THE MUNI 30 STOCKTON
What a difference a bus stop makes. That’s the message of numerous Marina residents who have written or called the Marina Times to complain about the 30 Stockton stop moving from Divisadero and Chestnut to Fillmore and Chestnut.
“The worst was … when I was out at night with my 76-year-old mother,” longtime Marina resident Leslie Udland told us. “There were two 43 buses in the space, and the 30 had to stop in the street. We were told to get off, and my poor mom had to cling to the rails to get down the bus steps and then try to land on the street … in total darkness. Yes, there is no lighting in the area, so you’re forced to exit in the dark.”
She says her calls to Muni have gone unanswered. We’ll have more on this next month.
JEREMY AFFELDT PITCHES IN FOR LARKIN
Giants pitching star Jeremy Affeldt offered up some relief in late June for Larkin Street Youth Services, the local non-profit that provides housing, education, and health services for homeless and at-risk children. Affeldt was the star barista for a special one-hour event at Peet’s Coffee & Tea’s Marina store. In addition to signing autographs and serving drinks, Affeldt joined Peet’s in presenting a check for $5,000 to Larkin.
STRUT YOUR MUTT RETURNS TO SAN FRANCISCO
For everyone who likes parading their dog down Chestnut or up Union or takes special pride in having the coolest dog playing at Crissy Field, it might be time to think about loading the dog and the family into the car and taking a short ride to Treasure Island on Saturday, Aug. 23. That’s the day when Best Friends Animal Society is holding Strut Your Mutt.
Best friends, a leader in the no-kill movement in the United States, expanded Strut Your Mutt from Salt Lake CIty to 12 cities. Last year, more than 500 people and 425 dogs participated in San Francisco’s Strut Your Mutt, raising $77,929 for shelters and rescue groups.
The event on Treasure Island begins with 9 a.m. registration and a 10:30 a.m. start. Learn more at strutyourmutt.org.
ON AND OFF THE GRID
Off the Grid was named Assemblymember Phil Ting’s small business of the year in July. Ting presented Off the Grid owner Matt Cohen with the legislative resolution during the food truck’s Fort Mason gathering July 18.
“Off the Grid began in the Marina with a simple idea to group street food vendors together, drawing inspiration from Cohen’s experiences attending Asian night markets while living in Japan,” said Ting. “The first gathering happened in the Fort Mason parking lot with 10 vendors in 2010. The location on federal land was free from the city’s street food rules — literally ‘off the grid.’
“As I see it, Off the Grid is a food truck phenomenon,” added Ting. “It is a business of small businesses that has enabled many newcomers, notably women and minorities, to gain a foothold into our food economy.”
MEXICAN PRESIDENT AND THE MEXICAN MUSEUM
Andrew Kluger, chairman of the board of The Mexican Museum (Fort Mason Center, Building D), recently returned from a trip to Mexico during which he met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. According to Kluger, Nieto “acknowledged The Mexican Museum’s leadership role as a standard bearer for Mexico’s rich culture, history, and art here in the United States. In addition, he has pledged his full support of our plans for an expanded new museum facility in the heart of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Garden Arts District.”
The Mexican president also received from Kluger a copy of The Mexican Museum’s book Tesoros del Museo, which highlights the institution’s collections. In addition, Kluger met with officials from the National University of Mexico to discuss working together on future programming, and he invited Mexican leaders to the groundbreaking ceremony for the museum’s new site in early 2015.
OVERHEARD ALONG THE BAY
Mother: The America’s Cup is not coming back to San Francisco.
Son: Why?
Mother: Because San Francisco’s greedy.
Husband: They wanted more money.
Child: How much? A million dollars?
