Thursday: Bernal Word People Invited to Ad-Hoc Holiday Drink-Up at Lucky Horseshoe

/ Todd_Lappin

Bernaltypewriter1 Liz Weil is a world-famous writer (and glamorous Bernalwood contributor) who lives in Cortlandia. Last year she helped organize a terrific little gathering for writers and culture mavens who live in Bernal Heights, and it was so much fun that it’s happening again this year.

Come raise a glass! Liz says:

Hey folks. Last year’s Bernal Word People Holiday Gathering was such a success we decided to do it again.

It’s on for this Thursday, December 12, at the Lucky Horseshoe on Cortland, at 8 pm.

Please interpret Bernal and word people liberally. Even if you just like Bernal, or words , or people we’d love to see you there.

Visiting Brother-In-Law Snaps Epic Photographs from Bernal Heights

/ Todd_Lappin / 6 Comments

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Neighbor Deborah on Gates tells Bernalwood that her brother-in-law, Victor Dallons, came to visit during the Thanksgiving holiday. Victor was impressed with the views here in Bernal, so he took some photographs using his impressive long-exposure nighttime kung-fu techniques.

As Brother-in-Law Victor tells it:

We were in San Francisco for thanksgiving at Naomi’s sister’s house. We had a wonderful thanksgiving there. In the evenings, I went up on Bernal Heights, the hill up the street from their house, to take a few pictures of the city.

Here’s some more of Victor’s amazingness:

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Frankly, we think Brother-in-Law Victor should come visit more often.

PHOTOS: by Victor Dallons, 2013

Wednesday: Community Meeting to Review Home Construction Plans Below Bernal Hill

/ Todd_Lappin / 17 Comments

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Neighbor Alicia is spreading the word about a community meeting that will happen tomorrow, Wesdnesday December 11 at 7 pm at the Precita Neighborhood Center, to review a proposal to build two single-family homes on a patch of undeveloped land on Folsom near Chapman, on the south side of the hill just below Bernal Heights Blvd.

Here’s the meeting announcement:

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Wednesday: Bring Your Elves to the Winter Celebration at the Bernal Heights Library

/ Todd_Lappin / 5 Comments

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It’s time for the Annual Winter Celebration at the Bernal Heights Branch Library! It’s happening tomorrow, Wednesday, December 11 starting at 6:30 pm, and Miss Valerie, the children’s librarian, tells us:

Please join us for our annual celebration. The evening features the awesome Bernal Jazz Quartet playing seasonal selections, holiday craft making in the children’s room AND this year, our first COOKIE CONTEST & RECIPE SWAP! Celebrity judges are our own Stacie Pierce (Little Bee Baking) and Mutsumi Takehara (Sandbox Bakery.) Bring your favorite cookies with recipe, and maybe YOU will get a blue ribbon!

librarywinterPHOTO: Telstar Logistics, 2012

Bernal Author Publishes New Science Fiction Story

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

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Considering that the highest point in Bernal Heights is dominated by a Space Age antenna array used to transmit microwaves, it’s surprising that the Bernal Heights literary scene is not known for its homegrown science fiction. But Neighbor M. Luke McDonell of Precitaville is doing her part to put Bernal on the sci-fi map.

Her new ebook is called The Perfect Specimen:

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Dr. Derek Singh is sure that one of planet Victoria’s millions of venomous insects holds the key to destroying cancerous tumors–and jumpstarting his stalled career.

Unfortunately, the traps he sets each night capture nothing but dust, and his competitive colleagues don’t share the venom they’ve collected. The clock is running down on his two-year grant and he’s making no progress.

When his young neighbor–one of the few native-born children–finds out he studies “bugs,” she is eager to bring him all the specimens he needs. Derek worries she’ll be bitten or stung, but soon discovers Mia is in danger from a far larger predator–the corporation that funds him.

You can download The Perfect Specimen from Amazon for just 99 cents. (Sorry, no Bitcoin please.) But if you need convincing before parting with your hard-earned dollar, know that the reviews on Amazon are strong:

This short story by new Sci-Fi author M. Luke McDonell shows us a glimpse of an interesting and well thought out future world. A fun story with a satisfying end, it left me wanting more stories in this universe.

HAT TIP: Rusty/SomaFM

Then and Now: The View from a Horse Pasture on Mission Near Precita

/ Todd_Lappin / 6 Comments

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Bernalwood has received another photo shared from the family albums of Greg Dabel, the great, great grandson of Joseph McTigue, who owned a saddlery business that occupied the site that is now home to El Rio during the first decades of the 20th century.

In this installment, Mr. Dabel writes:

I scanned a couple of photos from the family album taken in 1923. My best guess is that these were taken standing in the open fields on the west side of Mission (between Army and Valencia).

Indeed! The photo above shows the view from one of the McTigue pastures. It was taken on the western side of Mission, looking east while standing on the site of the building that is now the former Sears department store.

And how do we know this? We know this because the two buildings in the background on the right side of the photo are still there! Check it:

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Here’s a bonus photo, also taken from the McTigue pasture. Bernalwood believes it shows the view looking north, with an apartment building that used to stand at the intersection of Mission and Army (Cesar Chavez) visible in the background:

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HISTORICAL PHOTOS: Courtesy of Greg Dabel

New Mural Contrasts Bernal Heights, Then vs. Now

/ Todd_Lappin / 16 Comments

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Neighbor Mark noticed a new mural by Precita Eyes that appeared recently on Alabama Street, just north of Precita.

On the left side of the mural, there is a late 20th century vision of 24th Street and Bernal Hill. The York Theater is open on 24th, while two humans chat on the sidewalk.

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On the right side, there is a newer view of the same scene. The York cinema has become Brava Theater, and the groovy sidewalk people are replaced by a bus. Bernal Hill is consumed by a curling wave of dollar bills, as a giant corporate hand clutches at the pile of money.

