Neighbors Regina and Scott came over for dinner on Friday night.
Earlier in the day, they’d received a bunch of eggs from Neighbors Mark and Jeff, who keep a few chickens on their Bernal Heights property. To alleviate this sudden surplus of eggs, Regina made a mushroom and cheese quiche with a rich butter crust that was to die for. Then she brought it over to my house, where it became the centerpiece of the meal.
Tasty locavore goodness. Yum!
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
Remember Peter West Carey, the visiting photographer who took that eye-popping interactive panorama image from Bernal Hill? He’s returned home to Seattle now, but he’s still processing the archive of material he amassed during his visit to Bernal Heights.
His new work includes a few Jobius-style time-lapse videos, including one of traffic zipping through the Spaghetti Bowl 101/280 junction.
Bonus! A brief time-lapse of the stars over Bernal Heights
Double Bonus! Not to be outdone, Bernal’s own Jobius created a time-lapse video of the spectacular moonrise that took place on Wednesday night:
A new journalism project that was born in Bernal Heights is getting lots of nationwide buzz. And no, despite what you’re probably thinking… it’s not Bernalwood. The project is called Matter, and it was co-founded by Bernal Heights resident Jim Giles.
Matter is a fledgeling journalism startup that wants to be something like an indie record label for great writing. The difference is, instead of producing earnest pop songs written by bearded men who wear a lot of flannel, Matter will commission, edit, and market New Yorker– or Atlantic-style long-form nonfiction writing focused on science and technology topics. Matter will then sell these articles via all the usual online marketplaces — iTunes, Amazon, Nook, whatever. Here’s the mission statement:
The web is the future of journalism, but let’s be honest: the future isn’t living up to expectations. Newspapers and magazines have cut back on in-depth reporting. Gossip sites have proliferated. The web has become a byword for fast and cheap. Why isn’t it synonymous with fearless, investigative and enthralling writing?
We think it can be.
We’ve developed a way to support independent, global, in-depth reporting about science and technology, two subjects that are close to our hearts. We’re going to use it to build MATTER, the new home for the best journalism about the future.
To get the venture off the ground, the Neighbor Jim and the Matter team have launched a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter that has been going rather swimmingly. Matter hoped to raise $50,000, but instead they’ve already raised more than $100,000, with two weeks remaining in their drive. Woo-hoo!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, Matter has sparked lots of heated discussion about the future of journalism under Matter’s pay-per-article, a-la-carte business model. Will it work? Watch these two media pundits do battle over the question from the lofty heights of a New York high-rise:
… and so on. Matter is an exciting project, and I think it has the potential to be very successful — on its own terms. So stay tuned, and be proud, because the future is being invented right here in Bernal Heights.
When the Hollywood Video store on the corner of Cesar Chavez and South Van Ness closed down, I had a little fantasy: The store occupied a high-profile location with above-average square-footage and even a few parking spaces, so in my heart of hearts I hoped the location might become a gourmet deli or Asian mini-supermarket of some sort. I envisioned a business perched somewhere between a Bi-Rite and a Trader Joe’s that would further increase the gastro-retail diversity of Bernal’s north slope, in a convenient location that’s both eminently walkable and yet still car-friendly.
But alas, it’s not to be. Instead, over the last few weeks its become clear that the former Hollywood Video will soon become an Auto Zone. So instead of getting a convenient place to buy exotic and tasty food for dinner, we’re getting another purveyor of artisanal auto parts. Indeed, the building had been home to an auto parts store before it was occupied by Hollywood Video, so perhaps it’s just reverting to type.
I suppose I’m lucky, in a Bernal Dads sort of way; From my house, I will soon be able to walk to not one, but TWO auto partsmongers — the other, of course, being the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store that’s in the former Mission Chevrolet dealership on Mission at Precita. Somewhat less lucky, however, is Neighbor Rachel, who wrote to Bernalwood to share this view out the rear window of her Precita Avenue home:
PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics and Neighbor Rachel
Malki Means King recorded much of his new rap video atop Bernal Hill, and no wonder: He was looking for a location that embodies the grandeur of the Almighty:
Malki Means King raps about letting go and giving your faith to a higher power in this video. In order to achieve your goals and overcome any obstacle, I believe a faith in a higher power is needed. Nobody can do it by themselves, Let go and let God!
