The dense patchwork of alleyways below Market between 1st and 3rd is generally quite nice. Ecker Plaza, for example, sports lush flora and a soothing fountain. Further down, a pristinely kept brick building houses, as Laurence predicted, and old law firm, wherein giant metal I-beams are used as desks.
As Laurence and I together discovered, Ambrose Bierce Street (formerly Aldrich) is a different story entirely. The 10-foot wide alley way, too narrow for cars, serves only one purpose: public toilet. Potholes are filled with puddles of urine, and the sidewalks are studded with fresh steaming piles. The street has not one pleasant feature, except for the exits.
As we made our way to DQ’s for the Portuguese wheel, Laurence and I wondered aloud: is the alley ever cleaned? Whose job might it be? Does Mike Rowe know about this? What did Ambrose Bierce do to deserve this dishonor?
Joy later shed light. Ambrose wrote the Devil’s Dictionary, and was a sardonic and bitter fellow. Aldrich Street was renamed in 1988, along with a dozen other streets, per request of City Lights Books. Makes one wonder: was CLB’s choice of this putrid alley intentional?
Interesting. One wouldn’t expect that sort of nastiness in SOMA—especially that area of SOMA, which is now home to multi-million dollar high-rise condos and the like.