Saturday, April 09, 2011

Saturday scenes and scenery: Urban oddments

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San Francisco never felt the full impact of the still-ongoing Great Recession; in northern California, it was the burgeoning 'burbs in the Central Valley where housing construction crashed that got the full whammy. Around my 'hood, yet another generation of hipsters has flowed in, taking advantage of cheaper, older housing and proximity to each other.

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They can't all be baristas: they have enough money to keep a new crop of bars and restaurants crowded nearly every night. Having lived here for decades, I take a wait and see attitude about how many of these businesses will endure.

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Some of the current crop of residents feel moved to leave their mark on the neighborhood. Literally, stickers and pasted posters adorn poles and buildings. Our urban turf is like that.

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I don't have to pretend to know what it all means. I like that each wave of newcomers seeks to leave their mark amid the urban grit.

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