OMG. Curbed SF links to the best site ever, LookBackMaps, where you’ll be able to see pictures of San Francisco that are more than hundred years old. Check out this incredible picture of Dolores Park in the 1860s. Amazing. To celebrate why don’t you go to the pizzeria that just opened at the former tortas shop on 22nd between Valencia and Mission. There is going to be a real competition starting: Delfina, Flour and Water and soon Pi. Viola, our “gastronomique” reporter is going to be too busy, let’s hope we can help her. Oh, but maybe you’re more in a ramen mood, look at the Mission District Ramen Juxtoposition. Funny.
Ok, no let’s talk about serious issues, starting with the new victims of the crisis. Lisa Catayama went to take pictures of an abandoned sewing factory that closed this month in the Mission. Every day, a dozen or so Chinese ladies “made stacks of dresses for Macy’s that sell for hundreds of dollars each, on the second floor of a building right across from hipster bars and nightclubs. Their revenue: $2-3 per dress.” Also, in today’s Chronicle, Michael Gardner who runs Siegel’s Clothing Superstore on Mission for 34 years, says his fustration about not being able to hire undocumented workers, “They come in here with great personalities; they’re on time, ready to go. They say, ‘If you need me to work until 8 on a Friday night, I’ll do it.’”
But one issue that’s odd in Gardner’s plight—he may be one of the few businesses in the Mission without undocumented help. Moreover, an immigration lawyer told us tonight that the e-verification program primarily impacts those places doing business with the government, and even those rarely, so Gardner can relax. And, if he’s worried and still wants to hire the undocumented, he could call the Day Labor Center where there are plenty of men and women who need work.
Last thing, Sunday is Father’s Day. You wouldn’t like to miss that, huh? To warm your hearts and tear up a little, read this very nice story written Marisa Lagos, in the Chronicle today. It’s about retired Greig Pirie, who every Friday appears at his daughter’s restaurant, Foreign Cinema, to help her out as a host stand. Awwwwww….