Some time back, I’d written about PG&E impersonators wandering around and trying to get access to homes in Glen Park. At the time, no crimes had been committed (and apparently, impersonating a PG&E inspector is not a crime).
Yesterday, there was a burglary/theft from a building on Nebraska at Cortland. A subject, posing as a PG&E employee, entered a home to “check the meter”. He let himself out when he was done and the resident’s laptop computer was missing. Per PG&E, the meters in the area of the theft digitally upload which eliminates the need for home visits. Please post this information on Bernalwood Blog and remind residents that if they are not expecting an employee from a utility company, don’t let them in without first calling the utility company to verify that an employee is in the area. Also, they don’t have to open the door, they can speak through the door. If someone tries to enter their home “checking meters” and leaves while the resident is calling PG&E, they should call the police.
Thanks,
Captain Tim Falvey
We haven’t had any reports like this in our neighborhood, but it probably makes sense to be reasonably cautious.
Mr Gary Testa, owner of the San Francisco Overlook project (earlier the Crestmont Hills development) is inviting neighbors and stakeholders to a meeting on February 13, at Midtown Terrace Community Room on Clarendon to discuss the proposed development. Since our Forest Knolls communities are directly impacted, I think it’s important for us to know about this, and attend if possible. (I’ve written about it earlier, HERE.)
Here’s his letter.
January 30, 2013
Dear Neighbors,
I am pleased to invite you to join me for an update on my proposed project, San Francisco Overlook, and for a brainstorming session regarding new ideas to make improvements to the neighborhood as a whole. I hope by now that most of you are aware of the project I’ve proposed for my lot at the end of Crestmont Drive. If you are unfamiliar with the details and would like to learn more, I invite you visit my project website at http://www.sfoverlook.com.
Over the last two years I’ve hosted a number of presentations and meetings discuss my proposal, solicit feedback and hear suggestions of ways to make my project better. Some requests are simply not possible to accommodate, such as building only 1/3 of the proposed homes (the proposed project already proposes a density significantly below what is permitted by code) or providing access from a street other than Crestmont (via land which I do not own), but I’m happy to say that my project is responsive to many key concerns such as hillside stability and fire suppression. In addition, I have specifically incorporated the request for more parking as part of my proposal. My proposal currently includes two parking spaces per unit, a 33 increase over the typical maximum ratio of 1.5 spaces per unit.
Your recommendations and suggestions have helped to improve my project and I appreciate your participation. However, I am aware that I still face opposition from some in the neighborhood and have been advised that the MSWOA board has hired an attorney to explore taking legal action against my project. Regardless of your opinion of the project, the fact is that a protracted legal battle will require significant financial assessments of all property owners within our owners’ association. [Webmaster: This refers to the Mount Sutro Woods Owners Association.] In light of the substantial potential costs to all members, I feel it is best to broaden this discussion to include all stakeholders.
My position is simple – I believe my money would be better spent for the benefit of the community rather than used to enrich attorneys. I also don’t believe that every homeowner should be required to pay for a legal action which he or she may not support or from which they may gain no real benefit. I’ve already invested a considerable sum in my project to date, and I’m prepared to spend whatever amount is necessary to defend my project and property rights should legal action be forced upon me, but I would of course prefer to avoid what I consider a waste of money and instead work with my neighbors to redirect such resources towards meaningful improvements to benefit the entire neighborhood. For example, pedestrian-scale street lighting could enhance property values and help keep cars from being burglarized and/or improvements to the existing common areas could enhance beauty and create usable areas to walk dogs and for children to play. These are only a few initial ideas; there may very well be other ore important priorities that we haven’t yet considered which is why I’m once again seeking your input with this invitation.
In the spirit of collaboration I recently reached out to the MSWOA board and began discussions about whether a community partnership of the kind I’m describing is possible. I’d like to now broaden this discussion and invite all my neighbors to participate in a brainstorming session about other general or specific contributions we could make. If you are a homeowner whose home is inhabited by renters and you feel it is appropriate to include your tenants in this discussion, please feel free to pass on this invitation to them.
