More iPhone photography goodness. Yesterday Rudy Hernandez took these two back-to-back photos, looking east and west from Bernal Hill. Makes a nice little diptych, eh?
PHOTOS: Rudy_Ray (Rudy Hernandez)
Author: Todd_Lappin
Metaphor Alert: Bernal Hill in a Bubble
Reader Julie created this cool image of Bernal Hill encased in a bubble.
Could it possibly somehow perhaps be a metaphor for our neighborhood’s close-knit familiarity and penchant for self-referential narrative? Maybe?
Naaaah.
PHOTO: scathac1961
WTF? Ugly Pile of Trash Dumped on Bernal Hill Reminds Us That Such Ugliness Was Once Very Common
Reader Tony, who captured this grim photo on the north side of Bernal Hill on Sunday morning, asks:
WTF? Too poor to pay the dump fee, so we dump it @ Bernal Hill? What’s SF coming to?
WTF is right. (CUE: Crying Indian) But if there is a bright side to the tale, it is that this pile of trash stands out as a relatively rare anomaly. Indeed, this wretched scene is less an indicator of what SF is coming to, than a reminder of how far it as come. After all, not all that long ago, Bernal Hill was routinely used as a dump.
Consider this recollection by Jerry Schimmel about what Bernal Heights Boulevard was like during the 1960s and early 1970s:
The hill was actually a large open wasteland under nominal purview of the Department of Public Works, known by most as DPW. The west and east quarries were in regular use as auxiliary dumps by citizens too cheap, poor, or lazy to pay for hauling or couldn’t manage the drive to Beatty Avenue.
Neighborhood residents were among the offenders, if not the worst. I remember Gloria Jiunti at 44 Mullen Avenue once sounding off about a load of worn car parts: “Aw, take it up on the hill and dump it!” And her attitude was not uncommon.
Like the quarries, the roadside verge was and still is an easy place to leave anything from a stained, lumpy mattress to the aromatic leftovers of Saturday night’s blowout. Some dumpers put their trash behind the guardrail (and still do) in a guilty effort to hide it, making it that much harder to retrieve.
In 1966, street sweepers made regular trips to keep the boulevard clear, but in order to get a really big mess hauled away from the quarries, several residents simultaneously had to put the screws on DPW’s Army Street office.
So as grim as this weekend’s trash dump was, the fact that it is so unusual, and attracted so much scorn, is actually a sign of progress. That said, when I drove around Bernal Hill on Monday night, the big trash pile was still there. Ew. Looks like someone needs to put the screws to 311.
PHOTOS: Top, Reader Tony. Historic photos, Jerry Schimmel via Found SF
New Music Video Features Bernal Heights, a Bus, and Fishnets
Pinched Nerve has a new music video called “Back Door Step Down” that will appeal to fans of Bernal Heights, public transit, and guys who wear fishnets:
I wrote a song about riding the bus then shot the video on the bus. Shot mostly in Bernalwood. We rode the bus from El Rio out to Pissed Off Petes. Hung out at Mission and Highland for a while. I wear fishnets.
Work it!
The Bernal Dads Racing Team Is Off to the Races (With a New Sponsor) This Weekend
Well, they got it done. It wasn’t easy, or pretty, but those handy fellas from Bernal Dads Racing managed to successfully transplant a new engine inside the old hulk of “The Whale,” their battle-scarred Volvo 240 race car. Here’s what the re-insertion looked like:
For a while it was touch and go. Just one week ago, the new engine was bolted in place, with all the wiring and hoses reconnected. But when the key was turned to start the motor, the Dads heard… nothing. The car wouldn’t start. And since a running motor is an essential prerequisite for a successful race car, this posed a big problem.
Luckily, the Dads have some mad mechanical skillz. After sleeping on the problem for a few days, one of them wandered into the garage to tinker around a little bit. Here’s what happened a few hours later:
Awesome sauce, indeed.
Tomorrow morning, the Bernal Dads Racing Team will haul their two race cars — the now-repowered Whale, and their mutant Miata-Volvo crossbreed “Molvo” — from their Bernal Heights workshop to Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma to take part in the Skankaway Anti-Toe Fungal 500, a two day race that’s part of the infamous 24 Hours of LeMons (as in “lemons”) racing series.
