We are pleased to announce that we have 5 pairs of tickets to giveaway for “Shopping! The Musical”. Marketing Director, Dan Meagher, saw our newsletter and has generously offered us an opportunity to give 5 lucky friends and associates a chance to see this longest running original musical.

We will provide five ticket certificates (each good for two tickets) for any future Friday 8 PM performance of “Shopping! the Musical.” There is no certificate expiration date and the winner’s may book any future Friday performance of their choice at the Shelton Theater in San Francisco’s Union Square.

What’s the catch? You don’t ahve to buy anything. All we are asking is that you e-mail us ONE person who you think would enjoy receiving our newsletter! Or let them sign up themselves using our link in the left margin  (<– look over there)  and they will be entered to win. That’s it! You will be entered in the drawing which we will be doing on February 20, 2009! Good luck!

Streetcar.org has been advertising on some of the local radio channels. This site has some interesting perspectives on past traffic issues and how they were solved, and is rich with historical facts about our the Market Street Railway.

- Janis Stone

One of the most famous buildings in a famous city is the San Francisco Ferry Building. Once when ferries were the only way to get across the bay from Oakland, Richmond or Marin County, this was one of the busiest places in San Francisco.

Today, the ferry building has undergone a renovation and has been reborn as the Ferry Building Marketplace, a sort of farmer’s market meets the food court! The Ferry Building Marketplace website says this about the history of the building:

Opening in 1898 on the site of the 1875 wooden Ferry House, the Ferry Building became the transportation focal point for anyone arriving by train from the East, as well as from all the East Bay and Marin residents who worked in the city.  From the Gold Rush until the 1930s, arrival by ferryboat became the only way travelers and commuters—except those coming from the Peninsula—could reach the city.

Today…the Ferry Building and its 240-foot tall clock tower is the iconic landmark of the San Francisco waterfront. The dramatic heart of the building is a three-story tall, sky lit hall, known as the Nave. It runs the entire 660-foot length of the building. The ground floor of the Ferry Building is devoted to a 65,000 square foot public food market showcasing the very best of the Bay Area’s world-renowned food community. The second and third floors of the building house 175,000 square feet of office space and the ceremonial hearing room of the San Francisco Port Commission.

Mick Orton

When I moved to the Bay Area, one of the first places we had lunch was the Cliff House. I had no idea of the history behind the place. I just enjoyed the Pacific Ocean views, the sea gulls and the sea lions out on the rocks.

Perhaps this is where the saying “Third time is a charm” comes from, since the previous 2 Cliff Houses were burned down. The third was built in 1909 and in 1977 was acquired by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The Cliff House history page says this about the 3 versions of the Cliff House:

The first Cliff House was a modest structure built in 1863 by Masters Butler and Buckley…On Christmas Day 1894, the Cliff House was destroyed by fire.

Sutro spent $50,000 in 1896 to rebuild the Cliff House in grandiose style…This exquisite building survived the 1906 earthquake only to succumb to a raging fire the following year.

A third Cliff House was built in 1909 by Sutro’s daughter Emma…The Cliff House was remodeled several times before the National Park Service acquired it in 1977. Today the Cliff House is preserved as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

We constantly look for interesting places to go and history of our City. So keep coming back to see what we’ve found!

- Mick Orton

It’s kind of late notice for this year since the annual Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco happens every 3rd Sunday in May… that’s TODAY!

This can be good news or bad news, depending on where you live, what you’re doing and where you want to go. As a result of streets being blocked off and the added traffic of the onlookers, it can be tough getting around the City. But if you’re looking for something to do, this is a pretty exciting event.

If you want to participate, there are forms you can start filling out for next year. However, to many people, it’s just another chance to party!

What about the history? How did it get started? Wikipedia says this:

Started in 1912 as a way to lift the city’s spirits after the disastrous 1906 San Francisco earthquake, it is the longest consecutively running footrace in the world (other races’ courses and lengths have changed over time). During World War II participation sometimes slipped below 50 registrants, but the tradition carried on and the race held the Guinness World Record for the highest participation footrace with nearly 110,000 runners from 1986 to 1994 when it lost it against the Cursa of Barcelona. That record number was partly the product of the running fad of the 1980s; currently the average participation is between 70,000 and 80,000. The San Francisco Examiner publishes a list of the first 10,000 finishers the day after the race each year.

