blog #1 - Impressions

           A nice clear, sunny day beats down on walking pedestrians and on the cars sitting in traffic.

It’s the Labor day weekend and the streets are filled with tourists and locals walking down Chestnut Street checking out the many stores and restaurants. Lombard Street is congested with cars waiting and hoping to get to their destination.

         My neighborhood is the Marina district. I didn’t know what I was getting into besides the great view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay. I’ve only passed by this neighborhood when I was heading my way to school and probably played a few baseball games when I was in little league. Other than that, I have had no interaction with the residents nor do I have an attachment towards this neighborhood.

       My impression of the neighborhood was peaceful, lively, and secured. Even with the many tourists exploring the neighborhood during the Labor Day weekend, I felt that the neighborhood didn’t have anything to worry about except the heavy traffic.

I guess what made my experience there peaceful was there was no worries about anything that would trouble the residents. The residents know they are not expecting any sort of trouble from any outside sources.   

  

Although things may seem that way, crime still lurks around.

“Break ins are seldom” said David, who works in a family-run business called All Star Donuts.

There is Marina Middle School, but it doesn’t look like they cause problems to the nearby businesses. Also, the noisy night life on Chestnut doesn’t give the neighborhood problems either. That’s the case for the time being.

I met two residents who only had good things to say about my neighborhood.

“There are many young families here, but there is a vibrant nightlife” he said. “It’s a neighborhood with two faces is what I would call it.”

“There is very little crime” said Bill, 72, Marina resident “At night, I feel safe.”

Moscone playground seemed to be a popular gathering spot for these young families to socialize and let their children play in the playground or out in the grassy area nearby.  

Another area where people hang out or relax is the grassy area of Fort Mason. When I went there, it was filled with bikers and people were laying out in the grass to enjoy the sun beating down on them. With the nice view of the Marina and the Golden Gate Bridge, people are going to find it relaxing to be there on a sunny day.

Although I didn’t find about any neighborhood groups, I did find the neighborhood’s newspaper. “The Marina Times” covers issues within the Marina district. The newspaper covers issues that may not even appear in the Chronicle or the Examiner. If you wanted to learn more about the Marina, this is what you should be reading online or in paper form.

Overall, my first impressions of my neighborhood is positive, but I know there is more to meets the eyes. My neighborhood will get dissected by me in some way or the other.