At Stow Lake yesterday, we came upon a couple looking at something. We stopped to see what it was. There on the ground was a red crayfish. We’d never seen one at Stow Lake before, and neither had they, though they visit often. I pulled out my camera.
“You have a camera?” the lady asked. “We came from someplace else, so we didn’t bring ours.”
Even better, my companion had an iPhone. He could take the photo and instantly send it to their email address. Which he did.
Here’s the iPhone picture of the crayfish.
(We’re still wondering what it’s doing there, on the dry dusty path.)
When they emailed back to thank us, they sent us this enchanting picture of three baby Great Horned Owls in Golden Gate Park.
When I asked for permission to publish it, they agreed. In a follow-up they said, “One of the really nice things in the park is sharing wildlife, especially with people who may not have ever seen owls, or herons, or bats…”
Couldn’t agree more. We’re so fortunate to have this wonderful park ten minutes from our neighborhood.
Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park on a golden summer evening… it’s one of my favorite places to walk. It was past seven when I got there, not crowded at all, though a few joggers and walkers and families were still around. So also a few ducks and gulls, and something that splashed from time to time.
What was it?
A single pied-bill grebe was diving around the boat island, but it didn’t splash hard, it just dived in and vanished. But walking along the water’s edge, I came upon a possible splasher: a large koi fish, I estimate over a foot long. It was white and gold, not the usual well-camouflaged gray. So maybe the splashing was from fish? I still don’t know.
I crossed the bridge beyond the boat house, and was startled to see a little bird bobbing along the reeds on the other side: a duckling. It busily swam along the reads, reaching up into the overhanging bushes. Its mother floated patiently along, just supervising junior. I was surprised because it’s so late in the season. I wonder if mallards can hatch a second brood?
I watched it for a while as it explored, for all the world like a toddler running ahead and stopping and looking, while its mother looks on. Here is again, hiding in the shadows of the overhanging tree.
Strawberry Hill was busy with squirrels, showing off their white shirt-fronts as they sat up to people-watch. They moved with the confidence of the popular, knowing that humans were more likely to admire than threaten. And maybe there’d be a nut or two on offer.
There’s been undergrowth removal on Strawberry hill, and maybe tree-trimming as well. It seems rather bare by comparison to what I remember from previous years. Steller’s Jay’s, blue birds with charcoal gray heads and crests, flew around the trees; the work seems to have opened up hunting grounds for them.
On the way back, I came upon the last surprise. Two people were looking at this: A crayfish. Never seen those before at Stow Lake, either.
Michaela Byrne, who lives in our neighborhood, sent in this photograph with a lovely tribute to our weather. Her website is at michaelabyrne.wordpress.com
The fog has been rolling in this week in great white sheets, rolling over the hills. My neighborhood has such a tangible relationship with fog. We embrace each other, work into the depths of each other. Fog swirls around our streets and wisps through the corner of our chain link fences. Sunlight fights the buildings to reclaim its hill top territory, and the fog races through the terraces, desperate to flee. Forest Knolls, Crestmont Street, Diamond Heights, Golden Gate Heights, we are the first thing the fog truly touches when it rolls in from the ocean. We provide the surfaces and the touch for mist to coalesce, dropping off the moisture gathered a thousand miles away. We are the islands where blue butterflies still roam, the sanctuaries for coyotes and the smell of eucalyptus dust, foxes and jasmine. And we are also the final resting place of San Franciscan latitude fog.
The bright Noe, Castro, Mission owe these standing hills a debt of gratitude. We pay with our drenched sweaters and drenched in sweat climbing to our ear-popping homes to enjoy a view that fifty percent of the time is erased from sight by fog the color of a blank page, like an erased world, so that those bright districts can have shadows and open air cafes. We are the inhabitants of this cool piece of landscape.
Edited to Update (July 27, 2012): He’s been found! Here’s what I heard from Tess:
“Great news! My niece, the original owner, went with me to look on Christopher Street. She called his name several times and he ran out of the woods and into her arms.
