It would appear that the Seasonal Dieties Who Keep Score have decided that Bernal Heights was very good in 2014. Because, once again, the Precita Park Snowman has reappeared in our merry land! Neighbor Robert filed this photo from Precita Park just moments ago.
To all Ye Citizens of Bernalwood… have a wonderful Christmas!
PHOTO: Snowman in Precita Park, December 24, 2014 by Robert Weiner.
The holidays are upon us, and the shortest day of the year has already come and gone. Luckily for us, David C. Hill brought his video camera up to Bernal Hill on December 21 — last Sunday! — to shoot this gorgeous “Winter Solstice” video.
When your far-away relatives ask what life is like in Bernal Heights, show ’em Winter Solstice. And remember: We’ve got it pretty good.
Turnout was strong, peaceful, and focused during yesterday’s march and memorial to mark the nine-month anniversary of Bernal neighbor Alex Nieto’s death in an SFPD officer-involved shooting on March 21, 2014. Yesterday’s march to remember Alex began on 24th Street in the Mission before heading up to the spot on Bernal Hill where Neighbor Alex was killed. Our friends at Mission Local had reporter Daniel Hirsch on hand at the rally:
The march was peaceful and no police officers were noticeable on scene. It began with a rally at the Bart Plaza on Mission and 24th Street around 4 p.m.. When those gathered began to move what started as a procession along the sidewalk quickly spilled onto the street, blocking traffic along 24th Street in several directions. Led by Aztec dancers and chants of “No Justice, No Peace, Stop the Racist Police,” the march lingered at the corner of Folsom and 24th Street for several minutes, before making its way up to the top of Bernal Hill [for] a ceremony honoring the dead.
MissionLocal also captured video of the march; click through to watch.
Bernalwood will provide updates if SFPD or City officials release any more information about Neighbor Alex Nieto’s death as part of an ongoing investigation that remains shamefully slow and opaque.
PHOTO: Daniel Hirsch for MissionLocal
For reasons that remain entirely mysterious and unknown, several photographers have submitted photos to the Bernalwood group on Flickr that show Bernal Heights cars parked in front of color-coordinated Bernal Heights homes. It’s an ad-hoc photo show! Veerrrrry innnnnteresting.
The photo of the low-rider Chevrolet and matching house you see up above was captured by Chris Martin.
Neighbor Markus Spiering captured this All-Amercian collection of a faded old Ranchero, a white picket fence, and a trio of muted Bernal houses:
Neighbor Jane Underwood found a red door in Bernal Heights that came with a matching Miata:
And finally, Neighbor Ben Rosengart shot this faded Jaguar with a tan roof that blends smoothly with the house behind it:
Want to help create more ad-hoc photo patterns? Share your sexxxy Bernal photos in the Bernalwood photo group. Please!
UPDATE: Here’s a minty-fresh midcentury pairing on Montcalm, shared via the comments:
Also, Jason Lashinsky emailed us this greyscale house-scooter pairing:
This Sunday, December 21, local chef Risa Lichtman is reprising her tasty pop-up brunch extravaganza inside the PizzaHacker on Mission Street. Chef Risa says:
I’m excited to bring Cry Baby’s Brunch Pop-Up back to Bernal! Our first installment was a great success, with delicious food, lovely people, and a packed house in our host shop, the PizzaHacker. Come join us again for another seasonal brunch featuring local produce & breads. Bring your friends & family, or come on your own..you won’t regret it either way!
Some favorite menu items include:
Lonely Mountain Egg Sandwich (add crispy prosciutto) – with a fried farm egg, arugula, fresh chevre, calabrian chili aioli, Arizmendi english muffin. side of greens.
Polenta Breakfast Bowl – with a poached farm egg, cheesy polenta, varietal winter squash, dino kale, and salsa verde.
The Cure – a pizza braid filled with fluffy farm eggs, pecorino, prosciutto, sweet ‘n sour chili sauce and a side of greens.
