I relocated to San Francisco for an internship for six months and was lucky enough to find a place to rent on Bernal Heights with two of my friends. A bit pricey ($3,000 for a two bed room – granted, everything in it was BRAND NEW) but the neighborhood more than made up for it. A little bump rising up out of the Mission District, Bernal is fantastic. It is very quiet and filled mostly with couples fresh off the altar or back from the delivery room. My friends and I were able to supplement our internship income with a lot of babysitting during our time here.
The main street is Cortland Ave, which has great small cafes, independent grocery stores (although there is a Safeway at the bottom of the hill as well), a handful of unique bars, a public library, ice cream shops, etc. The people are very friendly and there is a strong sense of community. I had a conversation with an elderly woman whom I was buying a used bike from. It turns out she was selling the bike as part of a garage sale because she and her husband were relocating to Florida. “How wonderful!” I exclaimed. “Wonderful?? I never want to leave Bernal!” was her candid response.
One of my favorite parts about Bernal is the park at the very top. Not only a great place to walk, jog, roller blade, fly a kite, or go-kart, it is the closest you will get to being IN Disney’s 101 Dalmatians. Dog lovers perk your ears up: this is the place to be! Always writhing with canine activity, the owners walking their dogs on the top of Bernal Heights are very open to conversations about and introductions to their four-legged friends. If you are feeling adventurous, leave the security of the paved road and climb up the well worn, albeit steep paths to the tippity top. Your bravery will be well rewarded day or night with a stunning view of the 7×7 city.
Another fun fact about Bernal Heights: on certain streets there are massive SLIDES that connect one street to the other below it. There are usually piece of cardboard laying about, meant to aid those in a hurry with their natural velocity. One morning I witnessed an elderly woman using this slide as an alternative to walking down the stairs. How ergonomic.
Who has two thumbs and loves Bernal Heights? This girl.
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