“Thank you for your help in my search.” I am so pleased to be able to report another happy ending.
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This picture’s been posted on lamp-posts in our area. It’s a missing two-year-old male Yorkie, lost on Tuesday at Devonshire and Oak Park in the Forest Knolls area. If you see this little dog, please call Tess at (415) 640-1975.
(I just spoke with her July 25th at 8.30 p.m., the dog is still missing.)
Down the hill from us in the Inner Sunset, the interesting and eclectic store Urban Bazaar (“Fair trade & locally handmade gifts“) is celebrating its second anniversary. They asked me to post this … they’re having an “Urban Bazaar-B-Q” and party!
The festivities will include:
Barbecue & beer from noon ’til we run out
Birthday cupcakes & treats
Live art by local artist Rick Kitagawa, all day
Free workshops & demos by local artists, including…
12:30-2 pm: Terrarium Making demo with Brandi & a chance to make your own terrarium!
2-3:30 pm: Mustache on a Stick workshop with Briana!
All day: Fabric covered jewelry making with Stephanie Bolton of Since Sass, $5-10 materials fee
When: Sunday July 29th, 12:30-6:30pm
Where: Urban Bazaar, 1371 9th Ave., San Francisco
Contact: (415) 664-4422, Urbanbazaarsf.com
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Sounds like fun. I looked up Rick Kitagawa. His website says, “I make paintings of monsters, illustrate creepy things, and make prints on the side as well!” (This lonesome Cthulhu is one of his pictures, which is also available, I think, as a t-shirt…)
Crafter Stephanie Bolton has a shop on Etsy, Since Sass. It’s got a whole bunch of handmade pouches and purses, but what she’s doing this time is fabric-covered jewelry.
Since Brandi of Urban Bazaar plans a terrarium workshop, I thought I’d put in this terrarium picture from their website.
Earl and Connie Martin in 1956 outside their partially built home
Some time ago, I’d written about meeting Earl and Connie Martin, original residents of Midtown Terrace. Earl had taken a lot of photographs of Forest Knolls and Midtown Terrace in the 1950s and early 1960s, when they first moved here. When I asked permission to publish them, he kindly invited me over to their home.
Today I was saddened to learn that he passed away last month, soon after my May 2012 interview. My thoughts go out to his family. I was honored and fortunate to meet him.
I was sent this flyer today, for the San Francisco Fire Department’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Training being held at UCSF at Parnassus. It’s for July 10 AND 17th – anyone can attend, but they have to attend both sessions. Here’s the flyer (clicking on it will yield a larger version):
I was out of town until yesterday, and flew back on the 4th of July. The first thing I noticed was that a *lot* of people on the planes and in the airports wore celebratory clothes, almost as though they were trying to make up for having to fly on the holiday. Amid the men and women wearing T-shirts with flags and eagles, there was a cute five-year-old in a blue-starred bodice and a red-and-white striped skirt.
Usually we watch the fireworks from Tank Hill or Twin Peaks, but last night we drove down to the Marina and watched, double-parked, from near the Safeway. It was splendid, and I’d forgotten how different it feels watching from up close. (One year we did the Hornblower cruise, and it was amazing… we’ll probably do that again some time.)
And did you hear what happened in San Diego? The entire 17-minute 4th of July fireworks display went off in about 30 seconds… they’re still trying to figure out the technical glitch, but the result was spectacular!
Nola posted this alert on the neighborhood Yahoo Group, and I’m giving it a signal-boost because it could be important:
On Saturday, June 30, Mars Petcare announced the voluntary recall of some of its Pedigree canned dog food products due to a potential choking risk. Affected products may contain small pieces of blue plastic.
To learn which products are included, please visit the following link:
If you’re giving your dog this product, you might want to follow the links for the details. It links to the website dogfoodadvisor.com has an alert system to warn dog-owners who sign up with them about recalled dog foods.
Here’s another of Barbara’s Amazing Events in the Inner Sunset…
Inner Sunset Gazillion-Family Flea Market with Free Ice Cream!
