People

Yoga Reading, Yoga Stretching with Alternadad Neal Pollack

/ Todd_Lappin

Writer Neal Pollack wrote “Alternadad,” an all-too-poignant memoir about the challenge of being male and remaining cool even after having a kid. Since he now (presumably) has the whole parenting thing down pat, Pollack’s has turned his attention to yoga, while anointing himself the “Hot Jew of the Yoga Generation.”

Oy. In any event, Pollack’s new book is called “Stretch: The Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude,” and you can attend a reading by the Yoga Dude himself at Bernal Yoga on Cortland from 7 to 9 pm on Saturday, March 5, 2011.

Missing Person: A Woman’s Father is Homeless, and He Has Been Sighted in Bernal Heights

/ Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

Have you seen this man?

Last week the SFWeekly ran an article about Kelli Christensen, a woman who is searching for her father. Her dad, Marty Christensen (shown above), is homeless and has been out of contact for decades. Now an anonymous tipster wrote to Bernalwood to suggest that the missing man may have taken shelter around Bernal Heights:

I live in South Bernal Heights and recently connected two things together.  Mainly, my dog’s favorite stranger is a man we know as Marty that we regularly see in the neighborhood and interact with.  You can imagine my surprise when I saw his name in the SFWeekly.com and several photos of him.  Evidently, he is homeless and his daughter is still looking for him.

I have seen him many times in the past two months near the Alemany Farmer’s Market and Bayshore Smart and Final.  I am sure many people in Bernal Heights will recognize him right away as a friendly guy that says hello.  He is always looking dapper and hardly fits the description of a homeless man with a drinking problem like it says in the article.  For this reason, this charming man named Marty Christensen may be hiding in plain sight!

If you could, please have neighbors help find him, and, if they do, have him call his daughter.  I texted her on January 20th, 2011 to tell her the news, and she asked me to reach out to locals in South Bernal Heights.  She will be back in February to follow up in the neighborhood.

Kelli Christensen’s telephone number was published at the SFWeekly as (559) 312-7264.

Photo: SFWeekly

A Historic Tale of Art and Total Elation on Alabama Street

/ David Gallagher / 5 Comments

A few years back, I went to the Bernal Heights Outdoor Film Festival. On that particular night the location was on Bernal Heights Boulevard, on the slope leading easterly towards Folsom Street. I remember it being extremely cold and uncomfortable. The other thing I remember, apart from the fact that it was kind of a crappy place to see a movie, was a film called “Yield To Total Elation” (by Pat Ferrero). It told the story of a reclusive draftsman who lived and worked for more than 50 years in a tiny house on Alabama Street in Bernal Heights.

From 1935 to 1944, A.G. Rizzoli produced a large body of architectural drawings of fantastical buildings — some of which were symbolic representations of friends and relations, most notably his mother. The drawings from this period are all part of a larger environment loosely based on the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, a world’s fair based in what would become San Francisco’s Marina District.

In 1935 Rizzoli began exhibiting his work, The Achilles Tectonic Exhibit, on the walls of the Alabama Street home he shared with his mother. Patrons included friends, relatives, and neighborhood children. Overall, it was kind of like the Open Studios of today.

The First Achilles Tectonic Exhibit

The book, A.G. Rizzoli: Architect of Magnificent Visions provides a detailed schematic look at the Achilles Tectonic Exhibit of 1940, with a 10′ by 13′ room crammed with over 50 artworks.

Rizzoli died unknown in 1982, 5 years after a debilitating stroke necessitated moving from the Bernal Heights home he’d lived in since 1933. His works were “discovered” in 1990 and his life has captivated people ever since.

A.G. Rizzoli on the Internet:

The Ames Gallery – Berkeley

A. G. Rizzoli: Architect of Magnificent Visions. by Jo Farb Hernandez, John Beardsley, and Roger Cardinal.

Yield to Total Elation, a film by Pat Ferrero

Our Exclusive Interview with the New Mayor of Bernal Heights Park

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

You may not have voted for him, but Ben Calvin recently became the new mayor of Bernal Heights Park. That is, he’s the new mayor of Bernal Heights Park on Foursquare, the location-based social media thingy. Since it seemed unlikely that our *other* new mayor would entertain our probing questions — come to think of it, we didn’t vote for him either! — Bernalwood asked Ben to tell us about his new title, his political agenda, and his four-legged aide-de-camp.

Congratulations! You’re now the Foursquare mayor of Bernal Hill. How does it feel?

I treasure both my Foursquare mayoralities — in addition to Bernal Hill I am also the mayor of Pastores,  the tiny Mexican restaurant on Mission Street at Cortland. Both are special to me.

