In today’s Chronicle. columnist C.W. Nevius writes about noise issues in the parking lot of the Safeway located near the end of Fulton Street by the beach. The Ocean Beach Homeowner’s Association has asked Safeway to beef up their security and put an end to the late night loiterers that hang out there.

Jean Lombard, a resident who lives across the street, doesn’t appreciate the groups of teenagers that drive in and park, speakers blasting, in the middle of the night. She’s been known to walk over in her bathrobe and “leopard-print eyeshade” to tell them what’s what.

Read the full story on SFGate.com

Apparently Safeway thinks it’s the responsibility of the SFPD to police the lot and deal with neighbor’s noise complaints. Our District 1 Supervisor, Eric Mar, thinks a community meeting is needed to address the issue. “It seems to me that Safeway should bear some of the responsibility for the trash, noise and fighting that is taking place on their property,” Mar said.

That Safeway is open 24 hours a day, so they should have better control over their property and how it’s used no matter what time it is. Let’s hope Jean gets a good night’s sleep soon and doesn’t have to put on any more late night fashion shows for the local teens.

Get on it Safeway!

Sarah B.

Sunday, August 16 marks the 13th birthday of one of Golden Gate Park’s most unique events: Lindy in the Park. Every Sunday, dancers, tourists, residents and passerbys stop by to hit the dance floor along John F. Kennedy Drive.

Lindy in the Park was founded by Lindy Hoppers Chad Kubo and Ken Watanabe in August of 1996, and is the original free swing dance party. Held every Sunday from 11am to 2pm in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Lindy in the Park is the longest-running, free swing dance “venue” in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is open to dancers of all ages and levels.

I stopped by for the first time last weekend and had a smile on my face the entire time. From 12-12:30 they hold a free lesson for the newcomers, or those that just want to brush up on their swing moves. During my visit, the large group was learning the Charleston and making a good go of it.

As the lesson progresses, partners rotate among the group so Lindy becomes not just about dancing, but also about meeting other people. Even if only for a brief dance, it’s a unusual chance to mix with neighbors, visitors and dance enthusiasts.

The more skilled dancers continue hopping at the other end of the dance area while the lesson progresses. They execute spins, jump up and down, dip each other – this is no mellow day on the dance floor, folks!

While there, I met Dave who has been driving in from Park Merced every Sunday for four years. “There’s something about the music and the way it affects people. It’s just good for you” he tells me.

Another woman was attending for the second time after driving in from the East Bay with a friend. “Isn’t this just so much fun!” she beamed. Another man was jogging through the park and decided that the dancing looked like just as much exercise and even more fun.

Even if you’re not into public displays of dancing, it’s a wonderful place to just hang out and people watch. Tourists gawk (and often jump in), kids egg their parents onto the dance floor, and others just watch from the sidelines, dancing in place or tapping their toes to the music.

To see what Lindy in the Park is all about, watch the short video I put together below or visit their website. To check it out in person, head out to Golden Gate Park on any Sunday from 12-2; enter in at Fulton and 10th Avenue. You’ll see the crowd bopping along the edge of the bridge on JFK Drive.

On Sunday, August 16, in honor of their 13th birthday, they’ll hold a special edition of Lindy in the Park with a potluck picnic and extended music and dancing hours until at least 3:00pm. More info

Happy Birthday, Lindy in the Park. You’re a real San Francisco classic!

Sarah B.

New General Manager of the Recreation and Park Department, Phil Ginsburg, started a blog a few weeks back, detailing his day to day park adventures. His latest entry, reprinted below, is about joining the Park Patrol and the SFPD in the wee hours of the morning to roust illegal campers out of Golden Gate Park.

=============================

[From the SF Park & Rec Blog]

A Visit through GGP at Dawn
Early this morning, I joined our Park Patrol officers, members of the San Francisco Police Department and homeless outreach specialists from the Human Services Agency on their regular morning patrol of Golden Gate Park. Every morning, this inter-department team visits well-known camping sites in an effort to enforce Park Code sections which prohibit overnight camping in the park and to connect homeless to shelter and services. This morning we connected with ten illegal campers.

Overnight camping laws are enforced in our parks for a number of reasons, including safety issues, improving park cleanliness, discouraging irresponsible park behavior and reducing the homeless population in our parks by offering help to those in need of services and shelter.

In Golden Gate Park, the number of “regular” homeless campers has gone down significantly since the morning teams began vigorously enforcing Park Code violations two years ago. However, the park’s homeless population is seasonal and we are also experiencing a higher percentage of transient campers than we’ve seen in the past. I’m told there are actually underground websites that inform people on how and where to camp illegally in Golden Gate Park.

