Tonight: See Neighbor Ned’s Big Show at Great American Music Hall

/ Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

Tonight, Bernal Neighbor Ned Buskirk is hosting an event as an offshoot of his open mike series for conversations about mortality, called You’re Going to Die.

The show happens this evening, Friday, August 11, at Great American Music Hall beginning at 9 pm, and tickets are still available.

Neighbor Ned says:

My name is Ned Buskirk & I run You’re Going to Die, a live event series in SF. I’ve been putting music on at The Old Bus Tavern, and waaay back in 2012 Bernalwood shared a post about my open mic series called Your’re Going to Die.

In the last five years YG2D has really taken off. I still do the open mic, but now it’s twice a month to meet the interest (all the open mics sell-out), but I also regularly present curated shows. All of my shows are entertainment experiences that involve conversations about mortality, grief, loss, death & dying… & LIFE, of course.

I’m doing a BIG show on Friday, August 11th at Great American Music Hall with two big local bands: Midtown Social and Major Powers & the Lo-Fi Symphony. I’ll also be announcing the start of a new curated series of shows starting in October at Swedish American Music Hall.

It’s also a chance for community to gather, party, & celebrate being alive. Here’s the lineup:

Deeply inspiring & guaranteed to make you sweat just as much as it makes you think, Midtown Social presents a message of solidarity & hope, voiced by a community of people who are as diverse, bold, authentic, & vulnerable as the community in which they were forged. Midtown Social asks us all to come together, to find common ground, love & camaraderie, to fight for our communities, way of life, & rights—and to stand together as one.

Major Powers & The Lo-Fi Symphony plays Adventure Rock™. Imagine Mary Poppins writing songs for Weezer during a cliff diving competition between Freddie Mercury & Tom Waits while Danny Elfman makes out with Indiana Jones during a game of Dungeons & Dragons.

Angela Hennessy is an Oakland-based interdisciplinary artist and Associate Professor at California College of the Arts where she teaches courses on visual and cultural narratives of death and textile theory. Her current project, The School of the Dead, is a program for the decolonization of death and grief through the radical inquiry of aesthetic and social practices that mediate the boundary between the living and the dead.

Median Home Price Hits $1.46 Million in Summer 2017 Bernal Heights Real Estate Report

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

Michael Minson and Danielle Lazier are Bernal neighbors who work by day as local realtors. Their business gives them unique insight into the utterly bonkers San Francisco housing market, and because they’re Bernalese, Neighbor Michael and Neighbor Danielle also pay close attention to the housing market here in Bernal Heights.

Neighbors Michael and Danielle’s executive summary for the first half of 2017 is that home prices in Bernal Heights continue to appreciate at a nosebleed-inducing pace, despite their February prediction that prices may have plateaued.

Bernal’s very limited housing supply, coupled with continuing strong demand, has had a predictable effect on prices. During the first six months of this year, with a total of 94 homes trading hands, the median home price in Bernal Heights has grown by 7%, to $1.46 million. OMFG.

Now let’s hand it over to Neighbors Michael and Danielle, for their full report:

At the beginning of this year, the Bernal home price trend was slowing down, with consistently decreasing year-over-year appreciation since 2013.

Here are median sale prices for homes in Bernal Heights, along with the year-over-year % change for the past 4 years and current half year:

The four-year trend toward decelerating appreciation, coupled with uncertainties after last year’s presidential election, led us to believe home prices had hit a plateau. But that’s not how things worked out. Instead, the trend reversed and started a slight uptick for the first half of this year.

As has happened consistently for the past 5 years, Bernal Heights hit another record high median sale price for single family homes during the first half of the year, clocking in at an astounding $1.458M. That’s a 7% increase over the median price of 2016 when it was $1.363M

74% of houses sold so far in 2017 have been between $1M-$2M.