Saturday, July 14, 10a – 5p, Rain or Shine!
NW Corner of Sixth & Irving, Backyard & Sidewalk
Whether you have a little or a lot, feel free to join us. We have plenty of supplies for setting up a lot of tables and level areas to show your wares.
To participate,call or email: Barbara 415/2.46.47.48
Readers who have been following along with the Crestmont Project story would be interested to know that the Mt Sutro Woods Owners Association has filed a response to the Draft Environmental Impact Report.
[Click HERE for the back story; and HERE for the most recent developments. The name of the project was changed to San Francisco Overlook, but as far as we know, not much else was altered from the original plan. A developer wishes to build 34 housing units at the end of a long cul-de-sac on a steep slope accessible only by driving through Forest Knolls neighborhood.]
The report was filed by the law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP. The bulletin below summarizes the issues and has a link to the full letter on the Crestmont Preservation website.
Letter to Planning Department
Response to Draft EIR Update, 6-26-12
(The comment period to the Draft EIR ended June 19, 2012.)
Letter from McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP on behalf of Mt. Sutro Woods Owners Association (MSWOA):
“…we believe the DEIR is severely flawed in many respects and fails to meet minimum legal requirements as an informal document under CEQA. The DEIR needs to be supplemented with additional information, analysis and mitigation.”
REMINDER:
Please display the poster in your window and urge your neighbors to also display the poster! If you need a poster, please call Sam Sobol, 415-640-3869 or email info@crestmontpreservation.org.
I’ve been following the Parks Station Police newsletter for some time now, just to know what’s going on – particularly in our neighborhood. Though the 15 June 2012 newsletter had nothing about Forest Knolls or Midtown Terrace (fortunately); it was an interesting read.
We’ve just had a changing of the guard: Captain Feeney transferred out, and Captain Greg Corales has assumed command. Captain Corrales is making a push to clean up the Alvord Lake area, which has become the Drug-Dealer’s Mart. Captain Corrales himself was able to make two purchases there; and when he sent in his undercover people, they made three more.
He’s also the Editor-in-Chief of the newsletter. So is he the one responsible for the amazing alliteration appearing there?
SIX SLINKING SKULKERS
What first caught my eye was the suspicious skulkers slinking sinisterly.
Here:
And then, another one who wasn’t just a suspicious subject, but an actual scoundrel!
BUT THERE’S MORE
Besides the slinking skulkers, our Parks Station Police Personnel have been confronting: truculent thugs who are mendacious miscreants, suspicious slumberers, remorseless reprobates, violent vandals, and booze banditos. To say nothing of furtive fugitives…
Here’s a thank you to the Parks Station Police, not only for the essential and important work that they do, but also for the remarkable rousing reporting.
Barbara Oleksiw is organizing the annual Solstice Party, and asked me to run this notice. We’re all invited!
Annual FREE Inner Sunset Summer Solstice Party Saturday, June 23rd, 8 to 11p, Sixth & Irving
Come enjoy complimentary Live Music, a BBQ dinner & warm Drinks, on the Longest Day of 2012! We’ll have *plenty* of outdoor heaters, if necessary. All welcome!
Bring a dessert to share, if you wish. To volunteer: Barbara 415/2.46.47.48
As readers here will know, we have been following the issue of the Crestmont project, now called the San Francisco Overlook. This is a multiunit housing development planned for the end of Crestmont, a long cul-de-sac, and to be situated on a steep and potentially unstable hillside. (Click here for the backstory.)
The project required an Environmental Impact Report, and the Draft of that was issued recently (DEIR). The public hearing was on June 14th, 2012. There is still time to submit comments, which must be in by June 19th.
Here is the latest bulletin from Dr Sam Sobol, who is co-ordinating this battle.
