| Bang for your Buck: Excelsior and Noe Valley (4/09) | | Print | |
| Written by Nicola Householder | |
| Monday, 27 April 2009 | |
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My trip began one Sunday on a corner of the Excelsior up against John McLaren Park. My friend and I headed down a pathway framed by tall grasses and fragrant Eucalyptus trees to the newly renovated Crocker Amazon soccer fields, where one can watch organized games for free on the weekend. A big perk was a nondescript pupusa stand next to the field, which sells some of the best pupusas in the city, steaming from the grill, for $2.50 each. As the Mariachi-style tunes and soccer chants faded into the distance, we left to explore more of the park, which is filled with bike paths, local wildlife, a community garden and even a bocce ball court. After a rejuvenating walk through the park and past rows of houses, we arrived at One Dollar Only, an appropriately named dollar store at the intersection of Mission and Excelsior. Browsing around, we spotted a surfeit of ridiculous imported toys, including a pair of toy moose figurines that I at first thought were mating in their clear plastic packaging, a totem-pole-like ring-stacking toy topped with an eerie baby doll head and a doll with a head and body of different colors. All I bought was a can of coconut juice for 55 cents, yet the trip to the dollar store was worth far more than that in good times. Two blocks down from the dollar store lies the surprisingly spiffy Excelsior Branch Library, where, thanks to the online hold program, I exchanged a Franz Ferdinand CD for some Neutral Milk Hotel — yes, all for free. We then hopped on an inbound 52 at Excelsior and Mission, where I dropped 10 cents scrambling for bus fare. The 52 took us to Glen Park, where we transferred to the J, the whole time cranking out sweet jams on my ancient (but still perfectly functioning) CD player. When we got off the J at 24th and Church, I could see babies and basset hounds at every turn. With its cute, relaxing vibe, Noe Valley would not be anything like the Excelsior. Our first stop in the yuppie-friendly neighborhood was Phoenix Books at 24th and Church, where we found a great opportunity for some window-shopping. The cozy shop’s forté is coffee table books, covering topics from drag queens to new wave album covers. Although I left without a purchase, the chance to browse without constantly being pestered by salespeople was a rare pleasure. Leaving the book store empty-handed, I hoped to cure my mild case of capitalism withdrawal at Just For Fun & Scribbledoodles a block or two away. I scored a four-dollar map of London to fill some empty wall space in my room, and enjoyed looking around at all manner of tchotchkes and humorous novelty birthday cards. With our transfers about to expire, it was a good time to head home. Back in the Excelsior, we walked down Geneva Avenue to my favorite Chinese pastry shop, Geneva Bakery, to pick up some 50-cent pineapple buns for the walk home. If there is one thing I learned on this frugal adventure, it is that you don’t need more than 10 bucks to have a good time cross-city — I ended up with $1.85 to spare. Most of the trip was spent just cracking up at the silly ways of the world with my friend — something that is always free. With the right mindset, you can turn that same 10 bucks into a day packed with the eclectic sights and sounds of San Francisco. Share this article:           |
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to listen.
