San Francisco Metblogs » Russian Hill http://sf.metblogs.com Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:59:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 GPS in Cabs http://sf.metblogs.com/2007/08/30/gps-in-cabs/ http://sf.metblogs.com/2007/08/30/gps-in-cabs/#comments Thu, 30 Aug 2007 15:48:11 +0000 Anna http://sf.metblogs.com/2007/08/30/gps-in-cabs/ Took a taxi home the other night from the Mission ( to North Beach, yes it was $20) by a new cab driver. He’d been on the job for 3 weeks. I found this out when I noticed that while we were on Van Ness, he took a right at Lombard. Yep, his GPS told him to take Lombard over to North Beach. Gotta love it.

More news on cabbies w/ GPS here: Cabbies May Strike To Protest Mandatory GPS Systems. London cabbies have bigger brains.

]]> http://sf.metblogs.com/2007/08/30/gps-in-cabs/feed/ 0 Russian Hill Non-Fire http://sf.metblogs.com/2007/04/17/russian-hill-non-fire/ http://sf.metblogs.com/2007/04/17/russian-hill-non-fire/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:53:25 +0000 Anna http://sf.metblogs.com/2007/04/17/russian-hill-non-fire/ Just witnessed 5 fire engines pull up to Vallejo between Mason & Powell to put out.. something. No flames, no smell of smoke.

After watching about 5 firemen (& women) setup ladders, I walked over to a policeman and asked him what was up. He told me there were some 2X4s on the roof that were on fire, and they doused them with water.

A couple of fire-people had chainsaws. It didn’t smell like smoke.

I’m glad they respond to these quickly, but it does seem like a bit of overkill. Can’t be too safe, I guess. A fire on a tar roof doesn’t seem to great.

Sorry no pics.

]]> http://sf.metblogs.com/2007/04/17/russian-hill-non-fire/feed/ 0 Thursday – Psychedelic Garage Rock Convergence @ Red Devil Tonight http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/10/12/thursday-psychedelic-garage-rock-convergence-red-devil-tonight/ http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/10/12/thursday-psychedelic-garage-rock-convergence-red-devil-tonight/#comments Thu, 12 Oct 2006 21:50:20 +0000 Lil Mike http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/10/12/thursday-psychedelic-garage-rock-convergence-red-devil-tonight/ The Red Devil Lounge will be bopping with psychedelic sounds for a show tonight that a longtime music industry veteran pal of mine says “Is really kind of a big deal”.

The occasion features an amalgamation of madcap musicians who’ve been members of an array of interesting bands, including the 13th Floor Elevators, Flamin’ Groovies, Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Tubes just to name a few.

He’s most thrilled that opening the bill is a folksy freak legend of sorts now living in Berkeley, a guy played with Roky Erikson in the 13th Floor Elevators, and brought Janis Joplin her hit “Bye Bye Baby”. That would be Powell St. John, who’ll ably open the show followed by vet rocker act Magic Christian, and a new group of young Amoeba Records employees fronted by infamous tambourine man Joel Gion of the aforementioned Brian Jonestown Massacre called The Dilettantes…

mp3 sample tracks, links, pix and a lil bit more background after the jump…

It’s a rare sort of convergence of some knowledgable performers who bring a wealth of background to the stage…

That old sorta hippie looking dude is Powell St. Johnhttp://www.powellstjohn.com/

span >He’ll be performing with the members of Roky Erikson’s band The Aliens, including Billy Miller on electric autoharp and Duane Aslaksen on
guitar, together with drummer Fuzzy John. Expect some killer
versions of Elevators classics, Can you say “Two Headed Dog”.
Whatever you say , don’t let it be “You’re Gonna Miss Me”…

excerpt of a track from

Powell St. John - Bye Bye Baby ( a tune he wrote made famous by Janis Joplin)

Next are The Magic Christian which is Flamin’ Groovie frontman Cyril Jordan’s current band featuring drummer about town Prairie Prince ( ex-Tubes and lately the Todd Rundgren fronted version of the Cars) , plus noted rock musicologist Alec Palao ( producer of Zombies, Nuggets, CCR boxsets) on bass, and mighty melodic & friendly singer dude Paul Kopf. These old guys are more teenager at heart than most teens I meet these days, and have a MySpace page to prove it.

Magic Christian - I Can See For Miles (Who cover…duh!)

Magic Christian - No Time To Cry

Those in the know, with stamina for the nightlife are gonna dig The Dilettantes, those who might dig it the most are fans of the movie DIG! That’s right, tambourine man & scene stealer Joel Gion of the Brian Jonestown Massacre is in thisfeisty & freaky new gargantuan garage rawk group with some of his fellow Amoeba Records co workers.

The Dilettantes - What Were You Thinking?

http://www.myspace.com/thedilettantes

Red Devil Lounge

1695 Polk Street

website

]]> http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/10/12/thursday-psychedelic-garage-rock-convergence-red-devil-tonight/feed/ 0 Local Crime Highlights: Dognapping! Inept car thiefs! http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/07/26/local-crime-highlights-dognapping-inept-car-thiefs/ http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/07/26/local-crime-highlights-dognapping-inept-car-thiefs/#comments Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:58:39 +0000 Anna http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/07/26/local-crime-highlights-dognapping-inept-car-thiefs/ http://sf.metblogs.com/archives/images/2006/07/bike_cops-thumb.JPG

Some highlights from the weekly report of North Beach/Chinatown/Fish Wharf crime: Monty games are back, a guy discovered a car thiefin his car, and… dog-napping, interrupted. Oh, and … it’s all about the Uniform.

