First Images From San Francisco
San Francisco is a city of buildings, people, and broad introductory observations. Over the past week, J-DAWG and I have been exploring with vigor, smiling at every cliche. It has proven hard to resist the chilly fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture, Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Chinatown, and chowder in bowls made of bread.
But we endeavor to not be tourists. Our needs are not of bowls of bread, but cold hard cash. We wish to lie our heads upon our own beds in an over-priced apartment rather than the everyman’s motel. When we climb the steep hills with lattes and dogs in our arms, we will be regarded as locals. Our calves will ripple with taut muscle. Our clothes will be of the finest fog misted cotton. Our shoes will smell of the piss of a thousand crazy hoboes. We will look at the Frenchmen and visiting bumpkins and chuckle.
“We were you once, you poor bastards.”
Over the past week, I’ve been on a few job interviews. In between, there has been a lot of walking. Here are some of the things I’ve seen:
J. on the 18th floor balcony of our hotel in Nob Hill.
Not our hotel, but close: Hotel Huntington.
Alley mural.
A strange mobile fun house in Chinatown called “Whacky Shack.” It was abandoned due to how creepy it was.
Vietnamese food for our first lunch.
The wonderful view from my friend’s apartment.
Looking down from our hotel.
Sailboats on Sunday.
Click for a panoramic from our hotel balcony.
Rusted pipe.
Gun on a ship.
Caution.
Depth markings.
Hole.
Rope coil.
Tank and Ford.
Alcatraz.
Palmistry Machine in the wonderful and free Musée Mécanique at Pier 45.
Horse racing.
Flying a helicopter.
Opium-Den.
The accurately depicted automatons of the Opium-Den.
Dancing puppets.
Creepy laughing monster in a glass box.
A great game where you have to jump a ball-bearing up a series of slopes.
Baseball game.
Violet door.
City at night.
Go! Go! Power Decals!
Grocery store mural.
Cherry blossoms everywhere.
Stair texture.
Alley.
Street circuits.
Brick revealed below asphalt.
Gnarly trunk on Russian Hill.
Alcatraz seen from Hyde and Lombard.
View of Northbeach and the Bay Bridge from Lombard.
The Great Highway by the beach.
Red icicle grass.
Looking south on Ocean Beach.
Surfer with Marin looming in the background.
Seaweed on a pole.
Nature and wall, similar color.
A gay color scheme.
We were walking the length of Golden Gate Park when we looked up and saw this hawk on a eucalyptus.
Bison in the Golden Gate Park paddock.
A random troll.
Cheerio-shaped growth on a bush.
Lake.
Waterfall.
Aloe.
Burgers at Taylor’s Refresher at the ferry building.
The pyramid building at sunset.
Feathers on grey pond water.
Near the end of the week, we went on a long walk from Crissy Field, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and into Sausalito. From there, we took the ferry back. The weather was overcast until we crossed the bridge. Then overcast again when we reached the other side. But the views were amazing.
Heron.
Beach flowers.
Memorial.
Dogs looking at other dogs.
Pollen on buds.
Nice color scheme.
A great source of coffee and food at Crissy Field: The Warming Hut.
The birds.
Climbing the hill to get to the bridge.
Golden Gate Bridge.
Bunker.
Firework.
Walking across the bridge.
Cables.
A post.
A row of lamps wt. the Marin Headlands in the background.
Warning colors.
A weathered structure beneath the bridge. Nearby were numerous seals.
Sea tunnel.
Seals as seen from the bridge.
Shipping boat.
Battlements at Fort Baker.
Mattress and flowers.
Climbing a dry hillside.
J. on the hill.
Yellow flowering trees.
ENTER NOT DO!
Homes of Sausalito.
More cherry blossoms.
Old pier remains with the city in the background.
The bell on the the Sausalito ferry.
The Golden Gate Bridge at sunset, heading home on the water.
The first week has felt long, but in a great way. I have no place to live, no job, and no clear idea of the future. But everything is wonderful now. I thank my savings, gracious hosts, and J-DAWG for going along on the ride of a lifetime.
Things can only go downhill from here…
I especially liked the close ups of the Golden Gate Bridge as you walked across. Also the red icicles reminded me of driving down to Monteray about 15 years ago. Also, I don’t ever remember seeing Aloe in bloom. We have an 8 inch pot of it… wonder how we can get it to bloom.
Thanks so much for sharing.
February 16th, 2010 at 4:47 pm