I discovered Glen Park, another San Francisco neighborhood, not far from Portrero Hill, my temporary abode. Known to have a low profile, it’s the first area this side of the bridge I drove around and thought, “this is California.” It’s also the first area inside the city I experienced “real burbs.”
It’s much less urban that surrounding areas and the rent is a tad less than Noe Valley, Portrero, Bernal and South of Market properties. The downside is its distance from quaint streets lined with shops, supermarkets, coffee bars and restaurants like Noe and Pacific Heights offers.
Glen Park does have a small center that sits at the base of Chenery; you can read a bit about its history here.
Two charming things worth a mention include its corner creperie and Bird & Beckett Books & Records, a quaint bookstore less than a block away. While ordering my traditional mushroom spinach favorite, I met a local writer. Although he mainly writes for non-profits, he recently wrote a chapter of The Political Edge.
Bird & Beckett plans to do a book reading discussing the book on November 30 at 7 pm. The Political Edge is a collection of essays by 25 San Francisco activists and writers on “elections, war, urban hell and transformational politics.”
Have you ever noticed a different tone and way of looking at the world when talking about cars between someone who owns one and someone who doesn’t? The writer and I had one of those.
He decided that he wanted to introduce me to a few “musts” every newcomer should know about, including Rainbow Grocery, an independent, collectively run cooperative that sells natural, organic and health conscious products, Sunflower, a small Vietmanese eaterie on 16th, and the view from Twin Peaks.
Every local has seen the view, drags relatives and friends to the top to see the view and has likely hiked the area around it. While I haven’t really written about all the reasons I moved out here, a view like this one has to be among the list……a reminder of just how beautiful San Francisco really is. I’m surprised it took me so long to discover it.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
