This Year in Noe Valley: The Biggest Stories of 2022

2022 had all the hallmarks of what looked to be a bad year: A brutal war, an ongoing tripledemic, burn-it-all-down billionaires behaving badly and a contentious and high-stakes election. And yet, for all the gnarly badness, it was a shockingly hopeful year.

 

Democracy works. It’s raining in California this winter. And beautiful Noe Valley is still a bright spot in a wild and crazy world.

 

Here were the biggest stories in our little corner of universe in 2022: 

Toiletgate Drove the World Wild

It’s mind boggling that anyone figured it was reasonable to sign off on a $1.7 million toilet for anything but because this one was for the Noe Valley Town Square the response was … predictable. Loo-dicrous: San Franciscans flushed with anger over $1.7m public toilet wrote The Guardian and S.F. is spending $1.7 million on one public toilet: ‘What are they making it out of — gold?’ was the headline from The Chronicle. Fox News hailed it as part of the Left tearing down America. Oy. Calm down everyone. The toilet plans are on hold and the ridiculous price tag is being investigated. Life goes on.

The Market Has Cooled But It’s Still Unreal Estate

Feeding the outrage machine was a $1.9 million teardown on Day Street that also broke the Internet. 'No wonder everyone is homeless!' Derelict San Francisco home with boarded-up windows and ZERO BEDROOMS but located on city's 'best block' sells for $1.97 MILLION screamed The Daily Mail (which was also parroted by hundreds of other pseudo news sites). Yes, that’s expensive—but when you consider the average cost of a San Francisco home is $1.4 million and Mark Zuckerberg sold his Noe Valley compound for $31 million … is all this really worth the freakout? It’s expensive to live here. If you are fortunate enough to own a house here consider yourself very, very lucky.

Slow Streets Are Here to Stay (And Awesome)

One of the best things to come out of the pandemic, Slow Sanchez is now the heart of Noe Valley and this year we learned the transformation will be permanent. The new people-first space is regularly filled with walkers, bikers, dogs, and kids and adults playing. And Noe Café, which now spills out onto Sanchez in a good way, is always a hive of activity. Now just imagine if more of San Francisco became more people-friendly too… 

We Said Some Sad Goodbyes…

Peter Gabel, a longtime Noe Valley resident, activist and co-founder of Noe Valley Farmers Market passed away this fall at 75. The many heartfelt tributes were a testament to his incredible contributions to the neighborhood. RIP, Peter and thank you for everything.

 

Other departures from Noe Valley this year were the loss of 24th Street Cheese Co. and the original Lehr’s German Specialties. Massimo and Lorella left La Ciccia (although the restaurant is still open under new management) and Ardiana closed down. We’ll miss them all. There were also other closures including Patxi’s, Inle Burmese and Ambiance as well.

This was also the year we said goodbye to Twitter and migrated our real-time updates to Mastodon.

... And We Welcomed Some New Neighbors

Change is hard but with departures come some new friends. Lehr’s re-opened this November with the same name and a new owner bringing German specialties back into the hood. Birch & Rye opened on Castro Street and quickly landed on best new restaurant lists. Our main drag also gained a new veterinarian, a new bone broth dispensary, a spice shop and more. The old Ardiana spot became Damansara, an acclaimed Malaysian restaurant. And of course, on the topic of new neighbors, there were several coyote sightings as well.

  

And there’s more good stuff on the way. Michelin-starred chef Brandon Jew is opening a new “affordable” Chinese restaurant called Mamahuhu in the old Toast space on 24th Street.

And that's a wrap! 2023 beckons.

Happy New Year, Noe Valley. Be well and we’ll see you out there.

p.s.
This blog is now 14 years old (!), and although we don’t always have time to post weekly, it’s still a labor of love and we always appreciate your tips. Thanks for reading both here and on and on Mastodon.

p.p.s.
Feeling nostalgic? Here were the top stories of 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012. 

[Photos: Sunrise via sanfranciscoist, Town Square via SF Chronicle, 350 Day via Reddit, Slow Sanchez via Slow Sanchez Street SF, Peter Gabel via SF Chronicle, Noe Valley Run Club via Noe Valley Run Club, Noe Valley sunrise via Bob Horowitz] 

This Year in Noe Valley: The Biggest Stories of 2021

When the word of the year is vaccine, you know it was a doozy. We started with an insurrection and are ending with the pandemic grinding into year three. Gah.

