Green Apple Book’s monthly newsletter (sign up here) came out yesterday and includes a 30% off coupon.
Print out this article or pull it up on your smartphone to show them the coupon when you checkout. Discount expires March 31, 2010.
Sarah B.
Another event I am late on announcing! Tomorrow night, the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers will host their San Francisco City Star Party at Lands End. The event begins around sunset with a short talk on any of a myriad of astronomical topics, after which participants begin observing through the telescopes.
The event begins at 7:30pm on Saturday, March 20 and participants should meet up in the large parking area in the Lands End section of western San Francisco on El Camino Del Mar. Click here for specific directions and exact location.
Never been to a star-gazing party before? Read the SFAA’s etiquette and tips guide.
Don’t forget to make a wish on the shooting stars.
Sarah B.
[via PAR]
Sorry for the late notice, just found out about this one. URBIA Adventure League is hosting “A San Francisco Sense of Place Treasure Hunt” this Saturday. Bring the whole family out to to celebrate the first day of spring on a treasure hunt through the most botanically diverse place in the city: the San Francisco Botanical Garden.
The URBIA team will be on hand to greet explorers and distribute booklets for the adventure. Have fun learning about botany with an escorting bumble bee. On the way, hidden waterfalls, a banana tree, jungle-like pathways, a San Francisco rainforest, and a secret grotto will challenge your team’s way-finding skills.
The event is free for all ages. Look for the URBIA Team and pick up an adventure booklet and sleuthing pencil at the URBIA table between 10am and 2pm near the Garden Bookstore located near the Main Gate of the San Francisco Botanical Garden (close to 9th Avenue and Lincoln.)
Sarah B.
[via FuncheapSF]
According to FuncheapSF, the good students at George Washington High School are offering free car washes this Saturday from 9am to 3pm.
Drive into the Faculty parking lot on 30th Avenue between Anza and Geary. For more information contact gwhseaglepride@gmail.com.
Will they all be singing “Car Wash” while they scrub and soap? 
Sarah B.
Due to the overwhelming interest in the new documentary “Remembering Playland”, the Balboa Theater has added a few more shows to its run:
Saturday, March 27, 12noon
Saturday, April 3, 12noon
You can purchase advance tickets here for March 27; April 3 to be added soon.
Sarah B.
RichmondSFBlog reader Eric wrote in and asked:
Do you know anything about the new pole at 21st Avenue and Geary? At least I think it’s new. It’s very tall and has what looks like megaphones pointing in each of the cardinal directions.
After some research and help from my cub reporter David, I found out that it’s called an Outdoor Public Warning System (OPWS) siren. It is designed to alert residents and visitors of San Francisco about possible danger. According to the OPWS website, there are 86 sirens which are located on poles and on top of buildings throughout all neighborhoods in San Francisco, Treasure Island, and Yerba Buena.
There are several in the Richmond District along Fulton at 11th, 25th, 32nd and 39th, plus at California & Funston, 100 El Camino del Mar, 32nd & Anza, Balboa & Great Highway, Merrie Way & Point Lobos, and Beach Chalet. See the full city map of OPWS sirens.
The system is tested at noon every Tuesday for 15 seconds, and it sounds similar to an emergency vehicle siren. In the event of a disaster, the 15 second alert tone sounds repeatedly for 5 minutes. David tells me that the sirens can be triggered individually, in groups, or all at once depending on the emergency. For example the sirens on El Camino del Mar and along the Great Highway are in place specifically for coastal and tsunami dangers.
David also filled me on some interesting facts and history about the siren system:
There is a group of volunteer radio folks that listen each week and call in to a central spot to let the city know which ones are working and which ones aren’t . The new system was installed due to the activism of the Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood association. They went to the city with a photo of the siren at the wharf leaning at an angle and kept up until the modern system we have became a reality.
In the 60′s of course they were for telling you time is up we are having a nuclear war. Before that, massive siren units sat on tops of buildings (some are still up there) driven by v8 auto engines. They put out so much energy that you of course would be deafened and materials within 5 feet of the speakers would catch fire.
Thanks to Eric for sending in the question and to David for all the info. Below is a very brief documentary about the system, sent in by Greg over at NJudah Chronicles.
Sarah B.
Time to gather up all those old electronics that are gathering dust…
This Saturday, March 20, sfcleancity.com will host a free electronic recycling drop-off at Ocean Beach. Drop off free of charge any of the following items:
- TVs and monitors
- Computers and laptops
- Scanners and printers
- Cell phones
- Fax machines
- Ethernet cables
- Telephones and telephone systems
- VCRs, DVD players
- All networking equipment (e.g. routers)
Note that no appliances or microwaves will be accepted.
Drop off your e-waste between 9am and 2pm on Saturday at the Ocean Beach parking lot across from the Beach Chalet restaurant near Fulton. You must have a valid California driver’s license or ID card.
If you miss this Saturday’s event, there will be another e-waste drop-off available on Saturday, March 27 at Lake Merced. More info here.
Sarah B.
Tonight was the theatrical premiere of the new documentary, “Remembering Playland”, which looks back on the Playland At The Beach amusement park that sat on Ocean Beach from 1921 to 1972.
The Balboa Theater was packed; only the 9:15pm show on Wednesday still has tickets available (buy tickets). In the crowd were Playland attendees that had been interviewed for the documentary, which is full of great stories about the park best known by locals for its Fun House and cackling matron, Laffing Sal.
Many of those interviewed for the film are part of Playland-not-at-the-Beach, a “museum of fun” in El Cerrito, CA that was created to preserve and recreate the history of Playland. PNATB was also in the lobby displaying memorabilia from the park.
To top off a great night, the It’s It ice cream crew was on hand passing out free sandwiches to moviegoers. The original It’s It was created and sold exclusively at Playland for over four decades.
I came home with a DVD in hand ($15) so rest assured they’ll be available via mail order very soon.
Sarah B.
The It’s It truck parked outside the Balboa Theater
A replica of the Laffing Sal animated statue from Playland
A commemorative Playland poster
Handing out free It’s It ice cream sandwiches to moviegoers
Memorabilia on display from Playland-Not-At-The-Beach
Old Playland At The Beach tickets
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