A Fine Day for Demolition

We biked out to Doyle Drive on Saturday to watch the demolition of the entrance to the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was fine and the views fascinating. Every CAT in the state seemed to be at work on the project, which CalTrans managed to accomplish in one weekend. People lined the fence watching the destruction. We were amazed that the heavy equipment sat atop the road they were destroying, backing away from the abyss as each giant chunk fell. We spent all day biking around the project, getting as close as we could to the barrier fences, and looking at the demolition from different angles. We saw one section fall, but it didn't make a big kaboom like I expected. More like a creaking "splumph," with lots of concrete dust flying.

Through a Jazz Tunnel to a Hidden Park

Sutro Tower seemed just a stone's throw away, so I asked the woman at the front desk of the Randall Museum if we were on Twin Peaks. She said no, we were in Corona Heights, but that few who came to this sweet little gem of a museum at the top of San Francisco were aware of that fact.

We had taken our usual bike route from North Beach around Aquatic Park and down along Marina Green to Chrissy Field, but instead of crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, we turned left and went up and over the Presidio on Arguello Blvd., coasting down into Golden Gate Park.

As always, there was plenty to see. While deciding whether we wanted to go into the Conservatory of Flowers, we heard wonderful jazz music emanating from a tunnel nearby, so we pedaled over to take a look. A band complete with full drum kit had set up in the tunnel to take advantage of the acoustics and was drawing a crowd.

After listening to a few numbers, we continued through the park, along the Haight, and through Cole Valley (which ironically had the steepest street on our route), before skirting the larger Buena Vista Park to get to Corona Heights--a beautiful little patch of dirt with a dog park, a chance to do some lightweight rock climbing, and great views.

My sister Jackie and her husband Paul.
My husband Ace.

On the other side of the hill was the Randall Museum. We came to see the enormous model train they have set up in the basement, and were not disappointed, but found a lot more to love. There was a working woodshop, with people building furniture inside; a clay modeling and art room, with children in paint-daubed smocks; exhibits about earthquakes (make a lego building and shake it); and, in a room full of injured or rehabilitating animals like waddling fat quails and huge pond-green tortoises, live hawks and owls perched high above us and staring down regally at the crowd.

By the time we got back to our flat, we'd put in 17 miles, and were ready for wine and dinner at our current favorite restaurant, L'Osteria del Forno on Columbus Ave., just a short stumble from home.

Lions in the Richmond District

Ace and I were on our way to a hobby store on Geary when we spotted what we thought were Chinese dragons in the Richmond District. We hopped off the 32 Clement to see what was going on.

Members of the West Coast Lion Dance Troupe were entering all the Asian stores on the block and performing for the people inside. Four men on a truck beat a giant drum and clashed symbols as the lion dancers pawed the ground, stood tall and then crouched low, cocked their heads to one side, and made other charming cat-like movements for the storeowners and patrons.


In some doorways, a troupe member set off a string of firecrackers, exciting the passersby.

We saw one delighted storekeeper put money into a lion's mouth. But whether or not they were paid, the lions performed a dance for every friendly store on the block before taking off their heavy heads and walking on to the next gig.


Their website says the West Coast Lion Dance Troupe has won multiple awards and is devoted to keeping the traditional dance alive. I expect we'll see the lion dancers again when they perform in the Chinese New Year's parade. This Year of the Dragon began Jan. 23, but the parade--called the largest celebration of Asian culture outside of Asia, one of the few remaining night-illuminated parades in this country, and one of the top 10 parades in the world--is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 11, at 5:15 pm in my neighborhood--just one more reason I'm glad we moved to North Beach. :)