For a minute there we were all hopeful when vaccines arrived. And then the Delta variant surged and now Omicron is spoiling the party. As one TV writer on Twitter put it: "If I’d known the roaring 20s would be three weeks in June, I would have done more."

 

But here we are. There were other stories this year, including schools reconvening, Afghanistan, meme stonks, crypto, the Facebook Files and the metaverse, billionaires in space, the infrastructure deal… and SO much more. But the backbeat to all of it was the pandemic.

Thankfully Noe Valleyeons take their pandemics seriously and the infection rates in the hood have been low. Here’s to keeping it that way.

Yet even in the madness, Noe Valley is still a small slice of quirky sanity for those of us lucky enough to live here. 

Here’s a look back at the biggest stories of 2021 in Noe Valley: 

Streets Are for People 
Yep, Sanchez is staying slow and this year hosted tons of fun. Plus, it’s now home to an awesome blocklong street mural by artist Amos Goldbaum. We’ve also seen streateries/eatlets become more permanent like the ones in front of Noe Café, Saru, Uma Casa, NoVY, and Chloe’s. This is easily one of the best things to come out of the pandemic.

Noe Valley Is a Magnet for Cool Eateries
This year we gained a new Australian rotisserie, Mr, Digby’s, and La Lucha, a cool new café on Sanchez. Noe Café also expanded its offerings and now has taco pop-ups. In a year when most restaurants were closing, we’re lucky to have some new gems in addition to the regulars like Firefly, Eric's, Hamano and more.

Crime Is Here and It Sucks
Stray shootings, smash and grabs, hate crimes, retail theft — we had it all and it’s a bummer. After 3 break-ins this year, Gallery of Jewels (which has been here for 30 years) shuttered it’s Noe location for good. Be careful out there, be kind to each other — and consider doing what you can to help others who are less fortunate.

Everyone Wants to Live Here

Forget the headlines: People did not flee Noe Valley or the Bay Area en masse in the pandemic. If anything, the real estate market got even hotter.  

Here's to a Hopeful 2022
For those of us who remember when the biggest story was Real Foods closing (it’s now a Skin Spa) or Whole Foods opening (it’s now an Amazon warehouse) things change fast (and a lot). We’re going to miss some much-loved institutions like the Rabats and Cotton Basics, and the former owners of Just for Fun.  

But Noe Valley is still home to so many great things and we have so much to look forward to. The new Birch & Rye restaurant coming to the old Mahila/Contigo space looks great, as does the new sushi restaurant going into the former Bacco space. Slow Sanchez is an incredible gift to the neighborhood — as is the ongoing Saturday Farmer’s Market and the Noe Valley Town Square. We have world class restaurants like Saru, Al’s Place and La Ciccia and even under-the-radar great Brazilian food at Noeteca. (Be sure to support them all as we have to go back to takeout only for a bit...) We’ve had lots and lots of RAIN this December. And what other neighborhood has a library that is a work of art and a Solstice Crack?! Life is pretty great when you think about it.

Phew. We made it — 2022 is upon us. 

Happy New Year, Noe Valley. Wear your mask, stay safe and we’ll see you out there.

p.s.
This blog is now a teenager at 13 years old (!), and although we don’t always have time to post weekly, it’s still a labor of love and we always appreciate your tips. Thanks for reading both here and on Twitter @NoeValleySF.

p.p.s.
Feeling nostalgic? Here were the top stories of 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012. 

[Photos: Moody Noe skies via ithenightowl, Slow Sanchez via danluscher, Gallery of Jewels via Gallery of Jewels, Mr. Digby's via mrdigbys, Dolores sunrise via carosain, Noe steps via sf_stairs_stares ] 

This Year in Noe Valley: The Biggest Stories of 2020

Good grief. 2020 GTFO. This was the year the pandemic and Covid-19 ate the world and Noe Valley was no exception. Mid March introduced us all to a string of new realities. Lockdowns. Social distancing. Blursday. Zoom everything. Long lines at the supermarket. And a run on toilet paper and kombucha. Noe Valley had it all and for the most part people seemed to do their part to (eventually) wear masks, bend the curve and not be super spreaders. 