We’ve had two new entrants to the $3M club – bringing Bernal’s lifetime total to 5. As reported in Bernalwood., 88 Montcalm set a new Bernal Heights record price of $3.85M. This monster house, with 4 bedrooms, 5.5 baths and parking for two cars sold after only 5 days on the market.

We remain bullish that Bernal Heights home prices will continue to increase, but we expect the second half of 2017 to grow somewhat more slowly than the first half. July saw a seasonally slow start, as many buyers and agents took off to enjoy summer vacations. We anticipate an influx of homes to hit the market in September, October, and November, which typically defines the Fall selling season.

Demand in Bernal remains exceptionally high, as homes here are perceived to be a better value for the money than our more expensive neighbors in Potrero Hill, Noe Valley, Glen Park and the Mission. Meanwhile, inventory is fairly fixed as very few new homes are built in Bernal these days. We expect to continue to see multiple offers over asking for well-priced, well-presented properties for the rest of the year.

At some point, we anticipate affordability will cause price growth to stall, but as long as local wages and employment levels continue to show positive gains, Bernal Heights is well positioned as a relatively affordable, well-located, charming neighborhood with great weather to boot. The secret is out.

With Bernalwood’s permission, Neighbors Michael and Danielle have also used our Bernal Heights microhoods map to take a granular look at prices in different areas of Bernal. The result is reflected in this chart of median home prices per square-foot in different parts of Bernal:

IMAGES: Top, aerial view of Bernal Heights by Telstar Logistics. Below, 2017 market graphics by Michael Minson and Danielle Lazier

Reminder: The Bernal Heights Hillwide Garage Sale Happens This Saturday

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

Attention, all ye Bernalese who seek to purge or expand your collection of worldly crap treasure!

The fabulous 2017 Bernal Heights Hillwide Garage Sale is happening this Saturday, Aug. 12 from 9 am to 2 pm, so you still have a few days to add your home to the 2017 Treasure Map — or to begin mapping out your strategy to plunder all the many joyful things that will for sale.

Bernal’s own Hillwide elves provide this update:

It’s hard to believe that we are only a few days away, and if you have’t registered your garage yet, now is the time to do it – otherwise there’ll be no time left to get everything sorted and ready for sale!

Our Garage and Fundraising Totals

Total Garages Registered = 85
Total Funds Raised = $2140

Oooeeee! We’ve more than doubled the numbers since our last check-in, so we think that the amazing Bernalese can easily reach and maybe even beat last year’s total of $3105.

If you are planning on joining us then click here to register now. It’s the first step in reaching that blissful state of clutter-free nirvana and yes, you are helping support the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (BHNC) as well.

What could be better than that?

Join the Hillwide Love
If you live in Bernal and want to join in the fun, support a great local cause AND make some $$$$, register your garage sale here.

And if you are planning on hunting for some Garage Sale Treasures, check out the latest version of THE MAP or THE LISTINGS to find your ideal “thing” or “things,” Plan your route, and then share it with your friends, because shopping is always more fun in a group!

BHNC Break Station & Resource Fair
Need some refreshment and want to learn more about how the BHNC helps our neighborhood? Kiddos need some distraction from the endless treasure hunting?

The BHNC is hosting a Break Station and Resource Fair at the Rec Center behind the Library on Cortland while the Hillwide is in full swing. Stop by and say hi!

You can find out more information here.

BREAKING: Heavily Armed Police Raid Home on Anderson Street

/ Todd_Lappin / 10 Comments

Neighbor K. shared this photo captured at the scene as a police team raided a house on the 700 block of Anderson Street in Bernal Heights earlier today.

Neighbor K says the raid included “multiple armored vehicles, dogs, at least 15 officers in full gear.”

Neighbors at the scene said the raid was conducted by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), but this has not been confirmed.

UPDATE: According to ABC-7, the Anderson Street was likely part of an ATF operation that resulted in numerous arrests as part of an investigation focused on guns, stolen cars, drugs, and fences for stolen property.

