Many thanks to Bob Horowitz for passing along this swell photo of Ripley Street, and something kind of like the axiom above, via the Bernalwood Flickr group.
Learn How to Research The History of Your Home
More good stuff from our history-obsessed compadres at the Bernal History Project. They’re holding a workshop on from 7 pm to 8:30 pm on Wednesday, February 16 at the Bernal Heights Branch Library on “How to Research a San Francisco Building.”
Want to know who lived in your home before you did, and how old it is? Looking for historic photos of your street? San Francisco History Center staff will present an introduction to researching the history of a San Francisco house or commercial building and will provide an overview of print and online resources to help answer questions like these. All programs at the library are free and supported by the Friends of the SFPL.
Photo: 3220 Folsom Street in 1907, from the Bernal History Project
Off the Hill: Where Not to Bike, Where to Ride Windmills, Searching for Shipwrecks, and Another Reason Not to Be a NIMBY
This and that from other parts of Our Faire City…
Interactive Map of San Francisco’s Most Dangerous Streets for Bicyclists (The Bay Citizen)
Wretched NIMBY Upset Over Lovely Sidewalk Garden in the Castro (UptownAlmanac)
The former Delano’s Supermarket Could Become Either a “Fresh and Easy” or a “Grocery Outlet” (MissionMission)
Check Out these Views of San Francisco, As Seen From the Farralons (Burrito Justice)
City Hall Hearing Examines Crappy Service on MUNI 14 Mission Line (StreetsblogSF)
Thrillseekers Used to Ride on the Windmills in Golden Gate Park (Ocean Beach Bulletin)
Join a Shipwreck Hunt at Land’s End on Sunday (The Richmond Blog)
Photo: View from the Farralons, via Burrito Justice
Simulated Chaos and Artificial Anarchy on Potrero Hill
If you happened to drive around Potrero Hill this morning, you might have noticed that the neighborhood is strewn with piles of trash and signs of civil unrest. And you may have simply shrugged your shoulders and said, “Oh, just another day in Potrero… and you know how *they* are.”
Truth is, however, they are filming a movie over there. It’s a Steven Soderbergh film called “Contagion” that stars Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, and Jude Law. IMDB says it’s “an action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.”
That being the case, it’s just as well that they’re shooting in Potrero, rather than here, since we wouldn’t want our glamorous Bernalwood brand to be tarnished by that sort of fare. Obviously, Bernalwood is an ideal setting for romantic comedies about young women with small dogs, searing social commentaries about multiethnic attempts to decommodify the representation of the other via the experience of postindustrial bourgeois urbanism, and science fiction films about first contact with extraterrestrials.
If you or someone you know is a location scout, have your people call our people for additional ideas.
Photo: Telstar Logistics
The Tao of Safeway
Let the record show that as much as I love our local mom-and-pop markets, I am also a fan of our local Safeway on Mission Street. The prices are reasonable and the selection is good, yet the store itself is relatively compact, which makes it faster and less tiresome to navigate than many other supermarkets around the City.
A major renovation a few years ago brought our store up-to-date with the Safeway chain’s “Lifestyle” store concept. (Remember when it used to look like this?) Yet amid all the transformation, I’m glad one thing hasn’t changed: Our Safeway still has those 1960s-era yin-yang logo mosaics embedded in the exterior walls, and they’re a wonderful detail.
And very Taoist: Despite all the change, the essence remains unchanged.
Photo: Telstar Logistics
Bernal’s Beautiful New Street Park Needs Your Help
Thanks to a hearty group of volunteers, Bernal Heights is getting a brand-new street park courtesy of an organization called The Friends of Bernal Gardens. The new mini-park, called Vista Pointe Garden, is located on Bernal Heights Boulevard between Carver and Bradford, on the east side of the hill. Construction is already well underway, but they need your help to get it done.
Project director Julian Wyler tells Bernalwood:
Public gardens are simply one of the ways we can balance the separateness of our lives with opportunities to connect with community. Moreover, they provide opportunities to replace a pedestrian landscape of disorder and alienation with harmonious spaces that instill neighborhood pride and natural beauty.
Public gardens also provide artful, iconic sanctuaries of momentary beauty and repose.
Doubtless, the scope of Vista Pointe Garden, which looks out upon panoramic views of San Francisco, is somewhat ambitious. It’s success is only possible because so many of our neighbors have contributed their time and energy as partners to our city grant.
Although the part that will impress most will be the beautiful flowers and plants, it‘s the high cost of the retaining wall materials, the new PUC water meter, the installation of the drip irrigation system, the crushed drain rock, base materials, professional supervision, SFPT fiscal management, etc. which make them possible.
While extensive planning and conservative grant budget projections for materials added up to $70,500, our grant only awarded us $61,000, which, even with the support of DPW, donating tools, grading, etc., has now left us a bit short of our goal.
