'Bred Crumbs

The liberation of Hayes Valley forges ahead.

Background for non-locals: The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake severely damaged a spur of elevated highway called the Central Freeway. Over the next few years, most of the freeway was pulled down, and the neighborhood that was most in the shadow of the freeway, Hayes Valley, began to prosper. After a decade of delay and debate, voters finally approved demolishing the rest of the Central Freeway, to be replaced with a ground-level boulevard. To the delight of the neighborhood, the removal of the lingering stretch of freeway began this month. This weekend, San Francisco's main thoroughfare, Market Street, was partly closed as the progressive demolition finally reached Hayes Valley.