Author: Todd_Lappin

Trove of Historical Photos Show Streetcars in Bernal Heights

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Cortland Avenue at Bennington Street, 1940. Red Hill Books is now on the corner at 401 Cortland. Discount Club is now where the "Drugs" sign is at 439.

Cortland Avenue at Andover Street, 1941. The 9 Valencia line car heading west. The woman waiting to board the car is in front of what is now Head to Toes Beauty (451 Cortland ), Skip's Tavern (453 Cortland Ave.), and Bernal Yoga (461 Cortland Ave.)

Mission near 29th Street, 1948. Behind the car is the Lyceum Theater (1907-1964), now the site of the Safeway parking lot

Last week’s talk at the Bernal Public Library about the history of streetcar service along Cortland Avenuewas really excellent. Interesting, informative, and a vivid reminder of how the texture of the neighborhood is so heavily shaped by its infrastructure.

Plus, as an added bonus, historian and presenter Jack Tillmany gave everyone who attended his talk a nifty souvenir: MUNI streetcar transfers from 1946 that were marked for use along the former 9-Cortland line:

Cool! Happily, if you couldn’t make it to the talk, our neighbors at the ever-awesome Bernal History Project have compiled a fabulous greatest-hits collection of photographs that show streetcars in service along the streets of Bernal Heights.

Hop on board and take that website for a ride.

HISTORIC PHOTOS AND CAPTION TEXT: Bernal History Project. Transfer photo: Telstar Logistics

Pint-Sized Entrepreneurs Peddle Premium Sidewalk Perfume

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Locavore Perfume

Locavore Perfume

Once upon a time, children learned business basics by selling lemonade to sidewalk passers-by. But not anymore — and not in Bernalwood.

Today’s young entrepreneurs aim highter. They have an eye for style, a clear bead on the urban lifestyle, and a shrewd desire to move up the value-chain. So why sell cups of lemonade for a quarter when you can sell cups of homemade floral perfume for a buck instead?

Last weekend I noticed that Hattie, Lidia, and Bella have set up a self-serve perfume stand on Prospect Street (near Virginia) to sell their own, all-natural, locally produced Behali Perfume. What’s Behali Perfume, you ask? Quite honestly, I have no idea. I even looked it up on the Google, and came up with nothing.

Then it hit me: Behali Perfume must be the brand!!!

That’s right: Not only do these nano-entrepreneurs have their eye on the luxury market, they also understand the importance of establishing a distinctive identity in a crowded marketplace. Sure, the kids have some work to do in the typography, spelling, and logo departments… but check out the actual merchandise, which the girls arrayed on the sidewalk right below their sign:

Locavore Perfume

As you can see, Behali Perfume is already thinking about package design. Wow. Wow. Wow.

If you’d like to support these kiddie capitalists, look for their products on a finer sidewalk near you. Watch out, Kiehl’s. Beware, Body Shop.  The rest of us should probably get in now, while the price is still affordable… before the IPO, and before we find ouseselves in the awkward position of having to ask Hattie, Lidia, and/or Bella for a job.

UPDATE: Herr Doktor theorizes…

Behali = BElla, HAttie, LIdia… or at least that is my guess.

Woa. Further proof that those kids are pretty clever.

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics

Sunset Report: Warm Night Delivers Perfect Light

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Just Another Perfect Sunset

Just Another Perfect SunsetRecall, we began the month of June with a freakish rain storm. Now we mark the official start of summer with weather that is actually rather summer-like. So bizarre! So surprising! So seductive. So… WARM!

Indeed, last night was particularly lovely, with balmy air, no wind, and no fog. So I headed up to the Hill to grab a few snaps.

Just Another Perfect SunsetBlessedly, tonight’s forecast looks just as warm and pleasant, which is good news for this evening’s Summer Stroll on Cortland. See you there.

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics

“Bernal Heights” in the World According to Realtors

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It’s that time again! Danielle Lazier, Bernalwood’s realtor-in-residence, is back with some insight into the workings of the neighborhood real estate market. Over to you, Danielle:

So where the heck is Bernal anyway?

Yeah yeah, I know there is an ongoing border dispute (at least in the blogosphere and local bars) regarding the appropriate boundaries of Bernal Heights, the Mission, and even Glen Park and  Noe Valley. But when it comes to real estate, the San Francisco Multiple Listing Service map is the one that matters.

