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NOPNANews
nopna.org A Publication of the North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association
Fall 2024
slow
streets
by Ramona Jacobson
On the week of July 15th, a mural was painted on
NOPA’s Lyon Slow Street as part of SFMTA’s Slow Streets
talked to the community a lot and went back and forth
on what they were looking for. The most [common] thing
Mural Pilot Program. Slow Streets are low-traffic streets
that they had asked for was San Francisco parrots, dahlia
that aim to emphasize community development and
flowers, and something that represented the area.” Hurd
promote alternatives to driving. Through the installation
incorporated the community’s ideas into the mural,
of community-focused public art on San Francisco’s
creating an inventive, detailed art piece that combines
Slow Streets, the SFMTA’s pilot program seeks to involve
elements of San Francisco and NOPA iconography. Hurd’s
those who live near Slow Streets and to highlight these
first ground mural project was on the John F. Kennedy
spaces as community resources.
Matley Hurd, the artist behind Lyon Street’s mural,
Promenade in Golden Gate Park, an experience that he
cites as a stepping stone on the way to his involvement
shared his inspiration and vision for the mural: “We
in the Slow Streets mural program. After seeing Hurd’s
(continued on page 3)
2 | NOPNANews
FROM THE BOARD
COMMUNITY BUILT
BY VOLUNTEERS
Jason Cauthen
What makes a great community? Our neighbors are an eclectic group,
and everyone who reads this may come up with an answer as unique
as the personalities of our neighborhood. Personally, I appreciate that
our neighborhood is filled with people who reveal themselves to be
extraordinarily interesting, funny, talented, giving, and kind.
There are few places where we can see this on display more than at the
outdoor parties NOPNA helps organize. This fall will feature Phoenix Day
and Halloween, which are both historically great events that bring people
of all stripes into the streets to get to know our community a little better.
As the days get shorter and warmer, fall is a perfect time to meet your
neighbors outside.
These events (as well as the NOPNA News) are only possible because
of the dedication and commitment of volunteers. Each event relies on
volunteers from the neighborhood for setup, cleanup, and crosswalk safety
monitoring. Halloween also needs people to do tough jobs like candy
distribution and judging adorable costume contests. We all benefit from
the generous neighbors of Grove and Lyon who host festivities from their
stoops. Volunteering can be as easy as a one hour traffic monitoring shift,
or it can be a real opportunity to shape the event for those who join the
planning committee. In all cases, these events only happen with your help.
If you want to volunteer in the neighborhood outside of event planning
or execution, the NOPNA News always needs some help. The easiest
thing to do is deliver newsletters, and we always need more folks for that.
It takes about 45 minutes to complete one delivery route, and the
job happens 3-4 times a year. That’s it! We also need people who like
to write, take photographs, or edit draft articles. No experience is
necessary. If you have any interest in trying any of those roles, or if
you have ideas for a story, please reach out.
If you are interested in volunteering in any
capacity, share your interest with us on
our website (https://www.nopna.org/get-
involved), or send us an email at board@
nopna.org. If you signed up at our block
party in June, we’ll be reaching out soon!
Sarah Cortez
Sarah Cortez is leading
volunteer outreach for the
NOPNA Board. Jason
Cauthen is the (Interim)
Editor of the NOPNA News.
Sign up for our
email newsletter!
NOPNA News is published by the
North of Panhandle Neighborhood
Association for the residents, businesses,
and friends of our neighborhood, which is
bounded by Masonic Avenue and Turk, and
Divisadero and Fell Streets.
PUBLISHER
NOPNA Board of Directors
MANAGING EDITOR (INTERIM)
Jason Cauthen
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Maria Diploudis, Ramona Jacobson
COPY EDITORS
Bronwyn Dolan, Robin Kutner,
and Nathan Lovejoy
LAYOUT AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
Brenda Drake Lesch
BUSINESS OUTREACH / ADVERTISING
Anu Rajan
DISTRIBUTION
Will Valentine
PRINTING
Image Printing, San Francisco
2024 NOPNA BOARD
PRESIDENT Tim Hickey
VICE PRESIDENT Leela Gill
TREASURER Caitlin Stanton
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY
Robin Kutner
RECORDING SECRETARY Jeremy Besmer
BOARD MEMBERS
Martin Almaraz, Sarah Bashford,
Ryan Booth, Jason Cauthen, Sarah Cortez
Amanda Eaken, Chrissy Loader,
Meg Rahner, Anna Selina, Shakirah Simley
NOPNA is a non-profit organization
of neighbors who care about
the community, our city, and our
world. Our mission is to establish
neighborhood unity, maintain multi-
ethnic, multi-cultural diversity, foster
a sense of neighborhood pride,
promote a safe and clean community,
and improve the quality of life for all
residents of the neighborhood.
