Subject:

Joe Eskenazi

  • Blogs

    May 11, 2012

    "No Parking" Never Looked Happier

    If the kinetic energy of San Franciscans' palms smacking the table after they realize they've forgotten to move the car could be captured and used to electrify our city, we'd never have to read about public power again (and the Local Agency Formation Committee could get around to forming local agenc ... More >>

  • News

    April 11, 2012

    SF Weekly Letters

    If the kinetic energy of San Franciscans' palms smacking the table after they realize they've forgotten to move the car could be captured and used to electrify our city, we'd never have to read about public power again (and the Local Agency Formation Committee could get around to forming local agenc ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 4, 2012

    Why Is Split-Pea Soup Taxable and Gazpacho Isn't?

    In this week's cover story, Joe Eskenazi tackles the crazy logic behind California's laws regulating whether foods are subject to sales tax or not. Most people know the basics: Foods sold for preparation at home are not taxed and foods eaten outside the home are taxed. But the practical implications ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 2, 2012

    America's Cup: SF Weekly Reporter on the Air

    ​This week, the evolving America's Cup deal underwent a sea change. A proposal to reimburse Larry Ellison's America's Cup Event Authority to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars via long-term leases for waterfront property was abruptly curtailed; now the city and race organizers are wrangli ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 23, 2012

    Here's That Telegraph Hill Rockslide That Nailed a Car

    Update, 4:40 p.m.: The Oldsmobile potentially totaled when tons of rocks tumbled down the side of Telegraph Hill at 8:40 this morning has been pulled free -- and it's seen better days. SF Weekly systems administrator and scratch photographer Paul Dahlke was on the scene: ​

  • News

    December 7, 2011

    SF Weekly Letters

    Update, 4:40 p.m.: The Oldsmobile potentially totaled when tons of rocks tumbled down the side of Telegraph Hill at 8:40 this morning has been pulled free -- and it's seen better days. SF Weekly systems administrator and scratch photographer Paul Dahlke was on the scene: ​

  • Blogs

    November 11, 2011

    Exercise Bike Rolls Through San Francisco

    Joe EskenaziA crafty man, and alarmingly honest about his dishonesty​A man who billed himself as an exemplar to the city's housebound was recently spotted slowly riding a jury-rigged exercise bicycle through downtown San Francisco. The pale rider was a fortysomething, tattooed man who puffed away ... More >>

  • News

    September 7, 2011

    SF Weekly Letters

    Joe EskenaziA crafty man, and alarmingly honest about his dishonesty​A man who billed himself as an exemplar to the city's housebound was recently spotted slowly riding a jury-rigged exercise bicycle through downtown San Francisco. The pale rider was a fortysomething, tattooed man who puffed away ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 8, 2011

    Bomb Scare Closes Civic Center Streets

    Joe EskenaziBomb scares are scary​UPDATE: Police have confirmed that the backpack was filled with personal items and clothing, not a bomb. Read more details after the jump.Original story 2:40: Police have closed off parts of the Civic Center after an unknown African American man told federal marsh ... More >>

  • News

    June 29, 2011

    SF Weekly Letters

    Joe EskenaziBomb scares are scary​UPDATE: Police have confirmed that the backpack was filled with personal items and clothing, not a bomb. Read more details after the jump.Original story 2:40: Police have closed off parts of the Civic Center after an unknown African American man told federal marsh ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 23, 2011

    Catch SF Weekly Staff Writer Joe Eskenazi on L.A. Public Radio Tonight

    Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa personally congratulates Joe Eskenazi on his succesful transit odyssey.​On the off chance you find yourself in Los Angeles and listening to the lower end of the FM band, SF Weekly staff writer Joe Eskenazi will be on LA's KCRW, 88.9, talking to Warren Olney, ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 21, 2011

    San Francisco to Los Angeles on Public Transportation: Maps, Pictures, Insanity

    View "In Transit:" How to Get from S.F. to L.A. in a larger map Huh. We just realized we're crazy. How so? The Google map above traces the public transit odyssey your humble narrator undertook between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Fifteen transfers, seven local transit agencies -- ah, sorry, we' ... More >>

  • News

    March 16, 2011

    SF Weekly Letters

    View "In Transit:" How to Get from S.F. to L.A. in a larger map Huh. We just realized we're crazy. How so? The Google map above traces the public transit odyssey your humble narrator undertook between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Fifteen transfers, seven local transit agencies -- ah, sorry, we' ... More >>

  • News

    January 26, 2011

    SF Weekly Letters

    View "In Transit:" How to Get from S.F. to L.A. in a larger map Huh. We just realized we're crazy. How so? The Google map above traces the public transit odyssey your humble narrator undertook between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Fifteen transfers, seven local transit agencies -- ah, sorry, we' ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 27, 2010

    Rainy Christmas Day in San Francisco (PICS)

    All photos | Joe Eskenazi​There are upsides to rainy weather. On Christmas day, hopefully one upside is inside -- with friends or loved ones. Happy holidays. Click below for more images of a rain-soaked city by the bay.

