I was pretty excited by Eater SF’s ongoing commentary about the bright new future of Ghirardelli Square. Needless to say, the purported wi-fi here wasn’t very strong at all. And I was standing right in front of the sign.

I walked around it with my Mom, who remembers it “back in the day,” which could either be the 50s when her girlfriend Martha lived on Nob Hill, and she would take the cable car here to visit my mom and listen to beatniks play the guitar- that was a vivid memory- but otherwise, she kept saying it was “pretty much the same.” So what does rejuvenation mean?

As a neighbor, I’ve only been here a handful of times. The shops don’t appeal, but then again, I noticed Lola of North Beach, the best stationer’s store I’ve ever been to, now has a branch in the Square. Also, found Waterfront Bakery, my new favorite European cafe (note: technically Cannery not Ghirardelli). If there’s any discernible reason for the Russian Hillers to come down and enjoy Ghirardelli Square, and not just for oversweet ice cream (they do have Swenson’s) a gourmet grocery is it. There’s Safeway and Trader Joe’s nearby, but nothing like Bi-Rite in the Mission or Whole Foods Deli. The spread of Danko-ism is something exciting, and I’ll be sure to report back here if anything else pops up that’s neat & noteworthy.