It’s the dead of San Francisco winter and 46 degrees — 46 degrees! — but that’s not stopping certain hardy residents of the sizable apartment structure at 1214 Polk from opening their windows and drying their laundry au naturale. We’re impressed. 46 degrees in San Francisco, particularly along this gusty urban corridor between Bush and Sutter, feels like autumn in the Yukon. This is the southern edge of Polk’s transitional zone, where it emerges from the sleazy chic of “nitespots” like Vertigo and Blur and slowly crawls toward more prim territory northward up into Russian Hill. The upstairs residences on this block are decidedly ordinary, but there’s a dichotomy at work between, for example, the stained glasswork at O’Reilly’s Holy Grail and the $5 haircuts and $20 facials across the road at the International College of Cosmetology II. Of course, Polk St. has always been known as one of San Francisco’s more diverse business thoroughfares....

-- Magic Bullets: Along with Bonde do Role and JuiceBoxxx, this local outfit (heavy on the bass lines, rhythmic keyboards, and melancholic vocals) performs tonight at 9 p.m. at The Independent, 628 Divisadero; $13. -- Queen Christina (1933): Young Swedish queen ends up kissing another dame as well as a dashing John Gilbert. Greta Garbo stars in this classic starting at 9 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way. -- Downy......

A local wine bar's new Hummer SUV. ...

We're sorry to pass along the news that a pedestrian is near death after having been hit by a car in the Nob Hill/Polk Gulch area at around 5:30 this morning. The pedestrian was crossing California Street at Hyde when an eastbound car going up the California Street hill plowed right into him. Witnesses reported that the pedestrian rolled up onto the hood, and then fell off after the car hit the brakes. The car......

Hey, tomorrow's Saturday. You were going to have a few stiff ones anyway, right? May as well have them at the John Barleycorn. From 1-5 p.m. tomorrow there will be a free BBQ at this the historic pub...

Want to go hang out in Lower Polk but think it's too seedy to want to go? Well, have no fear, a solution is at hand. The Polk Corridor Business Association wants to change the name of the area from Polk Gulch to Polk Village. Because what self-respecting transvestite hooker wants to turn tricks in a "village." Said Lulu, our favorite Polk Gulch tranny hooker, "oh honey, you know I don't take your credit card no more." ...

Boy--we sure love completely subjective awards, and we're super thankful for a chance to give out a few of our own. People who've been reading our "Trimethyldioxypurist" missives will not be especially surprised by the winners. For those who are strangers to our periodic ramblings about coffee and cafes around the City by the Bay, here are our favorites among the many, many cool, delicious, and often unique coffee choices at which we overcaffeinated......

So first, the good news -- your Trimethyldioxypurist happened on a swell place for a cup of coffee, one that we fully encourage you to try. The bad news? La Boulange de Polk, the place in question, is closed on Mondays. Alas, folks, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to try it. La Boulange de Polk is on, er, Polk Street, near Green. It is, in fact, just across the street from fave Polk......