Guess who’s coming to dinner (again)

Posted on April 20, 2011 by editors

President Obama will be back in the neighborhood tonight for dinner. By mid-afternoon preparations were in full swing on the 3200 block of Jackson Street, where Obama will dine at tech exec Marc Benioff’s compound — which stretches the full block from Jackson to Pacific and fronts on the Presidio Wall — with about 60 supporters willing to contribute the legal maximum of $35,800 each. Stevie Wonder will provide the musical entertainment.

(Fun local fact: Another name in presidential history, Monica Lewinsky, used to visit her grandmother, the artist Susi Lewinsky, on the next block up Jackson. When she came for her grandmother’s 80th birthday party while interning in the Clinton White House, the younger Ms. Lewinsky brought M&Ms with the presidential seal for all the guests.)

Obama dined in the neighborhood last May when he stopped for a fundraiser up the hill on Broadway with the Gettys.

Read more: “Inside the pricey fundraiser“

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Mubarak to Pacific Heights?

Posted on February 15, 2011 by editors

The Egyptian flag still flies proudly at the former consulate at 3001 Pacific Avenue.

Ex-Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak might consider moving to the neighborhood, suggest our colleagues at the Bay Citizen, since the Egyptian government has a lovely clinker-brick mansion with a fascinating history sitting empty at 3001 Pacific Avenue. It formerly housed the Egyptian consulate in San Francisco.

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Lafayette Park renovation gets green light

Posted on January 5, 2011 by editors

Ambitious plans for a $10.2 million renovation of Lafayette Park have received enthusiastic support from neighbors and a unanimous thumbs-up from the Recreation and Park Commission.

In addition, a fund-raising mechanism has been put into place to allow park supporters to solicit contributions to supplement available bond funding to create a more elaborate 13,000 sq. ft. playground. It may include vibrantly colored play areas for children of various ages, along with boulder climbing, a tunnel slide, a creek, a tower and what landscape architect Jeffrey Miller called “the world’s longest monkey bar.”

“We think it’s going to be full of fantasy and fun,” Miller said.

The conceptual plan for the park makeover was developed by city staffers working closely with the Friends of Lafayette Park and other local residents. Many of the people who participated in the planning sessions appeared before the Rec and Park Commission December 16 to praise the process and support the plans for what several called “the crown jewel of the park department.”

But some concerns were raised.
(more…)

Filed under: Civics, Home & Garden, Landmarks, Parks, Politics | Leave a Comment »

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