 
On the bright side: Trump lost the election and a vaccine is here. We’re not out of the woods yet but the end of a hellish year (or 4 years if you’re in that mood) is in sight.

Here’s a look back at the biggest stories of 2020 in Noe Valley: 

A Slower Pace Needs Slow Streets 
One of the silver linings of the lockdown and a mass WFH effort: Slow Streets. Suddenly whole swaths of streets in San Francisco are blissfully closed to through traffic and open to bikes, pedestrians, hopscotch and outside time. The slowing down of Sanchez between 23rd and 30th Streets became a gathering place for group art installations, to march for BLM, celebrate Halloween and an impromptu (and distanced) celebration when the election results were official. Also – those tiny porch concerts and mini recitals on Sundays slapped. Here's hoping Slow Streets becomes a more permanent way of life in the city forever.

The Gutting of Small Businesses and Retail Continues Unabated
As the pandemic ground on this year and retailers were forced to close and then refactor for the virus, many small businesses decided they couldn’t – or wouldn’t – hang on. Both Rabat stores hung up their shoes. Cotton Basics retrenched to the East Bay (reportedly the new occupant will be a bridal shop). And Charlie’s Corner turned the page. Storefronts were boarded up to deter looting and vandalism. Some stores went above and beyond: Barron’s, Noe Valley Bakery, Plumpjack, Noe Valley Wine Co and all the local corner stores did their part to keep their shelves stocked and us fed. Just for Fun, Folio and Omnivore worked to keep us in entertainment. Thank you all. Church St. Produce also returned just in time this summer to keep Upper Noe patrons stocked. Douglas SF rebooted as a store and was a godsend during the early days of lockdown, but lost its lease and had to close in August. There are still many empty storefronts on 24th Street and with the rush to etail precipitated by Covid, that’s likely to get worse in 2021 and beyond. 

It's Really, Really Hard to Run a Restaurant in SF
Some restaurants like Savor and Noe’s Cantina threw in the towel in January and exited Noe Valley. It is ridiculously hard to run a restaurant in this city, but in a pandemic? It’s downright brutal. Every restaurant in the neighborhood suddenly had to master pivoting to 100% takeout just to survive. The restaurants that saved the day included Hamano, La Ciccia, Uma Casa, Firefly, BistroSF, NoVY, Little Chihuahua, Saru and just about every other restaurant up and down 24th St and Church St who did what it took to stay alive and keep us all fed. Special shoutout to BistroSF that not only served takeout, they opened a small store and they donated free meals to seniors and anyone who couldn't afford to pay.

Meanwhile, other former restaurant spaces have languished: Chez Marius, Pomelo, Toast on 24th, and Le Panotiq which was supposed to become Wallflower are still empty. The owners of Novy still haven’t been able to reboot Noe’s Cantina as something new (can’t wait). Chloe's shut down after 30+ years and a new owner plans to take over. Meanwhile, Savor threw in the towel and Bacco decided to move into the Savor space with a streatery in tow. 

 
Speaking of streateries (the little parklets that extend outdoor dining to the curb), Novy, Valley Tavern, Saru, Bernal Pizza and Lovejoys all added outdoor space for distanced dining al fresco until even those were suspended with this latest round of shutdowns. Outdoor dining in reclaimed parking is another trend we hope sticks around once the virus is under control. 

Other silver linings: Billingsgate, a retail fish market and (someday) a small eatery opened and has been a welcome addition to the 24th Street corridor, and Noe Café on Sanchez, which when we’re not in lockdown became an essential meeting point in Noe Valley. 

Climate Change Is Apocalypse Now
Yes, there were heatwaves. And there was really bad wildfire smoke and terrible air quality. But then one Wednesday the sky turned dark orange, day became night and ash fell from the sky. If this is the future we’re all doomed. The orange skies only lasted 24 hours but if that doesn’t convince you climate change is real nothing will.

The Housing Market Is Still White Hot Here

The rumors of San Francisco’s real estate death have been greatly exaggerated. Yes, rents dropped slightly (which just means everyone who has wanted to trade up can finally do so) and people who were thinking about leaving suddenly had the perfect excuse to relocate. But single family homes actually gained value this year. Just remember: This has all happened before and it will all happen again.

All Kinds of Crime Is Waaayyyy Up
Once again, Noe Valley had its share of people behaving badly in 2020. Robberies at gunpoint. Burglaries. Vandalism. Be careful out there and consider donating what you can to help others in need during these trying times.

And Yet... So Many Reasons to Be Thankful
Yeah, 2020 was a bummer – which means 2021 can only get better right? Here’s hoping. But as bad as 2020 was, there was still lots to love about Noe Valley and lots to look forward to. It’s gorgeous here! The views! The hills! We have accomplished musicians and artists who live among us (the late artist and Noe Valleyeon Ruth Asawa even has her own postage stamp). We have incredible restaurants and new ones are on the way. We have our own Farmer’s Market. We get double rainbows on Christmas. And we have a community that has pulled together in spite of it all. And soon, we’ll be able to get out and about again and put this crazy year firmly in the rear view mirror. 

 
On that note, it’s a wrap for 2020.

Happy New Year, Noe Valley! We made it! Pour yourself another quarantini and get ready to hunker down some more in 2021, but with luck it should be a better year than this one.

Stay safe and healthy and see you in the neighborhood in 2021.

p.s.
This blog turned 12 this year and although we don’t always have time to post weekly, it’s still a labor of love and we always appreciate news tips. Thanks for reading both here and on Twitter @NoeValleySF.

p.p.s.
Yearning for simpler times? Here were the top stories of 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

[Photos: Sutro lights via thestevebayes, Slow streets via nomadic_mama_uk, Boarded art storefronts via merredithj, Saru streatery via Saru, Orange skies via @erik1966lutig, Jersey house photo via SocketSite, Crime photo via SFGate, Sunrise before the rain via NVSF] 

This Year in Noe Valley: The Biggest Stories of 2019

What a decade. It's not a stretch to say Noe Valley and the world have changed more in the last 10 years than in the previous 100. Between the iPhone, Amazon, and social media to instadelivery apps and ridesharing – our 2010 selves would barely recognize Noe Valley today. Except we would – because the things we love about our little village are still here and still enchant us.

So while the national news whipsawed our attention with impeachment, apocalyptic climate disasters and tragically accelerating hate crimes and mass shootings (and that was just in December!) here at home there were smaller but no less important dramas and delights.

To wit, here were the biggest stories of 2019 in Noe Valley:

Real Foods Finally Turned Into … SkinSpirit 
Our long local nightmare has finally ended (kind of). Real Foods did not become housing, or a grocery store, or even a lively row of cool things that we once hoped it might. It's now a skin salon. Or as the SF Chronicle put it: The very sad saga of how Real Foods stood closed for 16 years – and then became a skin clinic. Read it and weep.

The Retail Apocalypse Is Real
In other corners of retail, most of the news was about closings or near-death experiences. Shoe Biz shuttered after several fits and starts (case in point: it's a temporary popup shoe store right now but it's basically gone). Rare Device closed it's Noe Valley outpost and consolidated to its Divisadero location – and was promptly replaced by a psychic (yes, really). The owner of nearby Lucca Ravioli retired and shuttered the business – and we all lost a great San Francisco institution. VideoWave is hanging on for dear life. Even a $1500 a month doggy daycare can't make it on 24th St. In happier news, YogaFlow finally filled in the old RadioShack space. Charlie's Corner got a new lease on life thanks to the kindness of benefactors and a GoFundMe. We also got some new lash and beauty spas but no new major retail openings of note. Meanwhile, the Noe Valley Whole Foods got some unwanted national attention as activists briefly shut down the store to protest animal cruelty (and hate on Jeff Bezos). Sadly, there are still way too many empty storefronts on 24th Street with no sign that this is likely to change anytime soon. The reality is that we can expect more SkinSpirits and One Medicals if the economics of retail don't change.

It's Hard to Run a Restaurant in SF
Let’s just say that retail has nothing on restaurants for hardship. We saw the abrupt closings of Chez Marius, Pomelo, and Toast on 24th. Patxi's sold itself to Los Angeles-based Elite Restaurant Group at the end of last year and the business is now 50% takeout/delivery. The once vibrant Pasta Gina is now a ghost kitchen delivery outpost. And the former Le Panotiq was supposed to become Wallflower but appears to be in limbo. There were a few openings: Le Cupboard became Inle Burmese, Fattoush is now Bernal Heights Pizzeria, Holy Kitchen has become Bon Appetikka, and the old Contigo space was replaced by Mahila. Here's hoping San Francisco figures out how to be friendlier to restaurants.