  • Blogs

    December 22, 2010

    Rainbow at Mission Bay -- Coooooool!

    Joe EskenaziClick for a larger version​Anyone who'd characterize Mission Bay as a soulless scrap of concrete strewn with clumps of medical buildings and condos resembling the structure on the Stolichnaya label -- well, now it's all that with a hell of a rainbow. Those seeking the pot of gold shoul ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 9, 2010

    Listen to Joe Eskenazi Talk Pensions on KALW

    ​Your esteemed online news editor Joe Eskenazi will be talking about pension and health care reform -- which he wrote about in SF Weekly cover story "Let it Bleed" -- on Crosscurrents today at 5 p.m. on KALW (91.7 FM.) Here are some fun facts from the article to whet your appetite:In fiscal y ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 2, 2010

    S.F. Supes Pass Happy Meal Ban with Veto-Proof Majority

    ​Snitch editor Joe Eskenazi has the word on today's vote by the Board of Supervisors to end toy giveaways for fast-food meals that fail to rate as nutritious. Eskenazi: The supes today passed an ordinance that will require meals to meet nutritional guidelines if restaurants wish to include a t ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 28, 2010

    Banning Happy Meals Might Be a Good Idea, But Some of the Data Is Shady

    loop_oh/FlickrReally? A third of the food San Franciscans consume in a year is junk?​Our favorite morsel from the blogs. City Supervisors are continuing to weigh legislation banning toys from fast-food meals existing as thinly veiled fat and corn syrup bombs. But as reported Joe Eskenazi poin ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 12, 2010

    Spain 1, Netherlands 0: World Cup Final at Civic Center (Pics)

    Joe EskenaziYou can put away the vuvuzelas now ... and forever​In the world of international soccer -- prior to yesterday -- there were two great hard-luck losers: Spain and Holland. But if Holland were the Red Sox of futility -- they lost the World Cup finals twice before, in '74 and '78 -- then ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 20, 2010

    Port of San Francisco's Sweet Exercise Bike

    Joe EskenaziWith a view like that, no Port employee has an excuse for being out of shape​Wandering down Terry Francois Boulevard and hanging a left at the distillery, one ambles into an open, airy warehouse. Walking through the warehouse, one comes face to face with ... another warehouse! Finally, ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 7, 2010

    Ballpark-Area Homeless Eagerly Await Baseball Opening Day

    Joe EskenaziJim McQuown looks forward to snapping up beer cans and empty bottles near AT&T Park​It turns out you don't need a home to enjoy a home game. Friday's opening day at AT&T Park transforms Mission Bay from a banal realm of wide streets and boxy condos resembling something you'd fi ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 2, 2010

    Barry Zito Gets No Love on Caltrain

    Joe EskenaziBarry's Caltrain dis...​Sports fans -- and public rail enthusiasts -- may have heard how larger-than-life images of San Francisco Giants' stars are now gracing Caltrains' gallery cars. It remains to be seen if this will put more derrieres in AT&T Park's seats -- but it's a wonderfu ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 29, 2010

    Those Aren't Parking Tickets. They're Contributions to Our Broke City.

    Joe EskenaziThree parking tickets! Hey, big spender! ​Just don't try to write this one off on your taxes. 

  • Blogs

    March 22, 2010

    Zipping About San Francisco Via Motorized Barstool

    Joe EskenaziLarry Smith's sweet, sweet ride​San Francisco native Larry Smith doesn't have to go where everybody knows his name to find a barstool waiting for him. He takes one everywhere -- in fact, we caught up with him zipping about Mission Bay on a motorized barstool he says can achieve speeds ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 19, 2010

    Flags Come Down at City Hall -- And Are Replaced By Expensive New Ones

    Joe EskenaziBruce Porteous changes up the Lone Star flag​City Hall officials hoping to run their ideas up the flagpole and see if anyone would salute them ran into a problem yesterday. Bruce Porteous was already atop the flag poles, removing the flags -- thus inhibiting everyone's saluting instinc ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 15, 2010

    Creative (Snotty) Answers to 'What's Your Favorite City?'

