Bernal Hill

A Meetup for Artists Atop Bernal Hill, Saturday

/ Todd_Lappin / 5 Comments

Pack up your charcoals and watercolors, because Reader Laurie brings news of a gathering for visual artists happening this weekend on Bernal Hill:

The just-formed Meetup group for San Francisco Urban Sketchers is having it’s first meeting this Saturday at 2:00, and it’s on Bernal Hill.

Here’s a description of the meetup:

Bernal Hill has great city views to sketch, but also plants, dogs and people. Find me near the bulletin board on the south side of the hill (near the parking area). I’ll wear a red jacket but you can probably spot me by the sketchbook I’ll have out.

I’ll wait around until 2:30 to see who shows up, then will head off sketching. We’ll meet up afterwards at the Progressive Grounds Cafe (corner of Cortland and Bennington) to see how it went. Showing your sketches is optional.

If it’s raining we’ll meet at the Progressive Grounds to sketch people drinking coffee and writing emails, and maybe the odd lonely dog waiting outside.

The Meetup group is open to anyone, but I’m also always looking for sketching buddies to join me for a few quick sketches up the Hill.

IMAGE: View east from Bernal Hill, by Reader Laurie

Local TV News Covers Illegal Garbage Dumping in Bernal

/ Todd_Lappin / 10 Comments

The TV people from CBS5 Eyewitness News saw the Bernalwood story this week about the problem we face with sleazy contractors and other forms of human lowlife dumping huge piles of trash at the foot of Bernal Hill. CBS5 sent a crew over to do a story about it, and along the way that prompted The City to clean up the mess ASAP. (Thank you, DPW!)

But the bad news is… it seems there’s not much that can be done to address the problem in the long term. A video camera might work once or twice, but thereafter the vermin are likely to either disable the camera or hide their license plates. Regardless, it might be worth a try, eh?

I can’t embed the video here, but click to view the CBS5 video about Bernal’s illegal dumping problem.

PHOTO: Neighbor Regina

Another *&^%$#@!!! Dumping Incident on Bernal Hill

/ Todd_Lappin / 27 Comments

If you wander up to the Folsom Gate on Bernal Hill this morning, you will be greeted by this awful pile of trash dumped there by a thoughtless douchebag.  Our vigilant reporter on the hill says:

It’s now time for torches and pickaxes.

That’s a good idea, but an infrared video surveillance system might do some good as well.

UPDATE: Neighbor K tells us there was a dumping incident on Crescent last night as well:

Genuine Bernal Hill Fashion Looks Great, Costs Less

/ Todd_Lappin

Fashion Shoot

Never mind all that artificial Urban Outfitters fashion silliness; if you want an authentic glimpse of everyday Bernalwood style, check out this sporty gentleman I photographed during a walk on Bernal Hill on Saturday afternoon.

For the record, I’d estimate the cost of his ensemble as follows:

  • White t-shirt: $8
  • Designer jeans: $60
  • Brown leather belt: $15
  • Nike shoes: $55
  • View from Bernal Hill: Priceless

Urban Outfitters Uses Bernal Hill for Glamorous Catalog Shoot

/ Todd_Lappin / 8 Comments

OMG! Since everyone knows that everyone in Bernalwood is totally glamorous and maniacally style-obsessed, we’re quite sure everyone in Bernal Heights is eagerly awaiting the arrival of their February 2012 Urban Outfitters catalog!

When you open up your catalog, you’ll immediately notice that UO used Bernal Heights as the setting for a few of their super-chic fashion spreads:

I love how Urban Outfitters used totally typical Bernal residents as supermodels. And in terms of the clothes themselves, they completely nailed the way we actually dress here. (Sh*t Bernalites Say: “Honey, does this $54 plaid shirt coordinate well with my $85 suede moccasins?”)

Thoughfully, Urban Outfitters even included a sexxxy shot that will likely to appeal to certain Sutro Tower-loving separatists who reside in the La Lengua Autonomous Zone.

Thanks to reader Oliver for bringing this to our attention.

UPDATE: Look what arrived in Neighbor Regina’s mailbox today!

