Summer Begins

The wonderful months of summer adventure began with a visit from a friend of mine Rochelle R. She's one of those friends who you meet in the living of life and end up sticking. We went to dinner at Little Nepal in the neighboorhood. We had a wonderful post dinner hike to the top of Bernal Heights and then I made sure to show her the Esmeralda Street slide on our way home.

She left this morning on the bus to another friends place and I decided to ride part of the way with her to get to another one of the stairway walks that I've been doing. The following are a series of pictures of interesting things I saw with occasional commentary. This walk took me through the northern part of Noe Valley and eastern part of Eureka Valley.

Dixie Stairway linking Market Street to Grandview Avenue

This house reminded me of a castle with a crown on top

These uneven dirt steps lead to.....

Kite Hill Open Space

This end of the street house is tucked right next to and under the Market Street Foundation

Someone has a planter fetish

Local neighbors have taken a city owned vacant lot and turned it into a community garden and playground. Results such as Corwin Gardens, shown here, is typical of the the power of communities that work together.

Along that big curve where Market turns into Portola sits the huge Joost house. Joost (yes the same one as the steet) was the man who built the first electircal railroad from downtown to what is now Daly City.

Noe Valley Victorians

An alley between Caselli and 19th Street

I end the photos section with this alley because it follows the tenets of New Urbanismwhich avoids putting garages on the front of the house.

Last comment. As Rochelle and I were walking around last, we were looking at individual buildings, some beautiful and well maintained and others being 70's boxes that were dilapidated. However, when looked at as a mosaic, it all becomes beautiful.