On some level, anyone who lives in this City learns that there are really two San Franciscos: The public City we see at street level, and the secret City that’s only visible from private back yards.

Though not much distance ever separates them, the quiet spaciousness of backyard San Francisco is often a world apart from the shoulder-to-shoulder bustle of life on the street. That’s even more true in hilly parts of town, where the topography of the City’s steep grades is fully revealed only within the sheltered perimeter of the surrounding homes.

Here’s one such place: Precita Valley, on the north slope, between Mirabel (above) and Precita (below). It also happens to be the view I wake to every day from my bedroom window.

It’s a whole ecosystem that only the locals get to see.

Photo: Telstar Logistics

That’s how SFist described this photo by Bernalwood’s own Troy Holden. We’d beg to differ, because the photo omits a small dog, a Ferrari, an opulent mansion, and a supermodel lounging by a swimming pool. But perhaps we quibble…

Photo: Troy Holden

As seen on the south slope.

After almost a week of cold, driving rain, it felt so fantastic to feel of the warm sun on my face yesterday while soaking up the verdant energy of Bernal Hill in full bloom.

Photos: Telstar Logistics

Let’s explore the world beyond Bernal Heights, shall we?

Superb Historic Photos of Snowstorms in San Francisco (SFGate)

Tom Ammiano Wants to Make It Profitable to Sell Pot (The Snitch)

Vigilante Cyclists Identify and Photograph Mission Bicycle Thief (Uptown Almanac)

Waterfront Development Plans for the America’s Cup Race (CurbedSF)

Prices Fall for Those New Townhouses on Harrison near Precita (SocketSite)

Colorful MUNI Fast Passes of Yesteryear (Muni Diaries)

Help Restore a 200 Year Old Mural at Mission Dolores (Curbed SF)

Four Seasons in One Day at Ocean Beach (The Richmond Blog)

“Town Square” Parklet Proposed for 24th Street in Noe Valley (Noe Valley SF)

Fifth Floor’s David Bazirgan Crowned “Hottest Chef in the Bay” (Eater SF)

Photo: Shotwell Street between 22nd and 24th, Feb. 5, 1887, via SFGate

Interesting things are happening in the comments to Bernalwood’s post about the NIMBY who prompted the City to declare a vintage Coca-Cola billboard illegal. Apart from some enlightened thinking about where personal neurosis should end and personal responsibility begin, our armchair historians are working to verify the provenance of the sign to demonstrate to the City that it pre-dates our current sign zoning laws.

It was only a matter of time until the incomparable Burrito Justice –the vassal blogger from nearby La Lengua — busted out some of his history kung-fu.  His sleuthery is typically impressive: Mr. Burrito has confirmed that the private home upon which the classic Coca-Cola sign now appears was the location of Tipton’s Grocery Store until the late 1960s. We now also know that Mr Tipton was a painter, so he may have even painted the original Coca-Cola sign himself. BOOYA!

Even better, Bernalwood reader Frank P. submitted a first-person recollection of the store this morning that provides a vivid description of what it was really like:

I grew up in that neighborhood and went to school at Paul Revere in the late 60’s-early 70’s.  The building used to be a corner grocer, one that would be swamped with kids buying bubblegum, trading cards, and penny candy as soon as school let out.  It was shoulder to shoulder kids in that little store, the stressed out owner running the register while at the same time trying to keep an eye on all of us.  I think the store was Tipton’s as the owner was refereed to as “Mrs. Tips” by all of us.
Could well have been an advertisement for Coca Cola back then, don’t remember it though.

Our search for clues continues…

UPDATE 23 February, 2011: Bernalwood has obtained airtight historical evidence that the Coke mural was likely created during the 1940s — well before the City’s 1965 ordinances went into effect. Read all about it.

Image: 1950 Sanborn map overlay on current Google Map, by Burrito Justice

When you look downtown from atop Bernal Hill, one of the most prominent landmarks you notice is One Ricon Tower, the big skyscraper near the Bay Bridge that looks like a gigantic Ionic Breeze air purifier.

But what does the view look like from the opposite vantage point? With your feet planted firmly on Bernal’s ancient soil chert, have you ever wondered what the swells in One Rincon see when they look back at us from the safety and comfort of their posh living rooms? The above show a view of Bernal, taken from One Rincon

Let’s zoom in for a closeup:

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics

Danielle Lazier is a realtor with Zephyr Real Estate, and the author of SFHotlist. She offered to send along an update on residential sales trends in our sexy and glamorous neighborhood, so I took her up on the offer. Here’s what Danielle said:

Let’s start with the stats from last month:

Number of active listings: 41

Average list price: $728,573

Average days on market: 63

Number of sold: 66

Average sold price: $753,323

What’s the story behind the numbers? The Bernal Heights real estate market is blowing up. If a property is cute and priced right, it’s flying off the shelf.