    All photos | Joe Eskenazi​Visitors to the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) will find the above installation imploring them to spend a few minutes penning the name of their favorite city and justifying the preference. As you would imagine, a great many folks who wand ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 1, 2010

    Worst Monday Morning Yet: In Line to Shell Out for Parking Tickets

    Joe EskenaziDoes the party ever stop? ​If you're reading this, it indicates that you have made it through Monday morning and are now enjoying a majestic Monday afternoon. You are to be congratulated. And however unpleasant your Monday morning was, odds are it paled in comparison to that experience ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 22, 2010

    'Milk' Star Back in San Francisco -- Passing Water

    No, it wasn't Sean Penn. Nor Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, or even Tom Ammiano, as himself, getting off the best line in the film. The former Milk star spotted back in the city was this 1977-vintage fire engine: Joe EskenaziI'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Van Sant​And yet this erstwhile movie star wasn' ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 17, 2010

    What's Left To Do at Strybing Arboretum?

    Joe EskenaziNO WIRE HANGERS! Look for it -- it's on there.​Hey, we appreciate that there are things you shouldn't do at a classy arboretum like Strybing. But we have to admit -- this sign is just a bit unintentionally hilarious. We believe the one just above the "No stealing food from squirrels' m ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 9, 2010

    What Does 33 Cubic Yards of Sewer Filth Look Like? And Can I Get It In Red?

    Joe EskenaziWave back at the nice man cleaning detritus from the antebellum era out of the city's sewers...​Posit the question "How do they clean the sewers in San Francisco" and you'll be surprised. Unless, of course, your answer was "They roll out a device resembling a Victorian-era laboratory c ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 2, 2010

    Crosswalks Ablaze in Lower Haight

    Joe EskenaziAmazing scenes were witnessed today...​City workers slowly ambling across Haight and Steiner undertook a job certainly none of them ever considered they'd be doing when they were children. The men were blasting the crosswalks off the street with fire. As the workers explained, the temp ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 21, 2010

    Rain Dog's Refuge: The N-Judah Train

    It was George Carlin who said "A crowded elevator smells different to a midget." In a similar vein, three inches of rain feels different when you're only six inches tall. Perhaps why this sweater-wearing gentleman was so relieved to be warm and (relatively) dry on the N-Judah. Joe Eskenazi​

  • Blogs

    January 21, 2010

    Coming To America -- 100 New Citizens Sworn-In Downtown

    Joe EskenaziCitizens-to-be take the oath​Considering the years of paperwork, legal wrangling, and leaping through hoops many of the would-be American citizens sitting this morning in San Francisco's Herbst Theater had suffered through, the government's last obstacle was hardly a chore: Two hours o ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 7, 2010

    We're On the Air: Joe Eskenazi and Benjamin Wachs Debate the Guardian's Tim Redmond on KQED Tomorrow

    ​Perhaps you remember our recent cover story "The Worst Run Big City in the U.S." by Joe Eskenazi and Benjamin Wachs. The story ruffled some feathers, to be sure, garnering a lot of comments on the Web site and a response from Tim Redmond, editor of  the Guardian, which was (too say the least ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 6, 2010

    Evidence Clearly Points to Margaritas in Haight Street Scene

    Joe EskenaziThe dots have been connected...​A Dozen years ago, I stumbled across a telltale scene in my apartment. A pair of voices emanated from the shower, my room was, literally, fogged up, condom wrappers littered the floor, Marvin Gaye played on the sound system, and a bone dry bottle of wine ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 4, 2010

    Dogs and Their People Now Resemble One Another More Than Ever

    Joe EskenaziMatching grays with a dog is a kindly thing to do -- after all, they're colorblind​It seems you can't just outfit your San Francisco doggie in any old sweater. As captured in the photo above -- and in many, many trips to the supermarket -- the thing to do is match your outfit to your d ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 11, 2009

    Pack of 15 Sea Lions Patrols Mission Creek

    Joe EskenaziBARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! ​Not so long ago SF Weekly reported on the exploding number of sea lions on Hyde Street Harbor -- a situation deemed an "infestation" by those charged with keeping the city's piers operational and relatively sea lion excrement-free. It seems, however, that the s ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 30, 2009

