[DIGRESSION: Speaking of San Francisco and the number 40, did you guys see "40 Days and 40 Nights"? It was set, ostensibly, in San Francisco, but that fake San Francisco where everybody has a huge apartment and the weather is good. Also, what a terrible movie. It came out in like 2002 and the main characters worked at a dot com, like there were even any dot coms left in 2002. But it seems to have destroyed Josh Hartnett's career, so we can be thankful for that. [[DIGRESSION WITHIN A DIGRESSION: In 2001 I lived in North Beach. There was a restaurant called "Glow" on the corner of Broadway and Kearny that was a sad relic of the Go Go Dot Com Era and hadn't yet realized that it was all over and you couldn't charge $27 for roast chicken any more. We used to hit the bar there for happy hour because they had some insane specials to try and get people in. Since it was always dead because the Crash had happened, we would hang out and talk to the staff, including the hostess, a super hot girl in her 20's whose prior job, I AM NOT JOKING, was the Vice President of some dot com. Hahahahahaha. It closed in July 2001. END DIGRESSION WITHIN DIGRESSION.]] END DIGRESSION.]
So one of the developments listed is something called AVA 55 Ninth. Hoo boy. Putting a bunch of coders onto that block of Ninth Street is going to be a hoot. Wait til they try to organize Settlers of Catan Night at Club 93. SOMEBODY GONNA GET CUT.
Look at the front page of their website:
I don't know what "Our world in our apartment only starts" means, but it sounds deep. Also, why is this guy holding his hands over his laptop like he's getting X-rayed? Anyway.
Here's the Chill Lounge:
Ugh. I can already smell the douche in here. Can't you be annoying in your own apartment? Why do we have to a have a Chill Lounge to be annoying in? Why is there an old-timey refrigerator in the Chill Lounge? Are there going to be little doggie bags from State Bird Provisions with "Jason" written on the side in the Chill Lounge Fridge?
There's also a "The Loft," where you can "lounge on the comfy seating, spread out on communal tables, tap into the free WiFi, groove to the music." Oh good, now my apartment building has a space where a bunch of deadbeats who are too cheap to pay for Internet can drape themselves all over the communal tables and listen to Daft Punk remixes while not working.
No prices listed on the site yet. I bet it's going to be expensive. Anyway, good on AVA 55 Ninth for building more housing, but can't we just have a normal building? That might even make it cheaper. Just brainstorming here. Go have a good weekend.
13 comments:
You SHOULD feel dirty for linking to pandodaily. All those lovely people in those overpriced apartments are going to be my new neighbors in Civic Center, which is okay, but editorializing about it from your home in the Semi-Suburban Avenues is not. (Sorry, but it rankles.) And why did you have to bring up 40 Days and 40 Nights? I had successfully put that piece of Catholic Hetero Sex Romp Garbage out of my mind.
Michael - I'm sure the people will be fine. I'm just being a dick. Didn't mean to rankle. Also, I'm editorializing from my office in the Civic Center, not my home in the Semi-Suburban Avenues.
Walked up Market the other day from Van Ness towards the Castro. Four big new developments going up. In my 20 years here, there's never been anything close to this much development in the center of town (though there has been in the Mission Bay, South Beach, ballpark-area).
I live in a fantasy world where this will immediately bring housing prices in the Mission down to more reasonable rates.
Dear TK: Ah, it's alright, and your dickish humor is what's priceless about this site. Didn't realize you worked in the neighborhood, which means we know many of the same insane street people. That makes you an honorary local resident.
The reason that there are no normal (and cheaper) buildings being built is because there is so much more money to be made building high end apartments and condos. My girlfriend and I were looking for an apartment and for shits and giggles I signed up for NEMA (10th & Market) updates. The cheapest apartment in that complex is a studio for $2,357 (and most studios there are higher than that). After searching in vain for an affordable spot in San Francisco, I will soon be writing from my semi-suburban apartment in Oakland.
While I completely disagree with some of your opinions, I always appreciate your writing. I don't think San Francisco should aspire to be the next Hong Kong, New York, or Paris... but it's on its way.
(-thetens)
Tens - Hey, if everyone agreed with me, the world would be BEAUTIFUL and MAGICAL no just kidding, I totally respect where you're coming from. I don't want SF to be the next Hong Kong either, but NYC or Paris would be OK. I guess I would like to see more housing built but not so much that the city loses its character. I hate to see people like you forced out, and I kinda think more housing would help prevent that.
The proposals for legalizing in-law units could help, and could increase housing stock quickly.
And for some reason the dot com talk reminded me of Sweet November (which if I remember correctly didn't have any dot com in it, right?). Shooting locations here -- a lot of Dolores Park and Potrero, though the apartment scenes were shot on a soundstage on Treasure Island.
Huh, I don't think I've ever even HEARD of "Sweet November." Thanks for the tip.
There should just be a new rule that no one is allowed to use the word "chill," period, in any context. Not even with respect to white Zinfandel or a surprisingly cold morning. Drastic situations require drastic solutions.
Lord knows I'm in favor of development, I'm a huge proponent of urban density. But building new places for rich people and no one else is not really helping anything. Or not helping out greatly since as The Tens pointed out- the prices will come in above what the people being forced out can afford. So it will create a new market rather than meet an existing market demand.
Wait, are we talking housing policy? Do I have to pipe in and say how "adding" housing isn't real if it's all for fancy folk or pied-à-terres for out-of-towners? Ah, no, I can just enjoy the ridiculousness of the chill lounge. Who could possible chill on chairs like that? That chill-renderer should be fired.
I wanted to hate Sweet November but found myself succumbing to its tragic/sappy plot and crying the whole time. But if we're talking about SF-shot films, I recommend Dark Passage (1947), if only for the prices mentioned for local taxis and plastic surgery. Great movie to boot.
As soon as I read "Chill Lounge" I pictured a bunch of developers in hardhats and suits saying "we have to make this HIP for the KIDS. What words are the KIDS using these days?"
Yeah, I'm all for new housing too. Just wish it didn't all fall into 90% luxury and 10% very low income. I''ll be back in the city someday. Well, maybe.
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