Archive for the ‘Battle Royale’ Category
Monday, July 20th, 2009
Having just purchased our first bag of “Sweet Tooth Espresso” from Ritual Roasters after more than six years of dedicated grinding, tamping, and pouring exclusively of Blue Bottle Coffee, we’re a bit torn as to what to do. We’ve had Ritual on many different occasions, but allowing their beans to enter into the home, and thus the home espresso machine, is akin to having an affair right in front of your one true love.
Well, we’re giving it a go and Blue Bottle is going to have to be patient, but it got us thinking about which is “better” (or perhaps more popular is the real question), and why.
Our argument is for Blue Bottle, for what they have done to transform the landscape of coffee in San Francisco and the way a good espresso drink is poured and consumed. They’ve also transformed otherwise dumpy locales into hotbeds of activity (Linden Alley in Hayes Valley, and Mint Plaza in SOMA), and one could argue had a direct impact on property values (commercial and residential) in those areas. Blue Bottle knew how to draw a crowd at the Ferry Building and somehow keep people interested when the line stretched around the building. They’ve built a following, and continue to crank out excellent coffee in the same manner as when they began. Service at their Linden location is always with a smile (Mint Plaza staffers could use a little help in that regard), and although loaded with hipsters, you don’t get the feeling you’re just not hip enough to visit Blue Bottle Coffee.
We’re still warming up to Ritual, and don’t know enough about their flavors and their store to draw a completely honest opinion (first impressions have all been good), but as stated, they’re in our grinder and in our home now, so we ask…if YOU had to choose, would it be Ritual Roasters or Blue Bottle Coffee? At the very least, you have to admit it is just one of the many reasons we live here.
Oh…as for the logo competition, you gotta love Ritual’s.
[Editor's Note: Or is there someplace we're missing that we need to try? If you say Starbucks, you should be shot, and/or deported to a life in Strip Mall Suburbia Hell, because we got news for you, that ain't coffee, and how Starbucks made it past San Francisco's Anti Chain Store Law is beyond us.]
[Update: We'll definitely be trying De La Paz, and SightGlass soon enough!]
Tags: Battle Royale, Blue Bottle Coffee, Coffee, espresso, Hayes Valley, hotbeds, Mission, Ritual Roasters, san francisco, San Francisco Hot Spots, sf, SOMA
Posted in Battle Royale, Just Interesting, Reasons we live here | 17 Comments »
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
We haven’t done a Battle Royale in a while, but we thought this recent email could not only shed some light on the steals and deals being thrown out by The Infinity to get their Towers sold, but also a bit of debate as to whether it’s better to put your money in San Francisco, or Peninsula real estate.
From the reader (edited slightly for syntax):
Hi,
Love your blog!
I would like your opinion…
I’m looking to purchase either a new 2 bedroom townhouse in the peninsula or else a 1-2 bedroom condo at The Infinity. I will be purchasing with 4-6 other people for The Infinity (volume discount, we each get our own place, 3 people will be in the $800K -1.4mil range so i think we will have a lot of bargaining power), or trying to find a good discount for a new townhouse in the peninsula. Which would be the better investment?
I’m [f*cking young!], make $110K a year, first time home buyer, would probably rent out a room at either the condo or the townhouse, and prefer not to do any remodeling.
Thanks!
Go Giants or go home! San Francisco all the way. Way better investment in our eyes (we are biased), way better location, and at your age, you’ll likely have a helluva lot more fun. Just make sure we get an invite to the housewarming party (have you heard about our fresh lime margaritas), and there is no lifeguard on duty when we cause a ruckus in the pool! Marco…Polo…Fish Outta Water!.
Thanks for the email, glad you like the blog. We like you.
Tags: Battle Royale, fun, opinion, real estate, san francisco, The Infinity, theFrontSteps
Posted in Ask Us, Battle Royale, High Rise, Just plain fun, New Developments, San Francisco Real Estate, The Infinity, real estate, san francisco | 22 Comments »
Friday, October 17th, 2008
There’s been a bit of discussion around this site and some others lately regarding whether Noe Valley or Cole Valley is a better neighborhood. Rather than spreading that conversation around, we thought we’d bring it under one thread for the world to see.
