SFist Answers--In 3D!

Well, anonymous, we are not shrinks, but we do play one in the blog-o-sphere. You may be something of a masochist. Or you might like the taste of bleach (we know we do). Or, really, you could be the nostalgic type -- who among us doesn't keep going back to a once-cherished place where we had a wonderful food experience in hopes of recapturing it? We understand, however, that it is hard to let go.

But, dude -- let go. And this will help. Click here for the San Francisco Department of Public Health 's food page -- or, more to the point, go here and find the complaint page. After multiple disgusting experiences from several different employees, it's obvious to us that the problem is institutional, not isolated. Report those dirty bastards.

naomi s. asks us:

What is the deal with that new BART station at Duboce Park? I see it from the N line every morning and am very curious....

It's a FAKE! It's a movie set! According to a comment left by our very own SFist co-editrix Rita, originally posted HERE, "My sources at Duboce Park say that the stuff going on there is for another movie, 'The Pursuit of Happyness,' with Will Smith. They're apparently building a fake BART stop. Why can't they just use a regular BART stop?"

Thanks, Rita!

C. G. asks us:

What advice would you give to a Bay Area boy moving back to the Bay from DC (loyal DCist reader) and trying to decide where to live? What if he wanted to live in SF but was commuting down the Peninsula?

SFist Lydia (a.k.a. The Opinionated Loudmouth) chimes in with a response:

Reverse commute isn't too bad -- the two main factors will be:

1) your location within the city and the location of your workplace: Depending on where your apartment is, it could take you as long to get out of the SF city limits as to get the entire rest of the way to, say, Mountain View. You don't want to live in North Beach and commute to Cupertino, I promise you. Look for easy highway access near your house and easy parking in your neighborhood; I can't stress this last factor enough, and if you ignore it, you'll end up wasting 45 minutes every night making 800 laps around your block looking for a space, or else you'll give in and pony up $300+ per month for a secured space in your building.

2) your hours: Rush hour is rush hour, even if you're going against the majority traffic flow, so if you can skew your work hours either earlier or later than the norm, you'll make MUCH better time on the road — just a half hour or 45 minutes difference in your start time could make a world of difference to you. This may not be something you can arrange before you move here, obviously, but it's absolutely worth experimenting with once you've started at your new job (w/the Man's approval, natch.)

As for highways: the two major arteries on the SF peninsula are 101 and 280. Depending on where you live and where you work, you may not have much of a choice which one you'll use, but if you do have a choice, pick 280, cause 101 blows — frenzied, dirty and 18-wheeler-infested, with views mainly of concrete retaining walls and sad highwayside businesses. The 280, by contrast, has lovely scenic views, much less feeder traffic, very few trucks, and a higher proportion of real drivers (i.e. people who know how to handle their cars — the pros, as opposed to the 101 free-for-all amateurs).

I'd also advise getting the most fuel-efficient car you can possibly buy — anybody who thinks gas prices are going down after the Katrina debris is all cleared up is naïve to the point of stupidity, and you'll get tired of filling up your Hummer's tank several times a week at $3-plus per gallon real quick.

Oh, and get an iPod and hard wire it into your stereo system — Bay Area radio sucks balls (at least once Stern's over at 10:00). I promise it's worth it to do this. Happy motoring!

Thank you, Lydia! (Hey, folks, she has that "Opinionated Loudmouth" nickname for a reason--so feel free to chime in below with radio stations that don't suck if you disagree).

Jeffrey in Berkeley asks:

I want to go see the New Pornographers at Bimbo's 365 either tomorrow or wednesday, but both shows are sold out. So what should I do?

While many SFists chimed in with good stuff, SFist Krissy -- our music editor-- had the most comprehensive answer:

Your best bet is to show up early. Find out when the box office opens and be there right then, or a little earlier if you can make it. The venue often releases a very small amount of tickets on the night of the show, even if it's sold out. Be VERY nice and respectful to the venue staff -- you never know what could happen if they take a shine to you (although don't count on any favors). If you can't buy a ticket from the box office, stand around and listen for anyone selling tickets, and ask around. A lot of times people selling tickets just before a show are fans whose one friend couldn't make it. If the person clearly doesn't look like a fan of the band, I'd steer clear of buying from them because they're probably a scalper or could have fake tickets. But that's more of a danger for a Green Day stadium show than for a band like The New Pornographers. And don't pay more than face value, unless you're really desperate. People who jack up ticket prices for their own gain are shady. As far as radio station giveaways, a friend of mine listens to KUSF and is *constantly* winning tickets to good indie rock shows. So tune in!

If you have any friends in the band, at the record label or at the venue, that really helps too!

Okay, y'all -- another "Answers" in the can, with more than a little help from our friends. Keep the Qs coming, folks!