Your financial support (Venmo
@nopnatreasurer) allows NOPNA to
cover the costs of our newsletters,
community building events like our
block party and holiday party, public
art projects in the neighborhood,
and other activities that enrich our
dynamic neighborhood.
Make a difference on our streets
and become a member today!
Contact NOPNA
slow
streets
(continued from page 1)
John F. Kennedy Promenade mural,
guarding the barricades to assisting
issue 4 : 2024 | 3
UPCOMING
EVENTS
October 17 —
NOPNA General Meeting
October 20 —
Phoenix Day Block Party
October 27 — Alamo Scare
October 31 —
NOPA Halloween Extravaganza
December TBD —
NOPNA General Meeting
December 12 — Holiday Party
RECURRING
EVENTS:
NOPNA General Meetings —
Brahma Kumaris Meditation
Center, 401 Baker Street, 7:30
p.m., 3rd Thursday of even months
SFPD Park Station Community
Meeting — 1899 Waller St, 7 p.m.,
2nd Tuesday of every month
Divisadero Farmers Market —
DMV Parking Lot, Broderick at
the San Francisco Parks Alliance
Hurd with painting. According to
Fell, Sundays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
invited him to join the Slow Streets
Hurd, the mural is expected to last
Mural Program as an artist. In total,
from three to five years with minor
nine murals will be created by various
wear. Hurd hopes that, during that
artists as part of the program.
time, the mural will provide a source
The mural was a community effort,
of joy and positivity in the lives of
with NOPA neighbors volunteering
the community. “I really hope that it
their time and elbow grease to
brightens people’s day,” Hurd said.
help with the project. “People
“When you’re walking to work or
have wanted to come help out
going to school or wherever, a mural
and volunteer,” Hurd said. “They
is something that you enjoy. I hope
have been really grateful, which I
it’s a positive inspiration for people.”
appreciate because it always makes
me feel good. I really want to help
and be part of this.” Community
members aided in the creation of
the mural in various ways, from
Ramona Jacobson is a student at Lowell High
School who lives in the NOPA neighborhood.
You can find her waiting at the 24 bus stop or
taking walks in the Panhandle.
Follow us on Facebook and/or
Instagram at “nopna_org”, or X
at “nopna”, and get details and
updates by signing up for emails
at www.nopna.org!
Email us to get
involved:
4 | NOPNANews
DIVISADERO HEROES
by Maria Diploudis
Most of us go about our days in
our heads, peacefully coexisting
but disconnected from the
people around us. Sometimes a
crisis can jar the community into
unified action. That is exactly what
happened in our neighborhood on
the afternoon of Tuesday, August
27, when a woman was stabbed
in the median of Divisadero and
Golden Gate. Thanks to the
quick, selfless, and heroic acts of
people working in neighborhood
businesses, as well as those driving
down Divisadero, the victim was
saved from greater harm and the
assailant was caught.
Kharlil Mitchell, the security
guard at Obsidian Dispensary on
Divisadero, didn’t hesitate — he
saw a commotion, heard a woman
yell “Help me!” and ran to her
aid. He pulled the assailant off the
woman, putting himself directly in
Kharlil Mitchell, security guard at the
Obsidian Dispensary and neighborhood hero
the line of danger. She ran
to safety. A driver in a red car
pulled up, told her to get in,
and immediately drove her to
the hospital.
