SF Blog - The Blog about San Francisco

Here’s an interesting site in San Francisco called Wave Organ near Marina.

If you want an unusual escape from the hubbub at San Francisco’s pier attractions, head out to the mysterious Wave Organ. It’s past the St. Francis Yacht Club, at the end of a jetty.

Usually no one is out there, and the jetty offers a pleasant view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and that low part of the city prone to catch on fire after earthquakes. The jetty was constructed from tombstone and monument fragments from a demolished 19th century cemetery. The Wave Organ incorporates some of this ornate — and creepy, if you think about it — stonework into its design.

via roadsideamerica

Here’s a cool toothpick version of San Francisco downtown.

Scott, a Rohnert Park resident and supermarket produce man with time on his hands since he injured a knee, has created a 9-foot-tall sculpture of San Francisco Bay scenes, attractions and landmarks.

There’s the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, Humphrey the humpback whale, the Ferry Building and on and on — all made of glued-together toothpicks.

via make

- laughingsquid

Related:

San Francisco Downtown in Jello

San Francisco Downtown in Cookware Art, cookware, ferry building, golden gate, humphrey the humpback whale, jello, landmarks, muir woods, News, rohnert park, san francisco bay, san francisco downtown, SF Downtown, supermarket, tall sculpture, time on his hands

September 19th is a Parking Day in San Francisco and other major cities around the country.  It’s basically a day where you can turn “any” parking space into a mobile “park”.

Heck, you can even take police car parking spots on this day.

It looks like San Francisco had the most parks last year so let’s hope we win again this year.

Conceived by REBAR, a San Francisco-based art collective, PARK(ing) Day is a one-day, global event centered in San Francisco where artists, activists, and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform parking spots into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public parks.

For more info, check out here. activists, citizens, day in san francisco, Events, global event, ing, Living, major cities, News, Parking, parking space, Parks, police car, public parks, september 19th

San Francisco has just upped their new parking ticket prices to pay for more government bullshit.

Yes, just don’t get a parking ticket but if you do, make sure to request a written review. (Just write some bullshit so they will let you go.)

Here’s the current prices and old prices. (via sfmta)

Next time you are on the streets, watch for this SoMa Bird Man.

A recent Monday, 10:59 a.m.: Cliff McBride sits in the back room of his small SoMa apartment with two white Umbrella cockatoos clinging to his shoulders. They’re my kids, he said. I’ve had them for 20 years. Monday is errand day. Nikko, the male, 29, wanted to stay home. This is his castle, and he protects it if I’m gone,”McBride said. However, Trixie, 22, decided to go on the road with her keeper. First they hit the ATM, then Walgreens, then the pet store. At the playground, some of the nannies tried not to stare as a white plume caught the corner of their eye. McBride, 49, has gotten used to the looks. The commitment to these birds can sometimes last 85 years, and it’s a job this retired trucker doesn’t take lightly. ÒI chose to have the birds, and it is my responsibility to put them first, and that’s what I do.”

via sfgate apartment, atm, bird man, birds, job, Living, nannies, News, nikko, pet store, playground, soma, umbrella cockatoos, walgreens, white plume, white umbrella

Well, it looks like government officials are finally getting a little smarter and just approved the new toll-lanes which will basically allow anyone to ride carpool lanes by paying for it.

I think this is a very good idea because even though we have lots of carpool lanes all over the bay area, not that many people are using it and becomes a waste of resource.

By having these “toll” options, we will have many benefits including:

1. Cops will not try to pull people over for ridiculous carpool tickets which can cost $325 at minimum.  I remember getting my carpool ticket on bay bridge and the cop tells me, “You are donating money for the new bridge.”

Well, I want things to be clear, I don’t want cops to be forced to make money for the city, pulling over innocent drivers who might have made a minor mistake and charge them hundreds of dollars.

By having toll-lanes, government will be able to make money from the drivers who use this lane instead of penalizing innocent people.

2. Yey, people with a busy life can finally buy their way to speedy highways.  This will also congest the regular lanes less as those paying-riders will be ousted.

3. More money for the government and less pressure on cops to ticket citizens.  I do agree cops usually do a good job except when I see 20 cop cars pulling over 20 cars at a time just to add bank to the city.

Solo drivers would be able to a pay a toll for the privilege of using carpool lanes to speed their commutes on a dozen highways from the South Bay to Sonoma and east under a plan approved Wednesday by Bay Area transportation officials.

