer Streets (CUSS) encourages everyone to keep their dogs (especially big ones) on leashes and “at a safe distance from other beings, except in designated dog parks.”
  • Obits: Remembering Carl Smith 1931-2008, founder of the Noe Valley Ministry.
  • Cost of Living in Noe: Average price of a single family home in Noe is now $1.2 million, down from $1.4 million in 2008; rent prices are flat.
  • Photo: Glamour shot of Mama’s – the corner store at 22nd and Dolores; Pat Mackey of Whitney St. converted his 1992 Mazda Miata to an electric vehicle.
  • Short Takes: Upper Noe Recreation Center cleanup on July 11; Cooks Boulevard adds a book club and Community Agriculture program – details at cooksboulevard.com; Google/Apple/Genetech shuttle bus study results due in September - selected comments from this and this thread on NVSF are included.
  • Rumors: Bistro 24 open for business; Noeteca delayed to July 15 or early August; Andiamo Deli is still for sale (asking price: $45,000); GNC closed; MadKat shuttered - owner Isa Muhawieh lost his lease and the owner would not renew – he’s looking for a new location in Noe to reopen [Ed- new store in the old Isa’s location opened this week as Shampoo & Bubbles]; Noe Knit dishes on the reason for closing (the Internet); Good News on 24th Street reports a 50% decline in issues of the Chronicle sold (also thanks to the Internet); Ingleside Station Captain Lazar reports an uptick in subscribers to the police action reports [Ed – Note the scary increase in armed robberies and grifters -– be careful out there]; Noe Courts needs a fence; free Wednesday night movies sponsored by Fima Photography and Videowave – see the stores (on Castro @ Jersey) for a schedule.
  • Traveling Voice: Hangin' at the Brandenburg Gate.
No mention of the missing snake.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

July 8, 2009

Missing Snake(!!!!)

Black Mexican King Snake. All black with white spots on belly and under chin. 4ft long. Last seen on 27th at Sanchez St. If found please call ...
You know all those "lost cat" flyers that people never take down whether they find Fluffy or not? This time we want to know.

[Source and photo: inger_h]

Fruit Dudes: Twitter Update

holdn2aces @NoeValleySF 24th & Diamond Police called due to fruit vendor by supposed owner of Pasta Gina
Thanks for another great catch, Robbie!

[NVSF: Late Night Musings: What's Up With The Fruit Guys?]

July 7, 2009

Deep Sushi: Opening or Clearing Out?

Deep Sushi abruptly closed at the end of last year, and sold in February (buyer rumored to have ties to Ozumo). About a month ago the Deep Sushi signs disappeared from the window, and now Mark tells us:
I just noticed that the long dormant spot where Deep Sushi used to be (on Church-between 29 and 30th) is finally seeing some action. Workers were spotted there the last few days and now they have covered the windows with construction blinds. Perhaps a new restaurant is finally going to use this great space?? Or maybe the owner is just going to sell some of the gear inside...sigh.
Buzz reports that "as we were waiting for a table at toast yesterday, i spotted something curious in the window of the old deep sushi locale...windex(!). sure, they could be just cleaning....but me thinks something is afoot!"

FWIW, no new permits have been filed and the liquor license remains untouched since February. So is this much ado about nothing or is Upper Noe Valley getting its sushi back?

[NVSF: Signs of the Times]

Photo: Yo-Yo Tree

Courtney sent the above photo with the following comment:
Today I went to my gym, Purely Physical Fitness, located on the corner of 25th and Church. Outside the window facing 25th, there is this tree with red yo-yo's placed strategically in it like red cherries. The yo-yo's have the PerksatWork logo on them. Did a local neighbor have extra swag from his job and wanted to do something neat with them? Is this a clever marketing ploy? Regardless, it was kind of odd. Aesthetically, I like the cherry effect!
We like it too! But does anyone know what's going on? Is it clever marketing, cool street art or as @AmyGSFN Tweets: "Is that like the Noe Valley version of TPing a house?"

July 6, 2009

At Least It's Not A Nails/Waxing Salon

Reader BG sent us this photo as we were about to post on the same topic? (How did she know....?)
The tape below the sign reads: NOE VALLEY PSYCHIC COMMING [sic] SOON. What's next...pawn and porn shops?
Opening soon in the old Glare location at 4010 24th St.

July 5, 2009

Tidbits: What You Missed Over The July 4th Weekend


Leave town for the weekend? Here’s what you missed:
Overall a sleepy weekend in Noe Valley.