BULLETIN from Crestmont-Mt.Sutro-Forest Knolls Neighborhood Preservation Coalition DEIR Hearing Report
Letters to Planning Department
Planning Commission DEIR Report & Letters to Planing DepartmentUpdate, 6-14-12
The hearing in front of the Planning Commission was held on Thursday, June 14, 2012 at City Hall. Twelve Crestmont-Forest Knolls neighbors testified about their concerns and objections to the Draft EIR. They made statements about our unique neighborhood and raised questions about various aspects of the report. There were also several neighbors who attended, but did not speak.
Traffic and safety were the main topics and it was pointed out that the EIR underestimates the increase in traffic that this development would bring and how it would impact not only Crestmont Drive, but all of Forest Knolls. The Draft EIR contains no mention of lack of a usable sidewalk on lower Crestmont, causing people to walk on the street. Other issues brought up were children playing in the street, lack of access for large fire trucks, and residents trapped with no escape route in case of emergency vehicles blocking the street. A number of speakers took issue with the statement in the report that the development would not cause a major change in the character of the neighborhood.
A Kirkham Heights neighbor spoke about her many years observing slides from the mountain. She stated that the hillside is crumbly and precarious and that a large development might lead to unforeseen consequences. A person representing the Housing Coalition, who was not a neighbor, spoke in favor of the development. The developer was not present at the hearing, but the architect of the project and his outreach representative were in attendance, though none of them spoke.
After the speakers had completed their statements, some of the Commissioners made comments regarding these statements and requested that a few additional issues be addressed in the final EIR. Commissioner Moore complimented the Planning Department staff for their good work in preparing the Draft EIR.
______________________________________
The Draft EIR Comments Period ends Tuesday, June 19, 2012.
Letters or e-mails received after that date will not be considered or responded to. If you have not yet sent in your comments to the Planning Department, please take a look at two letters posted here http://crestmontpreservation.org/news.html:
* Letter from Crestmont Preservation to the Planning Department
* Letter from a concerned neighbor citing specific deficiencies in the Draft EIR
You may wish to adapt, revise, cut & paste, etc., to express your specific concerns. Please try, as much as possible, to address specific issues, topics, or sections of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR).
The Draft EIR for the San Francisco Overlook Project is available for review online [as a PDF], http://sfmea.sfplanning.org/2004.0093E_DEIR.pdf
Paper copies (510 pages) and CDs are available at the Planning Information Center (PIC) counter at the Planning Department, 1660 Mission St., San Francisco.
The more letters the Planning Department receives, the more impact our concerns will have.
ADDRESSES:
Planning Department:
Bill Wycko, Environmental Review Officer, San Francisco Planning Department,
1650 Mission St., Suite 400, SF 94103. bill.wycko@sfgov.org
REMINDER:
Please display the poster in your window and urge your neighbors to also display the poster! If you need a poster, please call Sam Sobol, 415-640-3869 or email info@crestmontpreservation.org.
I was sent this notice to share with everyone: “The Inner Sunset Merchants Association has decided to create a monthly after-hours event in the neighborhood, and we’re hosting our first one this month, on Friday June 22nd 2012.”
Since this neighborhood is just down the hill from us, it’s a nice thing to explore. I’ve always felt that our side of the city has too little going on after hours. This would be a welcome addition.
Explore the Inner Sunset after hours!
Enjoy specials, art exhibits, refreshments, and more from local businesses every fourth Friday of the month, starting at 6pm and ending between 9-10pm.
On June 22nd, some of the fun things to discover include the opening of a 2-week art show at Urban Bazaar (1371 9th Ave), with original artwork by local illustrator Nidhi Chanani (the picture above is one of hers), plus free refreshments; and a showcase of handcrafted jewelry from La Paz, Bolivia at La Paz Imports (1342 9th Ave).
Head down to the 9th & Irving intersection on the N-Judah and pick up a map of the businesses that are participating at any of the following locations:
Urban Bazaar- 1371 9thAve.;
Pearl Gallery- 839 Irving St; Blackthorn- 834 Irving St.;
Park Smile- 1244 9th Ave.
All venues (except 21+ only establishments), are family friendly.
Today was the transit of Venus. That’s when the earth’s orbit lines up with the orbit of the planet Venus in such a way that we see Venus silhouetted against the sun. In San Francisco, it went from 3.09 p.m. to 9.49 p.m.