The assailant tried
(unsuccessfully) to stab Kharlil
before running downhill on
Golden Gate. A driver in a white
pickup truck attempted to stop
the violent man with his car. He
kept running. Kharlil guarded the
woman’s belongings while three
barbers — Ramy, Jesus, and Ken
— from Chicago’s Barbershop
chased the assailant, along with
a man who got out of his Tesla to
help. Ray, a manager at Obsidian,
helped direct traffic around
the double-parked vehicle on
Divisadero. The men chased the
assailant for blocks, even though
he waved a knife at them anytime
they got close. Once caught,
they subdued him until the police
arrived. Ramy broke his leg in the
process and is expected to make
a full recovery.
Ken’s barber station overlooks
the busy street and he had
noticed the assailant walking on
Divisadero the morning of the
attack, yelling, talking to himself,
and looking at other women.
According to Jesus, the assailant
was involved in a similar incident,
near the same intersection,
on Friday, August 23 when he
grabbed a woman from behind
and groped her. Jesus said that
four men got out of a car and
helped the woman. The victim
called SFPD but it is unclear what
the police response was to the
previous incident.
Jesus, barber at Chicago’s Barbershop
and neighborhood hero
“My takeaway is how everybody
came together to try to help her.
Strangers. You don’t always see that
in the city,” said witness Candice
Nobles, owner of Effin Relax on
Divisadero. Even though NOPA
is a relatively safe neighborhood
where random acts of violence are
uncommon, it’s reassuring to know
that our community doesn’t hesitate
to act — to do the right thing — in a
crisis. Next time you’re walking down
the street, stop and say hello to your
neighborhood business people. In
the words of Alex Asefaw, owner of
Obsidian, “I want all of us to coexist
the way we did that day.”
Maria Diploudis has lived in NOPA for fifteen
years. You’ve probably seen her walking
around the neighborhood or performing
stand-up comedy somewhere in the city.
issue 4 : 2024 | 5
THINK WALKS by Anu Rajan and Clemente Camacho
The first time we walked to Green
Earth Natural Foods along the 800
block of Divisadero, we stopped to
model — donations support Joel’s
walked to the Abner Phelps House on
scientific and historical research as
Oak Street, one of the oldest homes
well as community outreach.
in SF. We then made our way towards
stare at the giant “Seep City” map
The Thinkwalk we took in July
the Wiggle with several discussion
inscribed on the wall, realizing for the
focused on the history of San
breaks, including a memorable stop
first time what an intricate network
Francisco creeks and freshwater
at a former telephone exchange in the
of waterways lies underneath our
around the Panhandle. We began
Lower Haight with a unique art-deco
neighborhood. Recently, we went on a
at Fell & Ashbury near the middle
facade. Our final destination was the
Thinkwalk with the map’s author, local
of the park, where Joel shared that
site of a home that collapsed into the
historian Joel Pomerantz, who walked
the flat area we were standing on
rushing water during the 1862 floods,
us (literally) through his research and
had originally been the site of a hill
and Joel has the pics to prove it!
educated us on how water has shaped
that was leveled in the mid-1870s
We are lucky to have neighbors
NOPA and surrounding areas.
to create the park. From the ocean
committed to uncovering and
Joel has lived most of his life in
to around Union Square, the area
sharing the rich history of our city.
the Western Addition. Over the past
we now know to be covered in
If you’re interested in attending a
few decades, he has led many local
parks and pavements was once a
Thinkwalk, sign up for the email list
scientific and community education
wild landscape of sand dunes as
at https://thinkwalks.org/ or email
efforts in our neighborhood, including
far as the eye could see. Even more
hey@thinkwalks.org to be alerted
founding the San Francisco Bicycle
surprising, a reconstructed map of
about upcoming walks.
Coalition and publishing research
San Francisco’s waterways shows
about the California floods of 1861-
that a spring once emerged from the
1862. It is also widely acknowledged
Panhandle — the only known stream
that Joel coined the term “The
in this area of dunes.
Wiggle” in a 1994 article.
After exiting the Panhandle, we
Anu and her husband, Clemente, moved
into the neighborhood in 2023. You can catch
them trying new restaurants on Divisadero and
jogging around the Panhandle.
Joel created the
Thinkwalk program
to share his extensive
knowledge on San
Francisco ecological
history. As their website
describes, Thinkwalks
are structured as “roving,
dynamic discussions for
locals & curious visitors.”
