Author: Todd_Lappin

Bernal’s Beautiful New Street Park Needs Your Help

/ Todd_Lappin / 6 Comments

Thanks to a hearty group of volunteers, Bernal Heights is getting a brand-new street park courtesy of an organization called The Friends of Bernal Gardens. The new mini-park, called Vista Pointe Garden, is located on Bernal Heights Boulevard between Carver and Bradford, on the east side of the hill.  Construction is already well underway, but they need your help to get it done.

Project director Julian Wyler tells Bernalwood:

Public gardens are simply one of the ways we can balance the separateness of our lives with opportunities to connect with community. Moreover, they provide opportunities to replace a pedestrian landscape of disorder and alienation with harmonious spaces that instill neighborhood pride and natural beauty.

Public gardens also provide artful, iconic sanctuaries of momentary beauty and repose.

Doubtless, the scope of Vista Pointe Garden, which looks out upon panoramic views of San Francisco, is somewhat ambitious. It’s success is only possible because so many of our neighbors have contributed their time and energy as partners to our city grant.

Although the part that will impress most will be the beautiful flowers and plants, it‘s the high cost of the retaining wall materials, the new PUC water meter, the installation of the drip irrigation system, the crushed drain rock, base materials, professional supervision, SFPT fiscal management, etc. which make them possible.

While extensive planning and conservative grant budget projections for materials added up to $70,500, our grant only awarded us $61,000, which, even with the support of DPW, donating tools, grading, etc., has now left us a bit short of our goal.

Bottom line: Vista Pointe Garden needs another $7,600 to get the job done. If you would like to donate, please contact Julian at julian_wyler AT yahoo DOT com.

If you’re cash-poor but time-rich, you can also help volunteer to build Vista Pointe Garden. The next volunteer get-together will take place at the park this Saturday, February 12, from 10 am to 4 pm.

Photo: Friends of Bernal Gardens

Our Secret Sign: The Bernal Family’s Cattle Brand

/ Todd_Lappin / 11 Comments

No, this isn’t Prince’s latest unpronounceable name-glyph. Instead, according our fellow history geeks at The Bernal History Project, this symbol was the cattle brand used by the Bernal family to mark their livestock in the days when José Cornelio Bernal ruled the rancho that is now our neighborhood.

The meaning of the symbol is unknown, but that only adds to our aura of mystery. Two things need to happen right away: Someone needs to turn this into a t-shirt to be sold at Heartfelt, and a few intrepid souls need to get this tattooed onto their body parts. (Free beer for the first person to send me a photo of same.)

Update: Reader Marina Cazorla has a theory about the meaning of the brand:

I was intrigued by the mystery of the brand, which looked like VF. After doing a bit of poking around, I’m fairly sure that the “V” stood for Vernal, an early spelling of Bernal. (Juan Francisco “Vernal,” born 1737, was José Cornelio Bernal’s grandfather, and the first member of the family to settle in the area.)  And perhaps the F is for Francisco? Spanish/Mexican/Californio surnames usually have two names (one from the mother, one from the father) which would explain why the brand’s two letters possibly come from one person. Of course, it would be helpful to know what year (if any) that brand is associated with, that way we’d be slighter clearer on whether the brand was made during JFV’s lifetime.”

Updated Update: Reader someJuan comes through with an important confirmation. He writes:

Found it. The owner of the brand is listed as Francisco Bernal on the Bureau of Livestock Identification’s website. Look under the “First County Brands” link. However, it’s listed as belonging to the County of Santa Clara.

Ah yes. But it is most definitely listed:

A Globetrotter Dreams of Calling Bernal Heights Home

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

Grace is a Bay Area native who currently lives in Beijing, China. During a recent return visit to San Francsico, she found herself fantasizing about planting roots in our humble corner of the world. Her musings are sweet, but even more, they provide an always-valuable reminder of how fortunate we are to enjoy the privilege of calling Bernalwood home:

Since I was a kid, I’ve envisioned myself settling down comfortably in a Victorian townhome in San Francisco– after traveling the world, winning an Oscar, and marrying Jonathan Taylor Thomas, of course.

Childhood dreams aside, the Bay Area is a truly unique place, full of diversity, life, and an amazing balance of cityscape and natural beauty.  So it seems logical that over my entire life, I would develop such a deep, James Joyce-ian affinity for my hometown.  And while some grow weary of returning to the place where they grew up once they’ve seen life in “the big city” or “the real world,” my love for the Bay Area grows with every visit back home.

This past stint back home made my childhood dream seem even sweeter.  Driving through all the different districts of San Francisco, the East Bay, and down the Peninsula portion of I-280 made me long to forgo my world travels (and my Oscar, and Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and settle anywhere in the Bay forever.  To finally feel “at home” in my favorite place in the world.