Cry Baby’s Brunch Pop-Up
Sunday, December 21, 2014 from 10:30am – 2pm
at PizzaHacker, 3299 Mission St (at 29th Street)
*Cash only!
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Cry Baby’s Brunch Pop-Up
Within the last month, the officer-involved deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York City have become the focus of intense protest across the country. Yet much, much closer to home, this week marks the nine-month anniversary of Bernal neighbor Alex Nieto’s death in an SFPD officer-involved shooting on Bernal Hill.
Many of the circumstances surrounding Neighbor Alex’s death on March 21, 2014 remain unknown. An autopsy report was (belatedly) released, but the names of the officers involved in the shooting have not been made public, no grand jury has been convened, and the City’s formal investigation into the incident remains maddeningly opaque.
On Sunday, December 21, Alex Nieto’s family and friends are holding a procession and Mexican Posada to remember Neighbor Alex:
4pm @ 24th Street and Mission Street (BART Plaza on Northeast corner):
Opening ceremony & words by families who have lost loved ones in 2014 to police brutality.
Confirmed visiting families:
Family of Yanira Serrano Garcia (killed in Half Moon Bay). Family of Antonio Lopez (killed in San José)
Friend and/or family of Errol Chang (killed in Daly City)Sidewalk procession to Bernal Hill.
@ Bernal Heights Park, Alex Nieto Memorial Site, northside slope: Words by family and supporters of Alex Nieto.
Closing ceremony.
Walk to site of Mexican Posada, to be announced on hill.
Additional details about Sunday’s event can be found on the Justice 4 Alex Nieto website.
Separately, Alex’s parents, Elvira and Refugio Nieto of Cortland Avenue, report that their memorial to Alex on Bernal Hill was recently vandalized yet again. This time, the entire memorial was taken, leaving nothing behind. This video shows Elvira and Refugio Nieto rebuilding part of the memorial to their son:
IMAGE: Video still of Bernal neighbors Elvira and Refugio Nieto, parents of Alex Nieto, on Bernal Hill, December 16, 2014
Neighbor Leslie is frustrated by the neglect of a small parcel of City-owned land on Ellsworth near the summit of Bernal Hill:
The residents on Ellsworth st near the hill have been getting nowhere with the City on maintaining a green space at Ellsworth and Bernal Heights Blvd.
The lot is full of debris and so overgrown that you can’t walk on the sidewalk. For years, a woman who lived next to the lot maintained it herself(!) by hiring people to landscape it.
She passed away or was put in a nursing home years ago… I’ve lived here for five years and no one has touched it.
Since September, I have contacted the city about the lot on a regular basis (first 311 and then DPW). No one has gotten back to me. Since November, I and other neighbors have been talking to Supervisor Campos’ office. Nothing still.
That corner is a gateway to our neighborhood. Instead of being a greenspace, it harbors rats and countless used condoms (we get a lot of prostitutes and johns at night along the hill) and other waste.
PHOTOS: Neighbor Leslie
Neighbor Andrea Cohen from Andi’s Market at 820 Cortland tells Bernalwood she’s added fresh deli sandwiches to her store’s repertoire — as well as a secure way to receive package deliveries:
When I was first considering taking over the old JC Market, one of the comments I heard over and over from Bernalites was that Cortland Avenue had no traditional sandwich deli—a place when you could get in and out with a fat sandwich, potato or macaroni salad or chips and a drink for $10 (or under). So now we’re doing that, and it’s <finally!> up and running.
We’re hand-slicing the basics: pastrami, roast beef, ham, turkey, salami, chicken breast, tuna salad and putting it on fresh Dutch crunch and sweet French rolls or wheat or sourdough bread. We also have gluten free bread for those who need it. We found an awesome old panini maker in the back of the store, had it refurbished, and can grill sandwiches as well. Green salads are fresh and simple—they can be ordered with or without deli meat.
