Archive for the 'Neighborhoods' Category
One of the San Juan Bautista feral roosters
San Juan Bautista is one of our favorite towns and it is only forty five minutes from home. It is a place we will be visiting more often in the future because Tom’s father, Don, and his wife Arlene have bought a home there. Normally we visit San Juan (as it is affectionately called) early in the morning and we are back home in San Jose by lunch time. This time we stayed overnight so were able to spend more time there.
(Click on the photos for larger versions)
Our first stop today was to visit the home of Dmitri and Kathy Fridman. In 2007 Dmitri posted a comment on our first San Juan entry. At that time he invited us to come and have a look at his roastery and sample some coffee. Several times I tried to set up a visit but could never get the timing right. This was the first time we have been able to arrange a meeting.
Dmitri and his wife Kitty live about 5 miles outside of town and Dmitri gave us directions on how to find their place. Don and Arlene came with us and the road we traveled was completely new territory for all of us. It was a stunning ride along Salinas Road, with wonderful views of the surrounding countryside. The road climbed steadily uphill and soon we had a marvelous views back towards San Juan. When we arrived at Dmitri and Kitty’s home, the view was spectacular with Monterey in one direction and Salinas Valley and Hollister in another.
Top Dog was the first to greet us, closely followed by Dmitri. We admired his sheep. They only have a
Vertigo Coffee's roaster
few and they are a breed which do not need to be sheared. (Forgive me Dmitri I don’t remembering the name of the breed – I knew I should have written it down.) Dmitri built a separate building to house his roasting business, which is called San Juan Bautista Roasting Company and the coffee is called Vertigo. Check out Vertigo Coffee. Inside was his pride and joy, a German built cast iron roaster he bought on Craig’s List. He told us of his journey to becoming a passionate roaster of coffee. He started out by experimenting at home with a small roaster as he was dissatisfied with the taste of the locally brewed coffee. Friends who sampled it liked it so much he roasted more for them and over the years his roasters became bigger. Now he has a flourishing business in the area, selling to local restaurants and online.
Kitty came out to join us and the six of us spent a wonderful couple of hours talking, listening and watching Dmitri roast some coffee beans. It is a very hands on operation and Dmitri cannot wander very far while the forty minute process takes place. First the roaster has to be brought up to the correct temperature before the the green coffee beans are placed in the hopper at the top. The temperature was closely monitored the whole time. At one stage he extracted a small sample for us to smell. The beans smelt of fresh baked bread and nothing like coffee at all. When the roasting process had finished, the beans were emptied onto a revolving screen and channeled down a shoot into the bag. I’m sure there was a lot more to the process but I was enjoying chatting to Kitty.
Dmitri then started to brew some coffee and I was amazed at the meticulous way he went about it. Brewing coffee is a serious business for Dmitri and everything from the equipment he uses to the temperature of the water is important to him. The coffee we saw being roasted was an espresso called Monks Momentum. It was not ready to be drunk but we were given some to take home with us. We sampled some other coffee and I was very proud of myself for drinking it almost black. Normally my coffee has to be a half milk/half coffee.
Dmitri and Kitty are soon going to open up a coffee shop on 4th Street in downtown San Juan, almost next door to the Post Office. We wish them all the best and will certainly pop in every time we visit San Juan. We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Thank you Dmitri and Kitty for making us welcome and for giving up so much to your time.
Clam chowder cook off. We tasted several and they were all good.
Time to get some lunch so we drove back to San Juan. Downtown was busier than I’ve ever seen it but considering we are usually long gone by lunchtime, that was to be expected. There are several places to eat but we decided to try out one of the saloons. There are two to choose from, Mom and Pops and Daisy’s. There are very close to each other but we chose Daisy’s because a lady stopped us outside and said if we were hungry they were having a clam chowder cook-off and for $5 each we could eat as much as we wanted. Well, who could resist such a tempting offer, especially when you are hungry.
Inside it was buzzing. The judging of the 12 entries had just ended so we had arrived at the right time. I never realized how many different ways you could cook clam chowder and I sampled three of them, steering clear of the spicy ones of course. I spoke to a couple of the cooks and they were very pleased to talk about their entries and what was in them but both had ’secret ingredients’ which they kept to themselves. A table was found for us at the end of the bar and we were well looked after and all of us enjoyed our lunch. We stayed to hear the results and the commentaries were very funny. This group of people hold many different cook-outs during the year and all monies go to charity. Today’s went to the local firehouse which is manned by volunteers.
We spent a quiet afternoon pottering around the house but in the evening we walked into town for dinner. Our choice was the Cutting House Steakhouse on 3rd Street. We had to wait for a table but that was OK. On the walls are individually designed, quirky cattle brands. The building itself is made of brick and over the last 150 years has been a grocery store, a brothel and, from the early 20th century, a bank. It is reputed to be haunted by several ghosts, the most colorful being “The Lady in White’ or Deanna, who ran the brothel and died when when she fell down the stairs on her wedding day.
After a pleasant meal we sauntered back to the house. Another interesting day in great company and we looked forward to being woken by roosters in the morning.
February 22 2010 | Neighborhoods and Special Places | 3 Comments »
View of San Francisco from Twin Peaks
Today we were a bit confused when we woke up. I have a radio wave clock and it showed the right time but Tom’s alarm was an hour ahead. It took some time to work that that in fact the clocks had gone back an hour during the night.
