Killing My Lobster (?)
September 22, 2011 11:16 PM   Subscribe

Twilight Zone San Francisco - "Why Is Everybody Here? Doesn't anybody works in this town?" (From a show Killing My Lobster Conquers the Galaxy)(SLYT)
posted by growabrain (44 comments total) 20 users marked this as a favorite
 
Oh god it's so true. Next time I call in sick I'm BARTing to Oakland to feel better about myself.
posted by annekate at 11:39 PM on September 22, 2011 [2 favorites]


Dear relatives from out of town, this is not satire, this is a documentary.

Next episode: the SF Rapture (aka Burning Man)
posted by zippy at 11:45 PM on September 22, 2011 [8 favorites]


Nope, pretty much the same over here. Of course I work from home....
posted by cftarnas at 11:48 PM on September 22, 2011


Same is true in Los Angeles (I've heard people call it "the city that never works"). My husband and I went to brunch today at 10am and we had to wait for a table. On a Thursday, people.
posted by troublesome at 11:53 PM on September 22, 2011 [2 favorites]


Kudos to the creators for using the original Bernard Herrmann score. This was pitch-perfect.
posted by ShutterBun at 12:10 AM on September 23, 2011 [4 favorites]


It is funny because it is true.
posted by salvia at 12:40 AM on September 23, 2011


No rescued pit bulls?
posted by benzenedream at 12:51 AM on September 23, 2011


Isn't this pretty much any big city? I know in London that when I go out on a weekday (as a horrible scurrilous unemployed grad student), anywhere people might shop or eat or just hang out is packed.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 2:56 AM on September 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


That was great! It's true, LA is the same way.
posted by Nattie at 3:54 AM on September 23, 2011


Hmm, guy contributing to phenomenon baffled by phenomenon.

Every time I'm in a line and somebody starts complaining about waiting, I think (and sometimes say to them), "You're not even doing the only thing you can do about the size of the line-- by getting out of the line."

I make so many friends this way.
posted by Rykey at 4:20 AM on September 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


Isn't this pretty much any big city?

Pretty much.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 4:24 AM on September 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


Come to Ottawa. You'll REALLY enjoy the dynamics of an empty town. It's even (almost) empty on Friday at 11:00PM! Vut a town.
posted by Yowser at 5:00 AM on September 23, 2011


Same thing in Berlin, except everybody's all like "I'm a multimedia artist, DJ, and freelance web designer." I start to wonder why I'm not.
posted by sixohsix at 5:06 AM on September 23, 2011 [4 favorites]


Yeah I noticed this moving to New York from upstate. Well-off people and people with those days-free jobs actually live among the restaurants and shops here as opposed to out in separate residential areas/suburbs.
posted by gubo at 5:20 AM on September 23, 2011


Ditto London ... in 1928, as described by JB Priestley, in his essay 'Too Many People' [Google Books link - entire essay is available].
posted by woodblock100 at 5:28 AM on September 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


One day a week, I work from home. Around 9 am, I usually head up the street to my fancy donut place for a coffee and a fancy donut or two. There is always, always a line - it can take 20 minutes to get my order if the people in front of me have to have a long discussion with the server about whether the last two donuts in the dozen they're buying should be kaffir lime, or rosemary almond chocolate, or bitter queen, or what (if they buy the last bacon maple donut, I get pissed at them). If nobody works in this town, I guess I'm glad that they're spending their funds on $3 donuts.

I laughed when he got to Dolores Park and it was packed.
posted by rtha at 6:10 AM on September 23, 2011


Share of population working. California: 37%
posted by stbalbach at 7:35 AM on September 23, 2011


Ditto London ... in 1928

I bet London was different then, greater percent of people working.
posted by stbalbach at 7:43 AM on September 23, 2011


A lot of the people out there are also people with non-standard working hours or days. Two people in my family, for example, work the weekends and take days off in the middle of the week instead. So you would see them out there on a Thursday, for example, even though they are working regular hours like everyone else.
posted by vacapinta at 7:46 AM on September 23, 2011


I'm always amazed at the amount of time people in SF have for recreating.
posted by pianomover at 7:54 AM on September 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


A lot of the people out there are also people with non-standard working hours or days.