Whether you agree with the map or not, understanding the borders of a neighborhood (and what MLS sub-district you’re in) is very important when house-hunting or determining the accurate “market value” of your home for a listing or refinance. Other agents, buyers, and the appraiser sent out by the bank will all base their “comps,” or comparable home sales, on the MLS sub-district — and NOT by zip code (hello, Zillow!) or even citizen consensus (hello La Lengua Revolutionary Army).

From Cesar Chavez to Alemany, from 101 to 280, Bernal Heights encompasses a large area and has a lot of different micro-hoods. Per the MLS, it is called District 9A.

OK, so now let’s do a quick market update…

Summer is typically a slow selling season for real estate. Between school vacation, summer trips, and the “better” weather, folks are just busy doing other things.

This year, we have both the usual summer slowdown and the recent bout of economic malaise to make thingscomplicated. Yet in Bernal Heights, we continue to see more “ready-to-buy” home buyers than houses for them to buy, especially in the more desirable parts of the neighborhood.

Houses near Bernal Village — central Cortland — are the most popular, and they tend to sell quickly, receiving multiple offers over the asking price. That has certainly has been true for the last couple of sales. For example, 125 Andover received 4 offers in the first week. Let’s look at the stats:

Single Family Homes near central Cortland Ave over the last 90 days:

  • Average Days From List to Close of Escrow – 44 Days
  • Average % of Sales Price/List Price – 101.31%
  • Median Sales Price – $826,000
  • Highest Sales Price – $1,295,000
  • Lowest Sales Price – $450,000

Finally, here on Bernalwood, I’m happy to answer any questions you have about Bernal Heights real estate, so send us your question (bernalwood *at* gmail dotcom) and I’ll make up a good answer!

Come to Cortland for the Summer Solstice Stroll, Tuesday!

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Summer Solstice Stroll

In winter we wandered Cortland merrily for the Holiday Stroll. Now the days are longer and the weather is (marginally) warmer, so it’s time for the 2011 Summer Solstice Stroll! Come on out tomorrow evening, Tuesday, June 21, starting at 6 pm for a neighborly walkabout on Cortland.

The stroll is sponsored by  the Bernal Business Alliance and Bernal Bucks, and there will be yummy food, drinky treats, and cheerful people-watching. (Fashion tip: Per usual, Prada and Louis Vuitton are de rigeur.)

Bernalwood will be there too… look for us and feel free to say hello!

Lost Dog Alert!! Lost Dog Alert!! (UPDATE: Doggie Found!)

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Several neightbors called the Bernalwood red phone today to help spread the word about a missing dog named Nip who normally resides in North Bernal. Assistance wanted. Be on the lookout. Calling all units, etc. etc.

Neighbor Reyhan writes:

This is Nip, with his owner. I live on Treat Ave., next door to Nip, and came home around midnight last night to see a bunch of neighbors outside, talking about Nip’s disappearance. Apparently, he sprinted down the Treat Ave. hill into Precita Park in the late afternoon and was last spotted running up Folsom, towards Bernal Hill. Seems a neighbor down the street was dogsitting, as Nip’s owners are out of town. No word this morning on whether he’s been found.

Nip is a skittish little guy who no one thinks went far but is very hard to catch; anyone who sees him should call Animal Control.

UPDATE: Dynamutts adds…

She was last seen near Hwy 280, near Alemany Exit. Call Bill at 415 307-1080 (ONLY IF SIGHTED) or Animal Care and Control (415) 554-6364.

UPDATE2: Found doggie! Whew! Reader Korney writes:

Reports of “sightings” came in that led them to McLaren Park.  When Bill got to the park, Nip was waiting for him.

How the Gatsbys of Noe Valley Look at Bernal Heights

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Bernal HeightsDo you remember that opening scene in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, where Gatsby looks whistfully at the green light across the bay over in tony East Egg? And how he is drawn toward that light because it embodies all his far-distant ambitions and hopes for the future? Well, some folks in Noe Valley apparently experience the same thing when they look at the lights of Bernal Hill.