Photo: Grace and her husband on Bernal Hill

7×7 Lists the 10 Best Eats Under $10 in Bernal Heights

/ Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

Emmy's Spaghetti Shack

7×7 food blogger Antonia Richmond is both a connoisseur of good cuisine AND a Bernalwood resident. That makes her emimently qualified to write 7×7’s click-worthy guide to the “10 Best Dishes in Bernal for Under $10.”

I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but rest assured that fans of El Zocalo, Taqueria Cancun, Locavore, Sandbox Bakery, Avedano’s, El Porteno, Paulie’s Pickling, Moonlight Cafe, Good Frickin’ Chicken, and Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack will not be disappointed.

Photo: Spaghetti marinara from Emmy’s, by ericsballoons

The Letter of the Law on Street Parking Near Driveways

/ Todd_Lappin / 39 Comments

Stencils of Doom

There’s been a lot of debate in the comments about Rhoda’s response to the anonymous neighbor who put an exasperated note on the windshield of her parked car regarding a perceived driveway encroachment. The debate has been spirited but commendably civil — especially given the intensity of the passions that parking problems can arouse.

Amid the to-and-fro, reader Rebecca turned to the DPT’s official rulebook to point out that “the reference that the City requires you to leave a foot from the curb cut is total BS. There are published and posted rules, and that ain’t one of them:”

A driveway begins at the curb cut, or the point at which the curb begins to slope downward toward street level. A vehicle parked within curb cuts can be cited and towed. Even partial encroachments into the driveway area can result in a tow.

Some driveways are marked with short red curb markings that indicate where vehicles should not park. Only red zones painted by the City with a DPT or MTA stencil are enforced. It is illegal for private parties to paint curbs or other markings on the street.

Residents can block their own driveways only if the building the driveway serves has two or one units and the vehicle’s license plate is registered to the building’s address. All other types of driveway parking can be cited.

So sayeth the Official Arbiters of Parking Legality. Hooray for facts! Hooray for Rebecca for bringing facts to the party!

Our beloved DPT even offers a handy print n’ bitch windshield flyer — with objective visual guidelines! — you can use to scold blatant driveway offenders.

(Thanks to someJuan for the pointer to the DPT flyer!)

Photo: The Stencil of Doom, by Telstar Logistics

Alemany Flea Market Report: February Fun in the Sun Edition

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

Flea Market - February 2011

Flea Market - February 2011

Flea Market - February 2011

Flea Market - February 2011

The weather last weekend was glorious, and my 3 year-old insisted that she needed a watch. (“Can I get one that has numbers??” she asked hopefully.) So off to the Alemany Flea Market we went. We quickly found the perfect watch — a pink plastic one, with numbers! For two bucks! So with our mission accomplished I wandered the aisles to take a few snapshots of whatever caught my eye.

Photos: Telstar Logistics

Inconsiderate Hawk Makes Bloody Mess While Devouring Pigeon in Bernalwood Back Yard

/ Todd_Lappin

Reader Ken wrote to us to describe a scene of animal barbarism that arrived on his rear doorstep last weekend. Although Bernalwood does not condone avian-on-avian violence, we share this tale as a public service to our local pigeons and sparrows.

We have two Cooper’s Hawks that visit our yard frequently to dine on the wild birds we feed. Every few days the bluejays, sparrows, and finches explode into a flurried panic as one of their buddies gets snatched up in mid-flight and taken to a high up branch to satisfy one of the hawks’ protein fixes. Often the hawks will sit on the rail of our deck, sunning themselves while plotting their next attack. They are beautiful and amazing. But every time I try to photograph one, their superior rod and cone count triggers a flight response. I have only a couple of images so far.

Pigeons are the unwanted side effect of feeding the other birds, which include many unusual migrating species. Yesterday the progeny of the pair of hawks — an adolescent at best — came swooping into the yard and slammed into a pigeon which was walking around under the feeders, playing the best “sitting duck” role of his short life.  Sitting on top of the still-alive pigeon, the hawk dug in, tearing at him, feathers flying everywhere and blood, lots and lots of blood. We had a front row seat, with the carnage taking place about 6 feet from our desks on the other side of a window. At one point the hawk was bothered by a flapping wingm so he just ripped it off. I actually started feeling compassion for the pigeon, wishing the hawk would have just snapped him in two, putting him to death quickly. He spent about an hour pulling apart the pigeon and scattering his remains all over our stone patio, fence, and planter boxes.  I’m about to begin my Sunday with a hose and shovel, cleaning up after Mother Nature.

Photo: Courtesy of Ken

A Public Response to the Anonymous Neighbor Who Left This Cranky Note on Rhoda’s Car Last Week

/ Todd_Lappin / 34 Comments

The residents of Bernalwood take justifiable pride in the neighborly goodwill people here display toward one another. Yet if there is one topic that turns even the most affable local into a snarling and self-interested Hobbesian, it is street parking. In the struggle for automotive survival, woe be unto the miserable soul who might infringe upon another’s prerogative to park.

