Bernal Heights City Walk

• Posted on Dan
• in city walks, San Francisco
• on September 25, 2008
• 3 Comments.

A few weekends ago (before the arrival of the CC en masse) we had grand plans for our weekend, which included venturing to a new brunch place that Dan had actually heard of. This was a big deal, because usually I’m the one doing the researching of places I want to try, or explore or whatever. So, when we looked in our city walk book, we found that the brunch place was actually really close to two city walks, and we figured we’d make a long day of it, because we were headed to a neighborhood we probably wouldn’t find ourselves in often.

Just so you know, brunch was so. damn. good. I had macadamia nut and coconut french toast. Seriously. I’m sure Dan’s was also good, but I have pretty selective memory of the meal, since I had tunnel vision of my own plate.

Looking back, we didn’t make the wisest choices that day…we had brunch, and then thought we would janutily take a walk around, forgetting as we always do, that SF is a city of ridiculous hills and steep inclines. As we started, we felt good about combining the two walks because neither was long – the second was in fact, relatively short. We did not take into account that this was because the entire walk was up and down hill. Over and over again. I’ve taken to calling all the stairways in these walks the stairs of doom.

Before we left home, I had made fun of Dan for packing enough snacks for us to survive on if we had gotten snowed in, and bringing both of our water bottles. And then later, when we were tired, sweaty and dehydrated, I looked like an ass.

Anyway, even though the walks wore us out and we might have overreached a little, the area was really nice. Some themes of the walk emerged: community gardens and public parks, amazing views, VERY friendly cats (stray cats ALL OVER that were so friendly one even climbed right into my lap, purring all the way), well behaved dogs off of their leash, and, not to beat a dead horse, but stairs. This was also the first time that during the walk we passed other people also doing the same walk! I’ve always wondered if this would happen, since you have to continually have the book in hand while you’re walking – to both get directions (which can be hard to follow in SF’s nooks and crannies) and to read the fun tidbits of info the author includes along the way. But yes, an older couple walked by, with their book, and we had a lovely conversation. It felt very six degrees of seperation, or it’s a small world, or some other similar cliche.

Also – from now on, city walks will be referred to as urban hiking. Dan has decided it makes us sound much cooler. Gives us street cred. Or something.

Community Garden and some of the stairs of doom

Dan racing very hyper kid down random slide

View! That’s downtown SF in the center with the tall buildings and whatnot. For perspective, the Bay Bridge and Berkeley would be on the right, and the Golden Gate Bridge would be on the left (not directly, but in that general direction)

Photo op in another community garden, taken by a very nice passerby

Totals: 3.5 hours, 2.77 miles