This typically looks
like a 2-3 hour guided
walking tour, led by Joel,
with plenty of stops to
answer questions, point
out landmarks, and
unfurl a local map. Most
Thinkwalks operate on
a “pay what you want”
6 | NOPNANews
LOCAL ARTIST BRINGS MANY
TALENTS TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
realize that Austin is also a multi-
talented visual artist, dancer, tailor,
craftsperson, and educator whose
many talents are appreciated across
the Bay Area and beyond.
Austin grew up in Minnesota small
towns and found his passion for art
early in life. In high school he taught
origami at the community center,
then went on to study Drawing and
Printmaking as part of his undergrad
in Duluth, where he also began
breakdancing. Austin moved to the
Bay Area in 2013 to continue his arts
education at CCA.
In 2016, Austin was living in the
Outer Sunset, crafting custom
You may have seen Austin Boe
around the neighborhood; there’s
a good chance it was while he was
walking his dogs (Hekkels and
Phoeboe), filling in for a shift at
NOPA Corner Market, or grabbing a
suits in a boutique in Hayes
coffee at Central Cafe. You may not
Valley, and dancing in the Gay
Men’s Ballet (thanks
to his breakdancing
experience). Through
a friend at the Ballet,
Austin began a new
career path as an arts
educator, teaching
Digital Arts, Painting, and
Drawing at Mission High.
In 2019 he took a position
with the Children’s After
School Arts (CASA)
program at Rooftop
Elementary.
a showcase in New York of painter
Though his early
Michelangelo Pistoletto, Austin
artwork was illustrative
started developing screen prints
and fantastical, Austin
on mirrors. The images were based
describes his more recent
on his early life, growing up racially
work as more identity-
based representations of
mixed and gay in a midwestern
community among heteronormative
queer theory. Inspired by
nuclear families.
He creates these works in his studio
in the Mission at Mariposa and
Bryant, which opens its studios for
visitors twice each year.
You may have also come across
Austin and his work at Phoenix
Day or block parties, where he
showcases cool custom paintings
of dogs, crafts elaborate balloon
sculptures for kids (and adults), or
demonstrates and shares origami
(which he describes as what we all
did before “fidget toys”). At CASA,
Austin loves helping kids learn
how to screenprint, creating a new
generation of passionate artists.
issue 4 : 2024 | 7
place the more we do. It will
become a place where folks like
Austin, and the next generation of
artists he is training, can flourish.
Say “hi” to Austin if you
happen to see him walking around
or check out his works online, at
a block party, or go visit him at
his next open studio!
Check out Austin’s
work and news
about Mission
Studios here:
Though he contributes to the
his request was simple: “Buy
community in many ways, when
art! Support local artists!” Our
I asked Austin if there’s anything
neighborhood will become a more
he’d like to say to his neighbors,
vibrant, art — and artist — friendly
Jason Cauthen is a native San Franciscan
who moved to our neighborhood in 2011 and
loves celebrating Bay to Breakers with his
partner and two sons each year.
8 | NOPNANews
THE INDEPENDENT
by Maria Diploudis
and the venue has close ties with
the community and neighboring
businesses. In past years, The
Independent held a community
marketplace where vendors set up
booths and sold items ranging from
clothing, to jewelry, to handmade
goods. The Independent is considering
bringing back this community event,
if they can find a free spot in the
show schedule!
“NOPA is a must-see area in
San Francisco. It boasts amazing
restaurants, bars, and entertainment...
You can’t beat it on a sunny day!
After a full day in the sun, come to
The Indy and watch your favorite
bands perform in one of the best
venues in the world,” says Ali.
For more information on The
Independent, including upcoming
show details, you can visit
TheIndependentSF.com to sign up for
their newsletter and stay up to date!
Maria Diploudis has lived in NOPA for fifteen
years. You’ve probably seen her walking
around the neighborhood or performing
stand-up comedy somewhere in the city.
“The Emo Night Tour”
at The Independent,
photo by Ali Lohrassebi
70s, it was the famed Half Note Club
— a legendary jazz venue where Ike
& Tina Turner, Wes Montgomery, Big
Mama Thornton, The Steve Miller Blues
Band, and Miles Davis performed. In
the 80s and 90s it was known as The
Kennel Club — a hub for alternative
music that featured notable acts like
Jane’s Addiction and Nirvana.
