2010 in Review: Part 2 (GGP, Real Estate, Crime, SF Giants, History)

Alright, here’s part 2 of our 2010 wrapup (part 1 is here). We hope everyone had a great year and is looking forward to an even better 2011. Happy New Year!

Sarah B.

GOLDEN GATE PARK
It was a long, strange year for Golden Gate Park. In January we heard that camping in the park may be one of the moneymaking ideas coming out of Rec & Park (say what??). That suggestion became more ironic as the year progressed and the park showed its ugly side. In early July, three people were injured when dogs belonging to homeless campers attacked them on their morning walk. A few days later on July 4th, a man was stabbed to death near the Conservatory of Flowers.

People weren’t the only ones to suffer in the park this summer. In July, a tree vandal hacked up 40 trees for no apparent reason, prompting the city to offer a reward (the vandal has still not been found).

All this Golden Gate Park negativity got the attention of city hall, prompting officials to suggest that we may want to officially close the park after dark.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom in the park this year. New, tasty food trucks found their way into the park in time for the summer crowds, and in August the Music Concourse fountains finally began flowing again (video).

Stow Lake was approved for a new tenant and a much-needed makeover and the de Young hosted two fabulous Impressionist painting exhibitions starting in May. The de Young hosted a splendid Bouquets to Art gala in April too (more photos).

The Academy of Sciences also saw thousands ooh and aaah over their animal residents in 2010. Love was in the air in February when the penguins celebrated Valentine’s Day. In March they opened their Extreme Mammals exhibition, prompting me to take Indy, aka Indricotherium, the largest land mammal ever discovered, on a tour of the neighborhood. In June, the Academy hosted their first Penguins & Pajamas overnight for kids which was a great success. In September, Claude the albino alligator turned 15 with a party and in late November, Santa stopped by to leave a couple of reindeer for visits with holiday visitors.

The Academy also released the first ever iPhone app for Golden Gate Park in November.

In March, the Conservatory of Flowers announced they were cutting back their operating hours, but they also experimented with their first after-hours event in September, SLURP!, and they’re currently delighting visitors with their miniature Garden Railway exhibit (don’t miss it!).

REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT
Nothing could outshine the high-rent, 154 unit Presidio Landmark apartment building, which opened for business just inside the 15th Avenue & Lake Presidio gate in July. The renovation project also included construction of the brand new Belle townhomes, and restoration of the adjoining Wyman Avenue homes.

The Alexandria Theater at Geary & 18th Avenue was back in the news in a big way this year. In February I asked what should be done with the decaying property. By April, we were at a community meeting looking at the plans for the theater property as well as residential units in the parking lot behind it. There were some hiccups (fraud, delays) at city hall later in the year but it looks like we’ll see the project get back on track in 2011.

Doyle Drive development kicked off this year and in February, we bid a final adieu – at least until 2013 – to the beloved ramps that connected us so easily to the Marina. So far the project has been smooth like butter, but wow, I miss those ramps!

In March, St. Peter’s on 29th Avenue broke ground on a new facility for the developmentally disabled, and in June, we also saw the start of a new building at the long vacant property at 5th and Fulton.

In June we also learned that CVS Pharmacy and Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market would be co-leasing the former Albertson’s market space at 32nd and Clement. There were a few uncertain moments as the economy churned but in September, we finally got word that Fresh & Easy is planning to open in early 2011.

We also saw good progress on the Ocean Beach/La playa Safeway remodel; their planning team did a great job incorporating neighbor feedback into their revised plans which include a completely revamped store, parking area and residential units.

CRIME
In January, a man was sentenced for molesting girls at Rossi Pool. It took 30 years, but in February, a murder at Lands End was finally solved.

Women criminals grabbed some of the crime headlines this year. In June, we watched a woman take out the liquor aisle, bottle by bottle, at the now closed DeLano’s supermarket on Geary. In July, a fashionably dressed woman held up a bank on Balboa and later that same month, we got first word of a woman who scammed many renters with an apartment on California Street by taking multiple deposits. She did skip town quickly after posting bail but surprisingly, returned for her court dates.

It was less of a crime and more an act of rebellion, but the crowd at Outside Lands got a little unruly during one band’s performance. Tickets? Who needs tickets? Just plow down the fence.

This year, Safeway tried to lived up to its name. In September, a man was reunited with his dog that was stolen from the 7th Avenue Safeway and in December, a 12 year old kidnap victim from Virginia was recovered at the Ocean Beach Safeway after a savvy resident noticed her out front of the store panhandling with her kidnapper.

I also learned in November that there is a marijuana club a few blocks from me – because they were robbed at gunpoint.

And while it’s technically not considered a crime, many readers on the blog thought it was when in December, an elderly driver accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake while parking. She jumped the curb and pinned a man to the wall of Cheap Pete’s on Geary, sending him to the hospital with critical injuries.

GIANTS FEVER
Who wasn’t a Giants fan in October? Everyone had the fever, and there was plenty to go around right here in the neighborhood.

On the eve of the World Series, I interviewed Baseball Mary, the Richmond’s biggest and best known fan. We were also treated to a fireworks show over the Golden Gate Park Music Concourse as the MLB and Giants big-wigs got ready for the series at a VIP only party at the Academy of Sciences .

Meanwhile, we watched another fan’s rollercoaster ride through the playoffs in pictures, and the de Young Museum had their own amusing “fear the beard” comparison between Brian Wilson and Van Gogh. Another neighborhood artist, Jay Mercado, painted some icons in tribute to the orange and black.

HISTORY
I love me some history, and the Richmond District has plenty to offer. This year we learned how the neighborhood got its name and while on an outing with my nephews, I stumbled upon the Richmond’s fascinating contribution to aviation history.

We also watched vintage, 1903 footage from Ocean Beach and laughed at swimmers enjoying the slides at Sutro Baths back in the day.

A great new documentary called “Remembering Playland” premiered at the Balboa in March (DVD info). Hundreds came to the theater over the next couple of months to revisit the amusement park that entertained so many visitors along the Great Highway before it closed in the early 1970s.

The Cliff House and Sutro Baths continue to be interesting sources of history. I learned for the first time about the Cliff House Sky Tram that used to carry visitors back and forth along the shoreline. And Sutro Baths has still got “it” – one of its lithographs sold for $27k at auction in June.

And one of my favorite history stories from this past year was about the “satanic” house on California Street which still bears some of its spookiness.

Read Part 1 of the 2010 year in review