Upper Haight Week: CABB Meeting, Alembic Expansion, Weekend Events And More

Upper Haight Week: CABB Meeting, Alembic Expansion, Weekend Events And More

At Five In The Afternoon by Robert Motherwell. (Image: FAMSF)

Camden Avery
Published on September 04, 2015

The big news in the Upper Haight this week has centered around bicycle and traffic safety, including Monday evening's first meeting of the Park Station's Community Advisory Bike Board, hosted by Park Station Captain John Sanford. 

The meeting was largely introductory, and focused on establishing a forum for the public to converse with the police about traffic enforcement and bicycle safety, largely as a result of the continued strife between police, cyclists and drivers this summer.

We also got a sneak peek of Alembic's new dining area, which is set to open within the next two weeks after a long stretch of work and overhauls. And we looked back at the history of the 110-year-old Stanyan Park Hotel, which still stands overlooking the park today.

In community news, we learned about the Urban Ag Academy, Rec & Parks' upcoming day-long seminar for active and would-be urban gardeners and farmers. Classes are already full, but Urban Agriculture has also released a survey, open to all San Franciscans, that will, according to Urban Ag coordinator Hannah Schulman, "help us gather a snapshot of urban agriculture practitioners and supporters across San Francisco." The results will help steer Urban Ag's programs in the future.

And if you're wondering about that dust around the neighborhood today, it's due to tour bus spilling oil on Haight Street. Cleanup crews dusted the oil with absorbent sand, and it'll be wafting around for a little while. 

Now that you're caught up on the latest news, here's what's in store for the weekend.

Friday, September 4th

Family Of The Year

5:30pm, Free

Host description: Family of the Year celebrates their new self-titled album on Nettwerk Records with a special live acoustic set and signing on release day. Receive a free limited edition 7" with purchase of either CD or LP at the in-store! Only while supplies last. (Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight St.)

Silent Pictures, Beck Black, Darwin, & Slowness

9pm, $8

Host description: Silent Pictures comes from Alexander Mann, who started performing in 1989. He played in the bands Valeria and Your Precious You in the early '90s San Francisco shoegaze scene. Upon the dissolution of those projects, Alexander continued to perform throughout the world in a multitude of projects such as Mellow Drunk and Boyskout, supporting groups such as Supergrass, The Church, The Killers, Luna, Yo La Tengo, Tegan and Sara, Trashcan Sinatras, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, to name just a few. (Milk Bar, 1840 Haight St.)

Saturday, September 5th

Between Life and Death: Robert Motherwell's Elegies at the de Young

9:30am to 5:15pm, $10

Host description: Mounted in celebration of the centennial of the artist’s birth, this one-room exhibition presents thirteen works by the pioneering Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell (1915–1991) from his seminal series Elegies to the Spanish Republic. The exhibition features the Fine Arts Museums’ painting At Five in the Afternoon (1950), one of the earliest works in the series, as well as prints from the artist’s books in the Achenbach collections. Additional works from the series are drawn from other local private and public collections. (de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.)

Red Victorian Social

8pm to midnight

Host description: Welcome to the first of many Red Victorian Socials! In an effort to gather our friends and neighbors together we’d like to invite you to join us for an evening of cocktails and conversation in fancy attire. This being our first social and in the spirit of the Red Victorian, this month's theme will be a Victorian Speakeasy. (1665 Haight St.)

Royal Tasters, Fruit Juice

9pm, $5

Host description: Royal Tasters play California Indie/Surf/Pop/Garage rock, and feature former members of the Arabs. Fruit Juice, a psychedelic pop band reminiscent of early-early Pink Floyd, would aid any acid or mushroom trip. They’re a combination of joy, mirage and youth. (Milk Bar)

Sunday, September 6th

Golden Gate Park Band

1pm, Free

The Golden Gate Park Band will take the bandstand at the music concourse in Golden Gate Park this afternoon for selections from the "Great American Songbook." On Labor Day at 1pm, the band will return to perform a special holiday concert featuring more American composers.

Monday, September 7th

Monday is Labor Day, so if you have the day off, lucky you. As a favor, the city isn't enforcing residential permit parking or street sweeping days (looking at you, Oak Street). Metered parking, colored zones and two-hour parking limits will still be enforced, so park smart.

Remember that the Burners return after Labor Day, so if you have the day off, make the most of it outside and play nice.