Cole Valley:
Noe Valley:
Please share in the comments below and take us away to a great weekend:
Cole Valley, or Noe Valley. If you had to choose, and why?
-Noe Valley on Tour de San Francisco (real estate) [sfnewsletter]
-Cole Valley on Tour de San Francisco (real estate) [sfnewsletter]
Tags: Cole Valley, Noe Valley
Posted in Battle Royale, Cole Valley, Noe Valley, San Francisco Real Estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 62 Comments »
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008
Everybody knows it’s hip to be green and San Francisco almost leads the pack (we were edged out by Portland, OR) , but what’s a city without its people, right?
We want to try to do a little thing here on theFrontSteps (by getting your comments) and it goes something like this:
My name is _____ and I’m greener than thou because… recently my wife and I began throwing all of our food waste, paper towels, egg cartons, milk cartons, and pet fish in the green bin and damnit if it doesn’t feel good! We’ve reduced our black bin waste by at least 50% each week, and our breezeway stinks to high heaven (could be the diapers we save for the landfill). We still drive mediocre gas consuming vehicles (Subaru and Volkswagen), but we’re considering a hybrid or something else “green” (although a Porsche GT sure would be nice, and a helluva lot faster than a Prius.) We send our boy to school with reusable containers rather than Zip Lock bags, and try to use “green” detergents and soaps when possible. We no longer shave our legs, face, armpits or privates, and toilet paper is a thing of the past, (Just kidding! Jesus H Christ…did you honestly think….?) and that is what makes me green.
And that’s how it goes. Share with us just how green you are (especially any green things you might have done or are doing to your San Francisco home) and let’s prove to Portland they ain’t got nothing on San Francisco!
p.s. For those of you that are ready to pounce on us for making fun of hippies, or tree-huggers, or Oregon, or whatever…save it. We’re sarcastic. Should you decide to delete the sarcasm, we are actually doing all of those things in an effort to be greener. (It’s the demons within that want the Porsche GT, not us.)
[We'll go ahead and tag this a Battle Royale should you care to forward to your Oregon friends.]
Update: We just noticed Curbed uses the title “Greener than thou” for many of their posts and has done so for quite a while. Some things slip by…sorry Curbed!
Tags: Battle Royale, san francisco, theFrontSteps
Posted in Battle Royale, Green San Francisco, Just plain fun, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 10 Comments »
Thursday, June 19th, 2008
If you want to be flat out, straight, f**king cool, then live in (or at least go to) the Mission. We have been in every nook and cranny of this city and checked out just about every type of property you can imagine, seen every type of living quarters, seen just about every type of person and their living environments, and experienced all the areas this city can throw out. The Mission district in San Francisco is by far the absolute downright coolest, most hip, happening place in the city, and a recent trip around the Mission reminded us just how cool it is. Forget Union St. forget Fillmore or Hayes Valley, forget Union Square, forget the Embarcadero, (which are all really cool) forget it all….the Mission is the sh*t. It just has that vibe.
Not sure where it is? Walk outside your door, ask the first person you see, “How do I get to the Mission District,” make your way there, and experience everything else along the way. If you still can’t find it, use this map and look for where district 9c (Inner Mission) meets 5m (Mission Dolores), and you’ll be close.
Since this is a San Francisco real estate blog you’re probably wondering what the market is like there, so here are the comps for the past year. Enjoy and go check it out.
[Update: Since we're getting a fair bit of link traffic coming in for this post, you should all know we've had a few Battle Royales in the past and this one is quickly becoming one itself, so we've tagged it to go along with the others.]
Tags: Battle Royale, real estate, san francisco, San Francisco Real Estate, theFrontSteps
Posted in Battle Royale, Just plain fun, San Francisco Real Estate, The Mission, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 47 Comments »
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
Since we’re on the subject…Tokyo or San Francisco if you had to choose and why…please. 
We know nothing about Tokyo, and have never been, so should we decide to take a trip there, what can we expect, and what should we avoid. Of course, since this is a real estate blog, we’d also love to know what our money can(not) buy.