There’s also this “making of” video that shows in-progress footage of the catalog shoot. If you enjoy seeing models get paid to look blasé and very bored, you’ll LOVE this. The Bernal footage kicks in at around 0:26…

Sunday Night’s Sunset, in Bernal Hill Surround-O-Vision

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

Bernalwood Sunset

I happened to be traveling from Cortlandia to the Precitaville Administrative Zone on Sunday evening just as the sun was settling down for the night. The sky was exploding with oranges and pinks, so I took a few iPhonecam pics (with a boost from the awesome TrueHDR app) as I headed around Bernal Hill.

I started with the view to the southwest, in the photo above. This was what I saw as I headed east down Bernal Heights Boulevard:

Bernalwood Sunset

Bernalwood Sunset

Bernalwood Sunset

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics

City Meeting About Bernal Hill Trail Restoration – Tonight!

/ Todd_Lappin / 7 Comments

Bernal Heights Park

Neighbor Joe Thomas call our attention to things afoot in the park up the hill.

The San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks will hold a meeting about trail improvements on Bernal Hill, tonight (1/25) at 6 pm in the library on Cortland.

The Recreation and Park Department is hosting a series of community meetings to discuss future trail restoration improvements to the Bernal Heights Trail.

Your input is important and will help us to improve the Bernal Heights Trail in a way that is most beneficial to the community.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Project Excerpt: Bernal Hill rises out of the Mission District, offering 360-degree views of San Francisco and the bay. This grassland has outstanding wildflower displays in spring, and provides abundant hunting grounds for hawks, owls, and coyotes. The Urban Trails Program will improve access and safety throughout Bernal Hill by routing trails away from cliffs and unstable terrain while continuing to provide access to multiple points of interest. To the extent possible, trails will be realigned to grades of 10 percent or less. Park entry points and trailheads will be clearly marked by plants and wayfinding signs.

Joe also points out that this project is budgeted to cost $750,000 (!!!). In the handbill below, note also that future meetings are still to come”

PHOTO: Daniel Ramirez. 

49ers Win Triggers Rare “Ocean Sunset” Visible from Bernal Hill

/ Todd_Lappin

Mike McCabe sent us this amazing photo of Saturday’s sunset:

On Saturday night, I saw the sun set just inside the tiny segment of ocean visible from Bernal Summit – a sight only visible for a few weeks each year. As the days get longer, it’ll set farther and farther north – hidden behind Twin Peaks.

After the sun went down, the city erupted in cheering and honking horns. San Franciscans love a good sunset!

Well, sort of. I happen to know that at right about the same time, the San Francisco 49ers were defeating the New Orleans Saints at Candlestick Park, in one of the craziest game-ending clinchers I’ve ever seen. And I know this because I was watching the end of the game (and the sunset) from my back yard — precisely because I love hearing the neighborhood erupt whenever these sorts of media-driven events happen. Indeed, while Mike was up on the hill savoring the sunset, here’s what the neighbors were seeing:

So while the sunset was great, it probably doesn’t quite explain all the hoopla. But a stunning ocean sunset… AND a 49ers victory? At the exact same time? Coincidence??? I think not.

PHOTO: Mike McCabe

We Are Bernal Heights. We Are The People of the Chert

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

We are Bernal Heights.

We are the People of the Chert.

We are the People of the Chert, and we are growing larger! In the remote terrain high above San Francisco, @willak captured this SHOCKING photographic evidence of a new species of giants spawned by the red chert of our beloved mother hill.

But, much like redwood trees, even the most massive Bernal giant starts out small:

Already she knows that she is Person of the Chert. Here we see her making an offering of chert to her Bernal forbearers.

Keep an eye this creature… one day, she will be huge.

PHOTOS: From top, Telstar Logistics, @willak, @wendyverse

The “Impossible” Bernal Hill 360 Panorama

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

There's about 270° more where this came from.

