2010 in Review: Part 1 (Business, Celebrity, Food, Parks, Ocean Beach)

Wow, so much happened this year! I began looking back on all the stories that the blog posted in 2010 and soon realized I’d need to break this into two different posts. This one will cover a variety of categories; tomorrow we’ll look back on what happened in Golden Gate Park, Real Estate & Development, Crime, Giants Fever and History.

And while I’ve included some photos in each wrapup, I encourage you to just browse through the Photos category here on the site so you can enjoy all the great pics that our residents have taken this year.

Sarah B.

THE RICHMOND DISTRICT 2010 IN REVIEW – PART 1

BUSINESS
The new lady owners of Paul’s Hat Works on Geary had a stellar first year, getting lots of local media attention with clever promotions like their Mad Men themed windows, and re-tooling their store to begin offering men’s accessories as well as hats. Someone even stole the head off their sidewalk sign but they still persevered.

The sisters of Clement Street’s Satin Moon Fabrics were profiled in March and further down the street in June, new clothing boutique Seedstore opened their doors to men and women shoppers. Also new to Clement Street – Kookle Toys which opened just in time for Christmas.

Dog and cat favorite Cal’s Pet Supply bid adieu to their elder feline statesman, Odie, in May and a few months later, started a campaign to prevent Petco from moving in nearby on Geary. Not to be deterred, a new pet store opened in December called Pet’s Corner which sits, aptly, on the corner of Arguello and Geary.

In December, we began learning about a series of closures. First was DeLano’s market on Geary which closed its doors after the grocery chain hit financial problems. Then news began to spread about businesses in the Richmond that were being throated with American Disability Act lawsuits. The “Big Heart” Video Cafe on Geary at 21st was forced to close its doors after 25 years, and Thidwick Books on Clement closed on Christmas Eve due to similar ADA issues. Over a dozen more businesses are being sued by the same plaintiff, so this is not the last we’ve heard of this issue that is threatening the small businesses and restaurants in our neighborhood.

CELEBRITY
The Richmond District is notoriously low-key but we had a couple of notables pass through this year. In May, film director John Waters stopped by Green Apple Books, and in November, the blogosphere was buzzing over Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum partying at a couple of Richmond District watering holes.

We even got the infamous, sign-carrying Frank Chu out to the neighborhood not once, but twice. First it was to join a sit/lie protest on Clement Street in March, and then he showed up and refused to sit down at the Slash Oil protest on Ocean Beach in June. Make up your mind, Frank!

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD
We do love our food here in the Richmond District, be it dim sum, Russian bakery treats, excellent Thai, pizza or homemade ice cream. One pair of residents love it so much that they organized a social group around it.

Eats at the corner of Clement and 2nd closed and then re-opened in February under new ownership by the Burma Superstar family of restaurants. Over on Geary in March, . In April, Family run Lou’s Cafe opened on Geary near Park Presidio, providing tasty sandwiches and quality coffee to neighbors.

We had a bit of a scare with landmark eatery Louis’ Diner out near the Cliff House. Early in the year, they announced that the restaurant space was being subjected to an open bidding process as required by federal law (the diner sits on federal land). They held a neighborhood rally, Supervisor Mar passed a resolution at City Hall in their honor, and we waited. We got the good news in October when it was announced that Louis’ would get a renewed lease contingent on making some improvements to the restaurant.

Another Richmond tradition began anew when Joe’s Ice Cream moved 1/2 block down Geary to a brand new, upgraded location. Lines have been out the door ever since. And Richmond favorite Giorgio’s Pizzeria finally began their delivery service over the summer.

Two new Asian restaurants received high praise from critics this year as well – Hakka and Quan Bac. And with the help of readers, we spilled the beans on a “secret” sushi spot on Balboa.

A group of neighbors organized this year to help bring the first Farmer’s Market to the Richmond District. Kudos to them for the progress they made, identifying a location in the inner Richmond and researching vendors and offerings. We can’t wait for it to open in 2011!

PARKS & PLAYGROUNDS
In April, Lincoln Park Playground re-opened with a ceremony filled with city officials, schoolkids and sunshine. Just down the path, the Lincoln Park steps completed the first phase of their renovation in November.

In June, we saw the final plans for the Fulton Playground renovation which include a cool kinetic sculpture.

Beach Chalet was the topic of much discussion this year as the City Fields Foundation, in cooperation with the city, proposed renovations and new artificial turf fields to help expand the usability of the much-needed fields. In April they got the green light from the Rec & Park Commission but it was short-lived. The light changed to yellow when in May, the project was told they needed to provide an Environmental Impact Report.

In July, we also learned of plans for a new visitors center at Lands End.

OCEAN BEACH
I posted more beautiful photos that I can count of Ocean Beach this year – the sunsets and lighting never disappoint. We welcomed two new websites devoted to the area this year – ob-kc.com in January and the Ocean Beach Bulletin in late summer. Nice to have them on the scene to cover future OB stories like the surfer we rescued off the cliffs in January. 😉

In February I was on the scene for the overhyped tsunami watch and took a tour of the Cliff House’s camera obscura in May. Later on in August, people and dancing penguins were on the scene for our final Sunday Streets along the Great Highway. October brought us the always entertaining LEAP Sandcastle contest and in November, nature had its way when thousands of jellyfish took over the beach for a few days, providing great photo ops.

Coming tomorrow – what happened in 2010 with Golden Gate Park, Real Estate & Development, Crime, Giants Fever and History…