-San Francisco or New York City, if you had to choose [theFrontSteps, Battle Royale]
-San Francisco or Los Angeles, if you had to choose [theFrontSteps, Battle Royale]
-Tokyo Photo Credit
Tags: Battle Royale, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps
Posted in Alexander Clark, Battle Royale, Just plain fun, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
Accepting our recent challenge to “show us a legitimate graph of home values for San Francisco, or the Bay Area, or California, or the Nation, hell you might as well make it the world for that matter, that looks like [the declining chart on this post]“, Paul G steps up to the plate with this chart and explanation below:
You did open the chart challenge up to the world so I thought I’d submit this one. I can’t upload images to your web-site so I’m emailing it to you. Feel free to post, if you want.
The green line represents the cost of residential land in six major urban centers in Japan since 1955. The blue line represents San Francisco prices using the Case-Shiller index, but, in order to make the peaks coincide, I’ve moved all SF values back 15 years.
No, I don’t think San Francisco prices are going to follow the same trajectory down for many reasons (inflation, the 30-year run-up in Tokyo compared with the 10-year run-up here) but it’s still an interesting graph.
Regards,
Paul
Thanks for the graph! Very interesting to say the least.
-Chart Fun: Declining Real Estate Values [theFrontSteps]
-San Francisco or New York City, if you had to choose [theFrontSteps, Battle Royale]
Tags: Battle Royale, real estate, san francisco, San Francisco Real Estate, theFrontSteps
Posted in Battle Royale, Readers’ Reports, San Francisco Real Estate, market info, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 12 Comments »
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
It seems to be the week of getting edumucated on theFrontSteps. First chickens, now rising crime in Bernal Heights? We have no factual evidence to support what we’re saying, but the information has come to us from a very reliable and trustworthy source. We’re hoping you (the reader) can shed some light on the matter. We know some of you in particular might have better knowledge on the matter than we, so please share.
It also begs the question, could this make Bernal go bust? (And it reminds us, we’re about due for another Battle Royale.)
Tags: Battle Royale, Bernal Heights, Parkside, real estate, san francisco, San Francisco Real Estate, Sunset, theFrontSteps
Posted in Battle Royale, Bernal Heights, General Info, Parkside, Readers’ Reports, San Francisco Real Estate, Sunset, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 4 Comments »
Friday, April 18th, 2008
Yes, we have the right to ask this question, as we are Realtors, and we encounter shady less than professional crooks (yes, crooks) on a weekly basis. At the same time, most of our colleagues are the nicest, most professional people in the world that work their asses off, but seriously…the lying, the cheating, the dishonesty, the back-stabbing, the constant self-promoting, and on and on. You’d think we’re on Capitol Hill, and you’d think the San Francisco Association of Realtors would put a stop to some of these people, but still they’re out there.
So who is worse, a Realtor or a Politician? Debate, discuss, have at it, because this week, we’ve had enough of it.
-Battle Royale [theFrontSteps]
Tags: Battle Royale, real estate, san francisco, San Francisco Real Estate, theFrontSteps
Posted in Battle Royale, Just plain fun, San Francisco Real Estate, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 11 Comments »
Monday, March 31st, 2008
If this guy gets my son out of school today, but this guy can’t get him out on Good Friday, then today must be a major holiday, and we’re taking the day off.
Score
Cesar-1
Jesus-0
Tags: Battle Royale, real estate, san francisco, San Francisco Real Estate, theFrontSteps
Posted in Battle Royale, San Francisco Real Estate, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 6 Comments »
Monday, January 7th, 2008
by Alex Clark
Sometimes I get plain bored of talking about San Francisco real estate and I dream of faraway places. I wonder, “What would it be like to live there?” Surely, some of you must wonder the same things.
Luckily, we’re getting to the bottom of NYC vs. SF, so I’m not losing sleep about moving to New York anymore. But what about moving somewhere warm, like Los Angeles?
Is L.A. really the city of angels or are those just “normal” people like you and me enhanced by botox and saline? Is the air really not as polluted as my cough was telling me? Did I really spend most of my time in traffic, or was I just having a bad dream? Is Kat Von D the best Tattoo artist in L.A. or just the most popular? She’s certainly good looking, that’s for sure.
