Dog Bites

Our only serious quibble with Candidate Ammiano thus far, in fact, emerged at Tom's weekend news conference, in which Ammiano accused Mayor Brown of rubber-stamping too many development projects. Nothing startling there -- but, joined by leaders of various neighborhood groups, Tom delivered his speech while standing in front of the site of the proposed new Bloomingdale's on Market Street.

Dog Bites was distressed: On the one hand we have, of course, the ongoing problem of chain stores invading San Francisco neighborhoods, and on the other, well ... it is Bloomingdale's. And to be fair, we must note that the only other Bloomingdale's location in Northern California is in the Stanford Shopping Center, a good 40 minutes south on 280 -- and its shoe department is tiny. Besides, we hear the San Francisco Bloomingdale's may well include a furniture department, which should make a difference to popular opinion; people in this town seem able to resign themselves to almost anything as long as they have access to leather club chairs and walnut-stained entertainment armoires on easy credit terms.

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And most San Franciscans, we think, would also agree that that particular stretch of Market is moderately to definitely unpleasant. A new tenant for the former Emporium space, empty since Macy's depressing furniture store -- hello, dusty rose velour recliners! -- relocated to Union Square, might actually cut down on instances of public urination, just for example. In fact, if commercial development is to occur anywhere in the city, and it is, it would be hard to think of a better place for it, though we add the caveat that if there's going to be a hotel in the project as well a little parking might be nice.

Oh well. The holiday season is here, more or less, and Dog Bites is sure that somehow, we'll manage to get our shopping done in the city's existing stores, even the humdrum ones built without the aid of $30 million in tax subsidies. And meanwhile, the approach of Dec. 14 is nearly as exciting as the approach of Dec. 25.

Tip Dog Bites -- especially if you're disgruntled. Phone 536-8139; fax 777-1839; e-mail dogbites@sfweekly.com.