Many of The Independent’s
employees live in NOPA, or nearby,
Ali Lohrassebi has been working at
The Independent on and off since
2008, a venue that has featured
legendary performers including
Green Day, Lizzo, John Legend, The
Killers, Cyndi Lauper, Beck, Lauryn
Hill, Metallica, and Dave Chappelle.
Ali started as part of the security team,
and now he’s the General Manager.
His current role includes overseeing
daily operations, venue maintenance,
and handling unforeseen issues that
arise. I had the opportunity to speak
with Ali about the venue and the
amazing history of the building now
known as The Independent. This aptly
named venue was founded in 2004 and
is independently owned by Allen Scott,
Jon Larner, and Ryan Cox. Committed
to working with “any and all bands”
to put on the best shows possible,
“The Indy” (as Ali likes to call it) is
mostly dedicated to music, but also
hosts stand-up comedy shows about
once a month.
628 Divisadero wasn’t always known
as The Independent. In the 60s and
OBSIDIAN DISPENSARY
by Maria Diploudis
issue 4 : 2024 | 9
Obsidian is located at 1017
Divisadero Street in what was
once an abandoned laundromat.
The dispensary officially opened on
February 3, 2024 (with a soft opening
in December 2023). Alex Asefaw is the
sole owner of the business, a very rare
accomplishment within the cannabis
industry. He inherited this business
acumen from his father who owned
two restaurants in the city: Sawa on
Divisadero and Massawa on Haight
and Ashbury. Both were named after
cities in Eritrea, where his parents were
originally from before they relocated to
San Francisco as refugees.
Alex was born and raised in San
Francisco. His family lived in an
apartment above Eddie’s Cafe until
he was five, then they moved to the
Marcus Garvey neighborhood of the
Fillmore district. He left the city to
attend Alabama A&M, a Historically
Black College/University (HBCU).
After graduating, he lived in Atlanta,
Georgia for six years. It was there
that he saw a thriving
Black middle class for the
first time in his life. “It
seems beyond the realm
of possibility until you
get that perspective,”
Alex recounted. His time
in Atlanta inspired him
to come back home and
“impact change through
behavior” by building an
example of what a thriving,
Black-owned business
looks like. Locating the
dispensary in NOPA was
“very intentional.” He
wants to give back to
his community, both the
old timers and the new
arrivals. As Obsidian patron
From left to
right, Obsidian
team members
Ray (Buying
Manager), Alex
Asefaw (Owner),
AC (Operations
Manager), and
Kharlil Mitchell
(Main Security
Guard and local
hero)
and long-time NOPA resident Ross
Wayne put it, Obsidian is “a welcomed
community space for all people of
diverse backgrounds.”
The focus of the business is human
connection, unity, and healing. “We
always look out for all our neighbors,”
says AC.
Operations Manager AC describes
Obsidian as “the Cheers of cannabis
dispensaries” — a place where
everyone is welcome to stop by, even
if it’s just for friendly conversation.
For more information about
Obsidian Dispensary, you can visit
obsidiansanfrancisco.com or follow
@obsidiansanfrancisco on Instagram.
Or just stop by and say hi!
Maria Diploudis has lived in NOPA for fifteen years. You’ve probably seen her walking around the
neighborhood or performing stand-up comedy somewhere in the city.
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Former SFAA winner
* Leasing Agent of the Year
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10 | NOPNANews
ALTAMIRANO, A BACKYARD
ESCAPE WITH PERUVIAN EATS,
COMES TO NOPA by Sarah Otis
of city life. I sat on a live edge wooden
bench inside the restaurant with
Altamirano, and Dai showed me the
restaurant’s airy and quiet backyard
while explaining construction plans.
If their food is anything like the beauty
of their new space, their hospitality, or
the flavors of their other restaurants,
I sincerely look forward to Carlos and
Shu’s presence in our neighborhood.
Altamirano joined a vibrant
neighborhood corner with two
grocery stores, a pub, two cafes,
and a casual restaurant next door.
