Zephyr SOMA/SoBe Blog

SF Mart's Public Sample Sale

Public Sample Sale -  ONE DAY ONLY

MAY 5, 2007  9 am - 6 pm   $6 Admission

www.sfmart.com

Once a year, for one day only, one of the best things happens in May at the San Francisco Mart, located at 1355 Market Street, between 10th and 11th Streets.  The San Francisco Mart, a lovely Art Deco era building, opens its doors to the public and the public can purchase floor samples, that include designer furniture, lamps, rugs, and artwork, accessories and more, at greatly reduced prices.  The rest of the year the SF Mart is only open to the trade.

I know people that wait every year for this day, so they can purchase that one piece of furniture or accessory to complete their place, and others that buy whole rooms full of things for new places.  You should check it out if you have a chance, because you never know what lovely thing you might find there for your home at reduced prices.  Also check out the website for the information about parking, delivery, payment forms that are accepted, and about the coupon you can print off to save the cost of admission.

FASTRAK & SFO, WHO KNEW!!

We as a society are always looking for ease of use & multitasking when it comes to technology.  Why let something that is useful for one service or use, not be used for several services.  That's why I think that FasTrak & SFO were smart to team up, so people can use their FasTrak to pay for parking at the airport.

Below is information from the FasTrak website:

Can I use my FasTrak® toll tag to pay for parking at the SFO?
Soon FasTrak® customers will have the option to use their FasTrak® toll tags to pay parking charges at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) parking facilities. The program will begin with SFO’s long-term parking lot and be expanded to other lots as SFO upgrades their payment equipment in those facilities. Similar to the toll bridges, customers who use the airport parking lots will have the choice of using a FasTrak® lane or a non-FasTrak® lane when entering/exiting the parking lot. Each lot will have at least two lanes – one of which will be available to FasTrak® users.

FasTrak® customers who use a valid credit card for account replenishment will automatically be opted into the parking program.

There is even information so you can block this service, but I do not know why you would want to do that.  think about how helpful it will be to make sure your FasTrak account has extra money to pay for your parking before you leave for your trip, so you are not scrounging in the ashtray or under the seats for the fare.  Now if we could only get Oakland International to accept FasTrak for parking too, that would be great.

www.bayareafastrak.org

Parking Innovation

The City has implemented a pilot program to use pre-paid cards in most San Francisco parking meters.  The exception is the meters owned by the Port of San Francisco. If you park around the Embarcadero, you will still need to haul around those quarters.

The cards are available in $20 and $50 increments and are available at a number of SFMTA outlets and many neighborhood retail locations.  Check out their website for details.  http://www.sfmta.com/cms/pmeter/parkingcard.htm

The program has been extended through the end of the year, however, if it becomes more widely used, it could become permanent.  Using the card takes some of the sting out of the increased parking fees, too. How about $3 an hour to park in South Beach and SOMA!

AlertSF, A Way to Communicate During an Emergency

AlertSF is a text-based notification system for San Francisco’s residents and visitors.

AlertSF will send tsunami alerts, severe weather/flooding notifications and post-disaster information to your registered wireless devices and email accounts.

As AlertSF’s features develop, you will also have the option to receive alerts regarding traffic delays, power outages, road closures, and other important information.

Registration for AlertSF is free. Text message charges may apply depending on your wireless carrier and plan. These charges will not be reimbursed by the City and County of San Francisco.

Para información en español, haga clic en el enlace "En español" a la izquierda.

Reliable Communication

• AlertSF is an emergency communication system used by governments, emergency management agencies and first responders to send emergency alerts, notifications and updates to your cell phone, pager, BlackBerry, PDA and/or e-mail account.
• In the event of an emergency, the City and County of San Francisco's emergency management personnel will send important alerts, updates and instructions right to your cell phone or mobile device using your device's text message (SMS) feature, and/or to your e-mail account(s).
• All cell phone carriers offer, and most phones have, text messaging capability. It's easy to use and costs range from free to only a few pennies per message. Click here to learn more about your carrier.
• Visit our FAQs for more information about text messaging and AlertSF.

How it works

The City and County of San Francisco has designated authorized personnel who are responsible for generating alert messages in the event of an emergency.

When an alert is sent, it travels directly to your e-mail, pager, BlackBerry, cell phone or other available devices. Messages beamed to your cell phone or mobile device arrive in seconds via the SMS (text messaging) network.

Getting started is simple

• No software to install, or extra equipment to purchase
• Registration takes only a few minutes:
  1. Sign up for an AlertSF account using your cell phone or mobile device or e-mail address.
  2. Choose a password so you can manage your account online.
  3. You are ready to receive alerts in the event of an emergency.
• Proceed to registration page.

Are you a Nert?

NO I DIDN'T SAY NERD  :-)

…Do you know what a NERT is?  Well a NERT is a person who is many things.  Organized, trained, civic-minded and prepared.  Last Spring, I attended a class with about a hundred and twenty people, put on by the San Francisco Fire Department to be a certified Neighborhood Emergency Response Team member (NERT).

In this six week training that takes about three hours once a week, I learned many things about what to do in case of a city wide emergency like the Loma Prita Earthquake of 1989 or Hurricane Katrina.  I learned that unfortunately we can expect to be self-reliant for at least 72 hours before the city or state would be able to help with such essentials as water, food, shelter.  It made me look at the fact that I needed a plan and some pre-planning if I am to be able to wait the 72 hours.  It also taught me that I had the power to instantly gain some power over an emergency just by planning ahead.  Do you have a plan or an emergency bag in case something happens?

Over the next few months, I will give you suggestions to be more prepared and I will start off with six suggestions right now:

Do these 6 Steps now…..

1. Plan a safe place where you and your family and housemates should meet

2. Arrange with an out-of-town friend to be your 'family contact' by phone, since most local lines will be last to be repaired

3. Show everyone where and how to turn off the main gas, water, and electrical controls as necessary

4. Find the safest ways to exit your house/building in case of fire or earthquake

5. Teach children how to call 911 and post urgent numbers by the phone

6. Practice an emergency drill monthly

If you want more information to be prepared, then I suggest you check out the following websites:

www.sfnert.org

www.72hours.org

www.alertsf.org

Take care and plan ahead.

T.J. Lee, SOMA/SoBe Specialist

Community living: Condos

Buying in SOMA and South Beach usually means buying a condo, and condos require a whole different set of questions than a single family home.  Here's a few to get you warmed up:

What's included in the HOA (Home Owner's Association) dues?

Make sure you know what exactly is included. Are the level of amenities right for your needs, or will you be paying for benefits you don't need or missing out on those you do? Amenities such as a pool or full time concierge may be nice, but they aren't free: the added costs end up in your monthly dues.

How are the building reserves?
Are they reasonable given the size and age of the building? Be cautious if they're low; if building repairs are needed that could mean a special assessment against your unit for thousands of dollars in the future. In larger buildings, replacing the roof or repainting/ repairing the exterior can run well into six figures.

What's been happening in the HOA meeting minutes?
Are any major repairs currently under discussion? If so, has there been any mention of special assessments or increasing the monthly dues? Are there any past or developing issues you should take into account? Lawsuits involving Home Owner's Associations are not uncommon, and many lenders won't loan on properties involved in lawsuits because of the uncertainty.

What are the house rules?
Most associations have house rules like pet restrictions, some so strict that they forbid dogs altogether while others restrict size, weight or breed. Make sure you find this out before you buy so you're not faced with the tough choice of selling your condo or your best friend.

There's obviously a lot more to consider, but hopefully these questions will get you on the right track...

Michael LaPeter, SOMA/SoBe Specialist