Joe Thomas created an impossible photograph: A 360-degree panorama of the view from atop Bernal Hill:

I’m a fan of our little Sutrito Tower, but the fact that it’s fenced off makes it impossible to take in the full 360° panorama of gorgeous views we have at the top of Bernal Hill. So I thought I’d try to create a synthetic panorama from pictures taken just outside of the fence, and stitch them together with software. My first effort, using the Autostitch app for iPhone, didn’t turn out too well — lots of double-vision blurriness at the seams. Still, that was better than Photosynth, which refused to even try stitching when it thought I’d moved too far between shots.

Via Twitter, I learned that Burrito Justice had the same idea a few years back, and had good results with Panorama. I tried it. Frustrating UI. I ended up just taking a bunch of pictures in the Camera app, working my way around the hill. Also via Twitter, I’d gotten a suggestion to try Microsoft’s Image Composite Editor — a panorama-making desktop app for Windows. I have to say, it did a pretty nice job stitching together the 30 pictures I took around the hill.

It’s an amazing photo. A laptop or PC is recommended, and a large monitor is even better. To see the whole thing, click right here:

(CAUTION: large file.)

PHOTOS: Joe Thomas

Ski Bernalwood: Snow Report and New Upgrades

/ Todd_Lappin / 47 Comments

Hello Skiers and Snowboarders!

Thanks to all of you who bought a 2012 Ski Bernalwood season pass. As you know, your 2012 Ski Bernalwood season pass allows you to take unlimited advantage of Ski Bernalwood’s extensive lift and trail network anytime during normal operating hours. Thanks for helping to make Ski Bernalwood San Francisco’s premier wintersports resort destination.

We’ve made several exciting improvements for the 2012 season:

NEW TRAILS:

On the north face, we’ve opened up more advanced terrain for more adrenaline-powered ski and snowboarding excitement. The new run is called Stoney Grotto, and it’s accessible from either of Ski Bernalwood’s high-speed chairlifts via the eastern side of the Sutrito Summit Lodge complex.

NEW TERRAIN PARK:

On the southeastern slope, we’ve created Haunted House, a new terrain park equipped with epic tabletop jumps, steep jibs, and a full half-pipe.  Stow your tray table, fasten your seatbelt, and bring your seat to the full upright position, because there will be some Very. Big. Air. happening at the new Haunted House park.

NEW DINING OPTIONS:

We’re proud to welcome several new food vendors to the Sutrito Summit Lodge, to satisfy your hunger during an exciting day on the slopes. Inside, look for the new Pasta Bar operated by Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack, as well as hearty, seasonal fare offered at the Bernal Supper Club Cafe. In a hurry? Grab some tasty pastries from the Sandbox Bakery cart, located on the South Patio. Apres ski, have a cocktail with bartenders from the Royal Cuckoo as they mix it up for you and your pals.

NEW DOGGIE DAY CARE AND FITNESS CLASSES:


You asked for it, and we got it! Last year, dozens of Ski Bernalwood passholders asked us to provide a safe place to drop-off their doggies before heading out to the slopes. This year, FitBernalFit will offer doggie day care during our regular lift-operation hours, with Iditerod Fitness Classes offered for your dog daily at 11 am and 2 pm. The FitBernalFit drop-off area is located at the base of the Vista Pointe Lift.

SNOW REPORT
So many exciting new things. But let’s not forget the most exciting news of all: As you may have heard, Winter 2012 is getting off to a historically dry start in Lake Tahoe. As our friends at Squaw Valley put it last week:

Tahoe is really not looking good, humans. It literally hasn’t snowed yet this winter. I know that we all need to hold onto the hopeful idea that one big storm could change everything, but that one big storm is not on the horizon. There is nothing in the two week forecast, again. We are looking at nothing until at least mid-January…or later. I want to be optimistic, but we have to look at the numbers.

Fortunately, we have no such problems here in Bernal Heights. After the epic snowfall last week, followed by the bluebird skies last weekend, conditions at Ski Bernalwood have never been better. We’ve got at 48″ base with powder or packed powder on 100 percent of our trails, and the forecast calls for continued sun and fun throughout the week.

Come on out to ride with us at Ski Bernalwood, enjoy steep verticals, and don’t forget your sunscreen!

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics