Reminder: Billy Goat Hill Planting Day Is This Saturday

As we mentioned in November, this Saturday is Planting Day on Billy Goat Hill. Friends of Billy Goat Hill wants your help:

It's that time again for the quarterly community workday at Billy Goat Hill Natural Area! Join your neighbors, SF Park & Rec Natural Area Dept & Friends of the Urban Forest to plant trees at the Laidley Street entrance and a native wildflower garden at the Beacon Street entrance to Billy Goat Hill Natural Area.

What: Billy Goat Hill Planting Day
When: Saturday, January 16, 9:00am
Where: Beacon @ 30th St, Laidley @ 30th St
Why: Because you want to do more for your community than complain about nail salons

[FoBGH: Planting Day Is Finally Here!!!]

Moving: Artsake

Artsake packed up its brushes and has consolidated into the Just For Fun / Scribbledoodles space across the street (from where they originated 6 years ago). The sign says all the same stuff is available, although we’re skeptical they'll be displayed so well given the already tight quarters at Just For Fun.

Sad to see a long-time merchant get squeezed on 24th Street – and we’ll miss the space’s color on a dingy stretch of 24th Street. As always, we're hopeful the space at 3961 24th St turns into something...useful.

Update: Said space is $3900/month per Craigslist.

What Noe Valley Watches on Netflix

Ever wonder what your neighbors are getting in their little red NetFlix envelopes? The New York Times has a fun feature this weekend that shows the Netflix rental patterns by neighborhood including in the Bay Area. Here are the top 10 in Noe Valley for 2009:

Zip: 94114

• Doubt
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Rachel Getting Married
• Burn After Reading
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Slumdog Millionaire
• The Wrestler
• Milk
• Changeling
• Frost/Nixon

Zip: 94131

• Milk
• Doubt
• Slumdog Millionaire
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Burn After Reading
• Rachel Getting Married
• The Wrestler
• Changeling
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Revolution Road

The trend here? Somber, erudite and just a wee bit tortured. Don't the kiddies like Netflix, too?

[NYT: A Peek Into NetFlix Queues]
[Photo: Netflix]

The Noe Valley Stroller Menace (Oh Noes!)

The Chronicle cashed in on the (often) entitled Noe Valley stroller set today and the opinions are flying:

...the only reason why Noe gets a bad rap is that unlike most of SF, it actually has kids. I'll agree with other posters that the bigger problem in Noe is dog poop--and the lack of parking spaces at Whole Foods!

...I may not get run over by a stroller, but I swear spending time in Noe is like being somewhere similar to Fresno.

...I don't get the aggressive stroller thing. I am nothing but polite to these folks and am tired of the cell phone yapping meaness of stroller. So, do we look forward to yet another generation of clueness when sharing sharing sharing public space?

...Bad: attempting to drive through the intersection of Noe St & 24th St., baby strollers which nowadays are the size of small SUVs, & hearing the automated-recorded lady-voice on the 24 Divisadero bus pronounce any stop along Noe Street as "no"...

...Noe Valley snobs are nothing compared to the likes of the entitlted brats in the Marina...

...Noe Valley is sort of the Palo Alto of SF neighborhoods. It's cool days are long long behind, now appropriated by unimaginative yups who all paint their houses a tasteful beige.

While this bit from the Chron's post probably sums it up, there's truth in stereotypes:

Some people in love with Noe's centrality, its Victorian splendor, its low crime rate, its warmer micro-climate, its shopping and food, and overall family orientation might take comfort from these data. But it does seem like such people would still have to be doing better than the majority of San Franciscans, a city whose median income doesn't push $80K. Others of us then, forever shut out, will continue to complain (a little enviously-- let's be honest) about stroller accidents with bourgeois soccer moms.

And?

...While all of you hater posters have been ranting on Noe, my property value just shot up another 3%.

[SFGate: Noe Valley: only for strollers made of gold?]

Supes Race: Ammiano Endorses Mandelman

Wasting no time, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano endorsed Rafael Mandelman today for this November's District 8 Supervisor race. The former SF Supe adds his name to a growing list including Supervisors John Avalos, Eric Mar, Ross Mirkarimi and...um....Chris Daly. And don't forget - Mandelman also has the support of the Harvey Milk LGBT Club.

[FCJ: Ammiano Endorses Mandelman]
[NVSF: Harvey Milk LGBT Club Endorses Mandelman for District 8]

Announced: Cardio-Tone

Reinforcing nearly every Noe Valley stereotype, Cardio-Tone is set to open in the recently-vacated Cary Lane on January 2nd. "We provide quality care for your child while you take one of our classes, read, enjoy a cup of coffee, have a massage or mani/pedi...just think of the options!" And with class options like Bun in the Oven, Yummy Mummy, Sympathy Belly, and Massage for Lovers they're likely to need a stroller parking lot with attendant a la Whole Foods.

Cardio-Tone
3813 24th St @ Church
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PSA: Sunset Scavenger Holiday Collection Schedule And Tree Disposal

The folks at Sunset Scavenger were kind enough to provide the following information regarding disposal of all the dead trees in neighborhood living rooms:

Christmas tree collection will take place on Jan. 4-8 and Jan. 11-15. Please place clean, unflocked trees next to your carts when you take them to the curb for your regularly scheduled pickup. Be sure to remove all tinsel, decorations, plastic bags, stands, and lights. If your tree is over 6 feet, please cut it in half. Christmas trees collected through this special pick up program will be taken to Recology San Francisco, fondly known as the city dump, where they will be chipped. Recology San Francisco then transfers the chips to a waste-to-energy facility in Tracy, CA.

What shouldn't you do? Don't just drag your poor dead tree to the corner and cover it in plastic like the cheap thrill it was.

In related news, trash collection will not happen on Christmas and New Year's Day. Instead, your regular Friday pickup will happen on Saturday 12/26/09 and 1/2/10. Regular collection (with tree pickup) resumes on 1/4/09. Full information here.

[NVSF: Fun with Analytics: Christmas Trees]
[Photo: SFRecycling]

Update: Cary Lane To Hayes Valley

We finally caught up with Cary LaScala, who confirms Cary Lane will open in Hayes Valley. "Better location for us because it is a shopping destination for locals and tourist. Noe valley was wonderful, but I have to make a smart business decision. The tentative location is 560 laguna street at hayes street!" Make of that what you will...

[NVSF: Closing: Cary Lane]