St. Francis of Assisi has looked fondly on our fair city by the Bay and has bestowed upon us an inordinate number of amazing and dedicated animal lovers in the rescue movement.  As I see it, Muttville Senior Dog Rescue is at the top of the list.  Go see for yourself at the Muttville Holiday Adoption Pop Up Shop!   This pop up, affectionately referred to as a “pup up”, is an adoption center, retail space and resource space all in one.

Hop on your sleigh, or spin your way on your dreidel, and get down to 1259 Polk St (the corner of Polk and Bush) every weekend in the month of December — you have 3  more chances — to see Muttville’s adorable pooches who are up for adoption.  The Pup-Up is open from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday. There are so many things to do once you’re there!  You can grab treats from Paw Patch Pastries, get your dog’s picture taken with Santa Paws by Nuena Photography or Chung Nguyen Photography,  or buy matching Muttville t-shirts for you and your canine best friend.  Don’t forget to check out Small Club: San Francisco small dog walking , a dog walking, daycare, and boarding service for small-sized dogs of all ages.  Personally, I like just hanging out and providing a warm lap for one of the Muttville mutts.

If you can’t make it to the Pup-Up Adoption Shop, maybe a Christmas Day walk at Fort Funston is more your speed. Meet at the parking lot at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday December 25th and join us for a leisurely stroll with the sweetest, most irresistible,  zaniest pack of mutts !

There is no doubt that Team SFHotlist is a full-service Real Estate team.  They help you sell, help you buy and help you with any other of your Real Estate needs.  They’ll go the extra mile, or, the extra pour, as the case may be at the  1st Annual Noe Valley Holiday Wine Walk.  Come visit us at Zephyr’s 24th Street office on Wednesday evening, Dec 7th, 4-6pm and we’ll show you our mad wine pouring skills which are only rivaled by our mad real estate skills.

Enjoy the festive holiday atmosphere with us in the heart of Noe Valley on the evening of December 7th.  Get your $30 “Tasting Wristband”, meander along 24th Street and drop in at the 20+ participating merchants and businesses for a wine tasting, a quick bite and other special treats.

If you see Danielle, ask for the “Bruce pour”.

Salute !

Holidays a la Bernal Heights Village

Wow! We are just shy of saying goodbye to 2011. I looked up from my plate of leftover cornbread stuffing and mashed potatoes last week and realized it’s that time of year again — that time when visions of hot cider, champagne, latkes, family/community, candy-cane shaped cookies covered with multicolored sprinkles, office Holiday parties and, of course, gifts, dance in my head. I can really feel the Holiday Spirit on my daily walk through the streets of Bernal with all of the sparkly lights, the window displays and the mad rush for “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” (the original cartoon version) at Four Star (okay, maybe I am the only one searching high and low for that DVD but my obsession dedication has the power of many people).

Do you want to get into the Holiday Spirit, too ? Then kick off the Holiday Season with the Bernal Heights Holiday Evening Stroll on December 8th. It was such a success last year that they brought it back and it’s going to be bigger and brighter this time around! Join us up here on Cortland Avenue in Bernal Heights for a night of revelry, singing, dancing, wine tasting and strolling from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Over 30 Bernal businesses will have their doors open that evening and they invite you to drop in, say hello and enjoy what our little village has to offer…and maybe you’ll buy something and for once you won’t be the last minute gift buyer you have proven yourself to be.

Truth be told, I’m a bah humbug sort of person, but there is no way I can channel Scrooge when the dogs and I are walking down Cortland Avenue on the night of the Bernal Heights Holiday Evening Stroll.

See you there !

CdV

Of all the tours offered by San Francisco City Guides, there is one that is not to be missed. It’s only offered once a year, on a very special, very scary night … Halloween !! The “Ghost Walk at City Hall” tour sounds terrifyingly good ! You will take a walk through the haunted hallowed corridors of our beloved City Hall and hear all kinds of ghostly facts about the building and the spooky streets surrounding it. For example, did you know that the ground beneath Civic Center Plaza was once home to the city’s largest cemetery (it was moved to Colma during construction of City Hall)? Leave you fear at the front door. If you want to find out more, join the tour and ask the tour’s very knowledgeable guide, Rob Spoor.

