Bernal Rhymes With Colonel

I've moved again. This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me. Growing up a military brat seems to have generated a perpetual motion machine in me, not that I always wish it were so. I was loathe to leave North Beach, but the day had come when those temporary digs were retired and I migrated south to my new home on Bernal Hill.

I had a moment of psychogeographic epiphany when I made the analogy that moving from North Beach to Bernal Hill was akin to another famous migration of artists from Montmartre to Montparnasse in another century. North Beach had had its day long before I dwelt there, but I was invigorated by it as a newish stomping ground, discovering nooks and crannies that I never knew were there as a casual passer-by.

Bernal Hill, though, feels more contemporary in its way, more My Tribe kind of people down here, although I have to admit, I'm really struggling with the steepness of the hill. On the map, it looks like those 3 or 4 blocks from Mission are a cinch, but the grade is intense. I've actually hailed a cab at the end of a long evening because I can't face the challenge. Just give me a skateboard and a tow-rope!! Why can't we explore the idea of a funicular or something. Well, I feel like I live up in the clouds when I do finally make it home.
My place is in the bottom left area of this photo. The neighborhood doesn't have the Big Urban Buzz of North Beach, but I'm discovering its more subtle charms. The nearby strip of Mission Street is terrific, hosting a few great bars like El Rio:
http://www.elriosf.com/
and The Knockout Room: http://www.theknockoutsf.com/
as well as a dizzying variety of ethnic restaurants from the obvious Mexican and Salvadoran spots to the city's only Cambodian eatery:
http://www.cambodiankitchen.com/Menu.htm
plus very hip Spaghetti Shack at Virginia Street and Mission with crowds lining up.