” The victim opened his trunk on the 1300 block of Jones when he noticed a suspect inside his vehicle. He chased the suspect to Jackson and Jones where he waited for police to arrive. The suspect was arrested while attempting to hide under a parked vehicle. ”

Oh that’s another smart criminal.. hide under a car. no one will see you! Ha ha.

Dog napping: A guy tied his dog outside Marina Safeway, and comes out to find dog gone. Then, a few blocks away finds the suspect walking (non-chalantly no doubt) with his Boston Terrier. Grand Pet Theft.

There’s a story of a shell-game in Fisherman’s Wharf where one guy was caught ready to take 170$ cash out of the hand of a tourist… why was she holding that much money out in front of her? Having a hard time wrapping my head around this one.

Some guys are impersonating utility workers and gaining access to houses. I say it’s something about the uniform, and randy housewives. but maybe not. Watch out for “free estimates,” they say.

]]> http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/07/26/local-crime-highlights-dognapping-inept-car-thiefs/feed/ 5 Photo of the Day: Hyde St. http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/06/15/photo-of-the-day-hyde-st/ http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/06/15/photo-of-the-day-hyde-st/#comments Thu, 15 Jun 2006 23:47:03 +0000 sf_sean http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/06/15/photo-of-the-day-hyde-st/ http://sf.metblogs.com/archives/images/2006/06/russian_dogs-thumb.jpg
Playing hooky on Monday, I decided to spend the suddenly “secret field trip” afternoon my favorite way: taking a long walk through the city’s neighborhoods. My destination: Bimbo’s in North Beach. My starting point: Hayes Valley. On these circuitous occasions, I like to mix the routes up and pick streets I would ordinarily bypass for expediency’s sake. This time the main thoroughfare was Hyde: starting from its humble and hectic origins in the Tenderloin, on through ever sleepier and swankier Nob Hill, and up to downright posh and peaceful Russian Hill. In pathetic local ignorance mode (translation: I never take them), I was reminded that this is indeed a cable car route. The tourists must know something … because how ridiculously cute is this street? It’s probably because of this that I’ve ignored giving this stretch its proper walk-through. And while I could add yet another photo of those SF icons, I came across these tri-colored dandies striking their best “Joshua Tree” pose in the window of Russian Hill Dog Grooming. (Unintentionally, I like how the reflection caught yet another SF slope.) And FYI: If you’re looking for a extremely vertical/cardio version of this route, try Taylor. Oof…

]]> http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/06/15/photo-of-the-day-hyde-st/feed/ 1 Cops go to Starbucks, and, Police Shortage http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/04/21/cops-go-to-starbucks-and-police-shortage/ http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/04/21/cops-go-to-starbucks-and-police-shortage/#comments Fri, 21 Apr 2006 17:47:03 +0000 Anna http://sf.metblogs.com/2006/04/21/cops-go-to-starbucks-and-police-shortage/ The police situation in San Francisco is affected by generational trends. I guess we’re down right now (cop cap is 1971– oddly enough, the year I was born.), because a slew of them retired once they hit a certain age determined by a retirement package, and it originally started getting clumpy with WW2 vets, etc. Now a new rush of cadets are in schools.

(starbucks stuff after long rambly bit about ME)

I used to chat with one of them. He was a security guard at my old building, and his most challenging part of the Academy was the racial mediation. Well, yours truly was asked by the captain of the Northern station (forget his name, this was like 6 years ago) to apply (being a tallish Swedish descent woman who looks like she could take down 3 guys at once? Your Valkyrie!) the entire situation was lost on me until a few days later when I was recapping the conversation to my Mom. “He kept showing me the fun barbecues they have, and how the Academy admittance test isn’t that hard, and how they need to reach quotas…” I was in his office to get a one-day liquor license for an event.

Anywho, I learned from our esteemed Central precinct captain Dudley that we are in desperate need of cops. Our precinct actually “lends out” two cops per other precincts in the city that aren’t as low crime and well-covered as we are.

Other facts I learned: Capt. Dudley, besides being a nice, rational, friendly sort, goes to Starbucks. Stop this travesty now! Email him and tell him to go to your Mom & Pop cafe of choice. james.dudley-at-sfgov.org

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Pete’s Café (aka – the café on the SFAI campus) was voted Best Restaurant with a View in AOL’s Cityguide for 2004 and 2005. It’s up again for review, and I invite you to come see what all the fuss is about. The café has a diverse menu featuring breakfast specials, falafel, REAL turkey sandwiches, and a “world-famous” walnut, feta, and spinach salad. Free Wifi is available and the fabulous panoramic views include Coit Tower, St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Trans-America building, and Alcatraz.

Pete’s Café is located at 800 Chestnut between Jones and Leavenworth.
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 8:30AM-5PM, Fri. 8:30AM-3:30PM

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