Old Park Farm, or Richmond Dairy, looking southeast across 21st Avenue from Clement Street, circa 1908. Strawberry Hill on the right and Affiliated Colleges, today’s UCSF, in the distance behind windmill. – Courtesy of outsidelands.org

The photo above is one of the first “jaw-droppers” I came across when I started this blog a few years ago. Our neighborhood was once known as the Outside Lands, with nothing but miles of sand dunes. So it shouldn’t be that surprising to see a vintage photo of a dairy farm at 21st and Clement. Still, there’s something odd about imagining cattle roaming around an area that is now home to Aladdin Rugs.

The photo is part of an interesting article, “Farms? In San Francisco?”, published in the Western Neighborhoods Project October 2011 newsletter:

Just a few blocks east, at the intersection of 21st Avenue and Clement Street, stood one of the pioneer dairies of the area. Theophilis Patten ran thirty-three head of cattle in the middle of the growing residential neighborhood, pasturing the cows on open hills nearby. Patten had started the dairy in 1880, when Point Lobos Road (Geary Boulevard today) was the only path out from the city and not another building stood within a mile. “The life of this dairyman as he galloped over the hills to collect his cows, smacked of that of the cow punchers.”

The article also talks about a bustling dog kennel that operated at 25th Avenue and Lake. Read the full article at outsidelands.org

Mooooooo!

Sarah B.

The same view in present day of the southeast corner of 21st and Clement

Woah, these guys are pretty cute! ABC7 News got a sneak peek of the new Earthquake exhibit that opens this Saturday. The story takes a decidedly adorable turn as they introduce us to the baby ostriches that are being hatched and put out on the exhibit floor.

What do ostriches have to do with earthquakes? Well, yes, adult males at 9 feet are probably tall enough to hide under during a quake, but it’s more scientific than that…

The ostrich’s closest relatives are other flightless birds such as rheas, emus, and kiwis that evolved on separate continents – a direct results of the supercontinent “Pangea” splitting apart thanks to continental drift. So these cute little birds are there to illustrate how earthquake and evolution affect each other.

Science AND cuteness, sounds like a fun exhibit.

Sarah B.

Photo by @SFRecParkGM

Warren Hellman isn’t the only local celebrity to get a piece of Golden Gate Park named after themselves.

This afternoon, Middle Drive East in Golden Gate Park got a new name: Nancy Pelosi Drive. Its a stretch of road that connects Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy Drives in the park, near the Academy of Sciences and tennis complex.

According to Huffington Post SF, today’s 2pm ceremony – which included Mayor Ed Lee – was designed to highlight “Pelosi’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS over the past three decades… Pelosi will also be honored for helping to preserve the Presidio, rehabilitating Crissy Field Air Field, securing billions in earthquake relief and helping to expand public transportation around the city.”

More photos from the naming ceremony

Sarah B.

We gathered at the Immigrant Overlook above Baker Beach to watch last night’s solar eclipse which was pretty frickin’ cool. Everyone had different ways of viewing it – some with makeshift pinhole camera devices, others with “sanctioned’ eclipse glasses, telescopes, solar-filtered cameras, and some even wearing several pairs of sunglasses at the same time to diffuse the sun.

The photo above was posted by Ocu-Master who rigged his 700mm telescope like a pinhole camera and for some unknown reason, projected it onto a coffee filter (maybe the only white, thick paper object he had on hand?). Hey, whatever it takes!

To see more pics of the actual sun during the eclipse, check out SFGate.

Sarah B.

That big bridge swathed in International Orange in our backyard is turning 75 years old this weekend. In addition to a bevy of events, exhibitions and concerts taking place in the Presidio, be on the lookout for some changes in traffic conditions. Plus some great fireworks on Sunday night!