Rhoda is a Bernal Heights resident who found the anonymous note shown above affixed to the windshield of her tiny, Bernal-optimized Smart car last week. Rather than seethe about this privately, Rhoda chose instead to seethe to Bernalwood — and with her permission, we are quite happy to republish her response here.

I live on Newman St, and this morning I woke up to find this nasty letter taped to my car.  The offended neighbor left it anonymously, with no contact info for me to respond to their complaint, so I thought I would send my response to our fabulous neighborhood blog, and should the blog masters deem it worthy, post it, so that perhaps next time that neighbor might leave contact info along with the offending letter, so that I might actually engage in dialogue directly with them.  To my neighbor:

While I commend you for  your commitment to the enforcement of the law, I would like to point out, that:

1.  I was not in violation of the 1 foot rule – in fact I left approximately 16″. Shall I paint the inch marks on the curb for you so that in the future that’s more clear?

2.  Not all of us have garages and driveways in which to park our vehicles, and in consideration of that fact, I purchased a Smart car so that I would not have to take up excessive, precious space on our street.  The spot where I parked by your driveway is only big enough for my car, so I parked there, leaving extra space in other places on the street for our other neighbors who own large vehicles and don’t have garages – would an inconsiderate neighbor do that?

3.  Laying on the horn of your car for 5 minutes in order to get someone to move their vehicle that you deem “too close to your driveway,” does not qualify as being considerate to your neighbors, especially when those neighbors are still sleeping – just sayin’.

That is all.

Rhoda

Well said.

Meanwhile, for a very neighborly set of guidelines from a local garage-owner who’s home is “bracketed by two Smart Car-sized spots,” don’t miss these thoughtful rules-of-the-road from Bernalwood reader CG.

Interim Mayor Ed Lee Greets the Natives on Cortland Avenue

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

Mayor Edwin Lee greets merchants in District 9 with Supervisor David Campos

Ed Lee, our City’s interim mayor, went for a stroll along Cortland Avenue with Distruct 9 Supervisor David Campos last weekend, and Sing Tao Daily was on hand to cover the scene:

天氣晴朗，春意盎然。三藩市市長李孟賢昨天展開首次巡街「走透透」的行程，以步行的方式挨家挨戶探訪Bernal Heights社區商家與市民，希望藉此了解民眾需求，作為政府施政與建設考量的方針。據悉李孟賢下一站可能前往訪谷區巡街。

受第9區市參事坎帕斯（David Campos）之邀，三藩市市長李孟賢昨天前進Bernal Heights社區，沿著Cortland大道訪問商家與市民，李孟賢除親切問候外，也向商家們詢問三藩市當局是否有可以幫手改善市況與街道硬體設施的地方，期望能夠在眾人齊心協力下，改善市民生活品質與促進地方小商業的經濟發展。

一路上民眾都向李孟賢的到來表示歡迎，不少人更要求合影留念。喜歡甜食的李孟賢更掏腰包跟一名為學校籌款義賣的小女孩買了5條巧克力棒，表示要與家人分享。

Bernal Heights社區除了住宅外，更是許多小商業蓬勃發展的地區，書店、雜貨店、影碟出租店、咖啡廳、寵物店皆是小本經營模式商家。

李孟賢表示，所謂刺激地方商業，首先就要以行動支持本地店家做起。

這是李孟賢首次以社區為單位進行步行尋街訪問，接下來他的足跡也將擴展到市內其他社區，正在考量的下一個地點為三藩市南面的第10區，有許多華人聚集的訪谷區可能是屆時確切的巡街地點。

UPDATE 9 Feb, 2011: Darcy from Heartfelt on Cortland managed to get some facetime with hizzhonor Mayor Lee during his visit, and sent this photo along. Work it, Darcy!

Photo: Top, Mayor Ed Lee on Cortland, with supervisor David Campos and a typical fashion-obsessed Bernalian, via Mayor Ed Lee’s Flickr account

Off the Hill: A Better Boathouse, A Brand New Brewpub, A Crooked Cop, and Bickering Neighbors at Sundance

/ Todd_Lappin

Stow Lake

Let’s catch up on things that are happening elsewhere in the City…

Interim Mayor Ed Lee is on Twitter (but he’s not very popular)

The Boathouse at Stow Lake will soon get an upgrade (City Insider)

Someone found a few hand grenades inside a house on Potrero Avenue (KCBS)

A new brewpub plans to open in The Mission, hopefully this spring (Mission Loc@l)

A documentary about bickering neighbors in the Lower Haight was shown at Sundance (Haighteration)

The City has a plan to preserve Modern architecture built between 1935 and 1970 (SocketSite)

A Richmond District police office charged with embezzlement and fraud (Richmond District Blog)

How to replace your bike’s handlebars with a Land Rover steering wheel (MissionMission)

Coyotes have been spotted around Park Presidion Boulevard (Richmond District Blog)

Photo: Stow Lake paddle boats, by Linda Waterfield