Video Captures Bad Bike Accident on Steeps of Cortland

/ Todd_Lappin / 90 Comments

Neighbors who live along the eastern end of Cortland Avenue are puzzling over a security camera video that captured a frightening bicycle accident at the southeast corner of Cortland and Bronte.

The accident, which occurred last Thursday morning, August 3, may have also involved a Cadillac SUV. While the exact sequence of events is unclear, the cyclist may have lost control after the Cadillac turned left onto Bronte while traveling west on  Cortland.

The cyclist has not been identified, and there is no further information about the cyclist’s condition. Neighbors say the Cadillac left the scene after the accident, and the driver has also not been identified.

Scenes from PianFrancisco 2017 on Bernal Hill

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Photo: Telstar Logistics

Photo: Maria Lanigan

On Sunday afternoon, everything went according to plan. The piano appeared on the top of Bernal Hill, with help from a team of meadow gnomes and musical sprites. A small crowd arrived, including many musicians. And because it’s Fogust, Karl the Fog made a celebrity guest appearance, though he very kindly kept the temperatures somewhat warm on Bernal Hill.

Photo: Maria Lanigan

The Bernal Hill edition of PianFrancisco 2017 was wonderful, but if you missed it, here’s a video sampler, filmed live by the Bernalwood Mobile Uplink Team:

Thanks to all the sprites from PianFrancisco for bringing their magic to Bernal Hill, and a very special thanks to all the pianists and wannabe-pianists who created the music that brought so many smiles to so many Bernalese faces yesterday afternoon.

Sunday: Renegade Piano Recital to Materialize on Bernal Hill

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

bernalrecital1

It’s happening again. Just like that wonderful time a few years ago.

On the afternoon of Sunday, August 6, a piano will appear on the top of Bernal Hill. Carried up the hill by a team of meadow gnomes and musical sprites, the piano will be positioned with a commanding view of the San Francisco skyline.

Then people will arrive, and some of them will be talented musicians. The piano will play, and there will be music, and more people will gather around, and the scene will be lovely.  Like this:

https://www.instagram.com/p/55_r5Wlm1p/

… but maybe with more fog.  Hopefully not. But definitely maybe more fog.

Most importantly, you can be there too. To be part of it. Like a renegade.

PianFrancisco is a musical cabal that stages impromptu piano performances in improbable places around San Francisco. They materialized on Bernal Hill for the first time in 2015, and their events have since become a Thing that happens from time to time throughout the City. This Sunday, PianFrancisco is coming back to Bernal Hill.

The hush-hush communiqué Bernalwood received from the PianFrancisco cabal says:

Dearest Piano People,

We are pleased to announce the location of this Sunday’s PianFrancisco!

Wait for it… Wait for it…

Bernal Heights Park! Hooray!

As some of you know, we’ve held PianFrancisco here in years past. It’s a fabulous location, and the views from behind the piano are stunning. Plus we have some renowned local pianists joining us, including Allison Lovejoy and Dean Mermell. They will start playing at 3:30pm, so be sure to arrive by then!

Details
Sunday, 8/6
3pm-7pm
Bernal Heights Park
San Francisco, CA

How to Find Us
There are lots of ways to access the park, but we recommend the entrance on the south side of the park at the very end of Bernal Heights Blvd (it dead ends). Just walk up the paved road toward “Sutrito Tower”, and you will find us just below the tower.

Other Stuff
Take a Lyft if you plan on drinking!
Don’t leave anything visible in your car. Seriously.
Take all your trash with you.

See ya Sunday!

Rest assured, Bernalwood is told the magical piano will also magically dematerialize from the Hill at the conclusion of the festivities.

Everyone else: You know what to do.

PHOTO: Top, 2013 renegade piano recital, on Bernal Hill, by paranoiddroid

Friday: Celebrate and Support Secession Art & Design’s 10th Anniversary

/ Todd_Lappin

This Friday, August 4 from 6-9 pm, all Bernalese are invited to Neighbor Eden Stein’s fabulous Secession Art & Design store at 3235 Mission (near Valencia) to celebrate the store’s 10th anniversary party.