- Mick Orton 

No matter what your opinion was of Barry Bonds, any Giants fan would have to admit that more focus was put on his home run record than was put on winning in the past several years. I admit I was one of those who enjoyed Bond’s time here in the Bay Area, but now that’s over.

This year has been most enjoyable. After a really slow start, the Giants are starting to show signs of actually being able to win some games. The new players are exciting to watch! And who knows, maybe “Babe” Bowker is going to be the next Mickey Mantle? All right, so I’m exaggerating a bit, but any fan would have to admit that the Giants are fun again!

Last night was a perfect example. They were down 10-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning. For the past several years we would have had to watch them trot out Barry Bonds as a pinch hitter (because he didn’t want to play a night game after a night game!) with men on base. To cheering fans he would then either 1) fly out, 2) strike out, 3) hit into a double play or 4) least likely, hit a home run and bring us closer in our inevitable loss.

Instead, we now get to see a bunch of young guys make things happen. In the course of the game, they kept hitting and scoring to keep the game close. In the bottom of the ninth they scored 4 runs and had a chance to win! We started to believe it. They started to believe it. Though they ended up losing 10-9, it was still a great game.

SFResidence has good seats in section 121, row 40, seats 5 & 6 which we love sharing with friends and associates. If you are interested in getting FREE tickets to the game, just sign up for our newsletter (use the Vertical Response form in the left margin). Let me know you’ve done so by e-mail. In return for signing up, we’ll send you a list of several game dates from which to choose.

Then every month watch our e-mail newsletter for information on the real estate market as well as a list of game dates from which you can choose. But be quick; they go fast! It’s our way of showing you our appreciation for making us your number 1 source in San Francisco real estate!

- Mick Orton
Marketing Director

Find other things to do here.

SFResidence is the place to go if you have a question about San Francisco. We have a comprehensive collection of market reports for the San Francisco real estate market, including weekly morgtage, weekly market, weekly TRI Coldwell Banker office and monthly market reports. We also have a monthly newsletter to which you can subscribe! We LOVE talking about ourselves and the market.

If you are looking for information about San Francisco neighborhoods, you will find it on our site, complete with maps and descriptions. And at the bottom of each page are links to school information.

If you live in San Francisco and are looking for interesting things to do, you will find it on our site in the Things to Do area.

We have a San Francisco Multiple Listing Service link on our website so you can search for your own property using any criterion you want.

So why would you go anywhere else to look for information on San Francisco??? Use our search feature to find what you are looking for on our website or our blog!

- Mick Orton
Marketing Director

Yahoo Travel says this about the Sts. Peter and Paul Church :

Despite the popular misconception, Joe DiMaggio did not marry Marilyn Monroe in this opulent church (that was at City Hall). He did, however, marry his first wife, starlet Dorothy Arnold, here and it was this church that celebrated his funeral mass. Dating only from 1922, this Roman Catholic church is awash in marble, gilding and ornately carved wood, starting with the life-size marble angel at the entrance. Inside the hushed sanctuary, redolent with the aroma of burning candles, is an elaborately carved and painted ceiling glinting with gold leaf. Pendant chandeliers in aged brass and frosted glass hang from the arches of the colonnade on either side of the nave. The altar is an explosion of marble carved with the titular saints of the church, plus cherubs, angels and all the niches and domes needed to contain them. Statues and shrines, including one to Our Lady of Lourdes that features a faux grotto, line the walls and the elaborate chapels.

Neighborhood: North Beach

666 Filbert Street
San Francisco, CA 94133

+1 415 421 0809

gibbons@stspeterpaul.san-francisco.ca.us

Open HoursMass: 7:30a, 9a, 12:15p M-Su

http://www.stspeterpaul.san-francisco.ca.us/church/

Take a look at some of our previous San Francisco attractions!