    City Dwellers Doused as Water Department Flushes Fire Hydrants

    Joe EskenaziJed's a millionaire!​ Conversation in the line for a chi-chi Mission Bay taqueria was dampened the other day when, a few yards off, a city water department employee hooked what appeared to be an oversize cow bell to the fire hydrant. Before anyone could make a "more cowbell" joke, a to ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 24, 2009

    Ridiculously Cute Dog Recovers From Surgery in Style

    Joe EskenaziHello Patty​In this city even a digital camera can't contain all the images of microscopic dogs outfitted in outlandish accoutrements. But this -- this is astounding. And, what's more, there's actually a good reason for it. Meet Patty, a remarkably mellow Pomeranian. She's not bedecke ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 18, 2009

    Seen In San Francisco: Dogs are Strange, When You're a Stranger

    Joe EskenaziBow-what?​When someone places a sign reading "Beware of Dog" on his or her gate, the intention is evident: Stay away. Yet when a sign like the above is exhibited, the opposite occurs. People begin milling about -- and snapping pictures, even. Your humble narrator noticed the resident o ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 13, 2009

    Traveling Spinal Circus Hits San Francisco

    Joe EskenaziHooray! The spinal circus is in town!​In the very same AT&T Parking Lot that was last year graced by the trailers of the acrobats, clowns, and ringmaster of Circus Vargas -- the latter, Ted McRae, ended up staying alone in the lot for days after his RV broke down -- Big Top tents h ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 10, 2009

    Seen In San Francisco: Bird Craps on Organic Vegetables

    Joe EskenaziWell, it's still all-natural...​In small towns, men can come to blows arguing the merits of Ford or Chevy pickup trucks. Closer to home, Apples and PCs can engage in nasty exchanges (and ad campaigns). But if you really want to see the fur fly, start people going on organic vs. regular ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 2, 2009

    Dogs In Halloween Costumes -- We Couldn't Help Ourselves

    Joe EskenaziHarley the boxer was a purse Chihuahua for Halloween. "Can't you tell?" queried her blue boa bedecked owner.​Really, honestly, we hadn't meant to publish a short, picture-heavy article featuring San Francisco dogs decked out in Halloween costumes. But when you begin passing one dog aft ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 29, 2009

    Seen In San Francisco: A Novel Way To Clean Up This City

    Joe Eskenazi​"I'm gonna clean up this city," was growing to be a hackneyed phrase even in the days when city residents were hop-scotching over mounds of horse shit as a matter of course. But cleaning and drying the city? That'd still be a fairly novel thing to do. Sighting appliances littering cit ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 28, 2009

    Ain't No Party Like a Green Party

    Joe EskenaziGreen Party state co-chair Barry Hermanson brought his own beer -- literally​Members of San Francisco's Green Party refused to exude the blues last night in the farewell bash for the party headquarters they can no longer afford to keep, dousing the place in one last coating of spilled ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 22, 2009

    Next Stop: Oz. There's No Place Like Muni, There's No Place Like Muni...

    Joe EskenaziNo Toto, though...​ While riding tornadoes over the rainbow is the preferred route to Oz, it turns out the Muni train is ever so slightly more reliable. And, as we've documented numerous times in the past, they'll even take your little dog, too. Our eye-catching Dorothy Gale stepped on ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 22, 2009

    Virginal Green Composting Bins Dot San Francisco

    Joe Eskenazi'That new composting bin smell...'​With yesterday being day one of San Francisco's mandatory composting era, the city was speckled with verdant, virginal green composting bins, all of which had that new composting bin smell. This is as clean as they will ever be; they will never be mor ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 21, 2009

    Seen In San Francisco: Motorcycle Converted to Recycling Bin

    Joe EskenaziMeals on wheels?​Just in time for mandatory composting, an inadvertent green statement has been made by a tippler waddling past this stripped-down motorcycle. Instead of burning fossil fuels, now the bike is serving as a recycling container. And while the city likely won't be fining yo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 21, 2009

    Revamped Harvey Milk Library Looks Like Hugh Hefner's Crash Pad

    Joe EskenaziYep, it's the only working fireplace in the San Francisco library system. Sadly, hot toddies are not permitted.​Make of this what you will: The Harvey Milk Memorial Library in Upper Market, which will reopen on Saturday after a 20-month retrofitting and renovation, looks as good as it ... More >>

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