Alongside all the usual handbills about missing cats and lost dogs, this one on Folsom near Precita really stands out: An anatomy textbook has broken free of its shackles and is now on the loose.
If you happen to see an anatomy textbook rooting through your backyard, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE IT. Anatomy textbooks are notoriously jittery, and often quite heavy. Instead, remain calm and call a professional anesthesiologist to ensure that the text is safely subdued.
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
A tidy crowd assembled at Precita Park last weekend to take one of the newfangled electric bicycles from The New Wheel bike shop on a test drive up the fearsome Folsom Street hill.
Your Bernalwood reporter passed on Sunday’s opportunity, because I’d taken one of the bikes for a private ride the day before. My steed was a OHM Urban XU700 SE, which sells for $3699. It came with sporty amenities as leather grips, an air suspension, a rear rack and a 48V battery, in addition to a 0.5 horsepower electric motor tucked away in the rear hub. New Wheel owner Brett Thurber gave me a 30 second tutorial on how to adjust the bike’s motorized boost settings, and then I took off for adventure.
I started from The New Wheel shop on Cortland, but I immediately headed north, toward the top of Bernal Hill. The uniqueness of the electric bicycle became apparent from the moment when I began pedaling up Wool Street.
An electric bike is not like a scooter or a moped; the electric motor isn’t designed to work independently from the pedals. Instead, you pedal an electric bike just like a conventional bicycle, and when you do the electric motor provides a wonderful boost that makes each turn of the cranks carry you much, much farther than it would normally.
You can feel the assist from the electric motor as you pedal. It’s an odd sensation — kind of like having superhero strength or Six Million Dollar Man bionic implants. I was huffing and puffing when I reached the top of Wool, but I was huffing much less than I would have had I been on a regular bike, and the trip had taken about a third less time to complete.
I stopped to take a closer look at my machinery. There’s a little control panel on the right side of the handlebars that allows you to dial in how much electric-assist you want (as well as other bits of data such as power remaining, degree of battery-regenerating resistance, and so on). A thumb-activated “plus” switch lets you dial up the boost, and a “minus” reduces it. Below that, there’s a small red “cheat” button that activates the electric motor even when you’re not pedaling. (Brett Thurber hadn’t told me about that.)
From Wool I looped around Bernal Heights Boulevard and coasted down to Precita Park. Then I turned around to head up, up, up that fearsomely steep section of Folsom Street.
For your evidentiary satisfaction, this video captures the entire Folsom street climb, with musical accompaniment from the Bullitt soundtrack (which seemed appropriate).
As you can see, the electric bike made fast work of the hill, even though I was pedaling with one hand off the handlebars (to hold the video camera).
The electric bikes from The New Wheel are impressive machines. No, they’re not cheap; the least expensive one in the story goes for $2550. But then again, an electric bike is vastly cheaper than a Toyota Prius or a Chevy Volt, and much much much easier to park. For anyone looking for a practical way to get anywhere around town and get a little exercise at the same time, electric bikes may be an interesting option — even if your ride means a nightly trip home up that fearsome stretch of Folsom Street.
PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics
If a tree limb falls on Anderson Street but no one is there to tweet it, does it still make a sound?
Quite honestly, I have no idea. But if a tree limb falls on Anderson and Angel Cervantes finds it, at the very least we get an excellent photograph out of the deal. Angel tweets:
Broken tree limb on Anderson, but Bernal Heights survives Windpocalypse 2012.
PHOTO: Angel Cervantes
Books, booze, and a benefit for Bernal’s Paul Revere School… together at last! It happens TONIGHT on Cortland, and Neighbor Jake brings the details:
I’m a Bernal resident (Holly Park Circle) and my daughter also goes to one of Bernal’s public schools, Paul Revere. We’re having a fundraiser on Thursday, April 5 at Red Hill Books and The Lucky Horseshoe. The working title of the event is ‘Libations for Literacy.’ We’ll have live music! We’re also raffling off some pretty swell prizes, including an Apple TV, an iPod Shuffle, dinner for six delivery, a Sunset magazine package, a Succulent table-top garden, wine tasting for two at VinoRosso and a Fit Lite one-month membership.
