Sure, running from one end of the city to another is a chore. But how about swimming it?

That’s what members of the city’s South End Rowing Club did this morning, when they swam from the Bay Bridge to Kelly’s Cove at Ocean Beach as part of their 2010 Long Swim Schedule.

The 10 mile swim took them about 2.5 hours. According to their website, they “swim year round in all conditions with only a swimsuit and a thermal cap.” Brrrr!

If swimming in your skivvies doesn’t appeal, this hardy group, that’s been around since 1873,also offers handball, rowing and running.

Congrats to the South End swimmers and thanks to ob-kc.com for the great photo. See more pics at stokereport (thanks Hugh!).

Sarah B.

We love our food in the Richmond, be it dim sum, piroshki, hamburgers, pho noodles or ice cream. Some of our favorite restaurants have been in the neighborhood for decades.

The Richmond District branch library is teaming up with the Internet Archive for a special project called “Richmond Eats”, whose purpose is to digitize, preserve and share our neighborhood’s diverse culinary history. And they need your help to get it started.

From June 1 until June 5, the library will hold a series of events to gather material for the archive. Stop by to share your Richmond neighborhood food history and family food ways with the project.

Bring in restaurant menus, recipes, or food-related photographs from the 1850s to present so they can be scanned and included in the project archive. The scanned images will then be used by students, researchers and the general public, and preserved in the city archives and on the Internet Archive.

Anything you bring in will be scanned and returned to you immediately. So if you have old menus from places like Bill’s Hamburgers, The Cliff House, favorite family recipes or photos from your childhood or family’s local history, please contribute! Scanning will take place at the Richmond branch library on:

Tuesday, June 1: 10am – 7pm
Wednesday, June 2: 1pm – 7pm
Thursday, June 3: 1pm – 4pm
Friday, June 4: 1pm – 4pm
Saturday, June 5: 10am – 4pm

A Russian translator will be available as needed and a Chinese translator will be on site at the Richmond Branch Library for the duration of the project.

Find out more about Richmond Eats at the SF Public Library website or call the Library at 355-5600. Then start digging through your closets and photo albums for items you can contribute!

Sarah B.

Burgerville, 1952. Courtesy of sfpl.org. Caption: Burgerville is going to celebrate April first in a big way. Gordon Mailloux, owner, operator, and brave man is going to giving away free hamburgers in his restaurants at 14th and Geary Blvd. On April first from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m., if he lasts that long. The occasion, he says, is the first
annual ‘Happy Hamburger Day’.

Geary Joe’s, 1964. Courtesy of sfpl.org. Caption: San Francisco businessmen should do more to spruce up their streets. Peter Zane, who runs Geary Joe’s restaurant at 18th Avenue, is talking about himself as well as others. But Zane plans to do something. He will soon install four trees in the sidewalk in front of his place, a spanking new spot. “It is not enough,” he says, ‘to let the city do it. Businessmen should realize they, too, have a responsibility. An attractive appearance inside is not enough. If a street is drab and dull, trade very easily also can be drab and dull.”

Lick Super, 1949. Courtesy of sfpl.org. Caption: Richmond District acquired a new food center today with the opening of the Lick Super Market at Seventh-av and Clement-st. There are five different stores inside, where customers may buy fruits and vegetables, delicatessen foods and liquors, poultry and fish, meats and groceries. In addition, the Super Market has facilities for parking.

A jazz band rehearses in Golden Gate Park on Saturday, in the tunnel near the Conservatory of Flowers. Listen to them perform “Freedom, Jazz, Dance” below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Sarah B.

Director John Waters (in the awesome blazer) with the staff at Green Apple Books. May 28, 2010

The crew at Green Apple had a movie legend in their midst today. Film director John Waters was at the store to sign copies of his new book, Role Models, a collection of profiles of the director’s favorite personalities. More from the Green Apple website:

Role Models is, in fact, a self-portrait told through intimate profiles of favorite personalities—some famous, some unknown, some criminal, some surprisingly middle-of-the-road. From Esther Martin, owner of the scariest bar in Baltimore, to the playwright Tennessee Williams; from the atheist leader Madalyn Murray O’Hair to the insane martyr Saint Catherine of Siena; from the English novelist Denton Welch to the timelessly appealing singer Johnny Mathis—these are the extreme figures who helped the author form his own brand of neurotic happiness.

Don’t you just love his expression in that photo?! If you want one of the autographed copies of his book, stop by Green Apple Books at 506 Clement Street or call them at 387-2272 to reserve one.

Sarah B.

Tomorrow from 10am – 5pm, the 13th annual 2010 Bay Area Yo-Yo Classic competition will be held at the bandshell in the Golden Gate Park concourse.

Stop by to watch some talented spinners put on their best show for a chance to compete in the National Yo-Yo Contest. You’ll be sure to witness lots of tricks like loop the loop, walk the dog, the creeper, and rock the baby.