Please join me:
Wednesday, February 13th at 7:00 PM
Midtown Terrace Community Room
280 Olympia Way (at Clarendon Ave.)
I hope to see you there, but if you cannot attend I still would like to get your thoughts and input. Please email me at info@sfoverlook.com or please feel free to call my outreach director, Jessica Berg, at 415-385-4876.
I got this message for inclusion on the blog: There’s a meeting on Jan 30th, 2013.
Join Lt. Erica Arteseros and the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) partner with SF City Administrators office, Patrick Otelinni, Director of Earthquake Safety, to look at seismic safety of SF buildings.
Learn the most current information on the Citizens Action Plan for Seismic Safety program (CAPSS) including an introduction of the proposed Pilot Program of ‘Soft Story’ Projects to implement seismic upgrade in those most vulnerable of residential/small commercial buildings and how neighborhood community preparedness plays an integral role in our ability to remain resilient before and after a major earthquake.
Open to the public – bring a friend
Agenda:
NERT – An overview – Simple solutions
CAPSS – What it is – Advantages & Benefits – How to get involved
Q & A – Future Next Steps
Date: Wednesday, January 30th, 2013
Place: County Fair Building (formerly the Hall of Flowers) -Bring a family, friends, neighbors
(Street parking available – towing on the north side of Lincoln Way – Muni info: http://www.nextmuni.com)
Refreshments, Displays, Handouts, will be available.
Presenters will include:
Lt. Erica Arteseros, NERT Program Coordinator
Lt. Erica Arteseros has been the Program Coordinator for the SF Fire Department’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) since 2004. She supervises the training of people in NERT’s disaster preparedness and response classes and has expanded the advanced training classes offered to NERT graduates so volunteers can maintain skills. Lt. Arteseros has also worked extensively with City agencies, the private sector, and individual citizens in pre-disaster planning and training.
Reuben Hechanova, Architect
Appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2008 to the Building Inspection Commission (BIC) that oversees policy and administrative governance of SF Department of Building Inspection, Reuben served as the BIC President in 2010 where he helped move the CAPSS (Citizen Action Plan for Seismic Safety) forward stepping down from the BIC in March 2012.
Laurence Kornfield, Policy Development
Chief Building Inspector in SF for 20 years, Laurence has been active in earthquake hazard mitigation, response and recovery since the Loma Pieta earthquake in 1989. He initiated and oversaw SF’s recently completed Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety (CAPSS), and is currently developing long-term implementation plans for that CAPSS project. Mr. Kornfield is active in policy development related to building performance, disability access, sustainability, etc.
Patrick Otelinni, Director of Earthquake Safety -SF City Administrator’s office
Patrick is a certified building inspector, previously serving on the Mayor’s Soft Story Task Force. Patrick understands SF building issues, codes, permitting and construction. Patrick’s job is to implement a 30 year plan to reduce the city’s most dangerous risks in a future earthquake, including retrofitting, soft-story buildings, private schools, and some concrete building. He will guide the Earthquake Safety implementation plan (ESIP) while implementing the recommendations of CAPSS.
Two neighbors have reported coyotes nearby in the last few days – one on Warren Drive, and one on Clarendon x Panorama.
“A very large coyote was seen at 11:30 a.m. today across from 101 Warren,” wrote Beverly.
“On 12/22/2012, approaching Clarendon from Panorama, waiting at the traffic signal, a rather frisky coyote crossed my path, going from south to north and into the undeveloped area bordering Clarendon on its East,” wrote John V.
Someone else saw one a few days ago on Mountain Spring Drive, which is just across Clarendon Avenue from us. In the last year, I’ve seen them myself on Twin Peaks, Glen Canyon, Diamond Heights, and in the grounds of Laguna Honda Hospital. They’ve also been sighted near West Portal, the Presidio, and elsewhere in the city. I’ve posted about coyotes here before, but I thought I’d do so again.
