With that said, here are two sets of first looks inside the previously mentioned Ragazza from this weekend’s neighborhood party. The patio that Metro Kathmandu hid from us is looking good, but neither set includes a photo of this fancy pizza we’ve all been waiting for. Although, to be fair A. Dudley over at Haighteration did snap a picture of a salad:

First Photos: Inside Ragazza [Haighteration]

Nopa Welcomes Ragazza And Her Gorgeous Gas-Fired ‘Zas [EaterSF]

Hey, look at that, friend and neighbor Kelly Malone from Workshop/Indie Mart is teaming up with the 27-year-old Alamo Square Flea Market to bring a whole truckload of Estate and Antique finds, as well as the usual indie designers, rebuilt vintage, DIY projects to the neighborhood this Saturday, August 21st from 9am-3pm.

The last time we had Indie Mart in the neighborhood it was inside the Independent and it was almost too hectic in the tiny space, so the extra room along Alamo Square will be welcome. In addition to the various goods for sale, Kelly’s going to be leading kid’s activities to keep those little brains from rotting before they head back to school (whenever that is). Food & fun are promised, and you should ride your bike there because a free bike valet  is better than waiting to park while seven German tourists try and pile in to their rented Ford Fiesta.

Some stuff you may or may not have missed around the neighborhood lately:

• Above: Ross “Juicebox”/”The Boss” Mirkarimi slips one in at the new Hamilton Recreation Center [SFCitizen]
• That monthly NoPa Velo Ride? It’s back again (that’s what monthly means). This month’s wacky theme: “The Hills are Alive with the Views of NOPA” and it’s next Sunday, the 28th. Scooting off from Apollo Coffee on Divis & Turk at 9:30am. Details on IBikeNoPa. Get out your biking leiderhosen.
• Yelp wants you to meet new people by eating at places that have communal tables, but they didn’t mention NOPA, which is weird, because they always mention NOPA. [Weekly Yelp]
• The Arco gas station at Fell and Divis gets some spillover room on Fell. We (meaning, you guys – the ones with cars) lose some parking spaces, The Wiggle regains the bike lane. [SFCitizen]

Look, guys, I’ll admit I was a little skeptical when this whole pavement-to-parks movement got started. I was a big fan of PARKing Day, mostly because they set up a croquet court on 2nd street by my old office in SOMA and nothing’s better than skipping work to sit in an astro-turfed parking space like I’m a senior at Oxford or something.

Anyway, the point is, I thought this was going to be an exercise in where to place parks to make sitting in them as terrifying as possible. “Who would want to sit in the middle of Divis?” and “Won’t I get run over by cars?” I thought (quietly, to myself). But that was before I walked by the other night and saw the sweet new deck they installed. I believe the cool kids would call this thing “legit” – there’s some sort of faux-wood flooring so you’re not standing in a puddle, a couple bolted-down bike racks, a bench in the middle and few new bistro tables (also bolted down, so don’t go trying to make your own parklet in your driveway).

This thing is like a mini-version of the Americano on the Embarcadero (check out that steel-cable fence), except without the after-work downtown douchebaggery or $8 gin and tonics. My only complaint is the pile of construction trash they left behind and that it doesn’t extend all the way down to Bean Bag or include a Bocce court.

Mike over at IBikeNOPA has all the photos of the construction process.

While we here at Aggressive Panhandler were quietly neglecting our blogging duties for whatever reason last week, one of our favorites ILiveHereSF was quietly posting more amazing first-hand accounts from our neighbors. Here’s a recap if you’re not currently following along:

Meghan who was “somewhere in NOPA” last Sunday Morning was up first, describing her first rainy trip to Fog City. Also, she has a rad dog and some sweet hair accessories!

Then there was Judith, cozying up to a cup of coffee at Central Coffee on Hayes. Judith, it seems, loves this town like an old friend. Her post reads like one of those inspirational postcards about footprints in the sand and being carried by Jesus, except…you know… it’s actually quite pleasant and this San Francisco-Jesus sounds way more chill than the distorted 21st century version of the original Bethlehembro.

