INTERTWINING FRIENDSHIPS

House in Noe Valley by Christy Myers

The Painted Ladies that grace Steiner Street in San Francisco tell part of the story of the City. They are beautifully maintained and are famous around the world. Since living in San Francisco, we continue to find neighborhoods filled with many more Victorians. They are common in areas frequented by tourists and locals. They are found on Webster Street near Japan Town, on Fell and Oak near Golden Gate Park, and flourish on Bush and Sutter Streets heading away from downtown.

Like so many other larger cities, San Francisco is divided into districts, such as China Basin, Richmond, North Beach, and the Presidio. In some of these districts, the Victorians have disappeared, replaced by modern skyscrapers or transformed with plain concrete edifices. We are exploring other districts that are not on familiar tourist lists. We had dinner at L'Ardoise on Noe Street in the Dubose area and at Pacific Catch on the edge of the Sunset District. I met a friend for lunch at a cafe in Bernal Heights. Last weekend, we ventured with Christy and Ken, long-time friends, to Noe Valley to the south of the Mission District. With Ken as our driver, we went through the neighborhood, and discovered that none of us, including Christy, a native San Franciscan, had ever been in Noe Valley.

We met the Myers a long time ago before our son was born. Their son was our son's first baby sitter. We have shared many adventures. Christy has a touch of magic with children, setting a bowl of whipped cream in front of my son at the end of a meal, singing old camp songs in the car, or building sandcastles together at the beach. Christy is also an artist and interior designer. When the two of us visit museums in the City with another good friend, she can point to houses in Sea Cliff and in the Panhandle that she decorated. Her family's history in San Francisco goes back to her great-grandparents who came to the City as immigrants. Her grandfather built houses in various districts after the 1906 earthquake and fire. For a couple of years, our son may have lived in one of his houses on Lyon Street. These are Christy's stories to tell and make our trips more fun in the process.

by Martha Slavin

We were delighted by the streets in Noe Valley and Ken stopped to let us out of the car to quickly photograph Victorian after Victorian. We marveled how painters had emphasized the ornate decorations on the exteriors and the stained glass windows that brightened the interiors. At the end of our day, Christy suggested a Victorian Challenge for us to either draw or paint what we had seen on our adventure through Noe Valley. Within a few short days, we came up with differing views of a quiet part of San Francisco.

 

Two Friends by Bill Slavin (his answer to the Victorian Challenge)