LEO RIP
So I got an email from my Dad, who loves my neighborhood, about the death of Leo Rocca. Leo’s parents started Rocca’s, a bar very close to my house, and the one that has the sign “where locals and tourists meet.” Great obituary, and sad that Leo has passed away. The sign above the door that usually announces the arrival of new ships, or maybe the superbowl game, now says “RIP LEO.”

New Restaurant: Pelligrino
I tried it today and the food was excellent, got rigatoni bolognese, and the price was good too, and yet it was f—ing freezing. They even brought the space heater out into the eating area. NB was colder than a witch’s t–ty today, I have to say. I had to hike up Russian Hill to get some blood circulating. Anyways, back to the restaurant: the owner came into the print shop two or so months ago and got some business cards made up. I was worried for him, since we have tons of Italian restaurants, but it seems to be doing well. The girl at the Italian hand-painted dish shop said that, “That new place, Pellogrino, it’s supposed to be cheap, and good.” But she will even say that she doesn’t eat in North Beach much. Funny, there’s a sign on her cash register that says “You may ask about restaurants, but please patronize our store first.” Yes, I had bought something before I asked her.

Goodbye Kid’s Clothing Place
So I do try to keep tabs on places, especially if they’re within 2 blocks of my house, but in the middle of the night, it seems, the cute kid’s clothing store changed to yet another “bike trails” outlet. How many of these bike places do we need? We already have about 5 in a 2-block area. I do love watching couples biking up Columbus frantically trying to return their bike by 7pm. For some reason, the stores tell folks to return it by 7pm, then close the doors at 6:50. I would be a fan of these bike trails, if the tourists didn’t insist on biking at breakneck speed on sidewalks.