In case you missed it, last week’s SF Examiner included a tasty little write-up about 903 Cortland, the new Sandbox Bakery spinoff that’s wowing Bernalwood:
Mutsumi Takehara — mother of two, elite pastry chef and owner of the Sandbox Bakery in Bernal Heights — wanted a place in her neighborhood where parents and kids could have a good time eating together. Her bakery started that mission two years ago, but 903, her restaurant down the block, completes it.
The tiny space has an open kitchen with an ordering counter and only 15 seats around three communal tables in the back, not counting the high chairs lined up against the wall. Thai chef Nute Chulasuwan and Mexican chef Miguel Rosas play in the kitchen, each day creating dishes for the daily-changing menu.
With Takehara’s Japanese sensibility, 903 becomes a United Nations of cooking: Japanese, Thai, Mexican.
And American, because Mutsumi’s contractor husband, Mike Bradsord, is responsible for moist smoked brisket and chickens that turn on the rotisserie he installed. Some dishes insouciantly fuse two or three national cuisines, though others represent just one.
PHOTO: 903 Cortland’s rice burger filled with Japanese fried chicken. SF Examiner via Sandbox Bakery
We bring interesting news.
In a political development that is, at once, hilarious, absurd, and yet eminently serious, Mission District blogger Kevin Montgomery has announced plans to run against David Campos, our incumbent District 9 Supervisor.
As you’ll see in Mr. Montgomery’s announcement video, Bernal Heights sits squarely at the center of his decision to run for office:
A few notable things about the video. First, nice pop-culture nod to Herman Cain at the very end. Second, we did not know that Mr. Montgomery owns a collared shirt. Third, he raises some pointed questions about the priorities of Supervisor Campos and much of San Francisco’s Progressive establishment, particularly as they relate to the development of the infrastructure we need to maintain our City’s economic vitality.
Mind you, Mr. Montgomery made this announcement on April Fool’s Day. Yet Bernalwood’s political analysts nevertheless believe he is at least 87% serious about his proposed Supervisorial bid. Our estimate is derived from a longstanding acquaintance with Mr. Montgomery, his blog, his passions, and his preparation for the campaign.
Long story short, Kevin Montgomery usually goes by the handle KevMo. (HINT: Visualize the sign outside the store on Bayshore.) His blog, The Uptown Almanac is an anthropologically revealing chronicle of 20something Mission life, as told from the point-of-view of the crowd that enjoys drinking beer and/or energy drinks while lounging on the grass in Dolores Park. We mean this affectionately.
Indeed, KevMo is Bernalwood’s standing archetype of the mythical Mission hipster, even though he actually can’t stand hipsters — which sort of proves our point. Bernalwood has teased him at times, with jokes about hipster ennui and fixie bikes, and delightfully, he sometimes rises to the bait. But he’s got a great sense of humor, a sharp wit, YIMBY sensibilities, and a deep interest in civic engagement.
It’s not yet clear if KevMo will, you know, actually run. He says he’s waiting to see how the whole redistricting thing shakes out. Yet Bernalwood hopes he does. There are some interesting cultural and economic trends coalescing in this particular place at this particular time in the early 21st century. Win or lose, it would be fantastic if a KevMo run for the Board of Supervisors helped energize that conversation within District 9.
Bernalwood contributor David Gallagher shared this photo he snapped during a walk through Bernal Heights on Saturday morning.
I thought the reviews included on the poster were a useful feature that made it easier for me to assess the personal relevance of this particular garage sale. However, I would have also liked some additional social signals — say, a counter indicating how many Likes or Favorites this garage sale had received — before deciding whether or not to add it to my Events calendar.
PHOTO: David Gallagher
Pop Up Magazine is an innovative event that gives interesting writers, artists, and creative-types the opportunity to tell magazine-style stories in front of a live theater audience. Picture a well-curated collection of TED Talks, but shorter, less formulaic, and vastly more fun.