Right now the deli is staffed at lunch (from 10am to 2pm), but if you want to pick up a sandwich later in the day, you can call it in between ten and two and we’ll have it ready. We also have a handful of “grab and go”. The macaroni and potato salads are great. We’ve priced everything sanely—and we’re using Columbus meat and high quality cheeses.
Also, separately, wanted to mention that we now have a Swapbox automated kiosk at the store — it’s a physical location for packages to be picked up and delivered. The box is at the store year-round, but is extra handy around the holidays for those not home to sign for packages. It’s a great way to avoid having packages stolen, and it’s easy to set up online.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Andi’s Market
Well, that was dramatic, wasn’t it? And wet, too.
Maybe you called it the Rainpocalypse, or maybe you called it a Hellastorm, but no matter what nomenclature you embraced, yesterday’s epic rainstorm definitely made its presence felt. Early in the morning, a few Bernal neighbors shared status updates:
After a hearty breakfast, it was time to assess the situation first-hand. Your Bernalwood Action News Team activated Stormchaser One, our heavy-weather news vehicle, to explore Bernal Heights:
We began by driving up to Bernal Hill, where we saw a small river flowing down the closed portion of Bernal Heights Boulevard near the Folsom Street gate:
A little farther east, someone was standing next to the weird tree-shrub thing with an umbrella, looking rather rakish and fashionable:
Happily, however, Bernal Hill did not seem likely to wash away, so we headed to Cortland, to assess the situation. Cortland was quiet, with a few stores open and lots of available parking. We parked Stormchaser One in front of Heartfelt, just as Miss Darcy walked out to say a stylish hello:
From there we headed into the Good Life Grocery, to see how supplies were holding out. We were reassured to see that the available inventory of fine cheeses remained robust, despite the pre-storm preparedness crunch:
On Facebook, Neighbor Lupe had shared a photo of the flooding on Alemany, near the Farmer’s Market and the Spaghetti Bowl interchange:
Yet by the time Stormchaser One arrived, the clogged drains had been cleared and Alemany had been closed to traffic. But no sooner had that situation been resolved than another crisis struck: Much of North Bernal and Precitaville suddenly went dark. Power failure!
Here’s how the impacted area looked on PG&E’s (not very helpful) outage map:
Stormchaser One returned to the Bernalwood mothership on Precita, and sure enough… our power was out too!
Fortunately, the stove was still working, so the Bernalwood Action News Team fortified ourselves with some rather delicious French onion soup. This brightened our mood, but as the afternoon wore on and the power remained out, the novelty of the blackout began to fade. When the sun finally set, darkness prevailed in our corner of Precitaville:
Luckily, the power came on — and stayed on — by around 6 pm, which made the storm feel cozy again.
So we survived. And you? How did you fare? Share your Hellastorm stories and cuisine tips in the comments.
The holiday season is upon us, which means it’s time for seasonal holiday foods, like gingerbread, and fruitcake, and (for our Jewish friends) kugel.
What’s kugel? The Wikipedia sayeth:
Kugel (קוגל kugl, pronounced IPA: [ˈkʊɡl̩]) is a baked pudding or casserole, similar to a pie, most commonly made from egg noodles (Lokshen kugel) or potato. It is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish.
Kugel is basically a sweet noodle dish, but what the Wikipedia fails to mention is that many contemporary Jews don’t really like kugel all that much… because it’s a sweet noodle dish.
Enter Bernal neighbor Julia Weber from Joy Street. Neighbor Julia is on a mission to redeem kugel for the 21st century. Neighbor Julia’s kugel with apricot nectar (recipe right here) — which comes from a recipe created by Rachel Breuer in the Excelsior — was recently discovered by the foodie scouts from The Food Network magazine, which also gave her contributions to the kugel arts a special shout out in the December 2014 issue:
Kugel seems to be the underdog of Hanukkah staples: Everyone talks about latkes and jelly doughnuts this time of year, but few people seem to give the traditional noodle casserole a second thought, until the Kugel Nosh Down came along. Friends Rebecca Weiner and Julia Weber dreamed up the cook-off two years ago, and they have launched a full-on kugel craze in San Francisco.