True, the weather is nicer (read: warmer), as are the beaches and the sites you’ll see at the beaches, but are Manhattan, Hermosa, and Redondo considered L.A.? What about downtown L.A.? Is it a ghost town during non-business hours? Is Hollywood and the movie industry all L.A. really has to offer?
What about recreation? Besides surfing, cycling, rollerblading (ugh!), skateboarding, sailing, kiting, fishing, mt. biking, skiing (if you want to call it that at Big Bear), beaching, partying, and being in movies, what else is there?
Real Esate? What can you get for your money down there? Soon, we’ll find out who is sexiest Realtor in L.A., but what’s that Realtor going to show us? (Don’t go there! ) Actually, while we’re on the subject, you might as well begin sending us your picks for the sexiest Realtor in Los Angeles.
It’s been a long time since I was down there, and I would have moved in a second had my Tante willed me her home in Manhattan Beach, but it was not to be, so I’m stuck wondering…San Francisco or Los Angeles, if you had to choose…and why.
-Battel Royale: San Francisco or New York City, if you had to choose [theFrontSteps]
-…and the Nominees for Sexiest Realtor in San Francisco [theFrontSteps]
-Kat Von D [myspace]
Tags: Battle Royale, real estate, san francisco, San Francisco Real Estate, theFrontSteps
Posted in Alexander Clark, Battle Royale, Just plain fun, San Francisco Real Estate, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 21 Comments »
Monday, December 31st, 2007
No surprise here…sex sells…very well, and it even helps sell real estate, or at least Realtors. Our most popular post of 2007 was …and the Nominees for Sexiest Realtor in San Francisco are….
Second up was obviously the the results of said contest.
Third up was our Battle Royale: San Francisco or New York City…if you had to choose.
Fourth place was Nothing Special, just $421,000 Over Asking, That’s All.
Fifth were some of our Picture Medley posts.
This year (2007) was a very good year for theFrontSteps, and we thank you all for it. We’ve seen average monthly “unique readers” go from less than 200/month when we started (February 2007) to over 21,000/month currently. Not bad for a hobby. We hope to continue growing and bringing the real estate insight in 2008.
If you feel like passing the time until we ramp up again in 2008, feel free to join “James” and “Resort at Squaw Creek” in a totally off-topic discussion on whether Sugar Bowl is a better ski resort than Squaw Valley USA (we pick Squaw). Since it’s so off topic, you might as well just discuss all things Lake Tahoe.
If you absolutely must see some real estate porn, check out this $3,000,000 House for sale in the Central Sunset. Yes, that is Central Sunset on Lincoln, and that is $3,000,000.
“John” sent us his take along with the link:
I went to the open house. Well, I was expecting a completely remodeled mansion. Don’t be fooled by the new exterior paint job. Instead, it is a fixer. Yes, it is large (4000+ sqft on main and upper floors). However, the kitchen and bathrooms are from the 50′s, floors are crappy and have water damage (maybe the roof has problems too?), windows are original single pane, next to a busy street (Lincoln), The in-law apartment in the basement is useless. The agent said the in-law had the permit, but I really doubt it.
What do I want to say? Well, it will be interesting to see how much this one sells for at the end of the day. Personally, I wouldn’t pay 1.5M for it, but who knows.
I love its colorful roof tiles though. It has some nice wood panels inside too.
If that isn’t enough to pass the time until your NYE celebrations, you could always send us a tip or letter.
Pray for snow, go buy a Tahoe house (it’s a great time for that), save up for a San Francisco home (our market is balancing out), and have a Happy New Year!
-2645 Lincoln Way [Redfin Listing Detail page...not a Redfin listing]
-Send us a tip [theFrontSteps]
-We Live in a Bubble Here in San Francisco (This is where you’ll find the Tahoe discussion.) [theFrontSteps]
Tags: Announcements, Battle Royale, real estate, san francisco, Sunset, theFrontSteps
Posted in Announcements, Battle Royale, General Info, Sunset, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 3 Comments »
Monday, November 19th, 2007
It’s been a while since our last Battle Royale (SF v. NYC), but that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten to keep it local. We’ve seen a few of you chime in on whether you’d choose Hayes or Haight, a few more of you duked it out over Pacific Heights or Marina, and let’s not forget the Noe or Bernal thread that started this all. But that’s the past. We’re moving on, and we want to know: North Beach or South Beach…if you had to choose (and preferably why).