It will also be the only Peruvian
restaurant in the northwest quadrant
of San Francisco. So, what attracted
Carlos and Shu to NOPA instead
of another neighborhood’s vibrant
street corner? According to Carlos,
it was the neighborhood’s sense of
community and family-oriented vibe,
which reminds them of their earlier
San Francisco ventures, Mochica
and Piqueo’s. He hopes to give the
community a comfortable spot in
which to gather. “It’s like your own
backyard restaurant where you can
escape your apartment, come over, and
have fun,” he explains. “We’re looking
forward to bringing our flavors to the
community and becoming a place
where neighbors gather and enjoy
great food together.” A restaurant’s
most reliable and passionate patrons
can be its neighbors.
Sarah has lived in San Francisco for over three
years. She is a consummate pedestrian who
loves to stay in the know about delicious new
things happening nearby.
At 1775 Fulton Street, where
restaurant goers once enjoyed
Mediterranean eats and murals at
Jannah, a new Peruvian restaurant
with elevated interiors and an
inviting backyard opened its doors
in September. Michelin-starred Chef
Carlos Altamirano and co-owner
Shu Dai established a new restaurant
in NOPA called Altamirano “with
a fresh perspective on Peruvian
cuisine,” showcasing the variety and
inventiveness of Peruvian cuisine and
the chef’s culinary roots.
Carlos Altamirano and Shu Dai
have brought incredible Peruvian
dining experiences to the Bay Area
for decades, from Half Moon Bay to
the Mission District of San Francisco.
Guests often describe their meals at
Carlos’ other restaurants as a getaway.
After a tour of the new space in July,
I believe that Altamirano will provide
similar respite from the chaotic aspects
HOME OF THE DEAD
by Linda Ackerman
In 1860, NOPA was bordered by two of
San Francisco’s “Big Four” cemeteries:
Masonic Cemetery to the west, along
what is now Masonic Avenue, and the
enormous Calvary Cemetery to the
north, between what are now Masonic,
Geary, Ellis, and Turk streets. These
sprawling necropolises were part of
a mid-19th century garden cemetery
movement. It was a romantic vision that
deemed cultivated “rural” settings,
based on English landscape gardening,
more suitable for burials than urban
churchyards.
As San Francisco grew and
expanded westward, a conflict arose
over the desire of the living to occupy
large plots of land inhabited by the
dead. It was a fight between respect
for the dead and the need to
repurpose their real estate. Ultimately,
the living won the argument. But,
this being San Francisco, evicting the
deceased and relocating them to
Colma took 40 years.
It began in 1901, when the city
banned further burials within its limits
for sanitation reasons. The first bodies
left the Masonic and Odd
Fellows cemeteries in the
1930s. (The Odd Fellows
Columbarium survives on
Lorraine Court.) Laurel
Hill was next. Calvary, the
Catholic cemetery, was the
last to go. The Archdiocese
reluctantly conceded in
1937 and over the next
few years Calvary’s dead
were reinterred at Holy
Cross Cemetery in Colma.
What was gained by exiling
Calvary’s population to
Colma? The Anza Vista
neighborhood, the
shopping center where
Target now sits at Geary
and Masonic, and Kaiser
Hospital.
Calvary Cemetery circa 1865; Pt. Lobos Road (now
Geary St) near Presidio Avenue; tollhouse; graves
in background. (Photographer Unknown.) (Marilyn
Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)
This article was first
published in 2018 and was
selected for an ‘encore’
publication for this issue.
Linda Ackerman leads free
City Guides tours of NOPA.
For the next tour see
http://sfcityguides.org/current_
schedule.html.
Aerial view looking northwest to Golden Gate,
showing graded Calvary and Laurel Hill cemeteries
awaiting housing developments, September 29, 1947.
(wnp28.1794, courtesy of a private collector.)
issue 4 : 2024 | 11
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
NOPNA News is a volunteer-
driven publication created by
and for our neighbors. If you’d
like to get involved we’d love
for you to be a part of it, whether
by contributing your skills, your
voice, or your time.
There are several areas where
we are always looking for more
support.
PHOTOGRAPHY — Do you
have a great eye and a decent
camera? We can always use
volunteers who can capture the
beauty and humanity of our
neighborhood in photographs.