It’s a worthy cause for festivities, because in addition to operating her fabulous store, Neighbor Eden also leads the Mission-Bernal Merchants Association, which has played a very active role in helping our Mission Street corridor recover from the 2016 Cole Hardware Fire.

At the same time, Secession is also organizing a crowdfunding campaign. Neighbor Eden explains why:

In the time that I have owned my store I have been successful, been evicted and relocated two blocks from my original location, renovated a restaurant into a gallery, and worked almost every weekend. This past year the transit changes, the fire, politics, and changing retail behaviors have challenged whether or not I can continue to keep my doors open. Last week I had an attempted break-in, and another financial setback when they broke my glass door, which is not covered by insurance.

Neighbor Eden also shares this invitation to Friday’s 10th Anniversary Party:

You are personally invited to our 10th anniversary party on Friday night, 6-9pm.

Thank you to the lovely donors that have participated so far to our Gofundme campaign, and all the friends on Facebook who shared it. Your stories about why it is important to keep Secession Art & Design open in San Francisco moved my heart. Our goal is to raise 10k for our 10th Anniversary. The vision is to not only keep the doors open, but to grow. With additional capital, I will be able to hire one more person to the team, and create an event space in the back gallery with custom reclaimed wood benches, projector screen, and speakers.

I am always trying to be creative with how to use the gallery in new ways. The sky is the limit for what will happen in the next year. Most important is that I am able to hold onto this beautiful space. It is an epic journey every month to pay every bill. When you buy a painting, onesie, card, or gift certificate it means so much more. When you shop local, your money stays local. We are in this together.

You rock!
XO Eden

PHOTO: Courtesy of Secession Art & Design

Proposed Pinball Center Finds New Home on Misson Street in Bernal Heights

/ Todd_Lappin / 11 Comments

sfpinball

After all the fuss and cranky backlash, Neighbors Christian and Elizabeth have finally found another location for their proposed pinball spot in Bernal Heights.

As you may recall, Neighbors Christian and Elizabeth are proud denizens of Bocana, and they’d originally planned to open their pinball center at 1000 Cortland,  in the site of a former hair salon on the corner of Folsom. That plan, alas, foundered in the face of opposition from a few nearby residents, leaving the proposed pinball palace in search of a new location.

Happily, they’ve found one: Under the new name Outer Orbit, Neighbors Christian and Elizabeth now plan to set up shop on Mission Street in Bernal Heights, near the intersection of Valencia, in the storefront that’s currently home to Bel, the Belgian restaurant.

Neighbors Christian and Elizabeth tell us:

For all of you who’ve been following the trials and tribulations of us trying to get our little pinball spot off the ground, we are delighted to announce that we’ve found a location and signed a lease! We tried mightily to open a place on Cortland Ave, but we fished through all the prospects and instead found our oasis on Mission Street (where it meets Valencia), so we will still be able to serve the families of Bernal Heights.

We expect to open in early spring after doing some light renovation. Our plan is to have nine machines ranging from vintage (EM, for those in the know) all the way to brand new games, while providing a fun and inviting atmosphere to match the pins.

In the evenings when the kids have settled off to La La Land, we’ll have plenty of beers and wines to keep the evening exciting. And the big reveal: Hawaiian-inspired eats! I grew up in Hawaii and have been dreaming of bringing well-executed novel touches of Hawaiiana to accessible dining.

So thanks again for all the interest and support you kind folks on Bernal have shown us. It’s been the fire that’s kept us going.

So that means family-friendly pinball, drinks, and Hawaiian food, all just a convenient bumper-bounce away all the other fabulous restaurants and bars in the delightfully vibrant, delightfully low-key Nano-Tokyo District and La Lengua Nightlife Zone. Game on!