Yeah, when I first moved to SF, I worked at Whole Foods and my days off were usually Mon-Tues. A friend and co-worker usually had Tues-Weds off, and sometimes on our common off-day, we'd eat and drink and read our way through North Beach. Cocktails at the Rose Pistola, or beers at Vesuvio (while reading whatever was bought at City Lights) on a Tuesday afternoon is a lovely way to spend the day.
posted by rtha at 8:33 AM on September 23, 2011


Gosh, this makes me feel good that I live in a cookie-cutter suburb of a sunbelt city and work a regular office job with a long commute.
posted by tippiedog at 8:38 AM on September 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


employment is so ....20th century.
posted by The Whelk at 9:00 AM on September 23, 2011


My first thought when I saw this title was that it was about Dolores Park. I always find that going to the financial district on a week day makes me feel better about not working, since it seems to be the only part of the city that is filled with people who are working.
posted by chemoboy at 9:17 AM on September 23, 2011


I don't know about this - when I lived in the Outer Richmond district, I never saw anybody.
posted by Graygorey at 9:18 AM on September 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


Well, yeah - it's too damn foggy to see anything or anyone out there 90% of the time!

/sunny, sunny Mission denizen
posted by rtha at 10:23 AM on September 23, 2011


Fun to pick out the streets and neighborhoods in each scene. Also, yeah, the music makes it. Killing My Lobster is great.

Truth is, San Francisco has a LOT of tourists (as well as homeless, unemployed, bartenders, stand-up comedians, etc.). That and the wind are the two things I miss the least.

And if you go to Dolores Park on a weekday before noon, it's generally pretty empty, particularly now that the playground is closed.

kaffir lime, or rosemary almond chocolate, or bitter queen

I love donuts, so I was kinda excited when Dynamo showed up, but I went by a few weeks ago and it was "goddamn when are they ever going to make a flavor that I like again."

Dream Fluff. There's never more than 3 people in line, and there's always a seat outside. That's why I love it. I used to live a block from Tartine bakery (in the video) and literally went there twice.

I always find that going to the financial district on a week day makes me feel better about not working, since it seems to be the only part of the city that is filled with people who are working.

Commuters.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:52 AM on September 23, 2011


I used to live a block from Tartine bakery (in the video) and literally went there twice.

When I was off on weekdays, Tartine was a favorite hangout. It was fairly new then, and fairly uncrowded. I haven't been there in years - at least six years now - because every time I go by, there's a line out the door and down the block. I've waited less for a walk-in table at Delfina.

But, hmmm....I'm about to start a sabbatical, so maybe I'll give Tartine a shot on a random weekday morning, after the on-the-way-to-work rush and before the late-sleeping, weird-job-having people show up.

(My favorite donut at dynamo is the chocolate almond rosemary, and they don't make it often enough.)
posted by rtha at 11:15 AM on September 23, 2011


When I was off on weekdays, Tartine was a favorite hangout.

Yeah, I hyperboled. On weekdays off when it first came around, it was good for hanging out at a big table or outside ... but that was like 2003. It's been a while (as you say) ... I don't mind the lines or the extra car traffic (double parkers), but the foot traffic in that stretch of 18th is just really annoying.

At 10am on a Saturday morning, Bi-Rite has plenty of good pastries that are fresh, not too expensive, and don't require waiting in line for 30 minutes.

What the Mission/Dolores area really needs, though, is a decent donut shop. I'm surprised there's not a Dynamo clone there yet. I guess commercial rent is still premium. But I had to leave hipsterville usa and move to hippieville usa (berkeley) to get a decent vegan donut? (I used to bike over to Bob's on Polk/Sacramento to get the old-fashioned lard kind.)
posted by mrgrimm at 12:05 PM on September 23, 2011


Philz (the original one) has vegan donuts in their case. I don't know who they get them from.
posted by rtha at 12:15 PM on September 23, 2011


Whoops. They probably get them from some place in Berkeley!
posted by rtha at 12:16 PM on September 23, 2011


When he first encounters the mom, and later says "that bread smells good," I think those are both by the Tartine on 18th and Guerrero the Mission (and that place is busy all day).
posted by zippy at 12:52 PM on September 23, 2011


Philz (the original one) has vegan donuts in their case. I don't know who they get them from.

