Orange October: Noe Valley Harvest Fest 2012 Highlights

Beautiful Fall weather? Check. Giants in the World Series? Check. Happy kids (and dogs) in costumes? Double-check. Yup, all the ingredients fell into place for a perfect Harvest Fest this year. It was still just a block party but it packed a lot in, including 2 jumpy houses (complete with stroller gridlock outside), a dunking station, face painting, a petting zoo, live music, free food, and even big name sponsors plugging cars and doling out coupons. Some photos and highlights from the day of fun, festivities and costumes:

Gridlock and stroller parking at the jumpy tent

Hanging in the pumpkin patch

Circus Lady on stilts

The most popular booth at the fair

Overhead: "We only have $20 - what should we get?"

Face painting is serious business

The Little Mermaid waits for a temporary tattoo

Poetry, anyone? And yes, that's a typewriter.

Oh hai

Petting zoo: "You looking at me?" [via dtcohen]

Hayride on 24th

Costume contest - Mary Poppins and Jude Bot take home the top prizes in the 2-6 category

I am ze Frenchman and ze costume winner for ages 0-2 [via sjs]

Happy little Parisian Painter

Most popular little girl costume besides princess this year: Ladybug

Fear the Beard

Hard day's work at the fair

Happy Halloween, Noe Valley! [via sfgeoninja]

This Week In Noe Valley: Lonely Planet Loves SF, It's Harvest Fest and More Shuttle Bus Fuss

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• San Francisco is #1 of Lonely Planet's top 10 travel destinations; only US city on the list [Lonely Planet]
• Noe Valley Tree Tour with Friends of the Urban Forest [FUF]
• Supervisor Avalos has discovered the Google Bus and isn't pleased [SFGate]
• The two boys killed by their nanny in NYC have a SF/Noe Valley connection [SFGate]
• Quasi-famous trustafarian designer house on the market [Curbed]
• This Saturday: Noe Valley Harvest Festival 2012 [NVSF]

Interview: John Dampeer Of Crafthouse

We first reported in July that Joe's 24th St Cafe is to become Crafthouse but details were few and far between. Eater recently posted the menu and some design info that left us wanting more. We asked owner/partner John Dampeer to fill in the gaps:

What's your vision for Crafthouse? Eater's post left us wondering if Crafthouse is a bar or a restaurant? Describe the experience and who you think will enjoy eating there. Crafthouse will be a bar with a relaxed, communal environment to enjoy a casual drink and a bite. We're going to strive to live up to what SF has come to expect from their neighborhood bar: fresh, local and seasonal.

What attracted you to Noe Valley? Did you consider other sites? Noe Valley was definitely one of our targets and we were thrilled to find Joe's up for sale. Noe has a great community feel and we felt the area could use a fresh new place to gather over craft beers and unique, fun wines.

What will be some of the signature items on the menu? We're still honing the menu, but the focus is on sandwiches and snacks that are portioned and priced to share. We're really excited about our pork loin confit cuban and house-rolled bacon soft pretzels.

The post on Eater has us wondering if Crafthouse will have midweek lunch service. What will the hours be? We'll be closed Mondays to work on food production.. Tuesday - Friday 12pm - ? and Saturday - Sunday 10am - ?

Tell us about the team that will be running the show day to day. Myself and business partner Adnan will be working. It's my first go at it as an owner and Adnan currently owns a wine bar in Laurel Heights. [Ed.-- That's Adnan Daken of Internos Wine Cafe]

Will you be closed during the transition (and if so for how long)? When will the new Crafthouse menu and design be in place? We're going to need about 4 weeks to transition and we won't be open.

Now under wraps and morphing into Crafhouse, at least one obstacle is out of the way: the beer and wine license was activated on October 19th.

Update (12/13): Now to open under the name Caskhouse.

Crafthouse
3853 24th St
Opening Soon



[Eater SF: The Skinny On Crafthouse, Opening Soon]
[NVSF: Sold: Joe's 24th Street Cafe]

This Weekend: Noe Valley Harvest Festival 2012

This Saturday kicks off the 8th Annual Noe Valley Harvest Festival from 10am - 5pm on 24th Street between Sanchez and Church. Get ready for a full day of hayrides, live music, arts and crafts, a pumpkin patch, and lots and lots of kids and pets in costumes. The Farmer's Market will also be an all-day affair from 8am - 5pm. Judging from the sponsors and the lineup this year's event looks to be bigger than ever -- the energy and costumes should be especially festive given it's an election year and THE GIANTS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES. (Woot!)

If you want a preview of what to expect, check out photos of previous Harvest Fest events here and here.

This Week In Noe Valley: Zuckerberg Buys A Pied–à–Terre, Muni Turns 100, And A Reminder About Earthquake Preparedness

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Noe Valley real estate defies logic, continues to shine [Zephyr]
• Film shot during and after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake [Seismogenic; Also: NERT]
• Zuckerberg buys nearby, but not living with the hipsters as some reported [Socketsite]
• The J-Church will join the Muni Centenial celebration on Nov 4th with history lessons on streetcars [SFMTA]

[Photo: SqueakyCleanDave]

Town Square: Community Meeting

Residents for Noe Valley Town Square is having a meeting this Thursday to update the public and solicit feedback:

On Oct 18...We will kick things off with a detailed update on everything we’re working on. Come and find out why we’re feeling (cautiously) optimistic about making the Town Square a reality! There will be open floor time to share your ideas, concerns and get your questions answered.

