You just never know what’s lurking behind some homes in the Richmond District… The Examiner ran an article recently on outer Richmond resident and artist, Nomi Klein, who has turned her backyard into a giant chess set.

You’ll need your brain and your brawn to play with this chess set. The board, made with paving tiles, measures 16 feet square and the chess pieces are as tall as 43 inches and weigh 12 pounds. That could lead to some dramatic check-mating!

A photo showing Klein’s giant chess pieces. Inset photo of her Richmond garden, courtesy of the Examiner.

According to the Examiner article, Klein said she first thought of creating a massive chess set when she was a child visiting Salzburg, Austria, where she saw people playing the game outdoors.

Her art and design career took her from Israel to New York, Mexico and San Diego. She studied machine design and did mechanical drawing during military service, as well as studying art.

She created her first giant chess set while she was in Mexico. Some 10 years after she started, her chess pieces — which are all made by hand — are in hotels and private gardens around the U.S. and abroad. A set of her giant pieces sells for $15,500 on chessusa.com.

Read the full article at SFExaminer.com.

Sarah B.

For the last couple of weeks, Green Apple Books has been releasing a series of video parodies where they pit the traditional book against Amazon’s Kindle, the electronic book reader.

The two opponents face off in situations we often take for granted with a regular book like sharing, falling asleep while reading, storytime with the kids, and even durability. Each episode is hosted by two characters that remind me a bit of the guys on the TV show “Wipeout”.

Though they’re meant to be funny, the videos do point out some real shortfalls of Amazon’s hyped gadget. Most notable is the inability for the Kindle to match the selection of a store like Green Apple, as well as its supremely inviting shelves where you can get lost for hours. Another video illustrates how the deep knowledge of a Green Apple staffer can be much more useful than a search box. Snap!

Another hilarious segment that is quintessential Green Apple shows how the book fares versus the Kindle when a customer wants to sell back their used books. But after watching it I thought, “Who the heck earns $80 when selling their books?” Certainly not me! I better start collecting superhero tomes…

I’ve included a couple of my favorites from the 10-part series. They’re all very short, so if you’ve got a few minutes, head over to Green Apple’s YouTube Channel to check them all out.

Well done, Green Apple, well done.

Sarah B.

Frankenart Mart, a funky, participatory, community art gallery at 515 Balboa Street is is holding their third annual hot dog drawing contest. From their newsletter:

“Hot Dog masterpieces will be accepted through Aug 16 – drop them off, draw them here, snail mail them, email them [frankenart@gmail.com]. This year’s wiener will be featured on our next souvenir item – baseball caps and will win a free cap whenever I am able to come up with the cold hard cash to print the suckers. Voting ends Sep 13.”

Well, I am certainly no artist but I couldn’t resist taking part. You can see my entry below. Embarassing, I know, I know. My mother would still be so proud because that’s just how she is. I take full advantage of that.

Frankenart is also looking for videos on the theme of pavement. They’ll be used for Drive-In and Miniature Drive-In Movie Nights in September. Videos will be projected onto the frankenart window from the sidewalk. If you’ve got something, email frankenart@gmail.com.

Sarah “soon to be showing at the de Young” 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.

I previously posted about some Richmond District t-shirts that are sold by the Western Neighborhoods Project. Today I came across some more fun t-shirts, this time showing pride for your favorite neighborhood Muni lines. The collection includes tees for a few routes that run through the Richmond: 1 California, 2 Clement and 31 Balboa.

The shirts are designed by Walter Koning and can be seen on his website, munishirts.info. They sell for $20 each and can be purchased on the website or from local retailers Artist X-Change, SoMe, 440 Brannan and Brand Fury. They’re available in S, M, L, and XL.

Shirts are also available for these other Muni lines: 14 Mission, 22 Fillmore, 33 Stanyan, 7 Haight, 71 Haight-Noriega, J Church, N Judah, and S Castro.

Walter has more Muni shirts in his cafepress.com store, including other Richmond District lines like the 18-46th Avenue and 38 Geary.

Do you think if you board the Muni bus wearing one they’d waive your fare?

Sarah B.

[Via Eye on Blogs]

The The Western Neighborhoods Project sells fun neighborhood gear on their website. They’ve got an assortment of t-shirts (men’s & women’s), sweatshirts, bags and the ubiquitous coffee mug. The logo design is a vintage picture of 18th & Geary – you can see the Alexandria movie sign and the trolley car in it (click here for a closeup). The back side includes their WNP name and website address, http://www.outsidelands.org.

Prices range from $15.99 for a mug to $39.99 for the hooded sweatshirt (I sure could have used it in last weekend’s foggy weather – brrr!). And the profits go back into the Western Neighborhoods Project whose mission is to preserve the history of San Francisco’s west side.

Shop for Richmond District gear

Gear is available for several other western neighborhoods and landmarks as well: Playland, Sunset District, Sunnyside, Westwood Park, OMI (Ocean View, Merced Heights and Ingleside), and Clement Street 1907 (vintage photo of 6th & Clement). See all the items available in the Outsidelands shop.

Sarah B.

Pictures from this morning, around 7:15am.

- Sarah B.