A Grand View of the City

I usually take the J-line or bus 24 to Noe Valley.

But but after having Salvadorian food in the mission I thought it would be interesting to just walk there. I'd get to watch the streets transition from a neighborhood that generates over 200,000 police calls a year to a valley that makes around 1,000 calls every six months. (According to Mission Police Cpt. Stephen Tacchini).

I started walking West on 16th Street from Valencia. Just as I passed Guerrero Street and came to the neat rows of palm trees at Dolores, I sensed the merging of the two neighborhoods.

The warm air, palm leaves and sculpted bell towers of the Mission Dolores Basilica almost made me forget I was walking in San Francisco. For all I knew, I could've been in Barcelona, Spain.

I began heading South on Church Street, and just as the J-line rumbled out of sight, I suddenly remembered that Noe Valley is in a valley.
And valleys involve 45-degree San Francisco hills.

But the view is worth the walk.

Sunbathers, acoustic guitars and six-packs of Rolling Rock beer covered the grassy hills which overlook the San Francisco skyline and bay. A man in a straw hat and woman in a purple, tie-dye sundress blared classic rock from their tiny boom box.

I paused at the top of Church and 20th, separated from the noisy, busy city below.
Aside from Twin Peaks, this is one of the best views of the city.


~In Loving Memory of Ron Stallings~
S.F. native and wicked sax player
-R.I.P. April 13, 2009-