As spectacles go, this was quiet: a tiny black dot moving across the sun and taking nearly seven hours to do it. As special occasions go, it was very special: This is the last one for the next 105 years. Not in our time, or our children’s time. Maybe our grand-children or great-grandchildren will see the next one.
I definitely wanted to see it.
Mary Allen, in a comment on my post about the eclipse, mentioned solar-viewing spectacles available from Edmunds Scientific, but also that they were back-ordered. (Thanks, Mary!) Though I ordered them right away, they didn’t arrive in yesterday’s mail. Too bad.
So I made my way to the roof of the California Academy of Sciences at 3.20. I’m a member there, and their e-newsletter said they’d have scopes set up. They did, and quite a few people had gathered to see what was going on. We got there just in time to see the little black Venus dot start its transit across the sun on one of the solar viewers.
“It takes the light 8 minutes to get here from the sun,” someone said.
“Yes, but only 5 minutes from Venus,” said someone else. “If you got here 8 minutes ago, you wouldn’t have seen the dot.”
After a while, we left. We had 6 p.m. evening engagements that we needed to prepare for.
IN THE NICK OF TIME
The doorbell rang at 5.30 p.m. There on the doorstep, just in the nick of time, were the solar viewing glasses. I opened the box, picked a pair, and went to the window to see the phenomenon. Sure enough, there it was. I actually got to see it, not just an image of it:
Next planet over, crossing in front of our favorite star.
Someone sent me this notification, and I’m posting it here in case anyone’s planning to drive out the week of June 11.
Daly City is bracing for large crowds the week of June 11-17 as golf fans converge on the Olympic Club for the 2012 US Open. Widely regarded as the premier golf event of the year, the US Open is expected to draw more than 200,000 spectators during the week. Although the golf course is located in San Francisco, a majority of the fans attending the event will pass directly through Daly City, potentially causing unprecedented traffic delays in the area near the Olympic Club.
Officials from the United States Golf Association (USGA) have planned ways to mitigate traffic in Daly City, but transporting 200,000 people to the Olympic Club in a single week will undoubtedly affect regular traffic flow along John Daly Boulevard between Junipero Serra Boulevard and Highway 35 (Skyline Boulevard).
Additionally,
John Muir Drive will be closed to the general public for the duration of the event (residents who live at Lakewood Apartments will be issued parking permits and will be granted access from southbound Highway 35 in the eastbound direction only).
Highway 35 will be closed to all northbound traffic between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. during the U.S. Open. Only one lane of southbound Highway 35 (the western-most lane) will remain open to the public.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area of Highway 35 north of the Highway 1 interchange in Pacifica. Highway 1 and I-280 are the preferred north/south alternate routes during the U.S. Open.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Fans planning to attend the U.S. Open are encouraged to take advantage of free parking at Candlestick Park. The USGA has arranged free shuttle service from Candlestick Park to the Olympic Club (and back) throughout the event.
A shuttle for BART riders will be available from the Colma Station. Absolutely no event parking is available near the Olympic Club.
CLOSURES
The Olympic Section of Westlake (the neighborhood north of John Daly Boulevard, between Highway 35 and Lake Merced Boulevard) will be accessible only to residents and their guests. On-street parking in the Olympic Section during the U.S. Open will require a permit.
Westlake Park, the Doelger Senior Center, Larcombe Clubhouse and the Pacelli Events Center will not be open from Monday, June 11 through Sunday, June 17.
The Library and Recreation Services Administration offices will be staffed and open for phone inquiries Monday, June 11 through Friday, June 15. However, no parking will be available for drop-in visitors or in-person registration. If you need assistance from the Library and Recreation Services Department during the U.S. Open, please call (650) 991-8001 or FAX (650) 991-0303.
All Daly City facilities will re-open Monday, June 18 barring any play-off rounds.
For more information about the 2012 U.S. Open, visit www.usopen.com. For more information and a map of the roads around the Olympic Club CLICK HERE.