From what I’ve been told, there are only about 10-12 12-18 coyotes in San Francisco. They are territorial, so it’s unlikely the number will increase very much. We know the Golden Gate pair had pups last year. (Click HERE for a cute picture of the pups at play; it’s from the RichmondSF blog.) The one (or ones) we’ve seen may be a Golden Gate pup grown up and seeking new spaces. (Coyotes look bigger in winter, when they grow their winter coats.) Or they could be any of the resident coyotes from the territories around us.
Coyotes cover great distances in their explorations, so it’s possible to see them almost anywhere in the city. The west side is particularly good for them; they mostly take gophers and rats and mice, available in the grasslands, and they need cover to hide from dogs and people. The west side of the city has both.
Generally, coyotes aren’t much bothered by people (and are shy of them). They are bothered by dogs, who they see as competitors and a potential threat. I’m told they remember dogs who chase them. Like dogs, they probably also can recognize individual people.
Though coyotes mainly prey on rodents (and are a much better solution than poisons like the ones that killed the Glen Canyon owl), they have been known to takes cats and even small dogs. They may fight even with big dogs who chase them, which is not good for either dog or coyote. So it makes sense to be careful – keep your cats indoors especially at night, and leash your dog if a coyote is around. Generally, don’t run from a coyote; it may trigger a chase instinct. Instead, walk away calmly. I’ve found yelling loudly at a coyote usually makes them run off in a hurry. (I’ve only done this once, when I was walking in Diamond Heights at night.) If you’re concerned about coyotes, carry a “shake can” – a loud rattle made of some pennies sealed into a small aluminum can.
Please NEVER feed coyotes. A FED COYOTE IS A DEAD COYOTE.
[Edited to add: TV station CBS did a short video clip on Forest Knolls coyote sightings: Click HERE to see it.]
Janet Kessler, the Jane Goodall of San Francisco’s coyotes, spends a lot of time observing these animals and documenting her observations on www.coyoteyipps.com and she’s also written an article on peaceful coexistence for the Marina Times. You can see that HERE.
Well, it wasn’t quite midnight. It was around 10.30 p.m. when I heard noises that sounded like construction trucks somewhere in our neighborhood. Curious, I went out to investigate. A man was putting out a couple of traffic cones on Christopher Drive, and I asked him what was going on. “Broken water main,” he said.
Near where Christopher meets Crestmont, a huge light stood on the sidewalk, a van was parked near the middle of the road, and an excavator was grabbing dirt from a hole in the road and pouring it into a dump truck. A team of six men and a woman from SFWD were at work. They’d been there earlier, he said, but they had to go to another job and finish that first. “We could be here all night. It’s hard to say.” I took some photographs, staying out of the way. They were amused, but friendly when I explained it was for the neighborhood blog. I’ve written about a broken water main before, also in winter. This looked to be even bigger than that one.
“We thought we’d found the leak,” one of the men said, “But now it looks like it’s further down the road.” The excavator extended the trench, the teeth biting into the asphalt. The hole was brimming with brown muddy water. They connected a pump to a hose, and started pumping it out in a brown gush of water that streamed down the slope. As the level fell, we could see where the leak was roiling the surface at the furthest end of the trench.
They moved the excavator over, edging carefully between the hole and a parked car, and dug some more. Soon they had the leak exposed.
As the water drained, the leak turned into a fountain, rising maybe 20 feet into the air. I could see the crack in the pipe. Now all they had to do was to put a collar on it.
Easier said than done, of course. One man put on a raincoat and gumboots and climbed into the hole, digging around to free the pipe. Soon, three of them were trying to clear the space round the pipe and position the collar over a crack that was gushing a 20-foot fountain under pressure.
I left around 11.30 p.m., and they were hard at work. Around 2 a.m., I stepped outside, and heard some banging and rattling. I hoped they were packing up to leave.
THANK YOU, SFWD WORKERS!
Thank you to the team for being out there mucking around in muddy water on a cold winter night when most of us are asleep, keeping our water system working.
And thank you, all the workers who provide and maintain the services that are part of civilization: running water, power, clean streets, garbage pick-up, communications, safety, emergency services, fire fighting.
