Settlers and Location Location Location

Inspired by today's open house on the sunny hidden culdesac of Houston Street in North Beach (er, technically Russian Hill), I am thinking about microclimate and historic settlement.

JK Hendricks

Did you know that Washington Square in North Beach was Jauna Briones's corral? She spent much of her youth in the El Polin Springs area. She and her husband moved to that funny little indent in the Lyon Wall on the east end of the Presidio- when her husband proved abusive, the resourceful Jauna moved to the east to farm in the sheltered valley near Yerba Buena Cove (which was closer to the water at that point) and later moved her ranch to the sunny climes of the Los Altos/Palo Alto area, which were more suited to ranching once the gold rush hit.

google books

To find the friendliest local microclimates, one can often look to the very earliest buildings. Once the boom and bust cycle hit San Francisco, real estate speculation encouraged construction beyond the most salubrious locations, but since the earliest settlers (unlike the soldiers in the Presidio) had the choice, they chose sunny sheltered relatively level spots near water. At Point Reyes, where real estate speculation was stopped by creation of the national park, you'll find the old homesteads, and remnants of homesteads, in beautiful sheltered dells.

PRWeb.com

National Weather Service Confirms- We Live in Super Microclimate Land!

The Comet Program

Scientists confirm (here) we live in Micro-Climate Landia! "Even during quiescent periods of mild and dry weather, the complex topography of our forecast area results in some interesting small-scale variations in weather conditions."

But you knew that. I have discussed it ad nauseum, in this post and many others. As have many other people. It's part of the glory that is this place. Being in the bright sun adjacent to fog, hearing foghorns and gulls and smelling the ocean can be so magical. Here is yet another explanation of fog behavior.

SF MOMA

Just yesterday someone told me about an area of 6 houses in a mini banana belt near Twin Peaks. You'll be happy if you chat up the neighbors about the climate, before you make that competitive offer. Not that you don't want to live in the fog, but you'll want to know you'll be living in the fog. or not.

Far Out Flora

In other news, the plant genious's that are Far Out Flora are back, and here's a great shot one of them took on their way into town, on one of those incredibly beautiful days early this week.

Mission Creek

I'll be holding open a junior 1 bedroom condo at 888 7th Street on Sunday, 2-4. Since a segment of the Mission Creek Greenway and Bikeway is located on the site, and just for the sake of watershed awareness, I took a look at site on the super cool watershed finder put together by the Oakland Museum. 

Oakland Museum

DeeDee posted this about the new park, under some of which the creek still flows. Here is the big picture to come, and if the freeway actually comes down, wow! The unit I'll be holding open faces the big curve with the mural on the Cal Train tracks. You've gotta like trains, and I do. It's a cool curvaceous industrial view, sparkly at night with the Bay Bridge view. Come by and see me Sunday, and then take a walk in the park.

True Mosaics

Postscript: In chatting with my sister, who works at Adobe, whose SF headquarters is right next door, we got curious about the Baker and Hamilton building.  She came up with this this link, which has lots of fun links, explaining, for example, why the train track curve is there.