(Click on the photos for larger versions)
We hope it is not going to be foggy in the city today as we are off to Twin Peaks and the fantastic views of the bay and the city of San Francisco. It is a place I have never been to and have been keen to go to for a while. We are going to incorporate a stairway walk as well.
Our first stop was for breakfast and then it was off to find Twin Peaks. Fortunately we spotted a sign so followed it. The drive to the top was curvy and there were great glimpses of the fantastic views off to the right all the way up. Twin Peaks is exactly that – two identical peaks very close to each other. Round each peak is a one way road which is like a figure of 8. We headed for the small car park at the top. The Sutro Tower is one peak over.
My, the view is wonderful and almost 360 degrees. There was no fog but it was a bit hazy. We could see the San Francisco end of the Bay Bridge but not Oakland and the east bay. The top of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Alcatraz and the whole of the city were laid out in front of us. The sun was bright so hoped the fog will burn off before we started our walk.
At first there were not many people around but within ten minutes a tour bus turned up and disgorged its passengers. Suddenly Tom was
Tourists, tourists, tourists.
surrounded by a horde of French people, chattering loudly, all vying to get the best view in their allotted 10 minute stop. One visitor actually climbed to the top of the raining and swayed precariously while her partner took a picture. Almost as foolhardy as the guy who climbed over the railings at the Grand Canyon to sit on the edge of the cliff to have his photo taken. Then another tour bus arrived, this time the passengers were Japanese. They were far more thoughtful and courteous and didn’t crowd Tom or stand in front of his camera. I’m not decrying the French per se but was interested to see how differently the two cultures behaved.
While Tom clicked away I tried to pick out the landmarks. Of course the Transamerica Pyramid and the Bank of American buildings were easily spotted. Coit Tower was more difficult but I found it eventually. I worked out where Golden Gate Park was but only the extreme eastern end and the Pan Handle could be seen. There were a couple of hilltops nearby but didn’t know what they were. I checked Google Maps when I got home. The larger one was the Buena Vista Park and the smaller one Corona Heights Playground where the Randall Museum is situated. On a clear day we would be able to see Mounts Tamalpais and Diablo. We will have to come one morning before the sun rise – that would be a great shot.
The first two tour buses departed but their places were soon taken by two more buses. It was time to make a move before more buses arrived and we were completely crowded out.
We drove down Twin Peaks Blvd towards the city to find the start of our staircase walk – No. 13 in the third edition of Adah Bakalinsky’s ‘Stairway Walks in San Francisco’ – at the Iron Alley Stairway on Clayton Street. We found it without difficulty but painted on the stairway was a sign saying the staircase was closed. Finding somewhere to park was a bit of a problem but in the end we struck lucky and found a very convenient place right at the top of the Iron Alley Stairway on Corbett Avenue.
Twin Peaks homes perched on the hillside. That's the Sutro Tower in the back.
We started the walk by crossing Corbett and up Iron Alley to Graystone Terrace. Looking up the hill it was fascinating to see not only the many different types of house built on the side of the hill but also to wonder at the views they must have of the city beneath them. Taking a left on Graystone we walked to Cooper Alley where we descended a concrete stairway between houses back to Corbett. Here we took another left and passed Rooftop Elementary School with its sparkling tile mural on the wall arriving back at our car, which we walked right past carrying on towards Clayton. Along this section we looked up the hill again and could see the scenic viewpoint on Twin Peaks were we had been just half an hour before.
At the junction or Corbett and Clayton is a small garden strip along the side of the house which is beautifully laid out and well stocked with small trees and shrubs, including a lantana growing vertically in a pot. We have lantana in our garden and it is a ground cover plant. I have never seen it growing vertically before. On Clayton we turned left, climbing uphill to Twin Peaks Blvd. We were surprised at how quiet everything was with very few people around. We passed one guy outside his garage repairing his motorcycle and that was the first person we had seen, apart from a jogger who passed us earlier.
Between the houses to our right we caught glimpses of the city and the, when we turned left on Twin Peaks Blvd we got some glorious views of Golden Gate Park, including the De Young Museum, the two towers of the Golden Gate Bridge and out beyond the Bonita lighthouse to the ocean. There is an open patch of ground at the foot of a rocky outcrop which is called Tank Hill. While Tom took photos, I perched myself on a small rock and looked over the rooftops to the north.
Onwards and upwards to a short wooden stairway which led to the top of Tank Hill. There is a covered reservoir on the top which you could walk over. There are a lot of reservoirs up here on Twin Peaks where water for San Francisco is stored.
A little further uphill there was a small outcrop of rocks and another outstanding view of the city but this time from a different angle. The haze had cleared and we can now see Oakland clearly but Mount Diablo was vaguely discernible in the background. There was a slight breeze up there but it felt good and it carried the wonderful smell of eucalyptus to me.
Back down on Twin Peaks Blvd where it bears left at the junction with Clarendon Avenue there is a small public garden where we sat in the shade for a few minutes on a stone bench. We continued walking on Twin Peaks Blvd and passed a big blue house with enormous windows and we spotted a white grand piano inside. At the junction with Raccoon Drive we turned left and walked past some very nice houses. About halfway along we passed what looked like a stone sculpture but on closer inspection it turned out to be made of styrofoam. Raccoon Drive descended and at the
Pemberton Place. A lovely stairway.
bottom we turned left. I knew it was a dead end road with a pathway through to Crown Terrace but Tom didn’t know and became worried that I was walking through somebody’s garden. There was a sign that said ‘Residents Only’ and ‘No Trespassing’ but according to Adah’s book it was a legitimate way through.