But the engine in The Whale isn’t the only thing that’s new. The Dads also have a new sponsor for this race…
Woo-hoo! What you’re seeing here isn’t another one of Bernalwood’s goofy Photoshop tricks; it’s the real deal. Plus, Bernalwood will be there to provide up-close coverage of this weekend’s race, because I’ve actually joined the Bernal Dads Racing Team as their newest driver. (GULP!)
So wish us luck. And if you happen to see the Bernal Dads as they leave Bernal Heights on Friday morning, give a wave. Or, even better, dress your innocent young children in flowing white robes, then send them out to line Cortland and shower the Dads and their janky racing machines with garlands and flower petals, in the manner of gladiatorial heroes departing for combat.
That would be nice.
PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics and Ben Buja
Golden Boy Enjoys a Golden Evening on Bernal Hill
Check out this beautiful photo by Neighbor Adel, who published it on her Project 365 blog:
My golden boy on Bernal hill at sunset.
Alert readers might also recognize this handsome young man as a San Francisco Giants fan with his own artistic flair.
PHOTO: Neighbor Adel
Pretty Home on Precita Sells Pretty Quickly at Pretty Price
For Bernal Heights homeowners, here’s an interesting (and encouraging) data point. The 3BR, 3BA house at 315 Precita, on the north side of Precita Park just east of Folsom, just sold for $1,275,000. Realtor Sabrina Gee-Shin says:
Everything about 315 Precita is wonderful — starting with the neighborhood. This gorgeous home sits along Precita Park — a great place for picnics, neighborhood film night and walking your dog. It’s a slice of Bernal Heights heaven and just a hop, skip and jump from the action in the Mission.
I represented the buyer of this lovely property. It’s a 3 Bedroom, 3 Full Bathroom, 2,100 Square Foot home with meticulous attention to all sorts of details like lighting for the wine refrigerator, steam sauna with limestone tile, media room with integrated sound system, and a VAVOOM hood for the gourmet Viking Range stove.
It’s a sweet pad with sweet amenities, obviously, but it’s nice to know that despite all the economic turmoil, glamorous homes can still fetch a fair penny here in Bernalwood.
UPDATE:
If you’er a potential home-buyer on the hunt for something more affordable, our friends at Curbed SF have tipped us off to a small cottage at 264 Mullen that can be had for less than $500K:
PHOTO: Top, via San Francisco MLS
Your October SFPD Crime Report for Bernal Heights
Reader Sarah and Sidekick Edie attended the monthly Captain’s Meeting at the SFPD’s Ingleside Station (so you didn’t have to). And once again, the notes they shared with us are invaluable. Read on to find out what’s going on in the neighborhood, and how to stay safe:
Ingleside Community Meetings are held on third Tuesday of every month from 7 to 8 pm in the Community Room of the Ingleside station, and all are welcome to attend and ask questions. This is a great opportunity to meet and discuss crime and other problems affecting the district.
Captain’s report by: Lieutenant Mario Delgadillo (filling in for Captain Mahoney, who was at a training session).
1. The biggest new issue for the police is Occupy SF. All districts have been sending four to five officers to the site regularly during the week, which then means fewer officers are available in the district. It also affects their ability to train the officers new to the district. That said, he added that only small splinter groups had been at all violent, and he said that many officers “would like to agree with their cause.”
2. There was a double shooting last week in the Sunnydale area; both people survived. The police have been successful in getting guns off the street in the past week. One incident, however, involved someone holding a toy rifle that looked extremely realistic. If it had been night, the person would likely have been shot. The upshot: don’t let your kids have realistic-looking guns, especially assault rifles (in case you thought that was a great idea).
3. There was a spate of robberies over the weekend in the district – across neighborhoods, apparently unconnected. There has also been a spate of bike thefts along Monterey Blvd, so the bike decoy program will likely show up there soon. It’s slow going but several people have been caught. Also have a laptop lojack decoy – an officer sitting with a bag, waiting to catch anyone who runs up and steals it.
4. There have been some new personnel rotated into the station since June:
- Lt. Parra was a lieutenant before he transferred here.