Want a taste? Neighbor Julia invites you to the 2014 Kugel Nosh Down this weekend to benefit the religious school at Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. Get your tickets here:
2nd Annual Kugel Nosh Down – Sunday, December 14, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m
Join us for an afternoon of kugel sampling and fun! Competitors will show off their skills with savory and sweet kugel samples. Prizes will be awarded! Help us choose the most delicious kugel and join family and friends while raising money for Beit Sefer Phyllis Mintzer, our fabulous Shabbat and Hebrew school for kids K-8!
Here’s the plan for the afternoon
3:00 p.m. Tasting begins with kugel, drinks, additional fabulous snacks, and more (entertaining surprises await!)
4:15 p.m. Voting concludes
4:45 p.m. Prizes awarded
5:00 p.m. More kugel tasting and event wrap upWant to enter your delicioius kugel? Questions?Contact us at kugelnoshdown@gmail.com
Adults: $25 in advance; $30 at the door. Kids under 12, $5.00
Please note: $12.50 of each adult ticket may be tax-deductible.Location:
Congregation Sha’ar Zahav
290 Dolores (at 16th Street)
San Francisco, CA 94103
PHOTO: Neighbor Julia’s Kugel with Apricot Nectar via The Food Network
At the present moment, at the cusp of the fifteenth year of the new millennium, we are enjoying a golden age for two disciplines that have previously been confined to the far fringes of geography geekdom: Cartography and Archival Photography.
Digital networks have liberated both maps and historical photos from the musty confines of academia and libraries, with generally euphoric results. Happily, its never been easier to visualize a place both as it is today — and as it was in the past.
HistoryPin is a very cool website that brings maps and historic photos together in a wonderfully intuitive way, but placing historical photos on a map that shows where the images were captured. It’s simple and fun, and at the moment, HistoryPin is featuring a special collection about Bernal Heights:
It was in this way, for example, that I discovered the fantastic 1941 photo from the corner of Andover and Cortland that’s shown above.
First, check out the Farmer’s Market store! With Acme Beer! So gorgeous.
Also, now we know the answer to a minor mystery I’ve wondered for a long time: What’s up with the narrow little lot that now serves as the Good Life parking lot? How did that happen? Answer: It used to be the side-yard of a residence that’s now incorporated into the structure of 461 Cortland. Who knew???
There’s lots more geek-pleasure to be derived from exploring the HistoryPin map. Do check it out!
Here’s a parting shot. Can you guess what business now occupies the 1956 location of John Anconi’s Accordion Studio?
Answer: Zante’s Pizza, at 3489 Mission, near the corner of Cortland! Who knew?
The Bernal Heights Public Library is a genuine hub of awesome throughout the year, but tonight the library is hosting a seasonal festival that celebrates music, kids, and tasty food. Library manager Valerie Reichert 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 A COOKIE CONTEST & RECIPE SWAP! Bring your favorite cookies with recipe, and maybe YOU will get a blue ribbon!
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 10TH FROM 6-8:30 PM
Information: 355-5610
For all ages!
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
The Bernalwood Action News Team was on Cortland last night for the 2014 Holiday Stroll, and in addition to all the seasonal mirth and good cheer, the whole thing was just ridiculously glamorous. The sidewalks were filled with music and cheerful crowds of Bernalese, and we even documented a Star Sighting:
Yes, that’s Bernalwood’s Cub Reporter posing with our new(ish) SFPD Ingleside Station captain, Joseph McFadden!
We noticed that the fashion-forward set was out in force as well. This stylish stroll-goer handily won the award for Bernalwood’s Most Chic Hat of 2014:
The only thing that could possibly top that next year would be to see someone walking down Cortland in one of those awesome plastic helmets Emilo Pucci designed for Braniff Airlines.
But we digress. More importantly, how was your 2014 Holiday Stroll?
PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics
Bernalwood 