Of course, Bel has a lot of fans in the neighborhood too, so it’s sad to see them go.  According to MissionLocal, Richard Rosen, the chef and co-woner of Bel had a motorcycle accident recently, after which it became more difficult to operate the business.  Rosen and his partner and co-owner, Jennifer Garris, also own the excellent Pi Bar on Valencia near 25th. We wish them all the best.

PHOTO: San Francisco pinball game, photographed at the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda by Telstar Logistics.

Former Neighbor Lists Where to Eat and Drink in Bernal Heights

/ Todd_Lappin / 24 Comments

Until recently, writer Caleb Pershan was known to us as Neighbor Caleb, a resident of these Bernalese lands. Alas, Caleb recently decamped to another part of the City, but he still knows Bernal Heights well, and that shows in his list of “Where to Eat and Drink in Bernal Heights” that was just published on EaterSF.

Caleb writes:

Bernal Heights is sometimes described as an urban village rather than a neighborhood, which is to say it’s a little isolated and very family-friendly. The name Maternal Heights has been bandied about, but kids or not, it’s a great place to explore, eat, and drink.

To be sure, there’s certainly room to quibble about some glaring omissions. Nevertheless, this is an undeniably credible greatest-hits summary of Bernal’s fooding and drinking scene as it stands in the summer of 2017.

So dig in to see the list, and let the argumentation begin.

GRAPHIC: Eater SF

 

What’s Up With That Weird Construction Project on Bernal Heights Boulevard?

/ Todd_Lappin / 22 Comments

There’ve been many questions and much speculation about the big construction project that’s gobbled up a whole lane of Bernal Heights Boulevard on the north side of Bernal Hill. It’s quite a scene:

The presence of several stainless steel vats on the job site has led some to surmise that, as part of this Golden Age for Beer in Bernal Heights, a new microbrewery is under construction there, with skyline views that will pair nicely with a full-bodied IPA. The frosty mist emanating from a pipe has caused others to wonder if the site will become a pop-up location for one of those trendy, liquid-nitrogen ice cream stands, like that popular place in Japantown.

Suffice to say, such rumors are false and unfounded. Instead, the project on Bernal Heights Boulevard is part of a PG&E effort to reposition a high-voltage electric transmission line that’s buried under the street.

Neighbor Sam wrote about this process a few years ago after spotting a similar operation underway in Los Angeles. Here’s his basic explanation:

It turns out they have a problem with an underground wire. Not just any wire but a 230 KV, many-hundred-amp, 10 mile long coax cable. […]

The cable consists of a copper center conductor living inside a 16 inch diameter pipe filled with a pressurized oil dielectric. Hundreds of thousands of gallons [of mineral oil] live in the entire length of pipe. Finding the fault was hard enough. But having found it they still have a serious problem. They can’t afford to drain the whole pipeline – the old oil (contaminated by temporary storage) would have to be disposed of and replaced with new (pure) stuff which they claim takes months to order (in that volume). The cost of oil replacement would be gigantic given that it is special stuff. [..,]

That’s where the LN-2 [liquid nitrogen] comes in. An elegant solution if you ask me. They dig holes on both sides (20-30 feet each way) of the fault, wrap the pipe with giant (asbestos-looking) blankets filled with all kind of tubes and wires, feed LN-2 through the tubes, and *freeze* the oil. Viola! Programmable plugs! The faulty section is drained, sliced, the bad stuff removed, replaced, welded back together, topped off, and the plugs are thawed.

That’s what’s happening on Bernal Hill right now. Only, the issue here isn’t a fault in the line. Instead, workers at the site tell Bernalwood that PG&E is re-positioning the underground electric line to bypass a sewer upgrade The City recently installed along Folsom Street.

So on Bernal Hill, a contractor is using liquid nitrogen to freeze a segment of the mineral oil that functions as an insulator for the high-voltage electric line. The frozen segment acts like a cork to seal off the mineral oil backed up in the rest of the very long electric line. There’s another liquid nitrogen site farther north on Folsom that corked the other end of the line, and in-between, a third crew is repositioning the power line to avoid the new sewer pipes.