And finally, there’s Mat (that’s him in the photo up there) in the Lower Haight, whose “I hate you, but I love you for it” attitude sums up the Aggressive Panhandler position quite nicely.

Consider this an official AggroPa endorsement of ILiveHereSF – now go get that thing added to your RSS reader.

Or read on:

Meghan

Judith

Mat

[FringeSF]: Fringe Halloween 2009 at Madrone – Your favorite indie DJs play a Halloween set at your favorite bar. And they let you know about it with a flyer featuring your favorite indie rock starlet dressed as your favorite indie film it-boy from 2001. Oh and they’re going to be mashing up their usual set with horror movies on two projectors.

[BrokeAssStuart] A Broke-Ass take on “When Life Hands you Lemons” – I do a lot of linking to Broke-ass Stuart, but not because I’m lazy! Because they’re good at writing about being poor in a funny way! Today, our friend Chloe tells us a great story about growing up, which prefaces a public service announcement about how to find free fruit in Oakland. And not the kind in the dumpster behind Safeway. Seriously!

[IBikeNoPa] Sunday Streets 2010: Western Addition, Alamo Square, and NOPA Prime Candidates – We’re big fans of anything that gets people out enjoying their neighborhood, so I’d love to see this come to our neck of the woods. As usual, Mike’s a little wordy, but he doesn’t skimp on coverage.

[SFAppeal] TweetBeatSF: Dead Man’s Bones at Bimbo’s 365 – Some more photos of last night’s show at Bimbo’s, accompanied by an annoying dump of the photographer’s tweets from the show. I was there! And I enjoyed it!

[MissionLocal] Dress Code: Jeans, Jeans, Everywhere. MissionLocal’s Shalwah Evans tells you how to pick out denim, may or may not be on the take with The Gap.

[UrbanDaddy] A Coffee-Beer-Wine bar in Western Addition. Your ex-boyfriend who still lives in the Marina gives you the rundown on Matching Half my new favorite coffee spot at McAllister and Baker. [We at AggressivePanhandler promise to bring you a less bro writeup as soon as possible.]

[SKULLZ PRESS] Preview Video: “Love Walks In” – Anthony G. Morris, author of the upcoming  “Love Walks In” comic book to be produced by Skullz Press, gives Mike Giant a rundown on the concept behind his book:

What’s going on that we’re not covering? Cheap movies, Bike stuff, new stores on Divis – all the usual conversations in and around the neighborhood:

Broke-Ass Stuart’s goddamn website: Midnight Movies at the Clay: The Great Muppet Caper – Look, we all kind of liked Where the Wild Things Are, but if you really want to relive your childhood (assuming you were me as a child) then you can’t go wrong with Fozzie the Bear and Kermit the Frog trying to solve crimes. It’s basically our generation’s Chinatown. (Roman Polanski joke!)

Bike NOPA: Celebrates Dan Nguyen-Tan – local bike activist and guy with that rad meeting/party bike at all the SFBC events. He’ll even give you a free lube job.

SFist: Bag Lady: CC Rider at 835 Divisadero – An interview with the owner of our local vintage and retro shop CC Rider. Sweet place to grab some threads for living out your Cameron Crowe fantasy or wearing to the next Sleepy Sun show at the Independent.

SFist: Facebook user witnesses iPhone thief ditch the 21-Hayes and run right into 3 SWAT cops having a coffee, is pleased as punch to have something relevant to update their status with.

CurbedSF: Target’s coming to the Metreon – I’m sure thrifty, public transit-averse shoppers in the neighborhood looking for designer handsoaps would have preferred this went in to the old Mervyn’s space at Geary and Masonic, but everyone else in town is talking about what a big deal this is. Related: Green Median at Anzavista Ave Near Shuttered Mervyn’s

Artcrank Poster Show: A Poster Party for Bike People – Free admission, cheap poster art, bike stuff. Tomorrow at the Chrome Messenger Bags store in SoMa.