North Beach:
North Beach zip 94133 (Median: source Altos Research)
Single Family
condo
South Beach:
South Beach zip 94105
Single Family
condo
South Beach zip 94107
Single Family
condo
Today’s battle could take so many different angles, but we’d have to say what it really comes down to, are you old school, or new school San Francisco?
And as always, got a thought on a good Battle Royale? Send it to us.
-Past Battle Royales [theFrontSteps]
Tags: Architecture, Battle Royale, san francisco, theFrontSteps
Posted in Architecture, Battle Royale, Just plain fun, North Beach, South Beach, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 14 Comments »
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007
A reader recently forwarded us this article from the New York Times, and thought it might paint a comparative picture of what is going on here, or what could come to be. We’d tend to agree, however, on a much smaller scale (so far). Everybody, ourselves included, likes to keep a watch on other markets that might possibly compare to ours, but few topics get as much traction as the San Francisco vs. New York debate.
However, we leave that discussion up to you, and thought we’d print a few quotes from the article to get you started:
Marcia Van Wagner, an economist and deputy city comptroller, said that while economists can forecast trends, they have trouble predicting just when a “turning point” will appear. Nevertheless, she said that her agency was updating its economic forecasts as concerns mount, and that she was expecting a slowdown in the real estate market, perhaps later this year or next year.
Last Wednesday, the developers of the new 58-story W New York-Downtown Hotel and Residences on Washington Street found that Manhattan market was alive and well. Michael Shvo, whose firm Shvo Marketing is selling the properties, invited 3,000 people who had expressed interest to show up on the opening day of the sales office for the sale of 159 one- and two-bedroom condos. (Another 64 furnished hotel-style condos will go on sale later).
At 7 a.m., when the office opened, there was a line on the street, Mr. Shvo said. By the time the office closed at 11 p.m., two hours later than planned, he said, contracts for 72 apartments had been signed. Prices began at $2,000 a square foot, he said, or more than $1 million for a one-bedroom.
Don’t think we can’t get there ($2000 a square foot). It’s just a matter of time. Thanks D.L. for the link.
[Update: Since we're on the topic of NYC again, the other side of the story. Thanks "Balanced Viewpoint" for the link.]
-What Market Slump [New York Times]
-Battle Royale: San Francisco or NYC, if you had to choose [theFrontSteps]
Tags: Battle Royale, Economy, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps
Posted in Battle Royale, Economy, Marketing, market info, real estate, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 13 Comments »
Monday, November 5th, 2007
This comment wasn’t necessarily one that makes us fall over in laughter, or one that brings a tear to our eye, but one that might spark some conversation (or debate) nonetheless. (Extra points if you can come up with a catchy phrase using the words stripping, shrinking, old growth, wood, and trim in the same sentence. Then we might get a good laugh, or maybe even shed a tear.) Of course, you could just debate the merits of whether you like your wood covered or not, or if it doesn’t really matter as long as it’s not your house.
Uncovered:
Covered:
From “Zang” on Cole Valley Before and After
Why do people paint over all of the historic woodwork? sigh. It’s cheaper than refinishing it… but it removes so much character and is so short sighted. With shrinking forests and wood prices skyrocketing, I’ll bet old growth wood paneling on walls, trim and ceilings will be coveted in years to come. And, have you ever tried stripping paint off of paneling/trim? Not fun.
Very good points indeed, and an observation everyone must wonder. We think painted white is mo beta! It makes the room look so much brighter, cleaner, and full of life.
Remember: Extra points if you can come up with a catchy phrase using the words stripping, shrinking, old growth, wood, and trim in the same sentence.
-Cole Valley Before and After (1233 Shrader) [theFrontSteps]
-Battle Royale: San Francisco or New York City, if you had to choose [theFrontSteps]
Tags: Battle Royale, Cole Valley, san francisco, theFrontSteps
Posted in 2-4 Units, Battle Royale, Cole Valley, Just plain fun, Remodeling, Single Family, comment du jour, san francisco, theFrontSteps | 2 Comments »