In our little hamlet, we have very little “good” inventory right now. “Good” inventory is a listing that is priced realistically for today’s market. In other words, it’s either a “fixer” that’s an exceptional deal, or a nice place in a nice location that is priced fairly

A few recent examples that caught my attention :

301 Montcalm, asking $695,000, received 17 (!) offers and is in contract for a lot more money than the asking price. This 2-bedroom house is on the north slope with killer views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks, and Downtown. A nice single family home with views asking $695,000 was bound to get attention because that’s a killer deal in this market. It’s also a smart strategy for the seller as it created a bidding war.

3764 Folsom St sold for $1,150,000 over the holidays without even hitting the MLS or public market. I found this kind of amazing because Folsom Street off Cortland doesn’t usually elicit this high of a price. IMO, this just shows how the gentrification of Cortland is bleeding further down towards Bayshore. Must be the Lowe’s! 😉

The Bernal Heights market is doing well and recovering nicely from the downturn. I know, I know, as a Realtor you expect me to be a perky cheerleader always saying “the market’s great!”. Believe me when I say that I am not and never have been a cheerleader… I’m a bit more indie than that, thank you.

The news may be reporting prices down and foreclosures up in the Bay Area but the truth is that real estate is super local. What’s important to value is your local, micro-market. Just like SF has micro-climates, so do we have micro-markets. That’s even true in Bernal Heights, where there are about 3-4 micro-markets (north-slope, Cortland, south-east…). So while the nation is still in quite a mess, it’s not nearly as bad here in SF as most other areas and Bernal Heights is off to a good start in 2011.

More fun facts:

• The most expensive home sold in Bernal Heights since November 2010 was 1755 Alabama, a 3 bedroom single family with over 2000 square feet for $1,375,000.
• The least expensive sale was 24 Bosworth, a 4-room, bank-owned REO house for $305,000. A REO is a house that’s already gone through foreclosure and is now owned by the bank who took the house back from the seller.

TTYL.

Photo by Bernalwood’s Troy Holden

Is someone filming a “Lassie” remake on Bernal Hill? And if not, someone should. Mvagustaago shared this photo with Bernalwood, and it instantly reminded us of this:

I mean, the script practically writes itself…

LASSIE: Woof! Woof! Woof!

CONCERNED NEIGHBOR: Hi Lassie!

LASSIE: Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!

CONCERNED NEIGHBOR: What is it Lassie? Timmy’s in trouble!? He locked himself in the potty at Liberty Cafe!? Let’s go, Boy!”

Photos: by mvagustaago

Patrick Boury took this stellar photo from atop Bernal Hill just a little more than a year ago. It still looks fresh today.

While rebuilding the new sewer line on Bocana today, our friends at the City Department of Public Works unleashed a spurting dirt-fountain on the neighborhood. At least, we sure hope it’s dirt…

Even better, the effluent from said dirt-fountain flowed down to Eugenia and Cortland, creating pools of muddy water that made Bernalwood look like a bayou. Good times!

Thanks to Arno for the photos and the tip!

You read about it here first, but now others are talking about “Bernal Heights,” a way-new tune by Jhameel that’s named after our favorite neighborhood.

The Burning Ear, a music blog, had this to say about it:

Hopefully you all remember Jhameel from his solid debut I covered last year. An intriguing character with some unique musical stylings, he’s dropped another free album, The Human Condition, on us and I’m quite pleasantly impressed. His musicianship is tighter, his hooks catchier, and lyrics even sharper. “Bernal Heights” is an instant ear turner, with that swinging rhythm weaving between the creeping, stomping beat, while Jhameel’s perfectly punctuated vocals ground it all. Even though the song has an ominous vibe I still get the sense that Jhameel is having a lot a fun with his music.

In case you missed it last time, give “Bernal Heights” a listen right here:

The key lyrics for locals:

The night is everything and nothing in the city of fog
I feel the cool of the breeze I feel the coming of dawn
But there is comfort in the silence of the Heights of Bernal
It isn’t ever enough to cure the loneliest hearts

Or download all of Jhameel’s “Human Condition.”

This is what happens when San Francisco history geekdom is harnessed in the service of urban accessorizing. Put another way, it marks the spot where steampunk meets street punk. And the results look pretty awesome.

Jon Voss of the geeky-fab Lookback Maps time-machine has created a mass-kustomized skateboard deck adorned with vintage typography and graphics from an 1899 Sanborn Map of San Francisco:

History buffs will recognize the famous maker of fire insurance maps that give us some of our best information about what our city streets looked like 100 years ago. Skaters will look great shredding those same streets in the present.

So true. Has ever there been a design objet so historically accurate, so dope, and so fly — all at the same time? The question practically answers itself.

Check it. Ride it. Live it.

Want more geekage on the fantastic typography of Sanborn Maps? Burrito Justice is all over that.