Crown Terrace is a gem and surely a highly desirable place to live. Here you are within a short distance of the city but away from a lot of traffic. A short way along is Pemberton Place which in reality is a long stairway crossing Graystone and Villa Terrace and descends all the way back to Clayton. It is a marvelous stairway with occasional landings where you can sit and admire the view over the city. Back on Clayton we turned right and then right again onto Corbett and made our way back to the car.
As I was about to get into the car, a young man came out of a nearby house and approached the Iron Alley stairway and started to descend. I stopped him and asked why there was a sign at the bottom which said it was closed. He said it had been closed for some time for repair and a gate was put at the top to prevent children using it to get to the school as it was dangerous. The gate is still there but is not locked any more and the stairway has been repaired. The sign at the bottom has not been removed though. We’ll remember that next time.
We have had another interesting day, discovering Twin Peaks and then enjoying the staircase walk and all it cost was the price of the gas and breakfast at the Squat and Gobble. How’s that for good value?
December 10 2009 | Neighborhoods and Special Places | No Comments »
Tents, tents and more tents at the 3-Day Event at Crissy Field
Another expedition to San Francisco but this time by car. As usual we left early, with a full moon shining brightly in front of us for most of the way up Highway 280. Once again, we are not quite sure what the weather will be like. We know it will be cooler than the last few days but will it be foggy?
Our first stop today was at Crissy Field. At this time of the morning we were expecting to have the place more or less to ourselves. Boy, were we wrong! The first thing which told us there was something going on was the sea of pink tents pitched on the grass near the fitness center. Then we spotted a large marquee beyond the tents with a smaller awning nearby. In the early morning gloom we could people, mostly ladies in pink tops and shorts walking about. We passed a huge trailer which was a mobile shower and another trailer which proclaimed it to be the Command Center for the Breast Cancer 3 Day Event. The place was a hive of activity with a long lines in front of the porta potties and outside the smaller tent where breakfast was being served onto paper plates. Loud music came from the big marque where hundreds of people were seating eating their breakfast.
I wandered past the breakfast tent and the food smelt good. There was scrambled egg, bacon, cereal and, would you believe it, oatmeal. I glanced into the marquee and they were just starting the warm up routine. Over the loudspeaker they were being encouraged to bend and stretch in time with the music. Now all of this was at 7 a.m. When I got home I checked The 3-Day site and learned that they were walking 20 miles a day over the three days. I silently wished them good luck.
Tom and I walked towards the Warming Hut, leaving the bustle behind us. But we were not alone. Also on the path were the usual motley
Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field
assortment of dogs with their owners, walkers and joggers. The Golden Gate Bridge towered in front of us, dwarfing Fort Point which is beneath the southern end of the bridge.
Just opposite the Warming Hut, which is a beacon of rest and refreshment but unfortunately doesn’t open until 9 a.m., is a small jetty. Already positioned on it were several anglers and a few photographers. We wandered along it and while Tom took photos I observed what was going on. One fisherman was emptying a couple of large, plump starfish onto the ground. I didn’t stay around to see what he did with them. Did he throw them back into the water I wonder or did he take them home? The view from the jetty was quite outstanding. In one direction the bridge, in front was Angel Island and to the right Alcatraz and the city. A line of brown pelicans flew overhead and then swooped to pass under the bridge.
Then it was back to the car so we could make our way to our second stop of the day – The Presidio.
October 10 2009 | Neighborhoods | 2 Comments »
Lefty O'Doul Bridge being raised
On Father’s Day we had a great treat. Tom’s daughter Annie, her husband, Mitch, and grandson Brady (14 months) traveled from Eugene in Oregon to stay with us for a few days. Brady is a cutie and we kept us entertained all of Sunday.
(Click on the images for larger versions)
Monday Margaret took a day off work and we all set off for a day in San Francisco with no real plans in mind except to meet Tom’s brother, Jeff, for lunch at the Connecticut Yankee at the foot of Potrero Hill. Our first stop was McCovey Cove, right alongside AT&T Park – the home of the SF Giants (that’s a baseball team by the way for all the non Americans amongst us). Across the small cove we could see the park – one of the best in the country (feel free to dispute me if you wish). What distinguishes from all other ball parks is the giant Coca Cola bottle and a huge sculpture of a leather baseball glove.
To get to the ballpark, we had to cross the Lefty O’Doul bridge. Lefty O’Doul was born in San Francisco and was a Major League ball player. The bridge is a steel drawbridge which has no clearance at all so it has to be raised for even the smallest boat to pass underneath. We have walked over this bridge many times and had never seen it open. A copper plaque states that Strauss Engineering Company designed and built the bridge and was opened in 1933. Joseph Strauss, who headed Strauss Engineering Co, engineered both this and the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a very noisy bridge, due to the iron plates at the joints and the wooden roadbed. Tom got into a conversation with a bridge operator who told him the bridge was about to be raised. Apparently this is a daily feature just to make sure that everything is in working order.