I was impressed with our inter-departmental homeless outreach team who handle this difficult and often unrewarding responsibility with professionalism, determination and compassion. The sites we visited in Golden Gate Park this morning were a harsh reminder of how homelessness and irresponsible behavior remain two of the more vexing challenges we face in our parks. There was lots of garbage strewn about, the sites and smells in some campsites were disturbing and there were enough stolen shopping carts, bicycles and other contraband to fill a small warehouse. One person we cited had received over 40 previous citations — clearly without much impact. However, the outreach team did connect a sight impaired homeless camper with services last week, so a glimmer of hope. While the debate over how best to enforce responsible park behavior continues, RPD will take our responsibility to ensure our parks are safe and clean seriously and diligently each day.

Phil Ginsburg
General Manager, San Francisco Recreation & Park Department

=============================

A special giveaway just for Richmondsfblog readers!

I have a pair of VIP tickets to the “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of Pharoahs” exhibit at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. VIP tickets entitle you to see the exhibit anytime – no waiting, no lines. Just show your VIP tickets at the door and in you go.

To enter to win the pair of VIP tickets, find the answers to the Tut trivia questions below and then use the email form here on the site to send them in by noon on Wednesday, August 5. The winner will be drawn randomly from all correct entries.

TUT TRIVIA QUESTIONS:

1) Why is Tut’s famous gold mask not in the de Young show and where is it currently located?

2) Where is King Tutankhamun’s mummy?

Even if you don’t win the VIP tickets, you should still check out this historic collection of artifacts. Just last week, the museum extended their Tut at Twilight program to two nights a week, Tuesday and Wednesday, through September 30.

Tut at Twlight offers discounted admission ($20 for adults, seniors, students, and groups, and $15 for youth 6–17 and FAMSF members), convenient parking, evening views from the de Young’s observation tower, and a special prix fixe menu at the de Young Cafe ($14 per person, $21 with wine).

More on Tut at Twilight + ticket info

And if an evening visit doesn’t suit your schedule, you can see the exhibit daily from 9am–9pm (last ticket at 7:30 pm). Due to the large crowds, the museum recommends purchasing tickets in advance online or at the museum box office. Admission to the show also includes admission to the other de Young galleries.

For more information on the Tut exhibit, visit the official website.

Sarah B.

[Via SF Chronicle]

While Paris’ Musee d’Orsay undergoes extensive renovations starting next year, the de Young will host back-to-back shows of Impressionism and Post-Impression art from the Musee, showcasing more than 200 works from their historic collection.

John Buchanan, director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and a French-art enthusiast, called the touring shows “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and “a real-time, picture-book walk-through of this glorious period in French art.” The exhibitions will begin shortly after the current Tut exhibit closes.

The first exhibit, “Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces From the Musee d’Orsay” will run from May 22, 2010, through September 6. This show will focus on 1874 Paris exhibition of Impressionist painters and feature well-known works such as Manet’s “The Fife Player” and James McNeil Whistler’s “Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1″ (better known as “Whistler’s Mother”).

The second exhibit, “Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces From the Musee d’Orsay” runs September 25, 2010 to January 18, 2011. Highlights include such art-history staples as van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and “The Artist’s Bedroom at Arles” along with Rousseau’s rarely lent “The Snake Charmer” and several striking Tahitian paintings by Gauguin.

San Francisco will be the only city to host both of the Orsay’s traveling exhibits; other stops include Madrid, Tokyo and Nashville.

And if you are planning a trip to Paris, don’t worry, the Musee d’Orsay will remain open during its renovations. The Orsay, housed in a glorious, converted train station, will begin closing off some areas in December and will shut off the upper galleries for a year beginning in March 2010. The Post-Impressionist paintings that aren’t traveling will be moved to the terrace level. During renovations, 50-60 percent of the museum space will be in use.

Sarah B.

It took 30 years for King Tut’s treasures to find their way back to the Richmond District. And now, the sea lions are following suit.

During my walk at Lands End last weekend, I was greeted by the barking of sea lions as I rounded the corner towards Sutro Baths. Richmondsfblog reader, Susanne, tells me that this is the first time the sea lions have resided on Seal Rock in nearly 20 years. “Apparently, for some unknown reason, they relocated to Pier 39 where the livin’ is easy soon after the [1989] quake. So it is extra special that now my grandchildren can see and hear them right in the neighborhood once again.”

If you want to see and hear them for yourselves, head out to the Cliff House / Sutro Heights parking area. Then head towards the shore along the walking paths. If the tide is out far enough, you can actually climb the large rock at Sutro Baths beach to get a closer look. Binoculars recommended!

The actual Seal Rock is the two-headed rock that sits right across from the ruins of Sutro Baths. There were also a few seals on the rocks opposite the Cliff House, but the larger (and barking) group was on Seal Rock itself.

Welcome back, sea lions! Nice to hear your barks floating over the Richmond District. Did you get tired of all the tourists gawking at you at Pier 39?

Sarah B.

UPDATE: More from the Chronicle in this Aug. 3 article