MAY 23-25
Before the Bridge: Sight and Sound at the Golden Gate Exhibit
May 23 – November 18, Wed – Sun, 11am-5pm | Montgomery Street Barracks, Building 103 (near the Walt Disney Museum)
A newly rehabilitated Montgomery Street Barracks is the setting for a sensory experience of the Golden Gate before the iconic bridge was constructed. The show combines rarely seen images including historic photographs, maps, charts, drawings, paintings and computer graphics with the sounds of the ocean, foghorns, sailors, and soldiers to immerse visitors in an era before construction of the bridge. A kids’ treasure hunt and evening programs complement the exhibit.

Music of the Golden Gate Bridge Era
May 24 & 25, 7:30pm | Golden Gate Club
Celebrate the 1937 opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. A tenor and three sopranos will present fabulous 1930s and ‘40s songs that forever defined that era: Bye Bye, Blues, As Time Goes By, The Very Thought of You, In Apple Blossom Time, Bei Mir Bist Du Sch?n and many others. $10 suggested donation.

SATURDAY, MAY 26
The Bridge on the Big Screen: It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)
May 26, 6-10pm | Main Post Green
This is the first film in a cinematic series celebrating films that feature the Golden Gate Bridge prominently. Bring a blanket or low lawn chair – the flm is outdoors. Plus enjoy food from Off the Grid Food Trucks, Disney Café, and Presidio Bowling Center. Also featuring live music with Whiskey Family Band and extended hours at the nearby Walt Disney Family Museum. The film series continues into September – visit the website for full details.

SUNDAY, MAY 27
This is THE day when all of the major events will be taking place. And also the day when the Presidio will be closed to car traffic from 11am until 9:50pm. So don’t plan on driving into the Presidio on Sunday (except for Presidio residents with special passes).

If you want to attend events or just gaze in admiration at the bridge, plan to walk or bike there. Free bike parking will be available. Transit tips for the festival

The Bridge’s east and west pedestrian and bicycle sidewalks will be accessible during the day but will close at 6pm. The sidewalks will reopen to pedestrians and bikes from 10pm to midnight. Unlike the 50th birthday celebration, the bridge roadway will not be closed at any time.

The main activities will be held at Fort Point, Crissy Field, The Presidio and Marina Green. Download the festival map (PDF)

While you’re walking around and admiring the bridge, be sure to walk up to the new overlook that recently opened (enter at Lincoln Blvd. and Merchant Road). You’ll get a great overview of the bridge from a new angle.

Highlights for the day include:

• International Orange Artists’ Exhibition at Fort Point, 10am–7pm. This exhibition presents new work by contemporary artists responding to the bridge as icon, historic structure, and conceptual inspiration. The artworks on view were developed specifically for installation at the fort, and the interplay between the bridge and the fort enrich the experience of the exhibition as a whole.
• Dance, Music and Local Bands at the Crissy Field and Marina Green stages, 11am-11pm. Including SF Gay Men’s Chorus, Beach Blanket Babylon, Mickey Hart Band, Golden Gate Brass Band and many more.
• Road Trip through History featuring vintage cars and motorcycles from 1937 to the present. East Crissy Field, 11am–5pm.
• Vintage Maritime Display and Historic Watercraft Parade with classic boats spanning 75 years. St. Francis Yacht Club, 11am–3pm
• Fireworks, 9:30pm–9:50pm. Spectacular grand finale showcasing the Bridge, Bay and surrounding national parklands. Optimum visibility along the waterfront from Fort Point to east Marina Green. The hills above Marina/Cow Hollow and in the Marin Headlands also provide stunning views. Soundtrack aired live on KFOG 104.5/97.7FM.

GoGGBRIDGE MOBILE APP
I also recommend downloading the new GoGGBridge app for iPhone or Android. It’s full of great photos – like ones from the opening in 1937, historic information, trivia (the bridge contains 600,000 rivets in each tower and took 4 1/2 years to build), fun activities (“Paint the Bridge” where you can recolor the bridge in yellow and black like the US Navy originally proposed), a foghorn ringtone you can download, historic videos like one of Blackie, the horse that swam under the bridge from Ocean Beach, plus an easy link to the calendar of events for Sunday, May 27. The app makes a great accompaniment to the anniversary celebration.

