Don't Judge a District by It's Cover

I didn’t even know that the Richmond district existed when I first moved to San Francisco, despite only being separated from it by the Golden Gate Park. The Richmond seemed like a bland sub-neighborhood of the Sunset, lacking the excitement I craved. I remember my first impression of the district: melancholic rows of avenues filled with apartment buildings and mid-sized homes showered in fog.

As I spent more and more time there, I realized that the Richmond is a lively neighborhood filled with diverse residents. The upper west corner of San Francisco that the Richmond district occupies is geographically detached from busier hot spots like Union Square, but several main roads that run all the way from downtown San Francisco to inner Richmond bring the big city feel all the way to the suburbs.

These main roads are what give the Richmond its character. My favorite hang out quickly became Clement Street. I love the energy, the diversity and the accessibility of the area, sometimes referred to by locals as “New China Town”. Usually, I like to begin my trip down Clement Street at Sixth Avenue. I start my journey at Green Apple Books, a labyrinth of new and used books for all ages.

From the book store, I usually find myself walking past Thai restaurants and convenience stores towards the blue neon lights of the Sixth Ave Aquarium. I have been in there 10 or so times now, but it never gets old. It is definitely a hidden treasure in the Richmond district. There’s a sweet girl who works in the front of the store, which is a flower shop, who can help you with the perfect bouquet or quick directions. Her family members run the aquarium in the back of the store, which is not much different from Aquarium on the Bay near Pier 39, except that it doesn’t cost a $20 to get in. They literally have everything under the sea, even lion fish, for purchase.

What I like the most, however, is hanging out at the Rockit Room, a bar and music venue, with the locals. Kanoa Blodgett, the charismatic bartender, is always there for a good conversation and makes you feel at home. Several small businesses and restaurants, often catering to a certain ethnicity or niche, support the Richmond community.

The biggest threat to the up-and-coming district is the invasion of hipsters and the loss of the small businesses that give the Richmond character, according to residents. Many businesses that can’t compete with larger companies, like the Third Avenue Food Mart, are cutting costs, for example, by charging customers to use credit cards. Despite being illegal, businesses are still charging the fee just to stay afloat. I am hoping to learn more about this by speaking with residents and business owners.

I appreciate the Richmond district much more now. I feel connected to it even though I don’t live there. The people I have met and things I saw and did while covering the Richmond have given me a deeper understanding of San Francisco as a whole, and what it really means to cover a beat. It doesn’t just mean writing about events in the community. It means understanding how events affect the community as a whole.

Trip Down Memory Lane at Green Apple Books

One of my fondest childhood memories is going to Border’s bookstore with my mom and sitting there for hours reading books. There was something so calm and relaxing about the tone of her voice rising and lowering while I sat nestled in her lap. Now, I’m 22 and too old to sit on mom’s lap reading Dr. Seuss. When I walked into the children’s section of Green Apple Books on Clement Street for a book signing, despite 17 years of growing up, I felt that calm, relaxing feeling from my childhood.

Green Apple Books is like grandma’s old attic, except filled with every type of book possible. Dusty light fixtures hang from the wall next to glass cases that house an assortment of colorful masks. As I walked through each room I started to feel like I was in a maze. Sections were marked by handcrafted signs made by the staff. Tiny hallways opened up into secret rooms with even more books. Finally, I made it to the book signing in the children’s section in back of the store.

I climbed up a set of creaky wooden stairs next to a life size version of the Cat in the Hat and traveled back to the time when I was five years old. There were kid’s books everywhere, spilling off of each shelf and crammed into every open space. Several children were running around, excited to share the treasures they found in each book case with their friends.

Kelly, a 12-year-old girl with braces, wearing a dark green crew neck sweater and green and white ribbons on her ponytail, was especially excited to be at Green Apple Books for the book signing. The book, “Smile," by Raina Telgemeier, was the first book she had read on her own beginning to end. Her mother told me that Kelly, a resistant reader, loved the story because it’s about a girl who gets braces for the first time. Kelly even got to participate in the book reading.

Twenty children and adults sat on tiny mismatched children’s chairs positioned around Kelly and the author, while the two took turns reading lines from the book. Telgemeier, a San Francisco native, told me that she used to come to Green Apple Books a lot with her dad who had an interest in used books. Her favorite part of the store was the comic section. I looked behind me and saw a mother delicately holding her 4-year-old son in her lap while reading a comic book and couldn’t help thinking that used to be me, and possibly Telgemeier.

I laughed to myself over some of the book titles I saw during the signing, like “Monsters Eat Whiny Children” and “A Day with No Crayons”. There was also a huge selection of used books, many only $1.99, and an assortment of strange novelty gifts like chattering teeth and slinky dogs. I reluctantly made my way to the exit, and along the way, saw a mother tucked away in a corner reading to her daughter. Green Apple Books, although it is for all age groups, has a certain charm that makes it a go to place in the Richmond district for parents and their kids, and those just looking to reclaim a childhood memory.