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Local links: Downtown donuts, museum tech, pedestrian hit, Spock tribute & more

Posted on by Sarah B.


Comedian and actor Adam Corolla was at the Balboa on Tuesday night for a screening of his new film, “Road Hard”. Photo by Laura Dudnick

It’s Thursday, people! Here are some local links to push you through to the weekend. 🙂

  • This weekend are neighborhood free days at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Residents in the zip codes 94118 and 94121 can get free admission. Visiting adults are limited to six children for free entry. Proof of residency is required.

  • A pedestrian was struck by a van while crossing Geary at 26th Avenue on Wednesday morning. “The pedestrian was unconscious but breathing after being hit in the crosswalk, Esparza said. He was taken to a hospital with what are considered life-threatening injuries,” according to the San Jose Mercury News. UPDATE: We are sad to report that the victim did not survive; more details here.

  • The de Young and Legion of Honor Museums have been beefing up their tech offerings lately. The de Young has partnered with Guidekick to be included in a new iOS mobile app that allows users to be their own tour guides of the de Young’s collections, building, and surrounding environment. The museum will also soon unveil a new app that provides visitors with a self-guided tour of the sculptures and architecture at the de Young and Legion. And finally, the de Young recently highlighted the use of a “Beam” device, which allows visitors with disabilities to remotely visit the museum using a robot.

  • Bolditalic did a nice feature on the Royal Market & Bakery on Geary, which is packed with Armenian and Russian groceries and baked goods. “Royal Market is one of the best in its class, a standing confirmed by word of mouth that travels from friends and Richmond locals.”

  • Got some good penguin sense? The Academy of Sciences is asking for the public’s help in naming two African penguin chicks that hatched in November. Members of the public can log on to www.calacademy.org/name-a-penguin to cast a vote for one of the names that have been submitted by local museums (Bert, Bufano or Ebb for the male penguin and Nori, Pina or Stella for the female). The winning names will be announced March 25.

  • Neighborhood website ob-kc.com, which is best known for its live webcam overlooking Ocean Beach (much lauded by surfers and sunset fans), is asking for donations to help cover site expenses. Drop in if you’d like to help out.

    • Artist Jay Mercado‘s iconic donut paintings are currently on display at CK Contemporary Gallery in downtown San Francisco (357 Geary). Aside from the 10th & Clement donut shop being 1 block from his California Street studio, Jay has other, more sentimental reasons for painting them. “Convenience of a subject notwithstanding, donuts are iconic. They represent a nostalgic whimsy. As a boy donuts were my reward at the last stop on my SF Chronicle paper route, a donut shop. Back then a hot cinnamon roll was my donut of choice. For me it was the king of donuts.”

  • So sad to hear of Leonard Nimoy’s passing recently. In tribute, the Balboa Theater will be screening two of Spock’s best films next Wednesday beginning at 7pm: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

12 Comments

  2. FYI ~ the Eager Beaver tickets for Outside Lands ’15 just went on sale this morning. Not sure if they’re still available at this point, but I was able to snag two. 🙂

  3. Another killer driver not cited for plowing a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

    City engineers share a little responsibility for not installing lights at geary n 26. Next fatality at 22 ave, also with no lights? Or 26 ave again?

  4. At least for the last few years the City has tended to paint big bold/yellow crosswalks. The more “ornate” crosswalks seem to be placed at intersections without a traffic light. Unfortunately, that may make the pedestrian more comfortable about crossing but it does little to slow down the traffic.

  5. Was by 26th and Geary about an hour ago and saw that SFPD were doing pedestrian stings again. Catching a LOT of people.

    Wish they didn’t wait until people got killed. They need to do more on Clement and California out here too.. I’m constantly having near misses with cars even at intersections with stop signs that want to roll right through.

  6. Yeah I don’t get how these drivers are never cited for striking, often fatally, always tragically….pedestrians in crosswalks.

  7. Really sorry to hear about the pedestrian on Geary; strange that as many close calls as I have had as a pedestrian, I came as close as I ever have to getting hit yesterday. I was walking over twin peaks and got to the last stop sign before the windy road to the summit starts. As I was just getting to the stop sign a car pulled up. Even at stop signs, I always wait until I know the driver isn’t going to blow through it and is aware I’m trying to cross. But yesterday the sun was in my eyes and I couldn’t quite tell if the driver was aware of me but she was stopped and so I started to cross. She then hit the accelerator and after me screaming some instinctive profanity she slammed on the breaks and stopped maybe an inch short. Turned it out it was the proverbial, looking left for cross traffic, pedestrians be damned scenario. She felt terrible and I saw no point in belaboring the fact that that was a pretty knuckle headed piece of driving as I walked away grumbling; hopefully it left enough of an impression on her to reduce mindless driving incidents by one driver. Be careful out there !

  8. Wait…what?? An 87-year old man IN THE CROSSWALK was hit and KILLED by a driver who was not even arrested? What the hell??

  9. Yeah, I know the pedestrian wasn’t killed immediately, but he had to have been very seriously injured. So the law says, just cite the driver and tell her/him to be more careful next time?

  10. Crosswalk warning lights, inserted on the crosswalk, are available and they work. Eric Mar and other westside representatives say they are concerned with ped safety, but I haven’t heard them advocate for widespread implementation of this safety measure on our most dangerous streets. Why not? These systems are only activated when the pedestrian pushes the ‘push to walk’ button and gives drivers much more warning than without them. They are available in front of City Hall (see picture in attached link) so why aren’t they employed on Geary, Fulton & Lincoln where people are being killed? http://www.lightguardsystems.com/

  12. The pedestrian crosswalks on Geary simply do not work.

    Pedestrians approach half-heartedly because they know drivers are as likely as not not going to stop. In turn, drivers are genuinely confused about when to stop, given pedestrians’ reluctance, the length of time it takes to cross Geary entirely, and no one wanting to be “the jerk who stops for pedestrians.”

    I stop, not least because I’ve seen the SFPD give tickets to drivers who didn’t. But often I can’t figure out if that pedestrian is just hanging out at the corner or wanting to cross. And if I’m headed, say, east, and the pedestrian is on a north corner of Geary, should I stop? Legally maybe, but they won’t be in my lane for 6 to 12 seconds.

    I think it would be better just to put in signals at every intersection.

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