SHARE YOUR OWN BRIDGE MEMORIES AND HIGHLIGHTS
Wells Fargo, one of the sponsors of the 75th celebation, started a website called Built in the Bay, inviting people to share their stories, photos and videos about the bridge which will be put into a digital mosaic later this year.

Happy 75th Anniversary to the Golden Gate Bridge!

Sarah B.

This is a great collection (playlist) of videos related to the Golden Gate Bridge, assembled to celebrate the 75th anniversary:

This video contains vintage 8mm footage of the Golden Gate Bridge opening in 1937:

The event will feature Laura Tam, Sustainable Development Policy Director for the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR). Under her leadership, SPUR has published major reports on Bay Area climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as a study on the future of Ocean Beach in light of rising sea levels. Tam will talk about the studies and SPUR’s proposed policy recommendations.

Prior to joining SPUR, Laura worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General, where she conducted research and analysis that produced recommendations for the EPA to better manage environmental problems. In this position, she worked on a variety of policy issues, such as enforcing the Clean Water Act and managing electronic waste. She previously worked for the Northern Forest Center on rural development and conservation in the Northeast. She is the author of the book, At Home in the Northern Forest.

The forum is free and takes place from 7pm until 8:30pm at St. James Episcopal Church, 4620 California Street near 8th Avenue. No RSVP is required.

Sarah B.

This Sunday night, we’ll have our first solar eclipse since 1994. The moon will cover up all but a sliver of the sun just before sunset.

FuncheapSF reports, “The eclipse, which will cover more than 90% of the sun in in the Bay Area, will be viewable from around 5:15pm to 8:18pm with the peak being around 6:32pm. Although the Bay Area is just south of the “full eclipse” zone, you should still get a spectacular view of the partial eclipse in the Bay Area – especially from Point Reyes. The further north you drive, the more “full” the eclipse will be.”

If you want to watch with a zen crowd, head out to Ocean Beach for the Solar Eclipse Meditation Celebration event taking place between 6:30pm and 7:45pm. “We will sit for one hour in blissful, silent meditation, followed by 11 minutes of vibrational toning, in what we like to call a “sound bath”. All voices and vibrational instruments welcome.” They’ll meet on the beach across from the Beach Chalet restaurant.

The National Park Service is also hosting a viewing at the new Lands End Lookout. Look for a ranger on the walkway of the ocean side of the visitor’s center between 5:30pm and 7:30pm. SFAppeal also recommends some other spots in the city for optimal viewing.

NASA’s eclipse expert expects this to be a ’9 out of 10′ in terms of visual spectacles, so try not to miss it. Most of us probably remember constructing viewing devices for just this occasion, because you never want to look directly at a solar eclipse! The National Park Service website has all the best tips on how to view the eclipse.

So cool – I’m excited to see this!

Sarah B.

The Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Cathedral on Geary. Photo by Liz S.

The Richmond Village Beacon, part of the Richmond District Neighborhood Center (RDNC), is offering a series of weekly classes for adults, running June 4th through August 2nd.

All of the following classes are either free or request a low donation of just $2 per class (*):

Mondays (first class June 4):
Ballroom Dance 1 6-7pm
Ballroom Dance 2* 7-8pm
Computer (English) 6:30 – 8pm

Tuesdays & Thursdays (first class June 5 or 7):
English (ESL) 6-8pm
Breathing / Relaxation Yoga 6-7pm
Cardio Yoga* 7-8pm
Zumba 8-9pm

Wednesdays (first class June 6):
Mindfulness Meditation 6-7pm
Tai Chi 7-8pm
Knitting Circle 7-8pm
Computer (Cantonese) 6:30-8pm

Classes are held in different rooms on the George Washington High School campus (30th Avenue and Anza). Best of all there is no need to pre-register. Just come 10 minutes early on the first day of class and you’ll be asked to complete an Adult Membership Form.

For more information, contact Sarah Huck at the RDNC at sarah@rvbeacon.org or by phone at 750-8554.

Sarah B.