My new snail friend…part of our new escargot pod now “detoxing” in the kitchen for a couple weeks before we try eating them
sf
Places suitable for gimps part 2: Sutro baths parking lot
Places suitable for gimps with folding chairs part 1: East side Treasure Island
Find my drawing #15 on Fecal Face Gallery’s Free Fridayz drawing contest at http://bit.ly/erPBUg (you can find their gallery in the Lower Haight too!). There are a ton of fun drawings on the theme “Nasal Issues” up at their website so check them out. If you like my disgusting drawing you can vote for it too, but it seems that fans of self-nose-loathing are running away with this contest 🙂
Super cool mystery succulent of the day. What is it?
This little mermaid is beached…. at chrissy field
Crabshells at chrissy field
Fishermans Wharf Redesign – any news on this?
I was just alerted to the existence of this plan for redeveloping Fisherman’s Wharf to be more ped-friendly, use the waterfront more attractively, etc.
graphic from SF Planning Dept
Now, I know I’m late on this, but I *did* move here only a few months ago. However, it wasn’t until this February that I actually experienced Fisherman’s Wharf. There are definitely some fun points – the multilevel structures built out onto the wharves, wooden decks, sea lion spotting, etc. – but it’s overwhelmingly kitschy, full of too many chain stores and the public space really, really doesn’t take full advantage of the waterfront.
In fact, the whole Embarcadero, Ocean Beach, Bay and all the waterfront in San Francisco seems grievously underused and under-“framed” by public spaces, restrooms, cafes, bike lanes, etc. I’m sure I’m not the only one – but I’m sure I don’t grasp the whole situation yet being new to the history of the city and how its land has been used.
Anyway, I am excited to see that something new might be done with the Fisherman’s Wharf area, and would love an update. What is happening with this design? The planning document is from June 2010. Has this been approved? Is it pending funding? Are there pilot projects ready to be implemented?
First summer bramble-roses found next to sidewalk – more fragrant than anything you’d find at the flowershop
Land Use, the “Jobshed” and exurban corporate campuses externalizing transit costs to employees
Just found this great, although older, article from the SPUR Urbanist, which discusses the growth in job markets outside of traditional city downtowns and the effect on transit, land use, commuting decisions, etc. I found this particularly interesting re: the discussion about commuter vanpools and so on at the TransportationCamp “Employers and Transit” session on Saturday.
The article recognizes that many jobs ARE going to be and continue to be located at various ex-urban locations. According to the authors, the key is getting some jobs back in transit and density heavy downtowns, as well as pursuing strategies to get companies to localize around suburban transit hubs, as well as densifying sprawling highway-side campuses in order to service their transit needs in a better way than single-vehicle-occupancy high-mile trips.
Great shot of highway 101 in San Mateo from Flickr user jeroen020
I think this is a very interesting issue to look at, having a personal interest in the juncture of land use with transportation issues (as well as the attendant issues of GHG emissions, quality of life, and sprawl). Does anyone have a good resource on the potential of the California SB 375 law? I’m currently trying to learn more about this legislation, and being new here, don’t have the network and resources yet to formulate a good idea of the key stakeholders. I’d appreciate some tips on great articles or sites to check out!