If you’re in the park tomorrow, stop by to check it out. The kid in the video below impressed me last year. Though watching the action might make you wish you had dedicated a little more time to that yo yo you got in your Christmas stocking as a kid…

Sarah B.

After 51 years in the neighborhood, the Richmond District’s best know ice cream shop has moved to a new address. Joe’s Ice Cream recently opened for business at 5420 Geary between 18th and 19th Avenues, just a half block from their original location.

I wasn’t the only one who stopped in tonight to check out the new and improved Joe’s. I had to squeeze by a line of parents with their kids that stretched from the ice cream counter out to the sidewalk.

The new Joe’s still has a separate ice cream area and “Joe’s Grill” counter just across the room where you can enjoy hot dogs, sandwiches, a slice of pie, and of course, milkshakes.

Thanks to the reuse of many artifacts from the original Joe’s, the new space retains a lot of the charm of the original location. You’ll find the same peghole menu up behind the ice cream counter, the decades old neon signs in the window, and a hodge podge of chairs at the inside tables.

And for those of you that enjoyed watching life go by from Joe’s windows while you ate, you can do the same in their new location. All under a charming black and white striped awning.

Still no word on what will take over Joe’s old space, whose windows are now covered over with brown paper.

Congratulations to Joe’s Ice Cream on their re-opening! With their new location and large crowds, I think it’s safe to say they’ll be serving their homemade ice cream to many more generations of San Franciscans.

Sarah B.

The ice cream counter which is on the right when you enter

Joe’s Grill, with its original sign overhead, sits across from the ice cream area

A view from the back of Joe’s

The original menu board is still there!

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of May 27, 2010. To be added to the station's mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]

CAPTAIN RICHARD CORREIA’S MESSAGE
I have received several photographs lately via email of individuals engaged in what senders perceived as unusual behavior. Photographs are of course helpful in solving crimes, such as when a witness snaps a photo of license plate of a fleeing felony vehicle. And while I don’t have a single rule as to when one might want to photograph criminal behavior, I do have some things I want you to consider.

Use your cell phone first to call the police and second to take a photograph. Your personal safety is paramount and choosing to confront someone you think is engaged in criminal behavior carries a risk that things may escalate violently and quickly. A sergeant a long time ago commended to his officers that before jumping into fray they should put out the call for help, less things could get a whole lot worse before they getting any better. You can call 553-8090 to reach San Francisco 911 from your cellular telephone. Calling 911 works also, however, if you are near a freeway or highway your cellular call may be first automatically routed to the CHP’s dispatch center.

Second, photographs depicting equivocal behavior coupled with emails that infer things as untoward don’t always help much but scare folks a lot. If the officers are called they can quickly determine the nature of activity and accurately quantify the risk to the community.

That said, we do appreciate and need your partnership to prevent crime and apprehend perpetrators. In fact, your involvement in the quest for a safe community is the sine qua non (“that without which not”) of the endeavor. Just please be careful!

In a sidewalk armed robbery that occurred recently we had several witnesses call the police immediately and provide valuable information about the perpetrators. I believe that arrests are likely in the case and I will fill you in on the facts just as soon as officers have the perpetrators are in custody.

Please join us at our next Police Community Relations Forum at Richmond Station (461 6th Avenue) on June 15, 2010 at 1:00 PM. I addition to the our crime briefing and public safety update, we will hear from Park and Rec officials about a proposal to add new recreational amenities at the western end of Golden Gate Park.

During the past week, there were 23 traffic accidents, 6 involving injuries. There were 9 citations issued for driving without a license or driving on a suspended license. There was 3 arrests for driving under the influence.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 05/20/10 at 1:35pm an officer was inside a school in the Richmond District conducting an investigation. As the officer looked out a window saw a male juvenile outside with a backpack in his hand. The suspect reached into the backpack and pulled out what appeared to be a handgun. The officer saw the suspect place the weapon in the front waistband of his pants. The officer called for additional units and then detained the suspect in front of the school. The gun turned out to be a BB gun which had the orange tip painted black. The suspect was also in possession of metal knuckles. The 17 year old male was charged with possession of the BB gun and metal knuckles and released to his father.

On 05/20/10 at 9:50pm an officer was in his patrol car at 6th Ave and Geary. The driver of a 38 Geary MUNI began to wave at the officer and flash the vehicle’s headlights. The officer entered the bus and the driver told him that there were several young adults seated in the back that were “tagging” the bus with graffiti. The officer walked towards the back and the driver pointed out the 20 year old suspect. There was fresh graffiti on the ceiling and interior walls of the bus. The suspect was charged with vandalism and possession of a narcotic.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 05/22/10 at 3:23pm a male walked into a business on the 3500 block of California Street . He stood near a display of phones and the clerk who was helping another customer asked if he needed assistance. Suddenly the suspect ran out of the store and the employee realized the suspect had cut the security cord that had been attached to an I-phone and had fled with the phone. The suspect was described as a male, 20-25 years, scruffy facial hair, wearing a gray jacket and black beanie cap.