We just had to watch this event and there we were with our cameras. A klaxon sounded, a barrier was lowered and bells clanged. Slowly the roadbed was raised and the huge concrete blocks, which balanced the whole structure, were lowered until they were almost resting on the road. Tom, who was standing in front of the blocks, was dwarfed. We all got a kick out of it, including Brady who clapped his hands and grinned throughout. The whole process was repeated in reverse and five minutes later the traffic was flowing again.
The ballpark is right next to the Lefty O’Doul bridge and that was our next stop. By the Lefty O’Doul entrance is a statue of former Giants pitcher Juan Marichal. Just outside the main entrance to the park is a statue of Willie Mays, one of the greatest ball players ever. He played for the SF Giants from 1958-72. In 1973, when playing for the New York Mets, he hit his 660th home run and stands at number four in the rankings. His godson, Barry Bonds, currently is at number one with 762 home runs. Willie Mays was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979. His statue outside the ballpark is surrounded by 24 palm trees in honor of his number 24 uniform, which was retired by the SF Giants.
When we walked past the Giants Dugout Store I noticed a board advertising tours of the ballpark . They are conducted every day at 10.30 and
AT&T Park. Home of The San Francisco Giants
12.30 expect on days when there is a home game. As Mitch is such a keen baseball fan and coaches a high school team back in Eugene, we decided this was an opportunity not to be missed and bought tickets for the 12.30 tour. That gave us enough time to move the car from a parking meter to a long term car park and pay a visit to Borders book store on the corner of 3rd and The Embarcadero. At 12.30 we were at the top of the stairs in the Giants Dugout Store with several other people waiting to begin the tour.
Our guide showed up on time and opened the roll up door leading to the ballpark and through it we all trooped. Just inside we gathered round as he introduced himself. The only trouble was we could hardly hear him. The sound of the traffic outside seemed to be magnified and that didn’t help but even when we were inside later on, hearing still was a problem as he was so quietly spoken. In order to hear what he was saying, you had to stand really close. In the end, we must have missed half of what he said, which was a pity because he had so many interesting things to tell us.
Our first stop was the Press Box. I’ve never seen a press box before but I’m guessing they are all very much the same. It is located on the lower level and overlooks home plate. There are several banks of counters and chairs. On a game day I can imagine the room filled with sports commentators and journalists all talking nineteen to the dozen. On the back wall are the shirts bearing the numbers which have been retired by the SF Giants.
Then we took a lift up several floors to the club level where we first walked through the tunnel to one of the general seating areas with a view down to the field and over McCovey Cove. Our guide said that the ballpark was originally planned to be built the other way round, look towards the west instead of the east but following some research on wind movement, when it was discovered the prevailing wind was from the west, it was decided to turn it 180 degrees thus overlooking the bay. He went on to tell us the history of the coke bottle – which is a children’s slide – and the glove sculpture. He went on to explain about splash hits – that’s when a home run is achieved by hitting the ball out of the park and into McCovey Cove. When Barry Bonds was scoring home runs and splash hits regularly a couple of years ago, there used to be a multitude of boats and kayaks, all waiting to retrieve any balls which landed in the water. I wonder, now that Barry Bonds has retired, whether there are so many boats out there on game days.
We walked back through another tunnel onto the outside promenade where our guide explained how the ballpark was built to withstand earthquakes by showing us an expansion joint. We then looked out over the Embarcadero and the Bay Bridge before turning back and entering a luxury suite. There are about 70 luxury suites at the ballpark, most used by private companies or individuals. There are two though which can be rented for about $10,000 a day. That overall price includes the cost of food. The one we entered could hold about 25 people, though I was not too impressed with the view of the field. Our tour continued down the corridor, past all the other luxury suites. All the doors were open so we can take a peek inside but were not allowed to go into any of them. They all were decorated by the users in a variety of baseball memorabilia. Willie Mays has one of the suites and, inside, the main pieces of furniture were two, very comfortable easy chairs. Along the corridor were a collection of lithographs of ballparks around the country. None of the names meant very much to me and, to be honest, they all looked the same. Of course, to baseball fanatics, every ballpark name conjures up memories of past teams and games.
Annie and Brady in the visitors dugout at AT&T Park
Halfway along the corridor we took a lift down to the Field Club Level and walked through a tunnel to some of the premium seating in the ballpark. Out on the field the groundsmen were mowing the grass. Mitch used to work at a golf club and knows a lot about the different types of grass. He was keen to talk to the groundsmen and here was his opportunity. While the guide led us to the visiting teams’ dugout he stopped and spoke to a couple of the men. Meanwhile we were hearing about how the seating areas and dugouts are cleaned after each game. First of all the rubbish is removed and then everything is washed down thoroughly. It was interesting to sit inside the dugout and have a player’s view of the field. Tom was fascinated by the beat up look of the wooden seat at the bag – ten years of abuse by players shoes and bats. Behind the dugout is another tunnel, this time leading to the indoor batting cages – all three of them.
Our last stop was the visiting team’s clubhouse. We saw the changing room and lockers where there is a baseball shirt up on the wall behind a perspex screen which has been signed by just about all the players who were in attendance the last day the Giants played at Candlestick Park. I was surprised how small the room was considering not only the size of some of the players but all the rest of the support people that must travel with them. We were also shown the laundry room and looked through a window into the Visiting Team Manager and his large collection of bobble heads.