So now you know.

PHOTOS AND VIDEO: Telstar Logistics

Finally! Watch Bernal Filmmaker Joe Talbot’s “American Paradise”

/ Todd_Lappin / 8 Comments

Bernal Heights filmmaker Joe Talbot in 2014

When we last heard from Bernalese filmmaker Joe Talbot, he was schmoozing with the stars at the Sundance Film Festival.  Neighbor Joe, a native of Montcalm Street  and winner of the coveted “Best of Bernal” prize at the 2014 Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema Festival, was at Sundance last Februrary to premier American Paradise, a short film he recently wrote and directed.

Yet if you just couldn’t make it to Sundance — ugh, the maddening crowds, darling — you’re now in luck: Yesterday Neighbor Joe shared American Paradise on the interwebs so the rest of us can watch it too.

IndieWire called American Paradise one of the “must-see shorts” at Sundance this year, and Vimeo just selected it as a Staff Pick Premiere. Emily Bruder at No Film School writes:

Some filmmakers come right out of the gate with a distinctive style and vision for their directorial debut. Joe Talbot is one such director. Although Talbot’s short, American Paradise, was his first time working with a budget and legitimate production team, it went on to screen at Sundance 2017 and SXSW 2017, garnering wide acclaim for its grasp of absurdist comedy and incisive social commentary.

Now, American Paradise has been selected as Vimeo Staff Pick Premiere and is finally available to stream online (Watch it below). It’s the story of a forgotten man in Trump’s America who tries to shift his fate with the perfect crime—until, of course, all goes horribly wrong. Its tagline, “based on an unfortunately true story,” perfectly encapsulates the film’s sense of humor and underlying somber message. Rendered with a pastel color palette and compositions that would make Wes Anderson weep, American Paradise announces an exciting new talent in Talbot.

Some filmmakers come right out of the gate with a distinctive style and vision for their directorial debut. Joe Talbot is one such director. Although Talbot’s short, American Paradise, was his first time working with a budget and legitimate production team, it went on to screen at Sundance 2017 and SXSW 2017, garnering wide acclaim for its grasp of absurdist comedy and incisive social commentary.

Find a comfortable place to sit, get yourself a cup of popcorn, and enjoy Neighbor Joe Talbot’s short film:

Thursday: Dispensary to Host Fundraiser for Rocket Dog Rescue

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

This Thursday, July 20, the Harvest Dispensary on 29th Street in La Lengua will host a fundraiser for Rocket Dog Rescue.

As you may recall, Rocket Dog suffered a financial blow last month when the canine-rescue group’s founder was mugged near her Bernal Heights home. Harvest founder Marty Higgins tells Bernalwood:

Cannabis dispensary Harvest off Mission teamed up with The Front Porch to host a special fundraiser this Thursday July 20th from 6-10pm to raise money for Rocket Dog Rescue.

As reported on Bernalwood, the owner of Rocket Dog was forcibly robbed of their funded dollars last month. 100% of ticket sales and all proceeds will go to Rocket Dog Rescue.

The $50 ticket includes an eighth of Alegria Organic cannabis, a dab bar by Brite labs, home style fried chicken from SF’s Front Porch, exotic infused cannabis cocktails from award winning mixologist Alex Riddle, DJ Duserock, along with raffle prizes and a silent auction.

Harvest off Mission felt it imperative to support Rocket Dog Rescue after the appalling crime. One of the best ways to improve our community is to stand by our community organizations, especially in times like this. The robbery of Pali [Rocket Dog Rescue cofounder] was not only horrific but extremely untimely as the money stolen came from a fundraiser.

Tickets for the event can be purchased here.

Only individuals with legally recognized Medical Cannabis Identification Cards or a verifiable, written recommendation from a physician for medical cannabis may attend this event.

Thu, July 20, 2017
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM PDT

Harvest Off Mission
33 29th Street