INTERN-SPECTIVE: I CAN SMELL A GRAND OPENING...

We’re less than three weeks away from the Summit's projected Grand Opening. That means I have less than two weeks to find a pair of black, non-slip chef shoes if I want clearance into Eddie's kitchen. It’s hard to choose comfort over fashion when I just want to rock a pair of these.

Alas, my fashion woes aren't the focus of this post but the transformation of the Summit over the course of a week. Folks might be interested in knowing that we’re no longer just at the corner of 19^th and Valencia. Our main entrance has been tramp stamped with SEVEN EIGHTY. As in 780 Valencia St.

[caption id="attachment_424" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="claim your third space at 780 Valencia St."][/caption]

After a few rounds of inspections, it looks like we’re making headway. The naked beams in the kitchen and bar areas have been stuffed with insulation and are starting to sport drywall.

[caption id="attachment_437" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="i just want to hop onto this portable lift and finish the job myself. that way when friends come by i can point to the ceiling and brag, “hell yea, i did that”"][/caption]

We recently submitted our application for an outdoor-seating permit. I hyperventilate at the thought of having to buy Adobe Illustrator; instead, I used Microsoft Paint to create the site plan. While fiddling with the graphics, my status as an outlier grew exponentially, as I pumped out JPEGs on my Toshiba notebook in a cafe full of Mac users. Perhaps Microsoft Paint isn’t an outdated tool after all; as long as the City of San Francisco accepts this submission (and it did), MS Paint and I are best friends.

[caption id="attachment_426" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="future of the summit's front space"][/caption]

There are days when the toughest decisions we make might involve determining the type of glasses beers will be served in or the bowls soup will be slurped from. We were scratching our heads at one point deciding between espresso cups in sky-blue porcelain or stainless steel. Wondering which was the victor? Come to our opening in a few weeks to find out.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="a hybrid of these two would be pretty awesome"][/caption]

Mid-week, we took a small break from decisions for barbecuing and beer-sipping on the rooftop of the Summit space.  The ice breaker served to introduce newly hired members of the Summit staff to the fellows who regularly come to the incubation space for mentorship from the I/O Ventures team.

[caption id="attachment_428" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="rooftop mingling + burger broiling = summer lovin’"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_429" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="grill us some knackwurst, and we will follow"][/caption]

Now that our address is official and the incubation space is quickly evolving into the envisioned Third Space, I’d suggest that curious readers drop by to check out the spot. But if in a few weeks there's not a single thing you recall from this post, at least remember that if you're looking for a place to find knock-out grub tastefully-paired with a glass of wine or a cold beer, look no further than our space at the corner of 19^th St and Valencia.

---Miss U