On 05/24/10 at 10:05am a victim was sitting in a café on the 1000 block of Clement St . The victim had placed her iPhone on the table as she was eating her lunch. The suspect then entered the café, walked over to the victims table and grabbed her phone and ran out. The victim and a witness gave chase and saw the suspect run north on 11th Avenue and get into a waiting vehicle. The victim realized that when she ran out of the café she had left her purse behind and when she returned, her purse was missing. The suspect was described as a male, 20-25 years, wearing a dark gray jacket and blue jeans. His female accomplice, who apparently took the purse, was wearing a pink top and blue jeans. The vehicle was described as a black four door sedan.

On 05/25/10 at 2:20pm two victims were sitting together at a table in a coffee shop on the 3100 block of Geary Boulevard. Each of them had placed their cell phones on the table. The suspect entered the coffee shop and reached over one of the victims and grabbed both of their phones from the table. The suspect then fled to Cook Street where he got into a waiting vehicle that was driven by a female. The suspect was described as a male 20-30 years of age wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with white lettering on the front. The vehicle was described as being small.

On 05/24/10 at 11:15pm officers were sent to speak with a victim of a robbery that was being treated at a nearby hospital. The victim, who did not want to cooperate with the officers, said he was walking on Fulton Street when a person demanded his property. The victim said he immediately ran east on Fulton then realized he had been shot in the arm. The victim then phoned a friend who picked him up in a hired taxi and took him to the hospital.

The victim’s reticence to cooperate hampers our investigation: however, we intend to determine everything that happened in this case.

On 05/25/10 at 8:15am, on the 2900 block of Jackson Street a victim went into her garage which she shares with two other tenants. The victim noticed that her bike and one belonging to another tenant were missing. It appeared that a burglar had cut the cable locks that had secured the bikes. The suspect had gained access into the garage by breaking the lock on a side door. The victim told the officer that she had heard strange noises coming from the garage between 2:30am and 3:00am. At 2:20pm, the same officer responded to call of a found bike on the 2100 block of Broderick. He contacted the victim who responded and identified the bike as hers.

On 05/25/10 at 7:56pm a victim was walking to a friend’s vehicle that was parked in the area of Golden Gate and Chabot. The two suspects were walking towards the victim and then surrounded him. The suspect told the victim to give up his cell phone and when the victim hesitated, one of the suspects pointed a handgun at him. The suspects took the victim’s wallet, backpack and laptop. The victim’s friend saw that there was something going on and walked over and said “What are you doing?” The suspect then pointed the gun at the friend. The suspects then fled on foot. Two other witnesses saw the suspects running from the scene and get into an awaiting vehicle. The suspects were described as males in their late teens wearing dark clothing. The vehicle was described as a smaller blue SUV.

Last Sunday, I stopped by the Cliff House to check out the infamous “Giant Camera” that sits below it. I hadn’t been there in years and the last few times I’d tried to gain entry, it was closed due to poor weather conditions.

But this time, the doors were wide open and I was greeted by Robert who runs the small attraction. After paying my $3 ($2 for seniors), I was ushered into a black room that had a white, concave table in the middle. Robert made some noises and voila, a crystal clear view of Ocean Beach and Seal Rocks lay on the table in front of me.

The building is one giant camera obscura. Sitting atop it is a series of mirrors that rotate (or can be held still). The outside image hits the front facing mirror which then reflects down through a series of lenses. The image is ultimately reversed and projected down onto the viewing table inside the dark building.

Watching the image is mesmerizing. As the fixture atop the building rotates, so does the crystal-clear image, giving you a 360 degree view of the area including Ocean Beach, Seal Rocks, the Great Highway and the southern end of the Cliff House.

The giant camera was used by Leonardo da Vinco in the 15th century and was adopted by other artists who would project their image onto a canvas and paint over it to create their pieces.

Check out the video below which includes narration from Robert, who runs the giant camera. What kind of maintenance is required on a giant camera? Regular cleaning of the mirrors atop the building plus painting of the viewing table with a fresh coat of white paint twice a year.

The giant camera was built in 1946 as an extension attraction for the Playland-at-the-Beach amusement park. The Cliff House, Sutro Baths, and Playland were all owned by George Whitney at the time. Outsidelands.org has a great article on the history of the giant camera, which recently celebrated its 9th birthday as a National Landmark.

The giant camera is open to visitors year round from 11am to 5pm, but only on days when the weather is nice and clear. Visit giantcamera.com for more information. Don’t miss seeing the camera in person – it’s very cool!

Sarah B.