I received this heads up from Urban Bazaar, a charming little store on 9th Avenue in the Inner Sunset, just below Forest Knolls:
I wanted to let you know about another event we’re hosting at Urban Bazaar later this month. Local artist and Inner Sunset resident Nidhi Chanani will be putting on a 2 week art exhibit of some of her higher end art pieces at Urban Bazaar from June 23rd- July 8th, and we’re hosting a book signing with her and her new art print book on June 29th from 7:30-pm. Here’s the blurb:
San Francisco artist/illustrator Nidhi Chanani is taking the world by storm!
She recently won a “Champion of Change” award at the White House, and is publishing her second book of art prints in June. Urban Bazaar is one of only 2 locations where she’s holding a book signing event!
Come out to meet Nidhi, have her autograph your book or artwork, and check out some of her artwork that we don’t normally carry – wood burnings, framed prints, and more (which will be on display at Urban Bazaar from June 23rd- July 8th in a special exhibit).
There will be free refreshments, and we’ve heard tell of some kind of awesome giveaway for the first folks to purchase her book…!
I looked online, and found Nidhi Chanani’s light-hearted and delightfulwork. The two pictures here are reproduced from her website. (The link to that is HERE.)
I was just at the Diamond Heights Safeway (around 2.45 on 2 June 2012), and saw a small white dog gleefully scampering around the parking lot as though it had gotten out when it wasn’t meant to. I looked around for the owner, but didn’t see anyone.
It wouldn’t let me get close enough to check its collar for tags, so here’s a photo. In case anyone is looking for it.
The article below is republished with permission from Outsidelands (with some added emphasis). Click HERE for the original article. I want to thank Rex Bell for a wonderful step back in time.
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A WALK ALONG THE ALMSHOUSE ROAD:
A Historical Description of Today’s Clarendon Avenue
by Rex Bell
I’ve always been fascinated with San Francisco history. To indulge my interest, I sometimes try to imagine what areas of the City I’m so familiar with were like in the past. I recently got a little help when I discovered a detailed, descriptive article that appeared in the San Francisco Call on Sunday, November 8, 1896.
The author of the article is unknown and long forgotten, but he created with words a vivid image of what was then a truly rural part of San Francisco. He writes about his walk along a road, very close to the City, but well hidden and isolated. He clearly describes what he sees and hears along the way, orienting the reader to his starting point, the curves in the road, and the changes in grade.
The author began his walk at the top of Stanyan Street, just above Cole Valley on the east side of Sutro Forest, on a clear Fall day in 1896. He described a place at that location where Stanyan transitioned into a dirt road that provided access to the beautiful rural path then known as the “Almshouse Road.” (So-named because it led to the Almshouse, which was an infirmary that housed San Francisco’s sick and poor of the day, located at the present site of Laguna Honda Hospital).
As I studied the article, I came to realize that much of what the author described is today known as Clarendon Avenue—the street that winds through a wooded portion of the City beginning at Twin Peaks Boulevard near Clayton Street. It heads up and over the hill along the eastern edge of Sutro Forest, descends down into a valley between the neighborhoods of Midtown Terrace and Forest Knolls, past the Laguna Honda Reservoir, and ends at Laguna Honda Boulevard.
On a Sunday afternoon in July 2011, I set out to retrace the steps that the author took on that day in the Fall of 1896. I began at his starting point (at what is now the intersection of Stanyan and Belgrave Streets), but I found the path blocked by houses. Slightly annoyed, but not dissuaded, I walked around— over Tank Hill and up Clarendon to where Stanyan once came come through. From this location, with a copy of the article in-hand, I began my walk back in time along the section of Clarendon that was once known as the “Almshouse Road.”