Bottom line: Vista Pointe Garden needs another $7,600 to get the job done. If you would like to donate, please contact Julian at julian_wyler AT yahoo DOT com.
If you’re cash-poor but time-rich, you can also help volunteer to build Vista Pointe Garden. The next volunteer get-together will take place at the park this Saturday, February 12, from 10 am to 4 pm.
Photo: Friends of Bernal Gardens
Our Secret Sign: The Bernal Family’s Cattle Brand
No, this isn’t Prince’s latest unpronounceable name-glyph. Instead, according our fellow history geeks at The Bernal History Project, this symbol was the cattle brand used by the Bernal family to mark their livestock in the days when José Cornelio Bernal ruled the rancho that is now our neighborhood.
The meaning of the symbol is unknown, but that only adds to our aura of mystery. Two things need to happen right away: Someone needs to turn this into a t-shirt to be sold at Heartfelt, and a few intrepid souls need to get this tattooed onto their body parts. (Free beer for the first person to send me a photo of same.)
Update: Reader Marina Cazorla has a theory about the meaning of the brand:
I was intrigued by the mystery of the brand, which looked like VF. After doing a bit of poking around, I’m fairly sure that the “V” stood for Vernal, an early spelling of Bernal. (Juan Francisco “Vernal,” born 1737, was José Cornelio Bernal’s grandfather, and the first member of the family to settle in the area.) And perhaps the F is for Francisco? Spanish/Mexican/Californio surnames usually have two names (one from the mother, one from the father) which would explain why the brand’s two letters possibly come from one person. Of course, it would be helpful to know what year (if any) that brand is associated with, that way we’d be slighter clearer on whether the brand was made during JFV’s lifetime.”
Updated Update: Reader someJuan comes through with an important confirmation. He writes:
Found it. The owner of the brand is listed as Francisco Bernal on the Bureau of Livestock Identification’s website. Look under the “First County Brands” link. However, it’s listed as belonging to the County of Santa Clara.
Ah yes. But it is most definitely listed:
A Globetrotter Dreams of Calling Bernal Heights Home
Grace is a Bay Area native who currently lives in Beijing, China. During a recent return visit to San Francsico, she found herself fantasizing about planting roots in our humble corner of the world. Her musings are sweet, but even more, they provide an always-valuable reminder of how fortunate we are to enjoy the privilege of calling Bernalwood home:
Since I was a kid, I’ve envisioned myself settling down comfortably in a Victorian townhome in San Francisco– after traveling the world, winning an Oscar, and marrying Jonathan Taylor Thomas, of course.
Childhood dreams aside, the Bay Area is a truly unique place, full of diversity, life, and an amazing balance of cityscape and natural beauty. So it seems logical that over my entire life, I would develop such a deep, James Joyce-ian affinity for my hometown. And while some grow weary of returning to the place where they grew up once they’ve seen life in “the big city” or “the real world,” my love for the Bay Area grows with every visit back home.
This past stint back home made my childhood dream seem even sweeter. Driving through all the different districts of San Francisco, the East Bay, and down the Peninsula portion of I-280 made me long to forgo my world travels (and my Oscar, and Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and settle anywhere in the Bay forever. To finally feel “at home” in my favorite place in the world.
7×7 Lists the 10 Best Eats Under $10 in Bernal Heights
7×7 food blogger Antonia Richmond is both a connoisseur of good cuisine AND a Bernalwood resident. That makes her emimently qualified to write 7×7’s click-worthy guide to the “10 Best Dishes in Bernal for Under $10.”
I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but rest assured that fans of El Zocalo, Taqueria Cancun, Locavore, Sandbox Bakery, Avedano’s, El Porteno, Paulie’s Pickling, Moonlight Cafe, Good Frickin’ Chicken, and Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack will not be disappointed.
Photo: Spaghetti marinara from Emmy’s, by ericsballoons
The Letter of the Law on Street Parking Near Driveways
There’s been a lot of debate in the comments about Rhoda’s response to the anonymous neighbor who put an exasperated note on the windshield of her parked car regarding a perceived driveway encroachment. The debate has been spirited but commendably civil — especially given the intensity of the passions that parking problems can arouse.
Amid the to-and-fro, reader Rebecca turned to the DPT’s official rulebook to point out that “the reference that the City requires you to leave a foot from the curb cut is total BS. There are published and posted rules, and that ain’t one of them:”
A driveway begins at the curb cut, or the point at which the curb begins to slope downward toward street level. A vehicle parked within curb cuts can be cited and towed. Even partial encroachments into the driveway area can result in a tow.
Some driveways are marked with short red curb markings that indicate where vehicles should not park. Only red zones painted by the City with a DPT or MTA stencil are enforced. It is illegal for private parties to paint curbs or other markings on the street.
