JANUARY GALLERY
January’s topic was our beloved Ocean Beach. With changes coming to our western shores, we asked contestants to let us know what kind of physical amenity they would like to see installed.
We gave our judge, Eve Batey, the guidance that she should evaluate the entries on the strength of the ideas presented, not the sexiness of the graphics. She had positive things to say about all of them, but there was one idea she was more excited about than all the rest…
THE WINNER IS…MICHAEL SCHAN’S MAP!
- Entry 8257 – MICHAEL SCHAN – Ziplines!
“I would totally ride the zipline.”
One of the more stunning vistas in the city is that of Ocean Beach as you approach from the north side, curving downhill on Point Lobos Avenue. The zipline would have minimal impact on sightlines, and would be a huge draw that could help fund projects for the Beach. A zipline ride also brings echos of Playland at the Beach back to life a bit. The ride would be super fun, and someone else could implement it. Think of all the people lining up to zipline across Justin Herman Plaza – how much better would this be?! The barbecues are also something that would be used and loved by lots of folks. Eve wasn’t sure that surfers needed or wanted a place to lock up their boards, but maybe if there were BBQ areas nearby, they would use them. All in all…ZIPLINES! Her one suggestion was to move the zipline terminal from Cliff House to the new Land’s End Visitor center.
MOST BEAUTIFUL
- entry 3490 – Anonymous – The Waves
Aesthetically, this was Eve’s favorite. The metal structures look cool, different. They could serve a lot of different functions – drying your wetsuit, hanging a blanket for shade or wind protection, securing your dog while you take a lil’ nap or eat a sandwich, a gathering place for families, and so on. They’re beautiful in form, and would be a good draw to the beach – for locals AND tourists. Good looking public art makes for a destination…and some magazine write ups! We’d love to see these on the beach.
THE BOARDWALK
- entry 2742 – HEATHER RUPP – The Boardwalk
The stairs are nice – those dunes and hills can be dangerous for people and dogs! A boardwalk is a great idea, probably not too spendy to implement, and boardwalks have been really successful interventions to help restore and protect other beaches – like the Isle of Palms, South Carolina, and Miami Beach, Florida. The elevated viewing platform would provide a great vantage point that people would really enjoy. Getting it built might be challenging, but maybe worth the fight. Boardwalks are more flexible and changeable than concrete sea walls, too.
MOST ACCESSIBLE AND COZY
- entry 5504 – Anonymous – Folding Front Porch
Oooo there’s heat lamps? Could I rent this for an event or party? Could we put a bathroom attached to it? It would be great if rental fees went back into maintaining and restoring the beach. The accessibility of this design is attractive – you don’t always WANT to sit in the sand, and lots of people have a hard time getting up and down from the ground, or even the stairs down to the beach. Eve liked how this design provided the ability to have a party or event at the beach that didn’t involve a bonfire – a social alternative that didn’t produce as much particulate mess. Everything would fold up at night and get stored safely away. Even if the outside got tagged, it would be sand-side down in the morning.
COLORED GLASS | RECYCLED BEACH There was one idea that was never submitted on paper, but that we ended up discussing at some length with Michael the barista. The idea belongs to Sean Kelly and it goes like this: since beach depletion is an issue on the southern end of the beach, why not take all the colored recycled glass that goes through the city’s collection/recycling centers, and put it in a tumbler to make a colored sea glass beach at one end? It would be beautiful, educational, an attraction, and well…glass is made from sand, so why not the other way round?
Thank you to all of our awesome contestants, and especially our wicked funny and smart judge, Eve Batey, for spending her valuable time dreaming big with us. And if you find yourself on Ocean Beach, go get yourself some coffee and delicious eats at the Beachside Cafe. And say hi to Eve if you see her!