This is the spot where my walk began on Clarendon Avenue. Stanyan Street no longer comes through. The sign points to several houses accessed by the isolated stairway.Top of Stanyan Street stairs at Clarendon Avenue, 2011 – Photograph by Rex Bell
From the San Francisco Call, November 8, 1896:
“A GENUINE OLD-FASHIONED COUNTRY ROAD WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO”
“What other city in the world the size of San Francisco can boast of a country road within its limits, only a short distance away from the busy marts of trade? By this is not meant a street with a rural appearance, but a real road, without side walks or lamp-posts, that winds among tree-covered hills, past ranches and gardens and pretty homes, with vines and flowers in the yard, at the same time being shut out from all sight and sound of the busy metropolis. It is very likely that the city by the Golden Gate stands alone in this respect, as she does in many others. It is also likely that comparatively few of the residents of this City know of such a road’s existence, although most of them have undoubtedly been within a few hundred feet of one end of it.
“Nevertheless the road exists and is not at all hard to find. It is down on the map of San Francisco as “the Almshouse Road,” and the end nearest town starts at Stanyan street, several blocks south from the Haight-street entrance to the Park.”
Route of the almshouse walk shown on 1915 map. Blue Mt. is today’s Mount Sutro. – Courtesy of Rex Bell The author began his walk where Stanyan Street joins Clarendon Ave. (red dot). He proceeded southwest through the valley between Blue Mountain (now Mt. Sutro) and the hill just to the east (right). (The latter hill is the present location of Sutro Tower. The buildings identified as the “Affiliated Colleges” are today’s UCSF Medical Center).
“At this point there is nothing unusual looking about the road, it having much the appearance of many of the newly laid out streets in the vicinity. It starts up a gradual incline and goes through a cut in the hill only about a block away. A little has been done in the way of improvement here. Wooden curbs have been put in and the center of the road is covered with crushed stone the same as is used in the park. But go up to the cut in the hill and look beyond. The entire aspect changes and every bit of suggestion of a city street disappears. The roadbed is simply laid on the surface of the ground and almost nothing done in the way of grading. On both sides there are hills and trees with vacant lots divided by fences.
“About two hundred feet from the end of the road it makes a curve and a descent at the same time, then a sudden ascent. Here there are a few small houses, and by turning back one can look over the park and even beyond and see the smoke of the big City mingling with the clear blue of the sky.
– Photograph by Rex Bell At about this location, the author turned back to look over the city. The Panhandle of Golden Gate Park is visible at the roofline of the house.
“But keep on and another descent will lead into a canyon and a few hundred feet up this and all sight of the big City is lost. When once within this big canyon it is hard to realize that only a few hundred feet to the northeast there is a big City throbbing and pulsating with life. There is no suggestion of it here, and as far as the general aspect of nature goes, one might as well be in the depths of the Sierras. Away to the south the road can be seen winding among the hills, every now and then disappearing behind a bluff only to reappear a short distance farther on.
– Photograph by Rex Bell Present day Clarendon Avenue. The spot is where the road “descends into a canyon”. Mt. Sutro (not visible in the photo) is to the right and the peak upon which Sutro Tower sits is to the left. It was just beyond this location where the author said, “one might as well be in the depths of the Sierras”.
“There is a breath of autumn in the air. The grass on the hill sides is sparse and brown, but the birds are singing and the murmur of the brook can be heard as it tumbles over the rocks. A gentle wind rustles the dead weeds and sends the dried leaves flying. Listen. Not the faintest sound of the big City comes in here. Surely this cannot be San Francisco. But it really is, and just over the hill to the right not much farther than a boy could throw a stone are well laid out streets, all the modern improvements that make up a metropolis.
– Courtesy of Rex Bell The map from 1897 shows two creeks flowing into Laguna Honda Reservoir. (The grids of streets shown on the map were never laid out). The upper creek is likely the one the author heard “tumbling over rocks”.
It [the creek] no longer flows on the surface but now runs just underground at the base of the lush gully located between Laguna Honda Hospital and Clarendon Avenue (below). – Photograph by Rex Bell“Although the road really goes up hill it does so so gradually as to be imperceptible. Every step takes one farther and farther into the depths of nature, and the canyon becomes almost wild for a short distance. There are big jagged rocks overhanging the way and seeming ready to fall at any moment. At this point the hills on both sides are so high the sea breeze is kept out and an absolute silence reigns.”