Last weekend, The New Wheel opened at last at 420 Cortland. As previously reported, The New Wheel is a newfangled kind of bicycle shop, specializing in electric bikes that effectively “flatten” San Francisco hills — including our own Bernal Hill. The awesome posters inside the store illustrate this idea:
From the New Wheel website:
What should an electric bike be like? It should be easy to operate and maintain, like a bicycle. It should elegantly and seamlessly combine pedal power with a silent, powerful electric motor. It should be practical, designed to match the utility of an automobile. And it should be built of high quality components that will last. The New Wheel sells electric bikes that exceed the highest expectations.
The design of the shop is lovely, inside and out. I dropped by during The New Wheel’s opening party on Friday night, and introduced myself to store owner Brett Thurber:
Mr. Thurber was predictably giddy, and excited to be here at last. He also tells us there will be opportunities coming up soon to witness the hill-climbing power of the products he sells. In the meantime, do stop in, say hello, and check out the wares.
PHOTOS: Posters, by The Real WBTC. All others, Telstar Logistics
Poke! SFist reports that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was spotted in Bernal’s La Lengua Cocktail Entertainment Zone last weekend:
Dale Larson, who describes himself as an “executive coach to startup founders and leaders,” also chimes in, saying, “Just ran into Mark Zuckerberg at Dolores Park. Fabulous day, packed to the gills with skimpily clad folks getting sun!” Rumor also has it Zuckerberg was kicking it in skid row for most of the weekend, spending time at The Royal Cuckoo on Friday. He was even spotted walking on 29th Street. Exciting stuff. See, the Mission really is the new Valencia Street!
Actually, I think they meant to say Bernal is the new Brentwood.
Meanwhile, SFist has a paparazzi photo of the glamorous Mr. Zuckerberg looking completely unremarkable in Dolores Park.
PHOTO: Giggie LaRue
Last weekend the Cub Reporter and I had the opportunity to take to the skies with the Bernalwood Air Force for a routine observation and reconnaissance flight over the Bernal Heights motherland.
The skies were clear blue, Bernal Hill was verdant green, and because it was warm out, everyone was outside to enjoy the day. We cruised over Cortland, waving imperially at our neighbors below:
We saw people walking along the northwest corner of Bernal Heights Boulevard:
Nearby, our new neighbors from the Helipad House were enjoying some sunbathing on their glamorous roof deck:
Our technocrat friends at the City Rec and Park department will probably appreciate the documentation we collected about Bernal’s ad hoc trail network, and its myriad redundancies:
Look closely, and you can almost see the analysts working feverishly inside the secret Bernalwood Command Center, located 300 feet below Sutrito Tower:
While we were airborne, we received orders over the radio to undertake an urgent new mission: An aerial survey of the La Lengua Autonomous Zone!
Researchers from the Bernalwood Intelligence Agency had identified the likely location of the La Lengua Rebel Command Compound (LaLeRebCoCo), hidden deep in the heart of La Lenguan territory, between Mission and San Jose Streets. In 3 minutes we were over the target area. We circled to take a look, and captured the money shot. Behold:
Mission Accomplished! We loitered for a few final moments to take in some unusual perspectives on Bernal Hill:
And then, saturated with happy views and a lifetime of material for goofy Photoshop image-manipulation stunts, we returned to base.
UPDATE, 10:24 pm: In response to the Bernalwood Air Force overflight, the La Lengua rebels have put in place a high-tech burrito-based air defense system!
PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics
Four Star Video was a video store on Cortland that also hosted a plant store called Succulence. Now that’s been flipped around. As of last week, Succulence is a plant store on Cortland that also rents videos:
Like a rice grain and a pinto bean, somehow, improbably, we formed a whole protein with video and plant. Virtual and organic. Entertainment and existence. And here we are; five years later, still renting videos and also offering classes on vertical gardening and terrarium building. And seeds for your vegetable gardens. And lighting for your romantic dinner. And freshly made jams and pickles and supplies. And handmade ceramics and necklaces and belt buckles. And art, both utilitarian and otherwise. And, of course, succulents, small and large, of all colors and types, in a state of joy, waiting to be taken home to nurture and nourish.
The video store? Like Joaquin Phoenix, still here! In September last year, we realized we didn’t need to separately “own” two stores on the same footprint, so we merged the two, and now our entire operation is called Succulence. And currently, Succulence has a huge video rental library, with well over 25,000 titles, and 10-20 new titles every week. Our subscription program (cleverly called Kenflix) allows you to rent without late fees and due dates. Our educated staff helps you to pick out what you didn’t even know you wanted. We still offer the opportunity to browse and touch videos with your actual hands. Yes we are constantly making changes to our layout. We must! Our responsibility is to survive. That is our intention; survival. Our plan is to be in business in Bernal Heights, whether or not we rent videos, sell plants, teach classes, or whatever. We want to be up here, at 402 Cortland, schmoozing with you, our friends, our neighbors, and those of you we have just met, offering some good honest business with care and attention. That is our plan. Thank you for supporting us.
