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ArchivesNovember 2002 
The Best that Be on the Bay
Bay Crossings readers have voted - more than 1,400 of them - and the results are in. No hanging chads here, just the Best of the San Francisco Bay Waterfront as decided by those who know best: you and your fellow readers, the folks who live, work and play on the Bay every day. Here, Steve Smith, General Manager of Lapis, accepts his plaque as Best Waterfront Restaurant. More... 
Do this, Don't do That…
Can't you read the sign? Our resident muckraker Guy Span casts his jaundiced eye on the crazy quilt of signs that vex the uninitiated trying to find their way around San Francisco's foot of Market area. More... 
Waterfront Highways and What to Do With Them
Our New York tri-state area brethren are grappling with many of the same issues we are when it comes to how to make the most and best of the new waterfront lifestyle. Here, Neal Kronley and Carter Craft of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance weigh in on waterfront highways. More... 
Captain Clark is Back on the Bridge
Feisty David Clark, the man in charge of the Golden Gate Ferries, is back at the helm after a bout with cancer. Senior Editor Wes Starratt welcomes him back. More... How A Monthly Scoops the DailiesLast month, Bay Crossings carried a report about Blue & Gold Fleet filing a discontinuance of its Alameda Oakland Ferry Service. It seems that only Bay Crossings bothers to follow what’s up at the California Public Utilities Commission. The city of Alameda deserves some of the credit for the resulting feeding frenzy for being so secretive about its on going contract negotiations, not bothering to keep the riders and the general public up to date. More... Red & White Fleet Offers to Operate Alameda Oakland FerryIn yet another twist to this ferry tale, San Francisco’s other daily tour boat operator offered to take over the contract more or less “as is” with the city of Alameda. In a series of letters to both acting Mayor Al Dewitt and the Manager of Ferry Services, Red & White Fleet President Thomas C. Escher offered to explore ways to save between $50,000 and $100,000 under the existing contract. More... Bay Area Transit Operators Extend TransLink® Pilot ProgramThe Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) announced today that all six of the Bay Area transit operators participating in the Phase I demonstration of the TransLink® regional fare payment system have agreed to extend the pilot program while their respective boards decide whether to proceed with Phase II, which would involve implementation of the TransLink® “smart card” system throughout the operators’ route and station networks. These decisions are expected within the next few months. More... Bay Crossings JournalWe shot ’em in the Spring. Gave them to the old ones, you know, the ones that couldn’t go out no more and take care for themselves.” The suspenders of his bib overralls are loose fitting, resting on his chest. Twinges of white hair straggle below his bill cap. More... Bay Crossings Bay EnvironmentSan Francisco Bay is a dynamic and scenic estuary that serves the Bay Area on many levels. It offers an important avenue for transportation, commerce and recreation, and nourishes a complex ecosystem that supports waterfowl, wildlife, fish, and wetlands. The steel-green waters of the Bay give the region an environmental character unlike any in the world, making me wonder how a new fleet of ferries might change this familiar profile in the long-term. More... Lighted Yacht Parade at Jack London SquareA bright holiday tradition continues at Jack London Square with the 26th annual Lighted Yacht Parade! Watch as over 100 decorated yachts parade down the Estuary at twilight to compete for prizes in 16 different categories. More... Transportation Commission Honors Excellence In Motion At 25th Awards CeremonyThe Metropolitan Transportation Commission honored a group of individuals and organizations from around the Bay Region on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Commission’s awards ceremony. From the Grand Award winner who steered a massive transit system with hundreds of thousands of riders back to health, to another honoree who helped a fledgling van-based service that caters to a hundred or so kids get off the ground, this year’s winners reflect the theme “Excellence in Motion.” More... Temple Israel Alameda Chamber Music Concerts Brotman & HorowitzTemple Israel Alameda Chamber music Concerts continues on November 13, 2002 with Stuart Brotman and Joshua Horowitz playing “The Klezmer Music of a Traditional Shtetl Wedding.” The concert begins at 8:00 p.m. and is the second in the Temple’s Wednesday Chamber Concert Series. The musical selections are derived from forgotten music of the East European traditional wedding music as it sounded on a wedding day, played on a Tsimbl (hammer dulcimer) and button accordion. This mesmerizing performance has won over audiences worldwide. Brotman and Horowitz are recognized as two of the seminal figures in the Klezmer revival, and this concert is a once-only event. The audience will be transported through the music to a traditional East European wedding. They will hear music for the escorting of the family to the veiling of the bride, the march of the families from the ceremony to the banquet, the greeting of the guests, the ritual dance of the bride, and a lusty dance to move the guests home. More... 
Chandlery Wars?