The days are short, the houses decorated, and the year is almost done. It’s too cold for fog. Forest Knolls looks quite romantic
There’s a new restaurant in West Portal, a Greek place called Orexi, where the Round Table Pizza used to be. We ate there one evening. It was already decorated for Christmas, and had an great ambiance and good food.
The wonderful decorations in Midtown Terrace are up again. Greenview is a cul-de-sac where all the residents hang lights on every house each year. Then, at the very end of the road, they put up a display made of painted plyboard cut-outs and lights. They have a menorah that is lit, one painted candle at a time; a dreidl, a creche, and Santa Claus, reindeer and even the North Pole. If you enjoy decorating enthusiasm – I do! – then check it out. It’s a delight.
SEASON’S GREETINGS, EVERYONE, AND HERE’S WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!
Great horned owl, Glen Canyon (Photo: Janet Kessler)
A few weeks ago, the Glen Park group had news of a Great Horned Owl found dead in Glen Canyon. There’s a well-known pair of owls that nest there every year, and typically raise two or three chicks. Neighbors fear this may be the male of that pair.
Of course people were upset, and they raised money for a necropsy – an autopsy for animals. This was conducted arranged by Wildcare, a wonderful organization that rehabilitates injured wildlife. (I’ve written about them before, HERE.)
The result came in today. The owl died from eating poisoned rodents.
According the Wildcare press release,
“Commonly available rodenticides [rat poisons] are consumed by rodents, the basic food source for a number of different predators all the way up the food chain. These poisons kill by making whatever animal eats them bleed to death internally – slowly and painfully. While the poisoned animals – targeted or not – are still alive, they can be consumed by other predators. It is a terrifying prospect; to kill many animals while targeting only one.”
Three Great Horned Owlets (Photo: Janet Kessler)
A Great Horned Owl eats about 5 rodents a day, and much more if it’s feeding young. Its favorite prey is skunk, but it also eats rats and mice, rabbits, and birds. If someone poisons rats to get rid of them, they don’t die right away. Instead they wander around, increasingly weak and slow – and thus particularly attractive to predators. The poison can then kill the bird or animal that eats it – or even the next animal up the food chain. [Edited to add: More HERE about the specific poisons that killed this owl.]
PROTECTING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD OWLS
We have Great Horned Owls in our neighborhood. I’ve seen them in Sutro Forest, up on the hillside, and in trees along Crestmont and Christopher. I’ve seen one on a lamp-post on Clarendon Avenue. We also have barn owls, which are even more vulnerable because they’re not large enough to eat skunks but eat more rats and mice instead. Every time we use rat poison, we’re endangering these birds.
Eucalyptus, fog, Great Horned Owl (Photo: Rupa Bose)
The Glen Park blog reports a person who purports to be from PG&E has been going to homes and leaving service notices. The service notices appear to the be legitimate, but the phone numbers are crossed out and different ones given to call. They’ve informed the police, but nothing can be done unless the person actually commits a crime – and impersonating a PG&E repairman isn’t one. They’ve also called PG&E, which apparently has heard of a few such cases.
I haven’t heard of anything like this in our neighborhood, but I thought I’d let everyone know.
Congratulations to Norman Yee, our incoming District 7 Supervisor, who will be sworn in in January 2013; and thank you, Sean Elsbernd, for representing us for so many years.
It was a nail-biting finish. Norman Yee initially won 9182 of the first-choice votes, or just over 29% of votes cast. But with Ranked Choice Voting, an election can take days to be called, as losing candidates are eliminated and their votes reapportioned to the voters’ second and third choices. That’s what happened in the D7 race: For some time, it looked as though the second and third choices would bring FX Crowley to the top. There were 31,000 votes (and each voter could cast three votes for their three favorite candidates, ranking them in order of preference.)
By the final round of eliminations, Round 6, only FX Crowley and Norman Yee were left. It was very very close. The final count (as of 21st November) was: Norman Yee, 12505; and FX Crowley, 12373. It’s a difference of 132 votes.
I’m rounding off here; if you want to see the actual results, there’s a neat table at the SF Elections website, HERE.
