An Over-the-Top Christmas

If you're looking for elaborate private holiday displays, San Francisco probably won't top your list of cities to visit around Christmas time.  It's rare enough to spot a lighted tree in a window, let alone a lavishly appointed monument to seasonal excess.  Still, the occasional effort does surprise.  Here's a place out in the Richmond District that looks like Father Christmas' drunken nightmare.  Where do they keep this stuff when it's not on display?

A Beauty in The Richmond

The renovated Richmond branch of the San Francisco Public Library is about to re-open (May 16th) and is it ever a beauty! San Francisco has been on a library building/renovating binge thanks to a bond measure passed several years ago. It seems strange, in these difficult times, to see so much money lavished on libraries, but I can't think of a better place to spend public money (well, perhaps health clinics). This is an example of the great attention and care given to renovating buildings that, in other places, would, most likely, be razed and replaced. It's a wonderful asset in a terrific neighborhood. (I'll do an entry on my favorite street, Clement, in the near future)