Two of the nations largest marine chandlery chains have moved up the stakes in the San Francisco Bay Area. A chandlery, for you landlubbers, is the maritime term for a boat supply store. West Marine opened two new stores in April, one in Alameda and one in Antioch. on June 1st. Boat US opened two new Bay Area stores, one just blocks from West Marine’s largest in Oakland, the other in Sausalito. There are now two mega chandlery stores across the 23rd/Park Street Estuary Bridge from the Bay Area’s long-time local marine goods supplier Svendson’s. Sven Svendson opened his chandlery as a natural next step 4-5 years after starting Svendson’s Boat Yard in the ‘70s. Today, Svendson’s is a successful, well-respected full service facility still holding its own with the big boys of the country. Many ask, what’s going to happen? How is this going to effect Sven’s. Bay Crossings visited with Sean Svendson, Sven’s son and VP of the Svendson Boat Yard & Chandlery operations. More... Mexican Tall Ship Celebrates Dia de los Muertos Nov. 2nd at Pier 45.The tall ship Cuauhtemoc, ambassador of goodwill and training ship for Mexico's Naval cadets and future officers, will sail under the Golden Gate Bridge and dock at Pier 45 on October 31st. Viewing of the tall ship is open and free to the public through November 3rd. The visit of Cuauhtemoc ends this year's Sail San Francisco! 2002's impressive Tall ShipsFestival, which included public tours of a dozen tall ships from around the world over the Labor Day weekend. Not all available tall ships were able to coordinate their schedules to coincide in San Francisco in 2002. Sail San Francisco has already begun inviting the full armada of in-service tall ships from around the world to join the next Tall Ships Festival as momentum and support grow. School children from all over the greater Bay Area toured the vessels opening young eyes to a new world of life at sea then and now. More... 
Bay CrossingsCuisine
Herb & Spice Rubbed Turkey
November is turkey month. In America, cooking turkey at Thanksgiving is a tribute to help given by the Indians who showed English colonists how to survive by growing crops and hunting for meat in the new world. Wild turkey was and is hard to successfully hunt. Fortunately Turkey is easy to raise. Start to finish it only takes about 4 hours to cook. Triptafan, a chemical we get from eating turkey, is so relaxing it could put a few drugs off the market. It makes it easy to relax and enjoy time spent with friends and family after a Thanksgiving dinner. To cook a Turkey at home there are a few decisions to first make: More... 
The Public Speaks Out in Support of Ferry Service
Last month, staff and Board members of the Water Transit Authority (WTA) visited nine Bay Area counties to hear what the public had to say about the WTA’s Draft Implementation and Operations Plan (IOP) which promotes the expansion of existing Bay Area ferry routes and the creation of seven new routes throughout the Bay. From avid ferry riders and business owners to environmentalists and public officials, people from every corner of the Bay voiced their support for improved and expanded ferry service and asked thoughtful questions. Based on these comments, the WTA plans to recommend revisions to the IOP. The plan will then be sent to the California Legislature for consideration in December 2002. More... 
Working Waterfront
In their own words
I’m the program director for the Tall Ship Semester for Girls - an experiential education program on boats with a true academic thread woven in. I love the atmosphere that this program provides – learning that is directly applicable, new experiences, unique challenges and the whole team building facet needed for sailing a large vessel. The program originated at Mercy High School then moved to the offices of America True to offer the program to a wider group of kids. This program is unique because it is all girls on a sail-training vessel and perhaps more importantly, it aims to meet the financial need of any accepted student. This means that economically challenged girls have the opportunity to have this experience. More... Golden Gate Bridge UpdatesBeginning Wednesday night, October 23, 2002, contractors will start installing the 4 foot, 6 inch high safety railing between the roadway and sidewalks. A 150-foot section of railing will be installed on the southwest side for final testing prior to the installation of the remainder of the railing. Installation will commence along the west sidewalk first and be followed by installation along the east sidewalk. The majority of the work on the heavily utilized east sidewalk will occur at night to minimize impacts to the traveling public as well as to address safety concerns. The total length of the railing for both sidewalks is 3.2 miles. Installation is scheduled to be completed in May 2003. More... San Francisco Crab Festival DebutsSan Francisco will celebrate its indigenous crustacean, the Dungeness crab, with a month-long series of culinary and cultural events in February 2003. Main Culinary Events in Month-Long Celebration Include "Crab & Wine Marketplace," "Challenge of the Masters," and "Walk About the Wharf". It’s planned as an annual gala that will feature crab dishes from San Francisco's top restaurants, paired with wines from the region's best wineries. Attendance is expected to be 1,500 to 2,000 people. More... 
Wine, Art & Music in Alameda
Rosenblum Cellars Open House Nov. 9th and Nov. 10th More... 
They're off to the races, again!
Mid Winter Sailing Season Begins More... |
