NVV March 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.

March 2011

Front Page: An interview trying to rehabilitate the infamous "worst husband in the world" Stephen Fowler who traded his Noe home for one in Eureka Valley after the Wife Swap incident - and is now considering writing a book; local Noe resident Mike Underhill heads the team trying the government's case again BP in the aftermath of the Gulf Oil spill; the story behind the "blue bottle tree" on 30th at Sanchez.

Photo: Members of Bethany United Methodist Church return to their property on Clipper at Sanchez to celebrate the start of the remodeling. The work should be done by Christmas 2011.

Features: Upper Noe Rec Center sandbox is beloved by kids - and cats (Funniest line: "Pretty much almost every day where parents come up to me and say, 'My child was sitting in the sandbox and rubbed poop all over themselves.'"); Town square concept drawings; profile of the Beatles-loving Tamasei Sushi owners on 24th Street.

Cost of Living in Noe: Zephyr reports just 3 houses and 2 condos changed hands in Noe in January.

Short Takes: Noe Valley Democratic Club meets March 16 at 7:30 PM at St. Philip's at 725 Diamond - speakers will include District 8 Supe Scott Wiener who will have updates about the new Mollie Stone's on 18th Street, Trader Joe's coming to the Castro, and the proposed Noe Valley Town Square. Also lots of food happenings at Omnivore Books this Spring.

Store Trek: LOLA women's clothing store; Little Music Makers (30th at Sanchez).

Rumors: Two Birds women's clothing boutique opens, Noe Smiles & Braces still coming soon, and Russo Music also still coming soon; several other store fronts still vacant and asking hefty monthly rent (former Mop Salon: $3,000, old J&J corner market: $5750, ex-Urban Cellars: $4500); Garage Store on Sanchez at 24th changed it's name to Decor Galore to avoid the confusion of it being an (ahem) garage store; Star Magic changed it's name to Cosmic Wizard; Mollie Stone's set to open in the Castro on March 9; Noe Valley Ministry converts parking lot on 24th Street to monthly spots to raise money (says Luke Aguilera, co-owner of the company that runs the lot for the Ministry, "...we expect we have roughly eight more months before the Ministry sells the lot, [which I guess will be] to the city). [Ed note: That's quite an edit to the quote!]

[The Noe Valley Voice]

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.

October 2009

Front page: Volunteer gardeners restore Sally Brunn Library planters; Man who died mysteriously along Muni tracks identified as NV resident Bill Nelson (death still a mystery); Harvest Fest coming Oct. 24; NV neighbors take care of their own after 27th St fire; Halloween is coming; Local filmmaker Peter Esmonde debuts his first feature-length film, Trimpin: The Sound of Invention; St. Paul's steeple repair.

Letters: A 5 paragraph gripe about Whole Foods nixing the curbside CRV recycling ("I now have to pay carfare to cart my bottles and cans down to Market Street... It's inconvenient"); a rebuke to people who feed carnivorous birds like crows and ravens - either by hand or with open garbage cans; a heartfelt thank you to generous neighbors from the Moresco family (a fire broke out in their 27th St home while they were on vacation in Spain).

Op-Ed: 24th St Whole Foods opens. No ruckus ensues.

Features: Interviews with neighbors of Guerrero Park at San Jose; Blue Church on Church eviction done but due to "weak economic conditions" the developer won't start construction for 9-10 months.

Cost of Living in Noe: 7 single-family homes sold in August with an average price of 1.26 Million. Rent: Yup, still expensive.

Short Takes: Look for "drive by" Trolley Dancing (!) on the J Church on Oct. 16 and 17 and dance performances in Dolores Park - details at epiphanydance.org; Dogtoberfest returns at Upper Douglass Park on Oct. 24 - get the full scoop at fuddp.org; Noe Valley Chamber Music series starts Oct. 25 - details and calendar at nvcm.org; Cupcake tasting for couples at Cooks Boulevard on Nov. 1; Open Studios hits Noe Valley this weekend. (Ed--No word on last month's Noe Valley Association survey results.)