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One clear moral of this story: We should not turn people into buses. 

PHOTO: Mark Pritchard

Some Seasonal Excitement Involving Fire Trucks on Coleridge

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

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Last night, Neighbor Laura heard a commotion outside her house. Fire trucks on Coleridge!

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Drama! But not too much drama. Just a little bit of drama. With fire trucks! And Christmas lights! So seasonal.

Neighbor Jeremy noticed the scene as well, when he snapped the photo you see at top and introduced himself to Neighbor Laura. That’s Engine 32, based at the fire station on Holly Park. Thanks neighbors!

So what was all the fuss about? @jcbeat reported:

And the satisfying conclusion:

Animated GIF Shows Very Animated Nighttime View of New Bayfront Mural

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

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Neighbor Joe Thomas  (Codename: Jobius) operates a Bernalwood Observation Post at an upper altitude on the east side of Bernal Heights. He also uses this location as an Animated GIF manufacturing facility.

All this means that Jobius now spends a lot of time looking at the new Bayview Rising mural, and he’s excited to see the mural’s ability to transform at night, once they turn the lights on. In fact, Jobius is so excited about this that he forged an Animated GIF of the mural’s three nighttime color modes to simulate his future views.

Behold, his Animated GIF of Our Future Skyline:

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PHOTOS: Mural renderings via the Port of San Francisco.

Bernal Neighbor Becomes CEO of Glamorous Jazz Organization

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

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Neighbor Diane shares a tip that “a member of the Bernalwood tribe has taken on a CEO position in the SF music and cultural scene.”

Celebrity Alert! It seems Bernal Neighbor Donald Derheim, a skilled observer of Google Maps survey equipment, is leaving his executive gig at KQED to take the helm at SFJazz, in the sexy new SFJazz Center building on the corner of Franklin and Fell in Hayes Valley:

SFJAZZ, the leading nonprofit jazz organization on the West Coast, announced today that Donald Derheim will assume the position of Chief Executive Officer beginning January 2, 2014. Mr. Derheim joins SFJAZZ as it enters its next phase of growth and celebrates the milestone first anniversary of its new home, the critically acclaimed SFJAZZ Center. An accomplished media executive, Mr. Derheim served for more than two decades at public television and radio broadcaster KQED Inc. in San Francisco. In 2010, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, where he was responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of one of the most popular public and financially successful media companies in the country.

Mr. Derheim will work closely with SFJAZZ Founder and Executive Artistic Director Randall Kline to fulfill the SFJAZZ mission. As part of his CEO responsibilities, he will oversee long-term planning and development for the organization to further engage its members and audiences and will focus on the success and financial performance of the newly built SFJAZZ Center. Mr. Derheim will play a critical role in the development and diversification of new and existing funding sources, including revenue streams based on new technologies.

Congratulations and represent, Neighbor Donald!

Found: Are You Missing Your Parakeet?

/ Todd_Lappin / 6 Comments

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Neighbor Sara found this parakeet, and if it’s yours, she’d like you to have it:

I found this cute and cold parakeet this morning on Winfield near Esmeralda street. If you know someone who is missing it,  please have them contact me. It is safe and warm inside now, albeit in a bucket. Unfortunately, I am not equipped with a bird cage. Little yellow cheeks with blue dots on top.

Please contact the Bernalwood Small Bird Recovery Hotline (bernalwood@gmail) if you would like to claim the creature.

Thursday: Tis the Season for the 2013 Cortland Holiday Stroll

/ Todd_Lappin / 8 Comments

Holiday Stroll

Holiday Stroll

Many many many moons ago, in the time of our Bernal ancestors, a joyous tribe of elves lived in the Dominion of Bernalwood. Each year, during the run-up to the winter equinox, these proto-Bernalese would gather on the street we now call Cortland to celebrate the arrival of the rains and the season of lights.

Today, many tens of thousands of years later, the Bernal Business Association has revived this ancient ritual, in the form of the  Cortland Holiday Stroll. The 2013 Stroll happens this Thursday, December 5, from 6 to 9 pm, and in addition to the neo-traditional sidewalk merriment, there’s also a new Holiday Marketplace happening inside the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center.

Neighbor Michael Minson tells us all about it:

Our annual Winter Stroll is on Thursday, December 5th this year. Thousands of our neighbors (both in Bernal and beyond) will come to Cortland to kick off the holiday shopping season, Bernal-style!

This year, in addition to all the excitement on Cortland, the Bernal Business Alliance (BBA) is hosting a Holiday Marketplace in the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center.

Shoppers and their children will be entertained with music and food in the Neighborhood Center (BHNC) and along Cortland, while they check out what local merchants and artists have to offer.

The Bernal Heights Holiday Marketplace is open from 6p to 9p on Thursday, 5-Dec. It’s free to attend.

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PHOTOS: Images of Holiday Strolls from years past, by Telstar Logistics

These Are the 10 Least Expensive Homes for Sale In Bernal Heights Right Now

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

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Miss Sally, our friend at the CurbedSF website, just published a fascinating round-up of the 10 Least Expensive Homes for Sale in Bernal Heights right now:

We combed through the listings to check out the current residential real estate scene in Bernal Heights. Boundaires are above and are set by the realtors, though several Bernal Heights residents have agreed with them. As always, no property in contract was included on the map. The least expensive listing on the map is a 2-bedroom condo on Glady St. that’s asking $580K, and the most expensive is a single-family home that’s asking $1.299M. Let’s get this party started!

Click through to take a detailed look at each of the 10 homes. The absolute prices may be alarming, but in relative terms, this list suggests you can still buy a single-family house in Bernal Heights for less money than it costs in many other parts of the City. FWIW.