Climate Change is No Joke
California burned and the smoke and effects were not lost on Noe Valley. We also had our share of heatwaves. Thank goodness for rain.

Housing in Noe Valley Is Hella Expensive
With $6 million mansions hitting the market monthly in our neighborhood, even Steph Curry had sticker shock here. And then there were the alarmist headlines like The IPO millionaires are coming! that only exacerbated the frenzy. Meanwhile, tech-savvy Compass real estate has swallowed Alain Pinel and now has at least four offices on 24th St. alone. The average cost of a home here in 2019 was $2.6 million. Those who are fortunate enough to own a house here should feel very, very lucky.

People Behaving Badly
Like every neighborhood, Noe Valley had its share of people behaving badly in 2019. This fall there were two scary gang assaults on commuters on 26th and Jersey, one of which was caught on video, there was the so-called “wine bottle murder,” at least 9 cars had their tires slashed at Cesar Chavez and Castro, and First Republic on Castro was smashed by a truck and the perps made off with a 374-pound ATM machine. But perhaps the most shocking was the anti-vaxxers at More Mojo dispensing alarming misinformation with impunity and The Noe Valley Voice gave the crazies a megaphone with a front-page feature story. Just yikes.

The New Decade Beckons
But, but, but… it wasn't all doom and gloom. There is still so much to look forward to in 2020. Spin City will reboot as a new café/roastery with small snacks and great coffee. Cole Hardware is showing signs it will be reborn so we’ll once again have a nearby hardware store. Church Produce closed abruptly but Baron's Meats stepped into the gap by offering 100+ new grocery items and has awesome fish and meat. 
Noe Valley also has the best chocolate shop on the planet (and a local Recchiutti-trained chocolatier sells his confections there). The head of the SFMTA lives in Noe Valley and the J Church has nowhere to go but up. We have world-class restaurants here including La Ciccia, Al's Place and Saru. Master sushi chef Jiro Lin works his craft at Hamano. Firefly continues to thrive. Telmo Faria serves SF’s most innovative Portuguese food at Uma Casa on Church St. We have a great bakery. Just for Fun is a local treasure. Noe Valley Cheese Co is better than ever after 33 years. We have gorgeous local murals. We have a Town Square with fun gatherings and an awesome Farmer's Market. And beautiful houses and street scenes. Even the fairies are happy here.

And there's more! Omnivore is amazing – we have world-class chefs visiting our hamlet to talk about their books and share food! There's an oyster bar and fish market called Bellingsford slated to open sometime in 2020 (fingers crossed). And we have treasures like the amazing story of the custom shoe shop on Church (spoiler: it involves the Holocaust and Mother Theresa). We also have one of the most beautiful (and Instagrammed) flower shops in San Francisco. Even our library entrance is lovely. And the sunsets and views! How lucky are we?!

So on that high note, it’s a wrap for 2019. We made it. Happy New Year, Noe Valley! Here's to a safe, fun and prosperous 2020.

p.s.
This blog turned 11 this year - time flies! Thanks for reading both here and on Twitter @NoeValleySF.

p.p.s.
Yearning for simpler times? Here were the top stories of 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

[Photos: Golden skies via gustojr, SkinSpirit via Haute Living, Whole Foods via Direct Action Everywhere/SFGate, assault video via NBC Bay Area, Mahia via Azalina Malaysian, beautiful doorway via oldsoulhouses, fire sky via joannepruess, beautiful fog via ninadietzel] 

This Year in Noe Valley: The Biggest Stories of 2018

2018 we hardly knew you. But boy did you flood the news headlines. Nationally this was the year of presidential lies (and felonies), tragic mass shootings, climate-change induced disasters, heartless immigration separations and epic Supreme Court battles. In California we saw impossibly sad firestorms. And in San Francisco, we saw history made with the first African-American woman mayor, a new transbay terminal that opened and then abruptly closed, plus outrage over a snarl of homelessness, a lack of new homes, and gentrification. In other words, this year was beyond exhausting.