Another meeting is scheduled for Jan 16th. Mark your calendars.

What: Town Square Community Meeting
When: Thursday, 10/18, 7pm
Where: St Philips, 725 Diamond St, Community Hall

[NV Town Square: Upcoming Meetings]
[NVSF: Town Square]

Noe Valley Top-Ranked in the Nation for Trick-or-Treating (Again)

Get ready for the minivans full of kids in costumes commuting into Noe Valley for trick-or-treating again this year. Real estate tracker Zillow released its 4th annual list of the Top 20 cities for trick-or-treating and San Francisco ranked #1. Within San Francisco Noe Valley ranked #3 behind Presidio Heights and Sea Cliff, but ahead of Cow Hollow and Lake Street. (Shouldn't be long until the Mission makes the list.)

The fine print on how the rankings were calculated:

The index represents cities that will provide the most candy, with the least walking and safety risk. The ranking was calculated using four equally weighted data variables: Zillow Home Value Index, population density, Walk Score® and local crime data.

In other words, upscale homes and businesses = more candy.

For those new to trick-or-treating in Noe, merchants on 24th Street start handing out candy to the littlest ones early in the afternoon on Oct 31st and the costumes (and characters) get scarier and more adult as the night goes on.

[NVSF: Halloween 2011: Help a New Mother Out]

This Week In Noe Valley: Playhouse Departs, Wiener Wants You On NextDoor, and Drive-by Restaurant Reviews

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• The Playhouse at Noe Valley is not just tidying up [The Playhouse]
• SF Open Studios is coming to Noe, Bernal and the Castro Oct 27 - 28 [FunCheapSF]
• Scott Wiener wants District 8 on NextDoor (think Facebook for neighbors) [Scott Wiener, scroll down]
• Incanto is overrated… [Eater]
• Contigo is a sweet spot for a first date [7x7]
• CraftRoom reveals some of its plans for Joe's [Eater]

[Photo: Jeremy S]

Crime Beat: Jogger Harassment

A Noe Valley Neighbor sent the note below hoping to alert others about an unhinged character near Twin Peaks (yes, she has filed a police report):

Yesterday morning, I was harassed while jogging on Twin Peaks by a man on Hopkins Ave between Burnett and Corbett. He yelled at me, called me filthy names, took multiple photos/movies of me and my dog, followed me as I continued on my run, waiting for me at turns in the road. He also bent down to collect something in the dirt, possibly rocks(?), while he waited for me to come down from the Market street overpass bridge. I was frightened for my physical safety. I asked a fellow jogger with her dog to accompany me past him at the bottom of the ramp. She said she recognized him from the neighborhood. The man was white with short white hair, appeared to be in his 60's, was thin and about 5'10", wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, baseball hat, sunglasses and a day pack. The whole experience really shook me up, I am nervous to continue running up Twin Peaks with my dog as I have done for the past 10 years. This happened 10/10/12 from around 8:45-9:05 AM.

Be safe out there.

[Photo: Google Maps]

This Week In Noe Valley: Better Police Reporting, Cheapest Teardowns, And A Rope Swing With A View

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Are you listening @SFPD? This is the the level of detail people want [NY Times]
• Does Noe Valley need an underpass parklet? [Neighborland]
• Curbed highlights the cheapest teardowns and possibly reasonably priced NV housing (likely already in contract) [Curbed]
• Daily Secrets fetishizes Billy Goat Hill's rope swing [Daily Secrets]
• Patxi's is changing its menu - going for an authentic Neapolitan pizza [Eater]
• Noe Valley's Michael Capozzola On Check Please looks like he barely tolerated his co-stars [KQED]

[Photo: NVSF]

NVV Oct 2012: 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 notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories until the middle of the month.

October 2012

Front Page:  Harvest Fest is coming on October 27th; praise for Scott Wiener (update to the sidebar: Scott is introducing legislation to ban public nudity in SF); diary of finding a rental in Noe; Dems think Noe will be Blue this election (again).
 
Letters: Newcomer to Noe has tons of suggestions for how things could better; remembering Missy, a sweet dog; a touching recollection of working at the Noe Bar & Grill during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.

Features: Meth-addicted copper thief's 24th Street house sells; stolen packages.

Cost of Living in Noe: Bidding wars are still driving up home sale prices, as much as 4-13% over asking. Rent? $5,500/month on the high side for a 2 bedroom.

Store Trek: Olive This Olive That (304 Vicksburg St.)

Rumors: Music in the Park was a hit, but no mention of how much it raised (Philz had a great day); the commercial space we've been watching at The Luxe will be a property management office, not retail; "by Halloween" Heliotrope will post an announcement that they're moving (Oh wait, they did that already); DavidsTea opening Oct 27; a Holey Bagel bagel "tastes better than it looks;" Chris Cosention of Incanto wins Top Chef Masters; Vietnamese-Thai fusion restaurant "appears to be ready to open" - or not. Farmer's Market reports a 52 person surge in attendance.

[The Noe Valley Voice]