This website has a couple of earlier reports on Norman Yee’s positions when I was writing about the positions of various candidates; here is the report from the Golden Gate Heights candidates’ panel; and here are his views on the “San Francisco Overlook” project at the dead end on Crestmont.
Despite the rain, despite not being in The Loop – we got the largest number of trick-or-treaters we’ve had in the last ten years or so. We had over twenty kids come by…
And they were a colorful troupe, in their costumes. Ironman and Spidey and Batman-in-arms and Belle, a delightful little bumblebee, an elegant witch and an eskimo and a cheetah, a little engineer (the kind that drives trains, not the kind that builds bridges or software), a strawberry and a ninja, an adorable fireman, a tall Kitten and I think Minnie Mouse, a pumpkin and a princess. An evil jester with a death’s head, and a zombie and a zombie pirate. Too many to keep track of, though I wish I had.
Near the end of the evening, Walter Caplan came by with the trick-or-treaters, dressed as a mad scientist. But he wasn’t collecting candy (though of course we offered him some). Instead he dropped off a little goody bag with a Halloween snow-globe and a thank-you note for taking part.
Thank you, Laura Bloch, and Walter Caplan, of the Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization for organizing and getting the word out. Great job organizing this successful event. I hope all the participants enjoyed it as much as we did.
And if you missed out this time – next time, (and I hope there will be one) contact Laura early for your sign and your pumpkin so people know you’re open for Tricks and Treats!
In the last day or two, I’ve noticed that one of the trees that screen our neighborhood from the UCSF Student Housing is brown rather than green. It’s a eucalyptus, and they don’t change color; in fact, if anything, they’re greener when it rains. So I went to have a closer look at this tree, which is one of the group by the Pump House at Christopher, just off Clarendon.
I wondered if it might have been girdled. “Girdling” is a process of killing a tree by cutting all round it, and has been used by Native Plant activists to kill trees in “Natural Areas.” One example it the Murdered Tree on Mt Davidson, clearly visible from Portola.
Looking more closely at the tree, I didn’t see any girdling marks. I also saw it was dying in parts, which I think is more consistent with poisoning. (It’s not very clear from the photograph above – if anyone wants to take a better pic and send it over, I’ll add it here.)
In the tree beside it, someone had stuck blue plastic marker flags from The Urban Farmer Store. I’m wondering if this tree – and maybe the ones beside it – is being poisoned by some eucalyptus-hater.
If so, it’s illegal. A tree can’t be killed along a public right-of-way without a proper 30-day-notice posting, which the Department of Public Works would do. (Or, if this is UCSF property, then UCSF would do it.) There’s a process that applies.
Even more importantly – it’s incredibly irresponsible. Poisoning a tree across the road from someone’s home will leave a weakened or dead tree standing near a residential house. Even before that, it could drop branches on cars parked beneath.
I really really really hope I’m wrong on this one. I have a hard time believing that anyone could be so stupid.
[Edited to Add: I contacted UCSF; I was hoping they might get an arborist to determine what happened. If they did that, I don’t know about it. But they thought the trees might be the responsibility of the Water Department. In any event, three of the trees have been removed. One is still dead and still there, but it does not look like it’s a hazard. If anyone would like to follow up further, let me know.]
We have new neighbors on Christopher Drive Crestmont, (Welcome to Forest Knolls!) and they sent this picture of Phoebe, a springer spaniel/ poodle mix. Of course it’s going on the Pets page, but I couldn’t resist putting it out here first. She’s looking so thoughtful.
Sorry, folks, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding somewhere.
FKNO is not organizing a Forest Knolls Neighbors’ meeting for tonight. It’s essentially a potluck by and for people who have been walking their dogs at the reservoir. It’s not intended as a large public event. The candidates were invited to stop by if they wanted.
I will be removing the previous post on the matter.
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.
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.
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 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.
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…“
Some time back, I’d written about PG&E impersonators wandering around and trying to get access to homes in Glen Park. At the time, no crimes had been committed (and apparently, impersonating a PG&E inspector is not a crime).
FOREST KNOLLS NEIGHBORHOOD 