Healthy San Francisco opened it’s doors to the city’s poorest this month, and in January ‘08 will offer basic health care for all citizens of the city seeking treatment in the city.

Did I somehow move to Canada when I wasn’t paying attention?

(Remember folks, beta test on the poor people, then move on to everyone else.)

It’s worth a visit, really. Trust me. I was looking at it for a good 15 minutes.

While I was at it I walked around some more to find some artists filling dilapidated alleys with their art work. not tagging, not graf, but their creations on parts of the city that few people driving about would ever see.

The Chronicle calls for the plaza to be filled in, citing it as another mistake of ’70s urban renewal. Years ago, the plaza was occupied by far more useful theaters, lost to the building of Bart and Muni Metro in the ’70s.

Coming out of Powell station was different today, however. The Emporium is set for their grand opening tomorrow, which really an very large extension of the Westfield Shopping Centre. With it comes swanky high-end shops such as Bloomingdales and a new Centure Theatre. When I came out of the train station and into Hallidie Plaza, I was greeted by people dancing, a live band, and not a single person urinating on the wall. For once, in probably my lifetime, the plaza was alive with people.

Will this change be only temporary? Time will tell for sure. Other stores have started to open up on the once heavily blighted block of 5th to 6th, and even the largest blighted structure between 5th and 6th, the long since abandoned St. Francis Theather, is due to become 156 condos. The boarded up Strand theater may or may not become condos, but with the growing commerce and excellent transit in that area, there may still be hope for it.

According to Randy Shaw, author of Theaters of San Francisco, Mid-Market, the area between 5th and 8th streets, used to be known as “The Great White Way of San Francisco”. It was called so because of the “non-stop stream of lights” and constant theather activity: almost 25,000 theatre seats. I see the opening of these new high end stores, and all the commerce and condos opening just steps away, as a renewal of mid-market in a new form. What that may take form as can hardly be as bad as what it is like now.

Lately I’ve been thinking about what is important. What are the ideas that drive me to the next day, what is it that makes waking up and facing the day even worth it? For a few moments, nothing came to mind. It was a little frightening to think that I’ve been going day to day with no particular destination in mind. I really thought I had some master plan I was following, but at that moment I found that I had reached nowhere.

It all came flooding to me at once though. My plan to write a book was too early, I’d never finish, so I decided to blog more — A lot more, and try to get people to see what I write and take interest. My interests have changed, Comp. Sci. is what I use to make money and what I use to further my new interests, it used to be my sole obsession, driving me to lonesomeness and misery. Few understand computers, and only use abstractions to relate, which is frustrating.

A lot more has changed in the last year, like I don’t even listen to the same music. It has shifted into a new realm of independent artists, things I find in clubs, on fliers, in people’s CD collections. When I turn on my iPod, I won’t hear the same song for 2 weeks, and chances are it’ll be something I added but haven’t yet listened to. This is exciting.

I read a lot more now. Even though I cut my Muni reading time out by moving closer to Bart, I still read on my breaks and when I get home. It’s like an addiction, even a bad book I can’t put down until I hit the next chapter. Even still, I have to stop myself from reading the next paragraph and doing the whole self-committal to a new chapter.

What I ask myself now is about what is important. Has that changed? I’m not sure.

If you’re tired of bitching about Muni, now here’s your chance to do something about it. I’ll be there, but I won’t be buying anyone drinks at Trad’r Sam. :) Well, maybe the mayor.

Spread the link.

(What is a BRT?)

Sometimes the battles come to me, some times I come to the battles.

The first is the case of the battle coming to me is the new jet-sounding air exhaust system that the Parc 55 Renaissance Hotel installed just outside my apartment’s window a couple weeks ago. It is huge, loud, and runs full blast because of the latest heat wave to hit California. I’m not the only one who has to be annoyed by these buzzing fans, since the entire south side of the building faces them and I can hear it from the street level too.

The first stage of this battle is to look up noise ordinances, contact the San Francisco Tenants Union, and send the Parc 55 a letter. If that fails, I may have to resort to getting a lawyer as stage 2.

The second is the case of me coming to the battle is the GoGeary movement to implement a BRT system along the Geary corridor. While this is a good idea, it isn’t the best idea. Do we need more diesel powered vehicles on the road? They are noisy, uncomfortable to ride, and have short useful life times. Why they don’t expand the light rail to Geary is beyond me. Well, actually, it isn’t. Local business are meddling in the deployment of light rail, fearing that it will cost them business due to parking spots being lost.

I don’t know about you, but if I can take a non-crush capacity vehicle to your business, I’ll likely spend money. Why a another vehicle in Muni’s fleet? Why not the devil we know, the Breda cars?

I’ve been doing some research, of which I’ve made some very interesting finds on both San Francisco’s internal workings as well as just how a BRT will not help the dire situation the 38-Geary line is in. I’m going to prepare a 2-minute statement and let Muni and the GoGeary folks know during the project meeting on July 29th.

Heck, I don’t even take the Geary line anymore. I moved because it was just so bad — the downtown area transit is so much better. And guess what, it is mostly electric rail!

We have to set the president.

(reported to sfpd via rescuemuni)

I was wondering why my DMV fees were so high — so enjoy a ride on one of the 25 transit agencies on my dime. No really, go ahead, and don’t forget to exit using the rear doors (STEP DOWN!!!).

(ridership goes up 10%, or 155,000 people, on STA days)

At 6:30, I walked over to the Flood Building around the corner to sit in on a Market Street Railway meeting. I wanted to see what kind of people attended, how the meetings were conducted, and find out the who’s who.

As with any meeting, minutes were called, and the budget was discussed. Various tidbits were discussed, the meat of the gathering being about the new museum and store opening near the Ferry Building. It was your standard meeting stuff, finding out what they can sell, profit margins on their calendar, and the like.

A few MSR members brought some old photos they had dug out of their closets, mainly photos of old rail cars in Hayes Valley, as well as they stories attached to them.

“The 21 line, seen here at 700 Hayes St on it’s last day of service, had to have it’s rail replaced on the last day of service. Muni had little choice, other street cars needed to cross that line, so the 21 got to run over some freshly laid track on it’s last day of service. All these buildings you see here in the background are still there to this day. Circa 1941.”

One of the local landmarks presidents said a few words by proxy for a very old gentleman who wanted to preserve the old LRV shelters. There are about 6 in San Francisco still, the two I can remember are the Fort Mason one, and the other is the Dolores Park shelter. When taking the J-Church through Dolores Park, note the old street car passenger shelter as you come out of the right away into the park. Back behind that is an old Muni LRV shelter, part of the original line, fenced over and covered in litter and graffiti. There is an effort to restore that brewing, so if anyone wants to help clean that up, I’m sure Dolores Park would look even more beautiful after.

I wouldn’t say an MSR meeting is the most exciting thing in the world, though I may show up to the September meeting. If you like trains, and you like to see all the people in their 50’s discuss train politics, that’s the place to be.

Also, Muni is all powerful. Bow to Muni. Nothing happens without Muni’s grace.