DELIVERY — If you want 30–45
minutes of exercise every three
months, become a deliverer and
help these 4,000 issues find their
way into your neighbors’ hands!
WRITING — We can always use
more folks interested in writing
articles whether you have ideas
on what you’d like to write about
or prefer to be assigned a topic
or story.
EDITING — Did you catch the
(intentional) errors in this issue?
We want to hear from you!
Would you like to have input on
the tone or content of the next
issue? Reach out!
If any of these are interesting to
you, or if you have other ideas
for how you would like to be
involved, I’d love to hear from
you at jason@nopna.org.
NOPA’S HALLOWEEN
BLOCK PARTY
A LEGENDARY LOOK BACK
Here we go edging into fall season, and in our locale, that means
preparing for NOPNA’s legendary Halloween Blockparty. 17 years ago,
Declan and I were painting our property at 1554-1556 Grove. We had 3
levels of scaffolding masking the front of our building, a perfect effect
for cornstalks and goblins, and so the NOPNA Halloween Block Party
began. We had a coffin with a 4th grader inside, leaping out amidst
strobe lights and creepy music as kids entered our garage. A bowl of
spaghetti hidden in the dark, meant to feel like brains, was confused
for candy by young kids who were seen loading the gooey noodles into
their little trick-or-treat bags. Leela quickly rallied the community and a
costume party began, while many of our 1500-block neighbors pitched
in, transforming our garages into spooky, kid-friendly Halloween scenes.
DJ Robby Sox hosted a toddler disco, Pacific Primary handed out candy,
and as things evolved, newer neighbors transformed their garages into
welcoming haunts for parents to stop in and share a spooky cocktail,
while small children ran wild in the street.
Within a year or two, the party extended onto Grove’s 1600 block with
neighbors in costume holding court on their decorated front stoops, and
a haunted yard scene with a line of trick-or-treaters of all ages waiting
for a chance to see what lies behind the spooky property’s front gates.
Neighbors from all over the hood donated bags of Halloween candy as
the attendance grew to what it is today.
Our girls were only 3 yrs and 5 yrs old back then, and as now they’re
both away at college, they too reminisce every year about how special
those Halloween Block Parties were. So many of our kids have grown
up with the local love and friendships we’ve nurtured over the years; so
many special memories with our NOPNA community!
So many of our neighbors share the same sentimentality for those early
days. A world of thanks to our NOPNA Board, and all of you who’ve
worked together to make our neighborhood a special place!
As for Real Estate: Fed dropped its benchmark rate 1st time since
2020, mortgage rates are lowest since Feb 2023, inflation is at its lowest
reading since early 2021, and while stock markets have been volatile
since mid-July, the S&P 500 & Dow hit new highs on September 19th . All
signs are pointing outwards a feverish 2025, and our local market kicks
into high-gear immediately following the holidays. If you are considering
making moves in 2025, this is an excellent time to connect. We’d love to
help you put plans in place!
MOLLIE POE + DECLAN HICKEY
NOPA Property Owners, NOPNA Business Members, and trusted
neighborhood Realtors for over 25 years. Compass SF Founding
Members and Nationally Ranked Industry Leaders Since 2003.
415.902.2447 | mollie@compass.com | declan@compass.com
DRE 01239280 + 01356209
Check out our Fall Inventory:
847 FILLMORE STREET
Grand Alamo Square Victorian
4 Beds | 3.5 Baths
Prefect Walk-Out Yard
500 Sq. Ft. Roof Deck w/ Incredible Views
Call for Price
1724 HAYES STREET
Renovated Condo Flush with Charm
2 Beds | 1 Bath
Huge Garage w/ 2 Car Parking
Awesome Large Yard
Call for Price
1350 FELL STREET
AIA Architectural Masterpiece
4 Beds | 3.5 Baths | 3 Car Parking
3 Levels
Floor-to-Ceiling Windows
Incredibly Unique Interior Atrium
Call for Price
1244 MASONIC AVENUE
Magnificent Ashbury Heights Victorian
6 Beds | 6.5 Baths | 5156 Sq. Ft.
Legal Second Unit
Offered @ $4,250,000
Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California
and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number
01991628, 01527235, 1527365. All material presented herein is intended
for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed
reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or
withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to
accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage
are approximate.
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