If the possibility of a Poltergeist-esque experience is too much for you, come toward the light, Carol Ann, bring me the tennis ball marked … oh, uh sorry about that, I meant to say — then take a stroll down Fair Oaks between 25th and 24th in Noe Valley where the residents have their own version of Fright Night (aka All Hallow’s Eve) planned for passers-by.

SF City Guides is a non-profit organization with trained volunteers who lead *free* history and architectural walking tours in San Francisco. They are sponsored by the San Francisco Public Library– could they be any cooler ? I don’t think so.

Mark your calendars for Thursday night’s festivities and put on your dancin’ boots because the Patsy Chords are going to be rocking the Block Party on Tiffany Avenue from 6:30-7:30.  There is not a Patsy Cline tribute band around who can get you tappin’ your toes,  slappin’ your knees and reachin’ for your hanky like the Patsy Chords.  Stick around after the fine crooning for the films and you’ll have yourself a perfect night !

See ya there, partner !

Check out our Flickr page of photos or the gallery below to see what you missed!

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The 8th Annual Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema is coming !  5 Free Nights of local independent film at 5 different locations in our Bernal Heights neighborhood !   The magic begins on Wednessday, August 31  and runs through Sunday, September 4, 2011.  You know The Old Clam House down on Bayshore, that place you’re always pointing to and saying “We should go there for dinner soon” ? Well, here is your chance because opening night is being held at The Old Clam House on Wednesday August 31st.  More info on Opening Night festivities is TBA and the full line-up of films will be posted on July 25.

Back in 2009, I attended one of the BH Outdoor Cinema programmes and saw “The Owls of Bernal Hill” and “Last Day at the Nuthouse” — two amazing films about San Francisco — among several other very cool films.  That night, my friend and I hung out with my neighbors, had a couple (ok, maybe 3 or 4) brownies and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves even though the blustery weather forced the screening inside.

I don’t know about you but for me, August 31st seems so. far.away.  What am I going to do until then ?  To satisfy my yearning for local film, I’m going to hit up the next “Between The Stacks” screening on August 2, 2011.   BH Outdoor Cinema puts on quarterly indoor screenings at the Bernal Heights Branch of the San Francisco Public Library (our very own Frederick H. Meyer building is located at 500 Cortland St).  Check it out on Tuesday, August 2, 7:00 – 8:30 PM. The film is called FOOD STAMPED By Shira and Yoav Potash.

Summer Solstice Stroll June 2011

It may not feel like it everyday, but technically, it is SUMMER!  Summertime in San Francisco is, well, unique. As San Franciscans, we know how to celebrate every warm day, bask in every last second of sunshine (until the fog rolls in) and take every opportunity we can find to stay outside until the sun goes down.

What better way to enjoy the longest day of Summer than by joining us at the Summer Solstice Stroll in Bernal Heights on June 21 (6-9pm, along Cortland Ave).  I can’t promise that it will be “shorts and t-shirt weather” but I can promise crazy good food, cool shops, a glass of white wine (or a nice cold beer), and toe-tapping music. Oh! and a whole lot of awesome Bernal Heights Village hospitality.

Put on your walking shoes and get yer stroll on.

Bernal Heights San Francisco Neighborhood Blog

I am super-psyched to be a contributing blogger for Todd Lappin and the Bernalwood posse. Check out April’s post about the Bernal Heights real estate market and whether the good times are here again…or not.

Shotwell Street Mission District Victorian Home Tour

Our fabulous and favorite organization “Friends of the Urban Forest” (FUF, as they are known) are hosting a very cool and very unique tour this Sunday, February 20th 10am to noon  — The Shotwell Victoriana Tree Tour. Meet at 21st and Shotwell in the Mission.

Anyone who has ever found themselves on that magical street named Shotwell cannot deny being in awe of the beautiful combination of massive old trees and classic old-timey architecture.  This particular walking tour, led by architect F. Joseph Butler  and certified arborist Ted Kipping, focuses on the houses and the trees and other landscape elements of the area.  What better way to learn Victorian architecture & distinguish between the Stick, Queen Anne, Gothic Revival and Italianate styles of houses constructed in this vibrant neighborhood? You know, for the next time you’re out looking for a Victorian home to buy in San Francisco!

p.s I would like to apologize to Betty Smith and her fans (I count myself among them) for contributing to the hundreds of re-formulations, re-creations and take-offs on her amazing and touching novel “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”. In my defense, at least this isn’t as bad as the episode of Ugly Betty entitled “A Tree Grows in Guadalajara”.