The tour was advertised to last two hours and to cover over two miles of walking. It costs $12.50 for adults, $10.50 for seniors, $7.50 for children under 12 and free for children under 2. As the tour lasted nearly two and half hours, we certainly got our money’s worth and it was great to get a behind the scene tour and to see areas not normally visited by members of the public.
Needless to say we were a bit late getting to the Connecticut Yankee but as Jeff is the barman there it didn’t really matter. Tom had rung to let him know we were going to be late. Maybe it was just as well because the lunch time crowd had gone and the early evening drinkers had not arrived. We had a very nice lunch there without too much interruption. The only trouble being that this was the first time Jeff had seen Brady, his great nephew, but he slept most of the time we were there, due no doubt to all the exercise he had got on the tour.
If you are ever in San Francisco we thoroughly recommend the tour.
July 04 2009 | Neighborhoods and Special Places | 1 Comment »
Levees at Don Edwards in Alviso. You can ride for miles.
Oh, to be out again in the early morning and on such a beautiful day. After a long break from routine due to my recent visit to England and a series of wet and cold weekends, we were ready for some exercise.
The bikes were loaded onto the car the night before and at 6:15am we were on the road. Alviso was our destination and the salt marsh and the miles of easy riding on the levees were our goal.
Alviso gets better each time we drive through it and the Marina area has really improved. An area of 18.9 acres near the car park is now called the Alviso Marina County Park and there is an easy walking trail around it with lots of information boards along the way. Today though we are riding on the Alviso Slough Trail which starts from the car park and the first part of the trail is along the the short circular trail around the marina. Just past the first observation platform we turned right.
At this time in the morning, there is nobody else around. In fact the rabbits outnumber us. They sit in the middle of the trail and then turn tail and lope off to the side as we approach. Tom stops to take photos and a couple of American Avocets take exception to him being there, even though we were on the trail. They screeched and screamed and attempted to scare him off. I remember a few years back being dive bombed by terns on the other side of Don Edwards as we were riding the trail.
Last time we where here at Alviso, there was a dredger working and mounds of fresh clay lined the levees. The mounds are still there but they
Avocet. This guy didn't want his picture taken.
have rounded off and are beginning to be covered with pickleweed.
The water level appears to be lower because there are more mud islands out in the slough which I have never seen before. Either that or it is a very low tide.
We follow the trail over the railroad and stop to look north at the inaccessible ghost town of Drawbridge in the distance. As I have said before, it’s very tempting to walk the rails and to actually visit the town but I understand it is not safe at all because Drawbridge is slowly sinking into the marsh.
We pass a sign which says this trail is closed for duck hunting between October 18 and January 25, so it’s OK to ride it now. We don’t go too far because there are just too many bugs around. They were getting in our eyes, mouths and noses and we were covered in them.
Back over the rail tracks, we turn right. There are no trail markers out here so I have no idea which trail we are on. We just keep cycling and eventually we will either go round in a loop and arrive back where we started or we will have to turn back and try to remember which way we came. The levees seem to go on and on for miles.
Lone Egret
Tom stopped in front of me and seemed to be pondering something so I stopped too. Then he pointed out the power lines overhead. I hadn’t noticed them at all but now Tom had pointed them out, it did seem strange to have them out here in the middle of nowhere with not a house or any sort of building in sight.
It was very peaceful out there with just the sound of the gulls and marsh birds. The American Avocets are making the greatest noise but the most common bird around is the Western Gull. A Red Kite passed overhead and circled over the slough.
We came to another junction and discussed which way to go but off to our right we spotted a flock of white pelicans, so the decision was made. There were about 15 of them and, to begin with, they were close to the levee but they moved off and were soon in a feeding frenzy. Pelicans are an unusual bird to look at with their long beaks with the big pouch underneath. Brown Pelicans are more common in California so it is always a rare treat to see white pelicans.
While Tom was taking photos, another couple on bikes came towards us. It was only after they had gone by that I realized I should have asked them if they were on a loop trail. We cycled on for another couple of miles but seemed to be moving further away from the start. As the hunger pangs were beginning to gnaw we decided to turn back. (I checked a trail map when I got home and it is actually called the Alviso Slough Trail Loop and it is 8.9 miles long so we could have carried on.)
The ride back was pretty uneventful until we were on the final stretch. Tom spotted a Red-tailed
White pelicans feeding
Hawk sitting on a log beside the levee eating a rat. I’d ridden right past and had not noticed. I did hear Tom, who was several yards behind me, say ‘Whoa’. By the time I had stopped and turned, the hawk had flown away, clutching the rat in his talons. But he didn’t fly too far and I was able to watch through my binoculars. Tom didn’t have time though to get off his bike and set up his tripod and camera before the hawk had moved out of view.
There is nothing like getting up early and taking a bike ride before breakfast to get you into the right mood for the day ahead.
May 15 2009 | Neighborhoods and Special Places | 2 Comments »
Real nice cars
Today we didn’t want to go too far so we decided to drive to Los Gatos, have breakfast and then take a walk round the town.
After having breakfast at the Los Gatos Cafe on Los Gatos Blvd, we drove towards Los Gatos, parking on Main Street near the library. As soon as we started walking towards the town center, we felt a sense of this being a nice place to live but we know how expensive the houses are. On our right was a small park, with a fountain and several sculptures.
