13 September 2014

San Francisco's Bernal Heights District, plus an Arnold Genthe photo: 13 September 2014

On Saturday 13 September I joined a group of forty people who were going to walk through the Bernal Heights District of San Francisco. The walk was scheduled to start at 1:00 pm and I decided to go to San Francisco earlier to do some additional explorations before the commencement of the group walk. The first item on my agenda was to go to the intersection of Sacramento Street and Miller Place. There I could take a “now photograph” of a scene photographed, and made famous, by Arnold Genthe on 18 April 1906, the day of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.

THEN  This photograph was taken by Arnold Genthe on the day of the Great Earthquake and Fire
NOW I took this photo from the same location where Mr. Genthe took his iconic photograph 108 years ago

 I recently read that La Taqueria, on Mission Street, was just voted the restaurant which makes the best burritos in the country. La Taqueria is only four blocks from the start of the group walk. I decided to check out La Taqueria. The place was full of people, and it was not yet 11:30 am. I ordered a burrito; yes, it was excellente. I also did some walking around the Mission Street area, looking for street art, which is known to be an integral part of the San Francisco Mission District character.

The hiking route with mile markers shown. The approximate distance covered, as measured by a GPS receiver, was approximately 5.2 miles. The route had an approximate elevation gain of 1,070 feet. 

La Taqueria, 2889 Mission Street, San Francisco. 
The taqueria was very busy. 
San Francisco Mission District Street Art
More street art in the Mission District.
Apartment buildings in the Mission. 
The walking group met at Muddy’s Coffee House which is located on Valencia Street at 24th Street. Howard is the leader of the group.
A plaque at 1538 Valencia Street denoting the site of the original location of the Bancroft Library
A view of Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower, as seen from near Precita Park
A photograph of Stony Hill (282 feet), which is located in the Bayview District, as seen from Bernal Heights Park. 
Bay View Hill (420 feet) as seen from Bernal Heights Park. Candlestick Park, which is located to the left of Bay View Hill, is scheduled for demolition. 
A view looking northeast at downtown San Francisco, as seen from Bernal Heights Park
The fog came in fast; with little warning. Before long the wind had increased, the temperature decreased, and the sun was blocked from view. Compare this picture of Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower with the picture I took earlier in this walk. 
The fog is barreling in. Under the fog is Daly City and Colma, which is San Francisco’s necropolis, a town with 1500 citizens and more than a million grave sites. The fog will soon envelop the location where I am now standing. 

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"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera." Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams
"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view these photo galleries.

Sony camera was used to take these photographs.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com