Pop Up Magazine started at the tiny Brava Theater on 24th Street in 2009, but just three years later it’s already so wildly popular that it’s now held at Davies Symphony Hall. The sixth installment happens on April 25th, 2012, and tickets go on sale today at noon.
Bernal resident and New York Times contributing writer Jon Mooallem will give one of the presentations on the 25th, and he emailed us a nice explanation of what the whole Pop Up Magazine thing is all about:
Pop Up commandments prevent me from saying anything about what I’ll be doing on April 25th, and I’m not allowed to reveal who else is contributing either. I can say that I’ve been part of all five issues so far, and they’ve always been an absolute hoot — enthralling, entertaining, and moving in the most surprising ways. And I’m always stunned and cripplingly intimidated by the cast of talented writers, photographers, filmmakers and radio folks that Pop Up manages to pull together — including, not coincidentally, many Bernal-ites.
At past issues, I’ve talked about the Billy Possum, a short-lived rival to the Teddy Bear; lost wallets that are found decades later; UPS, FedEX and the nature of Buddhism; and a long-ago congressional plan to jumpstart a hippopotamus-ranching industry in America that was infiltrated by spies. I think that’s a pretty good representation of the range of topics overall.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday at 12 noon. For your convenience, emergency sirens around the city will blare to remind you.
Clever touch, that well-timed Tuesday siren.
Run, don’t walk, to your Internet terminal when tickets go on sale today at noon. Buy your tix immediately, because if the past is any guide, this issue of Pop Up Magazine will sell out very quickly.
As Bernalwood explained a while ago, there’s a deep and important historical connection between our now-glamorous neighborhood and the sad, abandoned, and mildly radioactive ruins of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard near Candlestick Point:
Although no contemporary realtor would ever use the words “Bernal Heights” and “Hunter’s Point” in the same sentence, the fact of the matter is that the history of the two neighborhoods are closely intertwined. That’s because once upon a time, the now-abandoned San Francisco Naval Shipyard at Hunter’s Point employed tens of thousands of San Franciscans, and many of those workers lived in Bernal Heights.
Try it out: Next time you meet a Bernal Heights old-timer — most likely, a retired male senior citizen — ask where they used to work. Quite often, they’ll say they worked at the shipyard.
Anyhoo, right now on eBay, there’s a terrific momento from the heyday of the Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard for sale. It’s a “Vintage Fukagawa Porcelain San Francisco Naval Shipyard Ashtray,” and it shows the shipyard’s classic insignia with its awesome motto: “Our Service for Ships Means Ships for Service”
As I write this now, the bidding starts at $14.99 with a $19.99 Buy It Now option. As a charter member of the Hunter’s Point History Geek Fan Club, I’ve already got one exactly like this, so I’m out. Hurry!
There was a burglary recently on the south side of Bernal Heights. The culprits were clever thieves who always wear a mask. Neighbor Sharon called it in:
Two racoons broke into next door neighbors’ home through their small pet door (they have dachshunds) and at 1:30am started crashing through kitchen looking for food. Neighbors screamed and banged around—and finally uninvited racoons left.
Next day neighbors mentioned the story to another neighbor, who said that (presumably same pair) of racoons broke through a cracked window and into THEIR house.
We recently had noticed things a few minor things amiss in the garden (lids off cans, wood chips chewed, pet door knocked off), but didn’t think they were related. Now I’m thinking it’s probably all these crafty critters.
Maybe this isn’t the proper place for posting racoon warnings, but I’d want to know if there was a pair of marauding racoons nearby—and so—I’m locking up the pet door securely and telling y’all about what I know.
These are not isolated incidents. Last weekend my North Bernal home was invaded by these fearless feral fiends. They raided the pantry and ate all our brown sugar. They left behind a big mess… and this tell-tale calling card:
UPDATE: (Promoted from the comments) Neighbor Angelo shared this video of raccoons examining his sliding door with an eye toward a) understanding the intricacies of modern sliding door technology and b) getting in to plunder:
PHOTOS: Top, pagedesign. Below, Telstar Logistics
It’s unclear if it was an April Fool’s stunt or just a wild flight of geek fancy, but last weekend Google Maps released a version of its online mapping system that optimizes the service for display on the 8-bit Nintendo NES videogame console from the 1980s.