One of the first businesses we passed had a mouth watering display of Lamborghinis, Bentleys, Farraris and other exotic sports cars. Originally the company was called Ferrari Los Gatos but now goes under the name of Silicon Valley Auto Group. Outside was parked a handsome, white, Rolls Royce. We pressed our noses to the window and stood on tiptoe to see over into the yard. They were all sleek, glossy and oh so beautiful.
Not far along we passed the Garden Inn Hotel. We could see their shady courtyard with inviting patio furniture. I understand Los Gatos is a favorite place for a romantic weekend and this looks just the right place to stay. The town center is within easy walking reach.
I don’t intend to list all the shops and businesses we passed but only those which caught the eye. I can tell you though that there numerous day spas, beauty salons, bars, coffee houses and restaurants along the way. The town is very pleasant to amble around with plenty of shady benches around to sit and chat or to watch the world go by. I even saw one guy reading a book, completely oblivious of everything going on around him.
Main street crosses Highway 17 but just before it does there is an entrance to the Los Gatos Creek Trail which runs for just over 9 miles from Lexington Reservoir, through Vascona Park, through Campbell and beyond. It is used by pedestrians and cyclists and is very popular. Los Gatos attracts a lot of joggers, walkers, and cyclists and we saw lots of Lycra clad people around.
At the other end of the bridge is an old building. The front is on the street and looks like a normal shop front, though closed and obviously soon to be remodeled. The back though, which can be seen from the bridge, is a different story. It is constructed from corrugated iron, which is years past its best and rusty, and is supported by rickety looking wooden posts. On the front window is a potted history of the building. It was built in 1905 by John A Hicks. Over the years it has been a second hand furniture shop, a tailor, a shoe repair shop, a sporting goods shop and a plumbers. It was bought in September 2008 and is now called the Flick House.
The next interesting shop was Gina’s. At first I thought it was an antiques shop but then realized it sold objects made out of rush, wood and gourds – all very colorful. As I passed the door there was a lovely smell of wood and other aromas which somehow made me think of Africa.
Then we came to the Lost Gatos Coffee and Roasting Company. This is definitely the place to be, judging by the number of bikes tied to every available tree, lamppost and seat, and the mass of people congregating outside, chatting and drinking coffee. We sat for a while outside, petted a large golden retriever who was patiently waiting for it’s master and listened to the conversations going on around us as friends greeted each other enthusiastically and spoke about everything except the economic situation. It also gave me a chance to catch up on my writing.
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March 09 2009 | Neighborhoods | No Comments »
We planned to go and see a movie and wanted to see ‘Milk’ with Sean Penn, which opened on Wednesday, but it is not in local movie theaters yet. It is playing in San Francisco though so, on the spur of the moment, we decided to go up to the city. It was playing in several locations up there but we picked The Castro Theater on Castro Street – the very place which is featured heavily in the film.
For those of you who have never heard of the main character – Harvey Milk – (and I certainly hadn’t heard of him until I came to live in California), I will enlighten you. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in the USA. He, along with Mayor George Moscone, were assassinated by another elected official named Dan White in 1978. It was a very sad and painful time for San Francisco. The Castro is the center of the gay movement in San Francisco.
The first showing was at 10 a.m. and we arrived in Castro Street at 9.30. Already there was a line outside the theater and it took us ages to find a parking place. We bought tickets for the later performance at 1 p.m. and decided to explore the neighborhood. First of all though we found somewhere for breakfast.
After breakfast, we returned to Collingwood Street where we’d parked the car to get Tom’s camera. From there we continued up the hill and turned left on 20th. No two houses look the same and most of them are really pretty. Two smaller houses had gardens instead of the usual flight of stairs up to the front door and these gardens had flowers in them. The first of them had several different types of roses and one of them smelt gorgeous.
At the junction with Castro Street, we turned left and walked down the hill. Here we were still walking past residential houses. One on the other side of the road particularly caught my attention as it was painted a lovely shade of navy with the windows painted white. Opposite though was a semi detached in need of a little care and attention but they had one endearing feature – each had three front doors.
The shops started when we crossed 19th. The very first one was the Buffalo Whole Food and Grain Company and was a grocery store with brightly colored fresh fruit on display outside. I don’t intend to list every shop but I will mention those which caught my eye. I did go into Pro Plus – which is mini post office and sells stationery – to buy a small notebook because I’d left mine at home. Now at last I could start writing notes. On this block is Luna where Tom and I had breakfast earlier. One interesting shop further along, called Whatever, had an eye catching window display of retro toys, especially super heroes like Superman, Wonder Women, Hulk and the Flesh Eating Zombies, to name but a few.
As this is The Castro, there are a lot of shops displaying sexually explicit items and clothing. It all adds to the charm of the place.
Dolma, which sells Himalayan gifts and handicrafts, confused me a bit. I thought the window display contained sweets. What confused me were some smooth pebbles in a basket which looked like candy to me at first glance and in the basket nearby were some orange packages which looked just like a brand of nougat I’m fond off. On closer inspection they turned out to be incense! Under One Roof had a marvelous display of brightly colored fish, jelly fish and sea horses suspended from the ceiling.
Between 18th Street and Market the only shops which made me stop and look in were A. G. Farrari – fine Italian grocer since 1919 and Louie’s barber shop.
I waited at the end of Castro Street for Tom to catch me up and looked around. Market Street was bustling
and an old green trolley squealed round 17th onto Market. Behind me the huge rainbow flag fluttered in the breeze. I noticed the gas station across the street was selling gas from $1.87 a gallon, To think that two months ago it was selling for over $4 a gallon. It was fun to watch everybody walking by. This is really a nice neighborhood and it is a pleasure to walk around it. I don’t feel threatened at all.
