I’ve been a Potrero Hill resident for eleven years. Before that, I lived near Glen Park, and before that in the Sunset, where my grandparents owned a house with a distant view of the ocean; most of the time we could only see fog. I’ve also lived in the Haight, Mission, and Portola. San Francisco is home.
No matter where I’ve lived in the City, I’ve always been drawn to the Hill, even before I met my Jamaican wife, who insisted we had to live in the sunniest part of San Francisco. One of our first dates was at Goat Hill Pizza. We lucked out and scored a window seat, giving us a prime view of the neighborhood rooftops as we dined on all-you-can-eat pizza and salad, sipped red wine, and chatted about where we came from and where we were going.
That was a long time ago. Much has changed on the Hill over the years. Goat Hill Pizza, fortunately, is still around, having just celebrated its 40th anniversary. So are Farley’s, The Good Life Grocery, Christopher’s Books, and Bloom’s. Some of my other favorites are long gone. I loved the Thai Bar-B-Que’s chicken and rib combination plates, and their bar-b-que squid, too. The women who ran the place were always friendly, and you couldn’t beat their prices.
Other cool spots have closed or moved on: The Daily Scoop, Klein’s Deli, Couleur Café. The good news is that change has brought new businesses, new restaurants, and new friends. After Thai Bar-B-Que shutdown, Umi moved in. Pera opened after Eliza’s left its 18th Street location. And so on.
The neighborhood has evolved, and will continue to do so. I, too, have changed. After many years of commuting to the Peninsula, I work from home now. And when I say “home,” I use the term loosely to mean that I work from spots all around the Hill, including Chats Café, Farley’s, and Bloom’s; sometimes I even setup my laptop in Jackson Park or venture over by the bay. The best part of working from home is that “home” is still Potrero Hill.
Greg Roensch is a writer and Hill resident who owns an editorial services business.
