424 flag lots




Ok, confession time. We went to two indoor unmasked parties this week. First, a dinner party with seven people from four households, then, yesterday, a housewarming with probably twenty people. It was indoor/outdoor. 


It was hosted by two infectious disease doctors, and in attendance were at least two others, including one who has been in Covid headlines. Like, seriously, frontline people. And while he insisted that the world is still in deep shit, and they all said we'll likely be getting a booster shot this fall (and remarked at how happy the pharmaceutical companies are about that), for now, here, in the Bay Area, among fully vaccinated people, apparently the party is on.


Also, I heard again an echo of the sentiment that elected and non-elected officials might have gotten a little power drunk in this whole situation, and that moving forward we're going to see more public health emergencies that also, you know, help achieve somebody's agenda. What that might look like is up to you to decide.

Although it certainly could look like the 2020 election cycle again.

Went looking for a staircase yesterday I've never been up, on Castro Street. It's on a ridge extending into Noe Valley from Diamond Heights, between Liberty Hill and Billy Goat Hill.

There's a block of Castro Street that doesn't exist.

It turns out the hill is called Fairmount Hill.

These homes on the paper street have one of the trippier approaches I've seen. You can either come up those steps, down a rocky trail, or on this dirt road.

Which leads behind a row of houses, then turns and...

 Exits through this building. 

I know of one other spot nearby that's similar. The original property is the one on the inside. They then possibly sold all the perimeter properties, which got developed, and were left with a kooky right of way.

The party we were at was also in one of these "flag lots." This was in Redwood City. It's crazy how a pretty working-class looking neighborhood has multi-million dollar homes infilling every backyard. It was pretty suburban, and the ranch house has plenty of room, but it is a solid example that actually yes, we can fit more homes here.

And it certainly won't ruin your property value. 




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