When Tom caught up with me and taken a few photos, we crossed over and walked down the other side of Castro Street. On the corner is Twin Peaks which is a cocktail bar. Here it is only 11.10 and already the place is crowded. Further down is The Bead Store with some beautiful beaded model statues in the window. Next door but one is Castro Cheesery. Even though I pressed my face to the window and glanced in the door I could see no sign of any cheese for sale. There was lots of coffee though.
Then we came to the Castro Theater. This is a wonderful building built in 1922 and still going strong. It fits in so well with the area with its huge highly decorated awning and it’s enormous neon sign. It is the last remaining single screen movie theater in San Francisco and proud of it. More about the inside later though.
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December 07 2008 | Neighborhoods | 1 Comment »
Today promises to be bright and sunny so we decided to drive to San Francisco and do one of the staircase
walks from’ Stairway Walks in San Francisco’ by Adah Bakalinsky. I picked an area neither of us has ever been to – Diamond Heights. We set Molly (our nickname for the GPS) to get us onto Diamond Heights Blvd and, apart from one small misunderstanding on our part, she did it.
(Click on the image for a larger version)
There were few people around when we set off on the walk, heading south on Diamond Heights Blvd. We soon came to a view over Noe Valley to the Bay Bridge and the San Francisco skyline. A sharp turn left onto Diamond Street still took us downhill but we started to climb when we turned right onto Beacon. Beacon skirts an open space area called Billy Goat Hill and the views over the bay and the Bay Bridge were outstanding.
Halfway along Beacon we came to our first stairway called the Harry Stairway. Without our guidebook we would have missed it. It is a long stairway, wooden at the top and concrete at the bottom. It is an actual street much like Filbert Stairway, so we passed the front doors and along the sides of residential gardens. It is one of the more interesting stairways in the city.
At the bottom we turned right on Laidley and passed some interesting houses. One the locals call the Sandcastle House and one called the Owl House. The guidebook tells the history of 192-194 Laidley. It is called the Bell Mystery House. As Adah Bakalinsky explains ‘The death of the owner……. occurred under mysterious consequences’. While we stood opposite looking at the house, a local lady, who has lived in the area since 1957 and who was out walking her dog, stopped to talk to us. She told us the white house next door is called the Bank of America building. I guess the nickname is given for the shape rather than the color as the real Bank of Ameria building is dark brown and black.
Following directions from the book, we turned left on Fairmont and descended a steep hill to Whitney, where we turned right.
I read in the book that a slight detour along Chenery would bring us to a couple of coffee houses. As we hadn’t had anything to eat or drink, we decided to investigate.
After a fortifying breakfast at Tyger’s Coffee House (see previous blog) we returned to our walk. When we returned back on our stairway walk we turned left on Miguel. Just as well we had some sustenance inside us as it was a very steep climb up the street to Bemis. There was no stairway here but there could have been. On Bemis we turned left and almost immediately right up the Amista Stairway. This was also a steep climb up an uninspiring concrete stairway but we turned to enjoy the view every now and then.
At the top we found ourselves on Everson. As we walked along Everson we greeted and were greeted by the locals who were either working in their front yards or walking their dogs. Everybody is really friendly. We passed another large open space with views south towards the San Bruno Mountain.
We turned right on Addison and walked past the fire station. The two engines had just returned from a
’shout’, as we would say in England, and the firemen were beginning to clean their engines.
On our right was the Walter Haas Park. It was a very lovely park with a basketball court and a really nice childrens’ playground. Next to the playground is another good view of the city. The staircase was made out of concrete and as the guidebook said it was made out of railroad ties I’m guessing it had been constructed recently.
At the top we were back on Diamond Heights Blvd and could have turned right to take us back to the car but we decided to walk a little further. The guidebook said to turn left along Diamond Heights Blvd and turn right onto Berkeley but we took a small detour by crossing over and walking along Gold Mine to the Onique Stairway. It was another steep climb up a concrete stairway and we could see the Sutro Tower not too far away.
We continued along Topaz. passing more houses. We saw a young girl, probably about 10 years old, washing the family car out in the road in bare feet. Tucked away behind a bush two women sat in deckchairs keeping their eyes on her. I remarked that they had her well trained and they laughed. The girl looked like she was having fun, lathering away and getting thoroughly soaked in the process. I just hope she got a bit extra in her allowance for all her hard work.
Soon we were back on Gold Mine and it was just a short distance back to the car. Tom and I really enjoyed our walk in the sunshine today. We saw some wonderful views and meet quite a few of the locals. All in all, it was good fun.
November 26 2008 | Neighborhoods | No Comments »
At 6 we hit the road. It is light already but also cloudy and the rising sun is not visible. I don’t
know what makes this time of the morning so magical. The flowers look bright and fresh; the trees green and even the grass looks golden and not brown. Then we hit Highway 101 and nothing can make that freeway beautiful. Rank weeds and litter decorate the edges; numerous pylons tower within view; power lines are draped everywhere and idiot drivers abound. The state of the pavement is pretty good now, especially between Sunnyvale and San Mateo. There is always something interesting to catch the eye, like a new construction or the solar panels near Palo Alto. At Moffet Field the police stop the traffic for five minutes. When we eventually pass there was no sign of a wreck, just two vehicles pulled over and several police cars. At Millbrae there were flares laid down as they were cleaning the left shoulder.
