We can be patient, some days, perhaps less so. The pervasive sense of entitlement here is often coupled with a philosophic willingness to wait what we perceive to be uniquely San Franciscan. Like Jim Jones.
A reader asked "why do I never see listings for The Brocklebank Apartments?" For the uninitiated, The Brocklebank , at Sacramento and Mason, is the home of Kim Novak's Carlotta/Judy impersonator in Hitchcock's Vertigo. One reason for the dearth of listings is that the building's a rental, not a condo, so there's no flippage going on. The building is privately managed and there is a waiting list. How long? No one really knows, but according to one source, people rarely move out, and it's often feet first.
In San Francisco, the mother of all community gardens is at Fort Mason. Plots are cherished and nurtured, and shockingly, theft of produce is commonplace- why travel to Ferry Plaza when there's organic rainbow chard and Meyer lemons to had with a flashlight or a full moon? Waiting list for a plot? Reported to be five years.
And speaking of Jim Jones, one of the Bay Area's cult coffee roasters, Blue Bottle has a stand at the Ferry Plaza market on Saturday mornings where for five hours Blubots hover waiting for their custom drip coffees and impeccable lattes. Perhaps the wait it part of the joy- you must suffer before you may cafeinnate- but it clocks in at 38 minutes.. The location on Linden Place (above) varies, but it's often a mere ten minutes.
· Blue Bottle
The Slanted Door? One of our destination restaurants. Wait for a reservation at 7:30? One month. If you can deal with a ten minute wait, their takeout counter Out The Door is just as shatteringly yummy, although a more limited menu; bring a thermos of martinis and sit outside.
· Vertigo {IMDb]
· Brocklebank Apartments [apartmentratings.com]
· Fort Mason Community Garden
· Blue Bottle
· The Slanted Door