How hard did you campaign to win the title? Did you get any help along the way?

I owe it all to my dog Tennyson. Without him there is no way I would be out there everyday at 7:00 AM. I may be the mayor, but Tennyson is the King of Bernal Hill. (Editor’s note: Tennyson may have to fight for the throne.)

What’s your favorite thing about Bernal Hill?
There is a real community of dogs (and their owners) who are a pleasure to know. We have a 10 year-old son, so I already knew the kid side of Bernal, but thanks to Tennyson I’ve met a lot of other great people and their dogs.

We got Tennyson through Wonderdog Rescue. They are a (mostly) small dog rescue organization, so if you’re thinking of getting a dog I recommend them highly.

What’s your least favorite thing about Bernal Hill?

The periodic midnight trash dump, and the occasional police activity. However in the early morning that’s fairly rare.

Now that you’re mayor, what’s your political agenda?

I’d like to see the Illegal Soap Box Derby return to the hill. There was one in November 2009, which the police curtailed. I don’t think we’ve had one since.

If you could change anything about the park, what would it be?

There is a certain amount of nefarious nighttime activity which comes and goes. Keeping that in check needs to be a priority.

How do you plan to stay on top?

Constant vigilance.

Photo: Ben Calvin and Tennyson

The Lowrider Scene Outside the Precita Center Toy Drive

/ Todd_Lappin

Toy Drive

Toy Drive

Toy Drive

They held a charity toy drive at the Precita Valley Community Center last weekend, and a bunch of the fellas from a few of the local car and motorcycle clubs showed up to be charitable. Everyone was in good spirits — according to one attendee, “we all got to know each other while working on the movie” — and a colorful time was had by all.

Lots more photos, here.

Photos: Testar Logistics

What Kevin from Bernal Heights Wants Our Next Mayor to Do

/ Todd_Lappin / 5 Comments

NextMayorSF.com has compiled a collection of interviews that capture opinions on what San Franciscans want their next mayor to do.

Kevin was invited to represent Bernal Heights, and he represents with gusto:

I don’t like Chris Daly, and I don’t want Tom Ammiano. I get really tired of those progressives who only have one issue: the poor, the poor, the poor. Well, I’m a middle class guy who spent 19 years saving money to buy a house in San Francisco, and they don’t care about me. No one really cares about the middle class in San Francisco. You’re either really poor, or you’re really rich. The rest of us in San Francisco — no one really cares about us.

Bernalite Matt Stewart Talks About Bernal Heights

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

IMG_5197

One of the things Bernalwood likes to talk about is the way we talk about Bernal Heights. The only thing better, really, is when we can talk about people talking about talk about Bernal Heights.

Got that? Because that explains why it’s interesting that Bernal Heights resident and Twitter novelista Matt Stewart recently said some interesting things about Bernal Heights in the SF Examiner’s Neighborhood section:

Stewart […] never imagined he’d end up calling Bernal Heights home. “I mostly moved to Bernal because my wife and I could afford a house here, barely,” explains Matt. “I’d always thought of Bernal as a quirky neighborhood that nobody goes to unless you know somebody there, which turned out to be 100% true.”

If you do find yourself in Bernal because, either you happen to be visiting someone there, or you fancy steep narrow avenues sporting bungalow-like houses that cling to their foundations against all odds (and gravity), then there are some highlights to note. “There’s a stunning art deco bench in Precita Park that was made from melted-down handguns in honor of a murdered couple” shares Matt. “Also, I love wandering around Bernal Hill—it feels like exploring the moon. And sunsets (there) are about as electrifying as it gets.”

All true! Then Matt gets to the dish:

On what else to expect from Bernal Heights after the sun goes down, Matt jokes, “The biggest change occurs around 7 pm, when the children are put to bed and we can all frolic naked in the streets.”

Matt’s Picks:

Favorite café?
Sandbox Bakery—get the drip coffee.
833 Cortland Avenue

Favorite Street?
Esmeralda. They have a block-long slide!

Favorite shop/store?
Red Hill Books. A literary goldmine in the space of one of Gavin Newsom’s smaller closets.
401 Cortland Avenue

Favorite place for dinner?
Moki’s, for sushi made with love.
615 Cortland Avenue

Favorite place to people watch?
If by people you mean dogs, and I think you do: Holly Park.

Favorite corner store?
Chuck’s. It looks like a run-of-the-mill corner store, but I’ve been able to find weird items there I can’t find elsewhere, like miniature bottles of champagne and a cocktail shaker at 7 pm on Christmas Eve.

Favorite local Blog?
https://bernalwood.wordpress.com/

See? That’s what we’re talking about!

Photo: Matt Stewart as photographed by Julie Michelle