I think they're from Pepple's Donuts in Oakland. They also sell them at the Ferry Building.
posted by zippy at 12:54 PM on September 23, 2011


"You're not even doing the only thing you can do about the size of the line-- by getting out of the line."

There are two things, and you're doing the other one!
posted by zippy at 12:56 PM on September 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


because every time I go by, there's a line out the door and down the block.

I haven't braved the line at Bi-Rite Creamery in a year. This is not a complaint, I'd rather see a unreasonable line at a booming small business than a Baskin-Robbin on 18th.

Now if Rosamunde could only cook make a sausage actually worth the wait.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 1:42 PM on September 23, 2011


The line at Humphry Slocumbe usually moves pretty quick, if you're in the mood for delicious and unusually flavored ice creams and sorbets. (Really? I haven't been to Rosamunde - the one on Mission - in a while, but the last time I went the duck sausage was delicious.)
posted by rtha at 1:57 PM on September 23, 2011


Rosamunde doesn't make their sausage. What they do serve is dry, mealy and the condiments (except chili) are always cold. Instead of taking it upon themselves educating the eating public like so many of these food innovators are now doing, they prefer to sling 'good enough'

Though the duck is one of their better flavors, the Italian is sad, bland sack of emulsified pork. I make sausage, its not easy, but it sure isn't hard and the difference would blow your mind.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 2:12 PM on September 23, 2011


I haven't braved the line at Bi-Rite Creamery in a year. This is not a complaint, I'd rather see a unreasonable line at a booming small business than a Baskin-Robbin on 18th.

The real complaint is that Bombay Creamery got shut down (for health violations, I believe), ... if there's a 45-minute line to get salted caramel or olive oil with bacon, it's nice to have somewhere else to walk for a scoop of vanilla (or lychee) in a sugar cone. I (and my friends) quite enjoyed their ice cream and food.
posted by mrgrimm at 4:03 PM on September 23, 2011


The real complaint is that Bombay Creamery got shut down (for health violations, I believe)

Wasn't their fault, the landlord was letting the building rot.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 4:10 PM on September 23, 2011


Why is everybody posting here? Doesn't anybody work on this site?
posted by formless at 5:32 PM on September 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


You mean you're not getting paid to post here?
posted by rtha at 5:39 PM on September 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


One day a week, I work from home. Around 9 am, I usually head up the street to my fancy donut place for a coffee and a fancy donut or two. There is always, always a line - it can take 20 minutes to get my order if the people in front of me have to have a long discussion with the server about whether the last two donuts in the dozen they're buying should be kaffir lime, or rosemary almond chocolate, or bitter queen, or what (if they buy the last bacon maple donut, I get pissed at them). If nobody works in this town, I guess I'm glad that they're spending their funds on $3 donuts.

Hey rtha! Dynamo is MY fancy donut place. I recommend sundays, it's strangely uncrowded in the pleasant back patio area.

What really baffles me is the line at Humphrey Slocombe, at all hours and variations of inclement weather. The line at El Metate on the other hand, I can completely understand that one.
posted by StrangerInAStrainedLand at 6:33 PM on September 23, 2011


We should just have a meetup at Dynamo already.

I always see long lines on Sunday mornings, which I assume is overflow from the crowd waiting for a table at the St. Francis. Although I bet that's why the patio is uncrowded, too.
posted by rtha at 6:42 PM on September 23, 2011


Dear SF,

I just wish my wife would let me move us up into the city so I could experience this horror. :(

Love,
Stuck in Redwood City
posted by TheNewWazoo at 7:45 PM on September 23, 2011


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