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Is Steve Wozniak Buying Weed in Bernal Heights?

/ Todd_Lappin / 5 Comments

Bernal Heights Collective

Does this count as a Celebrity Sighting?

EITHER someone is doing a very rude impersonation of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on Twitter and Foursquare, OR the real Steve Wozniak just checked in at the Bernal Heights Collective to replenish his medical stash.

UPDATE: Apparently, this was posted by a rude impersonator. In the comments, Shason and Bigethan point out that @stevewoz is the verified Woz. Good thing, too, because @appleinnovator seemed too vain, and posting from BHC seemed too unwise. That said, the real Woz doth perhaps overshare as well.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics

Let the Chase Begin!! Bernal’s Bullitt Cameo, Then and Now

/ Todd_Lappin / 12 Comments

Although Bernal Heights has earned many a claim to Hollywood fame, my favorite is the role our neghborhood played in Bullitt, the 1968 Steve McQueen classic. It’s a great flick, but the most famous part, of course, is the epic car chase that screeches and sprawls around the street of San Francisco.

Bernal Heights plays a starring role here, because the chase itself gets underway just on the other side of US 101, near the intersection of Bayshore and Marin (near the site of the current car wash). The vroom-vroom action begins at the intersection  Army/Cesar Chavez and Precita Avenue, when two goons driving a Dodge Charger try to put the move on McQueen in his Ford Mustang. This screen grab shows the very moment when the chase gets underway:

Notice Bernal Hill making a cameo in the background, looking green and properly manicured. But perhaps the most interesting thing about this moment in the film is how little this corner of the neighborhood has changed in the last 40 years:

Fun stuff. From here the chase heads up York Street before turning onto Peralta, and from there it careens around San Francisco without rhyme or reason, as McQueen screeches around the corner in one part of town – only to reemerge in another. neighborhood, miles away.

The chase is a fun ride, and if you want to see it again, you can watch the thing right here:

Drive safely!

Hat Tip: @burritojustice

Star Sighting: Mayor Ed Lee Visits Bernal’s New Mini-Park

/ Todd_Lappin / 10 Comments

Mayor Lee

Vista Pointe Gardens

Hey there celebrity-spotters! Guess who dropped by Bernalwood yesterday? Why, it was our very own interim mayor, the Honorable Ed Lee! The Mayor was here to take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for our fabulous new Vista Pointe Garden mini-park on Bernal Heights Boulevard, and it was a very sweet little event.

Truth is, however, even though the Mayor is famous for his side-splitting charisma, drop-dead sense of style, and spectacular singing voice, the real star of the show was project director Julian Wyler, who spearheaded the volunteer effort to make this glamorous new park a reality. Say hello to Julian:

Vista Pointe Gardens

This is Mayor Ed giving Julian a well-deserved Certificate of Honor:

Vista Pointe Gardens

Then Mayor Ed and Julian cut the grand-opening ribbon with giant clown scissors:

Vista Pointe Gardens

Afterward, Julian and the Mayor had a bromantic moment:

Vista Pointe Gardens

But seriously… Immense thanks go out to Julian and all the volunteers from Friends of Bernal Gardens who helped make this new park possible. It is truly an impressive feat. And thanks to Mayor Ed for making the trek to Bernal Heights to recognize that fact.

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics

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

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

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.

Amazing Photos from 1878 Reveal Lost Peaks of Bernal Hill

/ Todd_Lappin / 8 Comments

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

Homegrown “I BART SF” Shirt for Transit Fashionistas

/ Todd_Lappin / 7 Comments

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

Artist Creates Travel Accessory for Homesick Bernalians

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

Viewables

Last weekend I found a must-have accessory for high-powered Bernal Heights executives who travel regularly for business.

I got it at “Cries of San Francisco,” a pop-up event in Mint Plaza downtown that was organized by the artsy folk at Southern Exposure:

The Cries of San Francisco is an interdisciplinary project that invites participants to make and sell crafted wares on Market Street, while “crying out” publicly on subjects of their own choosing. Merchants of food, flowers, sand, and matches; charcoal vendors and chimney-sweeps; basket sellers, knife and scissor grinders, chair menders, and love song writers: in urban folklore, whether as trickster border-crossers or as anchorless outcasts, street criers represent a liminal space between worlds. Questioning the essentialized personification of trades that historically locate economies of craft in and on the body, and by using the framework of historic street cries to articulate new subject positions, this project presents participants with an opportunity to consider their roles in historical processes.

Yeah. That. Anyway, one the peddlers was selling these cute pocket-sized transparency viewers, each of which contained an image of a San Francisco neighborhood. There was even one for Bernal Hill:

Bernal Hill City Viewer

Of course I bought it. And when I held it up to my eye, here’s what I saw inside:

Pocket Viewer

Oooh! Genius! A high-tech marvel! An instant cure for homesickness! Never runs out of batteries! Fits easily in any pocket, purse, or briefcase. Can be used anytime, in any hotel, aircraft, or mahogany-lined corporate boardroom! Someone needs to start selling these on Cortland Avenue — and in the pages of the Wall Street Journal.

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics

1939 Studebaker Time Capsule Emerges from Bernal Garage

/ Todd_Lappin / 6 Comments

Reader Karen was on hand last weekend when a car built during FDR’s presidency emerged from a Bernalwood garage for the first time since LBJ’s presidency:

Here’s a 1939 Studebaker being towed out of a garage at 1687 Alabama, a house that’s been derelict for the 8 years we’ve lived in the nabe — but which is now for sale by Shelley Trew. The owner of the car said it’s been sitting for 45 years. Some rust, but otherwise beautiful.

Karen was also kind enough to include a short video of the Studebaker emerging into the sunlight for the first time in a very long time. Bernalwood took the liberty of converting the video to slow-motion and adding a soundtrack for dramatic emphasis:

PHOTOS: Reader Karen

Sunrise Over Our Microwave Tower (Which Needs a Name)

/ Todd_Lappin / 26 Comments

Sunrise @ Bernal Heights

Sunrise @ Bernal Heights

Ilya Yakubovich took these colorful snaps of sunrise atop Bernal Hill early last week. Gorgeous!

Meanwhile, and related-unrelated, it occurred to me recently that Bernal’s iconic microwave tower really needs a name. Calling it “Microwave Tower” is pretty lame.

I don’t have any specific ideas per se, but I would generally propose that — like its bigger cousin Sutro Tower — the name should be simple and vaguely honorific. Even “Bernal Tower”would work, for example. That’s just an obvious proposal; the Nomenclature Committee will consider any and all suggestions; please submit them in the comments below.