Store Trek: Bubbles and Shampoo, Loft 1513 (wearable art/clothing store, 1513 Church @ 27th).

Traveling Voice: Sightings in Moab, French Polynesia and at Buckingham Palace.

Rumors: The mystery store is revealed: Star Magic, a pop-up reincarnation of a 1979 NV store called Gift of the Magi, is moving into the Simply Chic space for 3 months. The store will sell "contemporary items relating to ecology," natural clothing, and gift items; Harry Aleo lionized by the WSJ; Noeteca opens; Riki and GNC spaces still empty - the only interested parties so far are a yoga studio, a gym and a nail salon...; Streetlight building still for sale; Old Republic Title Company opens; Stephen "worst man of the year" Fowler is leaving Noe; Twitter CEO Evan Williams moves to Noe; La Boulange opening in Nov.; Mi Lindo Yucatan closed; Real Foods is still blight; dance studio opens in old Andiamo space (Ed--The sign in the window says "Pixie Hall Studios: Art Classes for Children"); Just Awesome Games disappears; Psychic feud on 24th St.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Moving: Noe Valley's Most Famous D-Bag

Except for the occasional hate mail for daring to mention his name, we haven't heard anything of Stephen Fowler since his notorious stint on Wife Swap. Now he's moving on - his 6 bedroom, 4.5 bath, 4400sf home at 4218 25th St is for sale for a little under $3M. Check out The Front Steps for details.

[TFS: Wife House Swap San Francisco, Stephen Fowler Moving On…]
[NVSF: Fowling Noe Valley]

Noe In The National News

In 2002, Noe Valley was one of the nation's Best Places to Live.

More recently, local Stephen Fowler updated our national image.

Yesterday? Celebrating the 'grown up' skater crowd born of a generation of kids who took over abandoned swimming pools. Summary: a $500k remodel of a $1M house.

The overall message? In the comments, please.

[NYT: When Skaters Grow Up]

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.

March 2009

• Front page: Noe Valley housing market is slow, Whole Foods offering Tuesday shuttle, City College closing campus at James Lick, Upper Noe Rec Center not offering residents enough time to play, consignment stores busy.
• Cost of Living in Noe: slow market, slightly cheaper; rents down a little from last year.
• Letters: Bye-bye Bell; condemnation for evil candle-condemning priest; NVV attracts Fowler witch hunt, too.
• NVDC: full coverage of last month's meeting.
• Crime Beat: Capt Tacchini asking for more communication with residents; no Peace Blotter this time.
• Feature: Elizabeth Street Brewery.
• Store Trek: Just Awesome!, City Grill.
• Rumors: suggests the reader reference Google for more information on the Obama candle "debate;" picked up more Fowler info from the Fowler family blogs; Contigo opens; Noe Soup likely not opening due to investor pull-out [Ed.-- Perhaps Tuttimelon can buy their conditional use permit]; CSAA is closing; Cover-to-Cover to offer free delivery; Basso's giving seniors a 15% discount.
• Bonus: The Voice made it to Dover Castle, India, Thailand and even Florida, and the pictures to prove it are back.
  

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Fowling Noe Valley

From a comment we've since deleted if for no other reason than it wasn't on topic:

Why don't you post something about stephen fowler noe valley neighbor? He was on wifeswap on abc. check out www.stephenfowlersucks.com or google stephen fowler wife swap

Regarding such, we've followed the Gawker posts (and the rest of the related craziness across the 'net). We didn't post because it felt like a pile-on and that's not what we're about. Stephen Fowler does not represent Noe Valley -- even if he lives here, goes on TV, and says things that make him (and everyone else in Noe) seem like a ______, _______ and ______. Noe has nothing to fear from this man -- his wife is embarrassed (in a Mrs. Spitzer way) and has said he needs professional help.

But really...who cares? It's just another crappy show highlighting the worst in people (in this case an angry transplant who needs help (but drives ratings)). Not really worth our time, and certainly not representative of Noe Valley.

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