A section of the road that the author walked is visible in the lower portion of the photo. The cluster of buildings faintly visible at far left is the Almshouse. Laguna Honda Reservoir is barely visible in the distance near the center of the photo. The low spot in the foreground where the road forks is the present location of the Midtown Terrace playground and the covered Sutro Reservoir. This picture was taken from Twin Peaks in 1905; not a lot had changed since the article was written.The same location as the picture above, taken in July, 2011. Laguna Honda Hospital on the left has replaced the Almshouse. Sutro Reservoir is the large flat structure at middle-right. – Photograph by Rex Bell
“In the vicinity of the Almshouse the roadway is lined with pretty residences, and numerous ponds and reservoirs add to the country-like effect. Roosters are crowing, cows bellowing, dogs barking and hens cackling, mingled with the sound of the woodsman’s ax in the timber near by.
“The prettiest portion of the whole road is just beyond the Almshouse gate. It might properly be named the Eucalyptus road, for both sides of the driveway are lined with the most picturesque specimens of those artistic trees. The trees are just in their prime and make a most refreshing shade, that is pleasant to look at in cool weather and cooling when the sun is hot. This avenue is about 500 feet long, and in some places the branches of the trees meet overhead, forming a natural archway, the equal of any in the State. When the sun is low in the west and the trunks of the trees cast long shadows over the roadway, then is it indeed a beautiful sight. The spots of light dance as if endowed with life, and the whole interior of the archway is filled with a soft glow that mingles with the quivering sunshine.
Lithograph depiction of the old Almshouse on the present-day site of Laguna Honda Hospital. –
“Beyond the Almshouse there is a clearing where the inmates of the institution are want to come and rest while seated in the sun on the logs of the newly felled trees. They add considerably to the picturesqueness of the scene, those poor old people, as they move about, many of them attired in the most outlandish garments of the brightest colors. But some how they seem to blend with nature, and even if the clothes they wear have been out of fashion over half a century, the wearers are proud of them; perhaps proud of the length of time they have had them.”
“Half a mile from the Almshouse gate the road is of the most countryfied description. There are barns and stables on both sides, and back on the hills dozens of vegetable gardens. At present these gardens are looking their best. Great rows of all sorts of good things are in the most perfect condition of greenness, and walking among them are gardeners singing at their work.
“Every foot of the Almshouse road is a pleasure to walk over to any one who enjoys nature. Add to this the fact that it is within the limits of one of the largest cities in the world, and the trip over it becomes a most unique experience.”
“A peculiar feature of the Almshouse road is that it can be followed for about two miles and suggest nothing but the country, but after that distance it makes a curve toward the City, and in a mile more comes back to the streets of San Francisco not many blocks from where it started.” (End of article.)
The road leading to Seventh Avenue from Laguna Honda with Sutro Forest above, 1910s. The road back to the City, about half a mile north of the Almshouse (this is the location of present-day 7th Avenue). Around the bend and over the treeless portion of the hill (left) is the area not far from where the author began his walk.
The rural countryside has long since vanished, and the charming country road described by the author is now a four-lane boulevard. Most of the area has given way to residential housing. The Almshouse was long ago replaced by the Laguna Honda Hospital complex and Sutro Tower dominates the skyline for miles around.
But it would be wrong to say that absolutely nothing remains of the place described in the article. The rural roots of this part of the City still linger. Eucalyptus-covered Mount Sutro is still a forested wilderness and much of the landscape around Laguna Honda Reservoir remains undeveloped. Even within the quiet residential neighborhoods of Midtown Terrace and Forest Knolls, bisected by Clarendon Avenue, it still holds true that “…it is hard to realize that only a few hundred feet to the northeast there is a big City throbbing and pulsating with life. There is no suggestion of it here…“
“You have a camera?” the lady asked. “We came from someplace else, so we didn’t bring ours.”
FOREST KNOLLS NEIGHBORHOOD 