Things in Noe Valley were a little less depressing but still a mirror of the world around us. Here were the biggest stories of 2018 in Noe Valley that preoccupied us, made us smile and that sometimes drove us crazy.

California Is Burning 
Climate change is real y’all. We mourned with our fellow Californians in August when the Carr fire broke out and we choked on smoke and cried more for the people of Paradise and surrounding areas in November. Here’s hoping this is not the new abnormal.

Endings, Beginnings and Coming Soon 
Lots and lots and lots of retail stores and restaurants closed this year in Noe Valley (and all of SF) and previously empty storefronts remained empty. Yes, there were new and welcome stores and restaurants in our little village this year (welcome Douglas, Seokyo, Sultan’s Kebab, Hi-Way Burger and Fry). But there were far more places that closed down or moved away (Podolls, Noe Valley Cyclery, Pete’s Cleaners, Hamlet, Mill, Contigo, Le Cupboard again… and the list goes on), and many more that vacated last year that are still empty (Pasta Gina, La Panotiq, Radio Shack, Fattoush…. and on and on). On a more upbeat note, Omnivore turned 10, Firefly turned 25 and the amazing Noe Valley Farmer’s Market turned 15. We’re also looking forward to the new Noe’s Cantina, a new Malaysian restaurant called Azalina and some new murals on 24th St. We are so lucky to have amazing local shops and restaurants – let’s keep it that way. #shoplocal

Housing Is (Still) Nuts 
It’s insanely expensive to live here, and maybe with good reason: If you own a house in SF, it’s earning an average of $60/hour – or $125K per year – with no effort on your part. These crazy prices led one landlord to ask $19,500 a month for a 4 bedroom house on 26th St. Meanwhile, historic homes are being illegally demolished around the city, and one Noe entrepreneur decided to rent out a van to people (like Google employees) who are desperate to live here. The average cost of a home in Noe Valley was $2.5 million this year. Which makes this next item even more ridiculous...

Real Foods Is Finally, Maybe, Going to Become … Something 
No, it’s not going to be housing. And it’s not going to become a Real Foods again either. 15 years on, the Real Foods building has new owners who are renovating the existing space and carving it into four small retail spaces of which we already have too many vacancies for on 24th St. #housingfail

People Behaving Badly 
Noe Valley had its share of people behaving badly in other ways too. There was a drive-by shooting that injured 2 people (no suspects found), a road-rage bat attack that sent a man to the hospital, kids who got sick on edibles at James Lick and had to go to the hospital, and a mother was attacked with her baby at 28th St and Sanchez and endured a skull fracture. Scary. We also learned that one of the priests accused of sexually abusing children worked at St. Paul Catholic Parish and School in Noe Valley from 2006 to 2011. Yikes. But then there are the self-inflicted wounds – like the way the head of the NVMPA Rachel Swann is bringing ridicule to 24th St across from Whole Foods by opening Doggy Style: “a boutique, with unique dog furnishings and accessories. Members of the private club can relax in the owner’s lounge, mingle with other doggy moms and dads, drink Bernie’s coffee, all while the dogs play outside...” Ugh.

So Much Greatness 
That said, there was still so much to be grateful for in 2018. Magnolias were gorgeous this year, we saw rainbows and double rainbows, a meteor shower, and the super blood moon. New ultra quiet MUNI trains started rolling on the J Church line and the colorful historic trains are back too. And our neighborhood is so photogenic. With all the craziness in the world, we’re so lucky to live here where we can fight for a better neighborhood with vibrant retail and restaurants, better housing options and all that good stuff.

Phew. We made it. Happy New Year, Noe Valley! Here's to a safe, fun and prosperous 2019.

p.s.
This blog turned 10 this year too (whoa - how did that happen?!). Thanks for reading both here and on Twitter @NoeValleySF.

p.p.s.
Yearning for simpler times? Here were the top stories of 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

(Photos: Noe vista via travismonsonsf and sfgate, smoke skies via bats1234, Noe Cantina via liammayclam, over-the-top Hill Street house via Ruth Krishnan, Real Foods via NVSF, crime photo via KPIX, and steps via geoff.welch)