- Lt. Delgadillo started off 30 years working gangs and narcotics in the Mission, as Sgt. he worked gangs all over the came to Ingleside. Now he’ noticing a new generation: retired police officers’ kids are arresting older gang members’ kids.
- Lt. Tom Feledey was a sergeant before he came here.
- Lt. Trena Wearing is familiar with this district because she did recruiting here.
5. Sarah asked about the spate of wallet/bag thefts at the library playground in Bernal Heights. This had been a topic of discussion recently on the Bernal Parents List. Lt. Delgadillo didn’t think most of them had been reported, as is often the case when the victim assumes that there is little chance that the item will be recovered. But let us encourage everyone to report these crimes, even when they’re small, because the data is what allows the police to spot a trend and start using decoy programs, stationing plainclothes officers, etc. to catch the perpetrators. Lt. Delgadillo made a note of this rash of thefts, however, and will report it to the captain.
6. The lieutenant came prepared to talk about Bernal Heights. There are lots of social and cultural activities in Bernal Heights, with lots of people on the streets, so people look out for each other and don’t hesitate to call the police. Only 4 incidents reported in Bernal in the month reported on (9/11 to 10/8):
- Shooting on Franconia. Two friends got into a fight in a house, one shot and killed the other. Arrest was made the following day when the suspect returned to his house to walk his pit bull. Officers had staked out the house and arrested him.
- Aggravated assault at 30th and Mission
- Bike theft
- Car break in
Miscellaneous other information:
– Captains throughout the districts: District captains work the day shift. At night there’s a single captain for the whole city.
– Urban Shield: This past month, SWAT teams from all over the world (Jordan, Israel, East Coast US, etc.) came here to do 31 exercises in 48 hours. The teams worked non-stop in various scenarios including hostages, terrorists, dignitaries and moved from one incident location to another all over the Bay Area, including on ferries, BART, aircraft, etc. Interesting trivia: Jordan’s team shot everyone in sight in an exercise to protect a dignitary (considering everyone they “shot” as collateral damage), but they also have a separate all-female SWAT team to work in areas men aren’t allowed. SF has two SWAT teams. Some of the Peninsula cities have shared SWAT teams.
– Neighborhood watch groups are very good at affecting crime. In the Mission, when Lt. Delgadillo was working there on gang matters, neighbors began doing neighborhood walks, accompanied by police officers. The gang members saw them with the police and realized that they couldn’t touch the neighbors or they’d get arrested, so they moved away from the walkers and changed to other streets.
– Alemany trash and graffiti: Police are trying to clean up abandoned cars and campers (some with people living in them) because they’re a hazard to kids who might try to get into them. Campers also go to Holly Park to camp – probably when the police have moved them off of Alemany. Police are being aggressive (within the law) by towing vans, but there’s only so much they can do. (A member of the community had asked about these.)
– The sidewalk at the top of the hill overlooking San Jose Avenue between the Highland and Richland Avenue bridges is not mapped in the 911 system. When neighbors call, the operators always thinks they’re talking about the sidewalk at the street level on San Jose Ave. itself, not the paths behind the houses up above San Jose. The group discussed how to fix this issue using specific language and asking to speak to a supervisor.
– Marijuana dispensaries: will the Feds start clamping down again? Rumors abound, but not an SFPD priority. FBI and DEA can undertake their own actions, however.
– A suspect in a recent series of bank robberies all over the Bay Area was apprehended on Tuesday in the Ingleside District. Another bank robber turned himself in the same day.
CRIME STATS:
4-week period, 9/11/11 to 10/8/11Crime/Number of Incidents/% change (month)/% change (YTD)/# arrests
Aggravated Assault/23/-12%/-33%/13
Robbery/23/-12%/6%/4
Sexual Assualt/2/1/100%/0
Burglary/34/10%/-16%/1
Auto Theft/40/-30%/-13%/0
Theft from Auto/43/-17%/-6%/0
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
Mystery Bernal Heights Bugler Blows Horn Before Sunrise
Reader Chris says he has been awakened a bit earlier than usual lately:
Our north slope micro hood on Mullen has experienced a not unpleasant new early morning ritual: Taps, or at least a bugle announcing the arrival of morning, starting at around 5:30am, and repeating about every 15 minutes for a half-hour. Although vaguely military, this short, plaintive version has the intended “announcement” feel and a soft free-form tone that’s so very appropriate for our little enclave.