As we approach the city, it is shrouded in fog. Parking in San Francisco is always a problem. With the bikes we could not park in a multi story and there are parking meters along all the main streets. In the end we found some street parking without parking meters at Brannan and Delancey. It is cold and there is a slight drizzle and here Tom is with his cycle shorts on. After our last cycle ride I took the precaution of wearing leggings on top of my cycle shorts. Ah well, here we go again!
Our ride starts on the The Embarcadero just to the south of the Bay Bridge. I asked Tom whether we could ride over the bridge but there is no bike lane on the section between the city and Yerba Buena Island although there will be one on the new section between the island and Oakland.
The Embarcadero sidewalk is wide and we are able to ride on it. Along the way there is much to be seen. We meander along, stopping frequently to gaze at something different – the fire boats moored at the end of a short peer; a small rowing boat tied up but barely afloat; the Bow and Arrow sculpture which is half shrouded while maintenance work is carried out and the Crouching Spider sculpture which replaced the two enormous females made out of scrap metal (we much prefered the latter).
We are both in need of a hot drink but the Java Coffee House is closed and padlocked. I hope it is because it is too early and not permanent. Two women and a boy walk towards us holding cups of coffee so we stop and ask where they’d got it from (the Ferry Building) and had an interesting chat. They were interested to know where we came from when they heard my accent.
Soon we hit the Ferry Building where it is a hive of activity with storeholders setting up for the farmers market which is held in the Ferry Plaza from 8 am to 2 pm every Saturday. Even though is it only 7.30 a lot of people are already busy buying the fresh produce. I guard the bikes while Tom goes into Peets and spent my time people watching.
We sat on a bench looking out over the bay and the ferry terminal while we drank our coffee. Then we were on our way again, exploring each pier along the way.
Not so long ago the Ferry Building and the buildings on the piers were abandoned and dilapidated but a lot of work has been done to restore them. As we cycled past, we peered into windows. In one we spotted a series of color photos hung on a wall showing views of the old buildings.
A lot of fishermen were about and it appears to be a good day for fishing. We saw a recently caught, good sized, striped bass panting on the ground. The angler told us it would make a decent meal but I’m not so sure I would want to eat anything caught in the Bay, especially so soon after the recent oil spill.
Pier 3 is where the Hornblower Cruise ships are moored -the California Hornblower, the San Francisco Belle (a paddle boat) and the Santa Rosa – all huge but very different. The Santa Rose was sporting a big advert advertising three Dinner Wine Cruises, which look exciting.
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June 05 2008 | Neighborhoods and Special Places | No Comments »
A stroll up and down California Street is a wonderful experience. It has a very relaxed feel about it and the number of opportunities to stop and take it all in are many, either on one of the benches or sitting outside one of the many cafes.
California Street is about two miles from the main shopping street in Palo Alto and the Stanford Shopping Center. It used to be a separate town altogether called Mayfield, which was here before Palo Alto even existed. The founder of Stanford University, Leland Stanford, wanted to build his university in Mayfield but it was on condition that alcohol be banned from the town. The residents were not happy with that condition as they had over a dozen saloons doing a roaring business. So Leland Stanford went two miles north to build his university. Palo Alto came into existence at the same time and eventually became larger than Mayfield. In 1925 Mayfield was annexed by Palo Alto and the town of Mayfield was no more.
There are lots of places to eat, ranging from the ubiquitous Starbucks and bagal shops to cafes like Cafe Brioche and Joanie’s to slightly pricier venues like Bistro Basia and Illusions (with belly dancer) right up to Spalti Restorante and Bistro Elan. But my favorite (apart from Joanie’s for breakfast) is Printers Cafe. Ideal for a quick snack and a drink, sitting outside and watching the world walk by. Also it has the Gallery House opening from the main room. This is owned and operated by a co-operative of artists and there are regular exhibitions there. It is open on Tuesday from 11-5 and from 11-9 on Wednesdays to Saturdays.
There are two natural food markets – Mollie Stone’s at the station end and Country Sun, which is nearer to El Camino. Other businesses include a cobblers, hair and nail saloons, a florist, several opticians, a yoga center, a massage therapy center, a second hand bookshop with a very original name – Know Knew Books, an art supplies shop, a stationers which sells a variety to goods and Keeble and Shuchat Photography has two shops almost opposite each other. Tom disappeared into one of them for about an hour which gave me the opportunity to really explore the neighborhood.
Watch out for the art as well. There is an interesting statue on the corner of Ash which is called ‘Go Mama’ by Marta Thomas. On the other side of the street is a sculpture entitled ‘Love Spoken Here’ by William Wareham which is four large chairs and a small table made of of metal. I wonder if it is OK to sit on them? Hmm, maybe I’d better not. In the median on either side of Birch there are two more sculptures, one of metal and one of wood. There are also quite a few wall murals. On a wall to the side of Starbucks are three and on the side of Country Sun there is a huge picture of a volcano with a field of California poppies in the foreground. On the corner of California and Ash there is the Hotel California with several murals, one of them very amusing.
All in all, a wonderful neighborhood. Check it out.
March 27 2008 | Neighborhoods | No Comments »
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