Residents can block their own driveways only if the building the driveway serves has two or one units and the vehicle’s license plate is registered to the building’s address. All other types of driveway parking can be cited.
So sayeth the Official Arbiters of Parking Legality. Hooray for facts! Hooray for Rebecca for bringing facts to the party!
Our beloved DPT even offers a handy print n’ bitch windshield flyer — with objective visual guidelines! — you can use to scold blatant driveway offenders.
(Thanks to someJuan for the pointer to the DPT flyer!)
Photo: The Stencil of Doom, by Telstar Logistics
Alemany Flea Market Report: February Fun in the Sun Edition
The weather last weekend was glorious, and my 3 year-old insisted that she needed a watch. (“Can I get one that has numbers??” she asked hopefully.) So off to the Alemany Flea Market we went. We quickly found the perfect watch — a pink plastic one, with numbers! For two bucks! So with our mission accomplished I wandered the aisles to take a few snapshots of whatever caught my eye.
Photos: Telstar Logistics
Inconsiderate Hawk Makes Bloody Mess While Devouring Pigeon in Bernalwood Back Yard
Reader Ken wrote to us to describe a scene of animal barbarism that arrived on his rear doorstep last weekend. Although Bernalwood does not condone avian-on-avian violence, we share this tale as a public service to our local pigeons and sparrows.
We have two Cooper’s Hawks that visit our yard frequently to dine on the wild birds we feed. Every few days the bluejays, sparrows, and finches explode into a flurried panic as one of their buddies gets snatched up in mid-flight and taken to a high up branch to satisfy one of the hawks’ protein fixes. Often the hawks will sit on the rail of our deck, sunning themselves while plotting their next attack. They are beautiful and amazing. But every time I try to photograph one, their superior rod and cone count triggers a flight response. I have only a couple of images so far.
Pigeons are the unwanted side effect of feeding the other birds, which include many unusual migrating species. Yesterday the progeny of the pair of hawks — an adolescent at best — came swooping into the yard and slammed into a pigeon which was walking around under the feeders, playing the best “sitting duck” role of his short life. Sitting on top of the still-alive pigeon, the hawk dug in, tearing at him, feathers flying everywhere and blood, lots and lots of blood. We had a front row seat, with the carnage taking place about 6 feet from our desks on the other side of a window. At one point the hawk was bothered by a flapping wingm so he just ripped it off. I actually started feeling compassion for the pigeon, wishing the hawk would have just snapped him in two, putting him to death quickly. He spent about an hour pulling apart the pigeon and scattering his remains all over our stone patio, fence, and planter boxes. I’m about to begin my Sunday with a hose and shovel, cleaning up after Mother Nature.
Photo: Courtesy of Ken
A Public Response to the Anonymous Neighbor Who Left This Cranky Note on Rhoda’s Car Last Week
The residents of Bernalwood take justifiable pride in the neighborly goodwill people here display toward one another. Yet if there is one topic that turns even the most affable local into a snarling and self-interested Hobbesian, it is street parking. In the struggle for automotive survival, woe be unto the miserable soul who might infringe upon another’s prerogative to park.
Rhoda is a Bernal Heights resident who found the anonymous note shown above affixed to the windshield of her tiny, Bernal-optimized Smart car last week. Rather than seethe about this privately, Rhoda chose instead to seethe to Bernalwood — and with her permission, we are quite happy to republish her response here.
I live on Newman St, and this morning I woke up to find this nasty letter taped to my car. The offended neighbor left it anonymously, with no contact info for me to respond to their complaint, so I thought I would send my response to our fabulous neighborhood blog, and should the blog masters deem it worthy, post it, so that perhaps next time that neighbor might leave contact info along with the offending letter, so that I might actually engage in dialogue directly with them. To my neighbor:
While I commend you for your commitment to the enforcement of the law, I would like to point out, that:
1. I was not in violation of the 1 foot rule – in fact I left approximately 16″. Shall I paint the inch marks on the curb for you so that in the future that’s more clear?
2. Not all of us have garages and driveways in which to park our vehicles, and in consideration of that fact, I purchased a Smart car so that I would not have to take up excessive, precious space on our street. The spot where I parked by your driveway is only big enough for my car, so I parked there, leaving extra space in other places on the street for our other neighbors who own large vehicles and don’t have garages – would an inconsiderate neighbor do that?
3. Laying on the horn of your car for 5 minutes in order to get someone to move their vehicle that you deem “too close to your driveway,” does not qualify as being considerate to your neighbors, especially when those neighbors are still sleeping – just sayin’.
That is all.
Rhoda
Well said.
Meanwhile, for a very neighborly set of guidelines from a local garage-owner who’s home is “bracketed by two Smart Car-sized spots,” don’t miss these thoughtful rules-of-the-road from Bernalwood reader CG.
Bernalwood 