That’s all I know.
Yesterday Reader Alicia heard it with a Jewish accent:
Around 5:30am this morning I heard someone blowing a shofar… Do you know anything about this? Didn’t see anything on Bernalwood, but thought you might be a good resource for an answer!
So what exactly does it sound like? Listen in, because Reader Chris captured a brief recording (click the arrow to play):
http://telstarlogistics.com/sounds/BernalBugle.mp3%20Have you heard it too?
PHOTO: Sunrise from east Bernal on October 17, 2011, by Dona LaVallee
Learn About the Lost Movie Theaters of Mission Street
On Wednesday, October 19 at 7 pm, the ever-excellent Bernal History Project will host a talk in the meeting room the Bernal Heights Public Library about the lost movie theaters of Mission Street:
During the golden years of moviegoing in the first half of the 20th century, just about everybody went at least once a week. Ten thousand people a day went to the movies in San Francisco on Mission Street alone. Most of the theatres are gone now, or, worse yet, sitting vacant and abandoned as sad reminders of what once was, but will never be again.
But a couple of them have been in business for more than a century and continue to survive and, let us hope, prosper. Jack Tillmany’s presentation offers a guided tour of just about all of them, from 16th Street through the Mission and Bernal Heights to Daly City, in black and white and in color, along with the many streetcar lines that provided transportation on San Francisco’s longest thoroughfare. There will also be a small detour to visit Cortland Avenue’s movie houses, the Cortland and the Capri!
Jack Tillmany is a S.F. transit and movie theatre historian. He is the author of Theatres of San Francisco, Theatres of Oakland, and Theatres of the San Francisco Peninsula, the last with Gary Lee Parks, author of Theatres of San Jose. Copies of all four books will be available at the event at below cover price.
PHOTO: Above, the 9 streetcar passes the Lyceum Theater at 3350 Mission, home of the present-day Safeway parking lot. Photo from Jack Tillmany. Oh, and here’s how the view from the same spot looks today:
AAAnother Glossy Magazine Article About Bernal Heights
Another day, another magazine article about how sexxxy and glamorous we are here in Bernal Heights. Only, this one was an inside job: Karen Zuercher is the managing editor at VIA, the glossy magazine that has been published for members of the California State Automobile Association since 1917. Karen also lives in the Dominion of Bernalwood, so she’s an expert on the subject, and that shows in the Nov/Dec issue of VIA, where you’ll find her Weekender’s guide to Bernal Heights.
Among the many local names that get a shout out: The Alemany Farmer’s Market, Ichi Sushi, 331 Cortland, Sandbox Bakery, and Kikker, the parakeet who lives inside Heartfelt.
Pro Tip: During the weeks ahead, if you see a lot of clueless tourists trying to navigate the narrow streets of Bernal Heights in lumbering RVs that are bigger than your house, remember to smile, wave rustically, and direct them toward the “must see” Bernal Heights gift shop located at the base of Sutrito Tower.
Much Fun Was Had at Festival on the Hill 2011
Wow. What a great small-town-in-the-big-city scene the 2011 Fiesta on the Hill turned out to be. Cortland was jammed with a happy mix of locals, visitors, adults, kids, humans, and barnyard animals.
There were mistrels on hand to serenade the wee ones:
And balloons aplenty:
And some freaky-weird dude who looked like a Buddha at Burning Man after an intense psychedelic experience:
And friendly witches to paint pictures on children:
Also, PONIES!
Congrats to all the organizers who helped make Fiesta on the Hill 2011 so much fun. See you next year!
UPDATE:
New neighbor Adrian Mendoza took some great photos during the Festival as well:
Lots more of Adrian’s photos, right here.
PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics and Adrian Mendoza
Let Us Now Celebrate the Afternoon Shadows
Meri Page captured this simple stunner (with her iPhone!) somewhere in Bernal Heights not long ago; it’s a perfect summary of the kind of day we’re having all over the hill. Enjoy!
PHOTO: Pagedesign
