For city dwellers craving a small-town vibe, Glen Park might be an ideal place to settle. Eleven minutes from downtown by BART, it has never been a destination for the cooler-than-thou; its charms remain known largely to residents, and it’s the kind of place where families feel comfortable raising kids. But on its quaint, down-home streets live folks who fight like pit bulls to keep Glen Park lovable. Take the couple who stopped waiting for the city to clean up graffiti-riddled buildings and got busy themselves. That effort has spawned monthly work parties of some 15 to 20 villagers out to defy taggers.
Commitment to this hood south of the Mission doesn’t stop with aesthetics, either. When big business and the San Francisco Planning Department started poking around in the late 1990s, locals showed up at meetings in droves to look out for their small town in the middle of the city. It’s not that they object to anything new—the recently built Glen Park Market Place, a mixed residential and retail development, doesn’t have them up in arms—it’s just that they think oldies are goodies, too. As Michael Rice, Glen Park Association president, puts it, “Our community isn’t totally opposed to development, but we’re fond of our old downtown. God knows we have plenty of our own coffeehouses; we don’t need Starbucks.”
HANGOUTS
One of the few natural spots in the city that isn’t overrun by tourists, beautiful, serene Glen Canyon Park draws climbing enthusiasts and locals alike. Stretching from the foot of Twin Peaks for some 100 acres, it features hiking trails, hidden tire swings, massive boulders, and a playground. BOSWORTH AND ELK STS.
At Eggettes, patrons snack on goodies like Filipino chicken-rice porridge and Hong Kong–style coconut or honeydew mini-waffles as they enjoy plasma TV and free Internet access. 2810 DIAMOND ST.
SHOP FRONTS
Vanessa Viray and her family opened Paragraph in 2004 after falling in love with the hood, and shoppers soon fell for their one-room clothing boutique. Viray’s trunk shows attract local designers looking to showcase their one-of-a-kind styles, which pays off for men, women, and kids seeking affordable fashion. 654 CHENERY ST.
Even little ones calm down at Kiki Yo, where a variety of classes keep yogis of all ages healthy. From Baby and Me to Kiki for Kids, instructors gear each class to the age group’s abilities and attention spans. Moms-to-be can stay centered, too, with the studio’s new prenatal hatha
and vinyasa classes. 605B CHENERY ST.
Avid readers and music lovers alike showed up by the hundreds for a pancake-breakfast benefit last summer to keep the neighborhood staple Bird & Beckett Books and Records alive. Owner Eric Whittington says shoppers often pick up an extra book or two to help bolster the store’s bottom line, and live jazz here on Friday nights is a village tradition. 2788 DIAMOND ST.
ONLY HERE
There’s playing in the park, and then there’s playing in the middle of a huge canyon. At Glenridge Cooperative Nursery School, which doesn’t even have a street address, things are so back-to-nature, preschoolers learn as much about the great outdoors as they do about using their words instead of their fists. “We get to catch caterpillars, feed them, and watch their transformations into butterflies every step of the way. How many adults have ever seen that?” asks director Mame Campbell-Salin. We’re guessing not too many. GLEN CANYON PARK.
THE GRUB
Higher Grounds Coffee House serves much more than the odd pairing of lattes in beer mugs, as the lines out the door attest. The small, rustic spot offers made-to-order crepes, including “chicken delight”—the bird with spinach, feta, and mozzarella—as well as other brunch favorites. 691 CHENERY ST.
The perfume of freshly baked apple tartlets and cinnamon rolls at Destination Baking Co. lures all who perambulate Chenery Street. For 30 years this location has been home to a succession of bakers, but present owner Joe Schuver always knew he would hang his own shingle here one day. 598 CHENERY ST.
Chenery Park was long dubbed the only “real” restaurant in Glen Park, and it remains the only place to get a bowl of steamy, spicy seafood gumbo. Couple that with a full bar, homey offerings such as brisket and mac ’n’ cheese, and a cool two-floor open dining space, and Chenery Park will never lose its regulars. 683 CHENERY ST.
THE TALK
Ever since a devastating fire destroyed a grocery store on Diamond Street in 1998, “marketplace” has been a contentious term in Glen Park. After the neighborhood fought off a serious offer from Walgreens, came to agree on what would work for the site, and endured inevitable construction delays, the new Glen Park Market Place opened with all eyes affixed. The mixed-use project includes a long-awaited library branch, an independent supermarket, and 15 condos. Most residents seem happy with the grocery, but opinion on the condos is mixed. Real estate bloggers were on the attack during construction, citing “nasty brickwork” and a resemblance to “public housing in Leipzig circa 1959.” 2815 Diamond St.
WHAT IT COSTS
…to rent: $1,700 for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment at 655 Chenery St.
…to buy: $659,000 for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow at 1231 Bosworth St.
ON THIS SPOT
Glen Park residents have a long history of preserving their hood: in the 1950s, residents fiercely opposed plans to construct a cross-town freeway that would have connected 280 to the Golden Gate Bridge. The freeway would have taken out scores of homes and shops in Glen Park, as well as destroyed part of the canyon. The result of this freeway revolt? Villagers defeated developers and state transportation planners and saved Glen Park’s charm and canyon.