These are a few recent submissions to Bernalwood’s Flickr group, and as you can see, the photos are all the more poignant because they are so obviously tinged with envy and longing. Superphotog Bob Horowitz took the one at the top, and Toby Tuper took a few as well:

_MG_6655.jpg

Toby also took this next one, which is extremely revealing psychologically because he chose to photograph it in GatsbyVision:

_MG_6656.jpg

PHOTOS: Bob Horowitz and Toby Tuper

Amazing Photos from 1878 Reveal Lost Peaks of Bernal Hill

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The view from Nob Hill, 1878

Our bloggy hipster friends in the Mission like to make fun of Bernal Heights because of our obsession with lesbianism, dogs, child-rearing, and backyard gardening. That’s fine, because in return we like to make Mission hipsters’ heads explode by announcing: “WE ARE YOUR FUUUUUTTUUUUUURE!” (Johnny O from Burrito Justice pioneered that reply, and it never fails.)

Privately, Bernalwood appreciates those proto-self kids in the Mission, and a geeky interest in local history is a friendly touchstone we all share. So thank you, Uptown Almanac, for turning me on to a series of panorama images taken from the top of Nob Hill in 1878.

The resolution of these photos is amazing, especially when you recall that in 1878, they didn’t even have the Pano app to use with their iPhones! Right? Also amazing is the fact that most all the buildings you see in these photos were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire.

Here’s a detail of the view to the north, looking toward Alcatraz:

Now, let’s look south, to take a closer look at Bernal Heights. Grab the photo, then we’ll zoom, sharpen, and enhance. What do we see???

That first light-grey hill in the background is Bernal Heights. There aren’t many buildings to speak of in 1878 Bernal, nor any trees or large-scale vegetation. But what they did have then that we don’t have now are the two Lost Peaks of Bernal Hill, which are clearly visible just to the east of the present-day summit:

As we learned previously, the Lost Peaks were excavated into oblivion sometime during the 1940s. To reprise:

Bernal Heights had two other major peaks to it, to to the north east of the current peaks – roughly under what is now the flat planes that lie between Peralta, Rutledge and Franconia Streets .  Vicky Walker of the Bernal History Project sent me a couple of their aerial survey maps that show that these two peaks were removed sometime between 1938 and 1948.  Terry Milne said that they have been trying to find records which usually exist for 1900’s large excavations, about where all that hillside was dumped, but so far to no avail.  Note that the peak between Rutledge, Massasoit and Brewster was not just chopped off, but gouged out from the Bernal hillside

Way cool. If you want to explore some more, check out the entire collection of 1878 Panorama Photographs, and prepare to get lost in time.

PHOTOS:  Muybridge Panorama of San Francisco, 1878

Citizens of Bernalwood, We Have a New Manhole

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Fellow citizens! Please join Bernalwood in celebrating the installation of our newest manhole!

Doesn’t that sound kind of smutty? Right? But this is straight-up: Yesterday workers completed the fabrication of a new manhole as part of the sewer reconstruction project taking place on Precita Avenue.

New infrastructure is innately sexy, of course. But for those who slept through your civil engineering classes, the essential function of Bernal’s new manhole is to serve as a junction for the sewer pipes that run east from Precita and north down Shotwell.

Basically, it all works pretty much the way Richard Scarry sketched it out:

And at the end of the day, we had a finished result:

Nice work! Now, friends and neighbors, here’s to 100+ years of trouble-free drainage. (Fingers crossed.)

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics

Homegrown “I BART SF” Shirt for Transit Fashionistas

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Here’s a revolutionary-chic fashion statement for Northside commuters and Southside fans of the 30th Street BART station.

Creator Jeffrey Doker says:

I live in the ‘Wood (Shotwell and Precita). I recently made a BART-themed shirt that I think SF people might love. I know BART doesn’t actually service Bernalwood directly, but I figured I’d give it a shot.

Jeffrey shoots… and scores! Want one? They are available in several flavors.

PHOTO: Jeffrey Doker

Armchair Astronaut Asks: “Is This Mars, or Bernal Heights?”

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

Neighborhood newbie (we mean that lovingly) RallyP took the photo above. He wonders:

Is this Mars? Or is this Bernal Heights? Here we are on Bernal Hill, looking south towards the Bay and Candlestick Park. These incredibly brown rocks and dirt could almost fool you into thinking you were standing on Mars. Maybe.

It’s an astute observation, especially when you compare his photo with this image taken by the Mars Spirit rover, shortly before it went silent on the Martian surface:

And even more curious is the stunning discovery NASA researchers made when they examined the hilltop visible in the background of the image.

Let’s zoom in and enhance it for a closer look, shall we?

Veeeeeeeeery innnnnnnnteresting, eh?

PHOTOS: RallyP’s Going West, NASA