While buying a baguette piece this afternoon, I noticed this notice that Arizmendi wants to put in a parklet in front of their place.
I think this is a great idea. There have been temporary ones near here before, and they are really nice, but a permanent one would help make 9th feel a little more homey and less like a highway.
Trouble Coffee in the Outer Sunset has a permit going as well. So, see, New York Times? The Sunset (Inner or Outer) is NOT BLEAK.
mmmmmmm!!! Arizmendi Bakery. mmmmmmmmmm!!!
I think the Parklet is an awesome idea but then I’d end up living there and growing fat on cheese rolls.
I like the cheese rolls. The bargain are those baguette pieces, you can get one for like, 50 cents, which go nicely with coffee. The provolone olive rolls are also good.
I think these things are great because they improve the walkability of the neighborhood, which has consistently been proven to be one of the top ways to increase business in a neighborhood, the other being some diversity in the types of businesses.
A neighborhood with nothing but lots of “parking” and lots of one business (nail salons, shoe stores etc) is not nearly as useful to one that has a variety of services, easily accessed so you can get things done.
Greg:
I’m not sure what this parklet would look like. Does it sit on the sidewalk or the street? Are there examples you know?
I haven’t seen the specific plans for this one but I do know that a professional architect has drawn up the plans. You can see other parklets in places like Noe Valley or in the Mission for some examples.
Basically they take over a parking spot and build a platform so it’s at the same level as the sidewalk, and put benches, planters. etc. But once I see the plans I’ll try and post ’em.
Thanks–can’t wait to see the parklet. The more green space the better. I wonder if they can fit it in with the muni tracks.
I live in the Inner Sunset. Love the parklets proposed. They should add greenery and welcoming public space. But we’re not the Sunset if we’re not bleak. Bleak is how we roll. Bleak is 9 months of windy salty fog. Bleak is homeowners paving over every square inch of streetside gardens. Bleak is rejecting street tree plantings. Bleak is the juxtaposition of Sunbelt streamline moderne and Spanish colonial revival architecture with this ever-cool climate. Bleak is cars parked in the front yard. We are bleak. Embrace it.
🙂
After living on Alki Point (literally) in Seattle, the Sunset seems like Bay Watch. Alki was where Seattle’s first settlers settled, then after one winter, moved further inland because the winter weather was so awful.
Someone spoofed the NYT “bleak” remarks by remixing it with the Rent Is Too Damn High Party guy’s speech during the NY Governor’s race:
http://stokereport.com/rant/sunset-too-damn-bleak
here’s a preliminary rendering of the proposed arizmendi parklet, some details obviously subject to change:
http://chaley.netdot.net/parklet/parklet-3.jpg
if you’re a fan of the arizmendi parklet, please let me know via email, and we’ll pass it along to the city…thanks!
-caleb (chaley@netdot.net)