The system would be phased in over nearly two decades, starting in late 2010 or early 2011, and the first pilot projects would open on two congested corridors: southbound Interstate 680 over the Sunol Grade and both directions of Interstate 580 between Livermore and the I-680 interchange, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a regional planning and funding agency, which is coordinating the plan.

via sfgate

More resources

511.org carpool lanes, cop cars, corridors, good job, government officials, highways, interchange, livermore, Living, metropolitan transportation, minor mistake, new bridge, News, pilot projects, regional planning, solo drivers, sunol grade, transportation commission, transportation officials

Here’s 10 reasons why San Francisco is better than New York City:

1. There’s really no place in SF where you have to worry about getting shot or run over by trucks.

2. San Francisco is surrounded by water including the Pacific Ocean.  There’s always fresh ocean air wind.

3. San Francisco is always around 70 degrees Fahrenheit all-year-round.

4. Gay marriage is accepted in San Francisco, meaning there’s more diversity and openness among the general population.

5. San Francisco is also close to Silicon Valley, center of the world for technology.

6. San Francisco is diverse, with almost 35% Asian while New York City at 10% Asian. Yes, having more Asian people will make your city more diverse.

7. San Francisco is closer to Asia.  People don’t have to travel extra 4-5 hours on the plane to travel Asia.

8. Medical marijuana is also legal in San Francisco with lots of pot shops around the corner for easy access.

9. People are laid back.

10. You can see sunset everyday.

There, I might have been a little biased for an Asian person living in San Francisco but heck, if gay people can live here, people must not care for race as much as other cities. center of the world, diversity, easy access, fahrenheit, gay marriage, heck, laid back, Living, medical marijuana, new york city, News, ocean air, openness, pacific ocean, pot, san-francisco, silicon valley, silicon valley center, Sunset, trucks, wind 3

San Francisco is the #1 walkable city in the U.S., according to WalkScore.com.

I completely agree as San Francisco might not big a super-big city, it’s pretty safe and you can get to any place in the city by walking.

Of course, a lot of us prefer to drive “then” walk.  I am sure this isn’t possible in an area like Manhattan, where you can’t even own a car.

It looks like bunch of New Yorkers are upset that San Franciso beat them.   Their argument is that New York City is 10 times bigger and there’s almost twice more people but I think that’s part of the problem in New York City.

There’s too many people and cars in New York City, where they have even devised a new Traffic Light system.

I can see why San Francisco is much better for walking as there’s not as many cars, pollution, and so many people here.

Plus, San Franciso is surrounded by water, there’s beach to the left, top, and to the right.  The beaches make it enjoyable place to walk unlike New York City.

While we worry about environment and pollution, New Yorkers are worrying about their crosswalks.  It’s sad but that’s the price you have to pay living in a polluted, over-crowded city with barely enough room to walk.

The greatest part about San Francisco is that downtown traffic area is completely separate from where 90% of people live.  No wonder SF is also the #2 greenest city in the U.S.  while New York comes at #6.

There, now you know which city is a better city to live in with people who care about the environment and living. Beaches, crosswalks, crowded city, Getting Around, greenest city, Living, manhattan, Maps, new york city, new yorkers, News, own a car, pollution, san franciso, san-francisco, traffic light system

If you’ve noticed, the city has implemented an optional card system for paying for meters as of last year or so.

Now, the city is planning to implement a smart chip that will allow drivers to feed their meter wirelessly using a computer or a cellphone you don’t have to run so much.

Awesome stuff but is it going to cost more of my tax money?

I personally don’t really care for all that wifi junk, I’d rather people run to their meters.

Luckily for San Francisco residents, the city is stepping in to try and help them avoid the parking crunch. As part of a $95.5 million program called SFPark, 6,000 of San Francisco’s 24,000 metered parking spaces are being outfitted with sensors that will allow drivers to spot open parking spaces by checking maps on their cell phones or by looking at displays on street signs.

via gearfuse 5 million, cell phones, cellphone, crunch, gearfuse, Living, Maps, News, optional card, Parking, parking spaces, san francisco residents, sensors, smart chip, street signs, tax money

If you’ve just moved to San Francisco or just need a new mattress, you need to go check out SF Keetsa mattress store on 271 9th Street.  They’ve got these mattresses that are so comfortable yet the prices are so affordable.

Yup, I own the one pictured above, it’s called Pillow Soft.  I got a Cal King size and it “comes” in a box.

Check out some of these wild pictures of the mattress (in a box!).

This is the best mattress I ever owned and I don’t care that it’s eco-friendly, I like the fact that it’s comfy.

If you don’t believe me, try this review on Yelp too. 9th street, best mattress, cal king, Deals, Living, mattress store, mattresses, News, san-francisco, yelp