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
Tasty things are happening in the flatlands of Bernal’s La Lengua Autonomous Zone. Gradually, we are witnessing the birth of a dynamic Cocktail Cluster that caters to those who want to get a classy drink on. It began with the Royal Cuckoo, then came Iron and Gold, and now we’ve got Rock Bar, a new establishment on 29th at Tiffany that’s owned by the folks from the Front Porch restaurant across the street.
Special correspondent Bernal Barfly visited Rock Bar, and he shares this review:
Yet another Bernal Heights watering hole has gone through a phoenix-like ritual of a make-over and renaming. Nestled at at the corner of 29th & Tiffany is the newly opened Rock Bar. On the heels of Iron & Gold, The Lucky Horseshoe, and Royal Cuckoo, the options for non-dive bars is expanding for Bernal denizens.
Rock Bar’s interior features items which would seem at home in a waterhole in hills of the Sierras: Kerosene lamps, gold pans, pick axes, and hard hats set the context for the joint. While at least a dozen patrons could be seated comfortably around the bar without bumping elbows, it could service 20+ during the high-demand, SRO times. There is a generous selection of spirits behind the bar, including local products such as Old Potrero & St. Georges Gin. Scattered through the joint are tables for small groups to perch, as well as a pool table and a fireplace. A jukebox is mounted to the rear wall, but a note explained that it was non-operational.
To set a qualifying standard, ordered a Bulleit Rye Manhattan for the first round. The drink soon arrived and came served on a rock coaster instead of the usual cardboard or bar napkin. A great extension of the bar’s branding/identity with that touch. The first sip indicated correct proportions and construction for the Rye Manhattan, and the competency of the bar was established.
For the second round, we consulted the bartender for his suggestion on an appropriate follow-up. Soon a Vieux Carre appeared (Rye, Cognac, Vermouth, Bitters, & Benedictine). Not a drink I would have initially selected, but a totally enjoyable companion to the Manhattan. Rock Bar’s specialty menu includes Corpse Reviver #2, Sazerac, and cans of Schlitz.
A bit diminutive compared to the other watering holes along Mission St., the Rock Bar is a fine addition to the portfolio of Bernal Heights retox facilities.
PHOTOS: Bernal Barfly
Bernalwood contributor Bronwyn Ximm writes:
Paul Revere School is getting its Occupy on: Yesterday a very vocal group of enthusiastic students and a teacher (the guy) and a parent (the woman) got ready to march to Civic Center for a 4 o’clock rally for education. They shouted “save public education, honk if you can!” and they were getting lots of honks.
PHOTO: Bronwyn Ximm
This week, Bernal resident Peephole checked in on on the protests that sometimes take place in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic on Valencia Street in the La Lengua Autonomous Zone.
The Planned Parenthood on Valencia had protestors again yesterday. Mysteriously, they all disappeared except this one when I stopped by on my way home.
They had three lounge chairs, a table, multiple stacked plastic boxes, an ironing board, and a sandwich board. If any residents find the sidewalk to be obstructed, they can call the SFPD’s non-emergency line, and someone will come out and make sure the sidewalk is passable. (That’s what happened today after I took this video– they had to relocate and consolidate their furniture and signage.)
Neighbor Joe Thomas has been attending the meetings hosted by the City Rec and Park Department on plans to renovate the trail network on Bernal Hill, and he’s been visualizing how the changes might look.
San Francisco Rec & Parks has posted notes from the last community meeting about trail restoration on Bernal Hill. Of particular interest is the presentation with a map (on page 41) of their “Concept Plan” for the trails. Several neighbors at the meeting remarked that it was difficult to visualize the lines on the map as actual trails, and one neighbor suggested that the proposed changes be marked in chalk on the hill so that folks could see them in context before the next (and last scheduled) community meeting on April 4.
I’d like to see and walk those chalked-in trails, myself. Until that happens, though, I thought I’d try to drape the flat trail maps onto Google Earth’s terrain model. (KML file, requires Google Earth.)
Fantastic work, Joe!
Rec and Park has also posted notes from their Q&A session (pdf) about the proposal, and they’re worth a look. Overall, the goal of the scheme is to minimize erosion and wear on the hill by consolidating the current network of paths into fewer, higher-density routes.
All that makes sense, though I wonder if we might also lose something along the way: That blessed sense of solitude that is now so easy to attain, even on days when Bernal Hill is teeming with visitors.
IMAGES: Joe Thomas
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