As you can see above, the macro-level views make Bernal Heights look like the combat zone of a dragon-slaying game cartridge. Which is neat. But Google Maps went all the way with the whole 8-bit thing, so that even the Street Views are presented in NintendoVision.
For example, here’s a view down Cortland Street (click any image to embiggen):
And here’s a closeup of the Bernal Branch library. Not to stir up controversy, I think but this looks rather awesome. Why don’t we create an 8-bit faux-digitized version of the current mural, and then paint *that* on the side of the library:
Up on the Hill, Sutrito Tower lurks in the pixels:
Farther east, Bernal Hill looks like a rustic tomorrowland with Bernal Heights Boulevard wrapped around it:
Yet the view downtown lacks a certain… clarity:
Precita Park looks absolutely stunning in 8-bit (click it! click it!). Notice that our old friend Stephen retains his ghostly presence:
While my own house looks really… red:
All in all, it’s an impressive retrofutuistic re-imagining of our glamorous neighborhood, right down to the smallest detail:
Hurry and explore Bernal Heights in Google Maps 8-bit Nintendo-Vision, before Larry Page comes to his senses and makes someone tell someone to get someone to scream at someone to pull the whole thing down.
IMAGES: via Google Maps 8-bit
Bernal neighbor Chuck B. is the keeper of the lovely My Back 40 (Feet) blog. He’s both a horticulturalist and a shutterbug, which is a winning combination. Recently, he went on one of his occasional photo-strolls through the neighborhood, starting on Bernal Heights Boulevard:
I love that we still have dirt roads around here. Alabama Dead End. It’s like a Lucinda Williams album cover.
He’s right! Your Bernalwood editor took some artistic liberties to complete the thought:
Later, Chuck B. discovered the mysterious wonderland that is Precitaville:
Precita Park. In all the years I have lived in San Francisco (on and off since 1989) and in Bernal Heights particularly (continuously since 2003), I have never been here before. But I drive by a few times a month. This is sooo north side. I am very south side. We can be friends, but we can’t be best friends.
Then he wandered west, fearlessly, into the wilds of the La Lengua Autonomous Zone.
I know hipsters were buying Dickies and trucker hats at Arik’s at least as far back as the 1980s. There was a different kind of hipster back then.
He paused to (wisely) appreciate the architecture of the 3300 Club building:
I love the building above it. San Francisco has a finite number of these beauties and everytime we lose one in a fire a little piece of my soul dies with it.
Then he discovered a superb street garden on Coleridge:
What an inspiration this is for making a big impact in a small space. I have a planter like this and went big with the spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis) and a ground cover of redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana). It’s nice, I like it, but this is fabulous. I had to back up to capture the whole thing for you.
All this is just a sliver of the wonderfulness spotted during Chuck B’s photo walk, so by all means go see the whole thing at My Back 40 (Feet).
PHOTOS: Chuck B./My Back 40 (Feet)
The New Wheel, that newfangled shop on Cortland that sells those newfangled electric bikes, is having their grand opening celebration this weekend.
There’s a party in the store at 420 Cortland on Sunday night from 6 to 9 pm, but before that, from 5 to 6 pm on Sunday, the New Wheel is offering everyone in the neighborhood the opportunity to test drive an electric bike on the (fearsome) Folsom Street Challenge.
Yes, that’s right. The New Wheel has picked up the gauntlet Bernalwood threw down last January by making a few of their electric bikes available for you to take straight up that crazy-steep part of Folsom Street:
Let’s take a more technical look, courtesy of Strava:
Store owner Brett Thurber is confident his machines are up to the challenge, and if you know any fixie-loving hipsters who want to go head-to-head with an electric bike in a John Henry-style race to the top, by all means bring them along too. (TIP: Don’t tell said hipsters how the story ended badly for John Henry.)
To participate, meet up at the corner of Precita and Folsom beginning at 5 pm on Sunday, and hopefully, Mother Nature will cooperate.
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
Bernalwood 