San Francisco – From Ocean Beach through the Haight-Ashbury district and then to the Ferry Building: 7 October 2014

This ramble bisects the City of San Francisco, starting at Ocean Beach and ending at the Ferry Building. 

Click on an image to view the full-size photograph.

A view from the top of Grand View Park, looking northeast. Downtown San Francisco can be seen in the distance. 

 The route as measured by a GPS receiver was 12.6 miles. 

A graph of the elevation changes encountered during the ramble. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 1,347 feet. 

I used public transportation to arrive at the start of the walk. This is an L-Taraval Muni Metro light rail train. 

After exiting the Muni Metro, it was a one-block walk to Ocean Beach. This view is looking southwest. The beach is lovely, but it is a beach that has taken many lives. The water is cold year-round. The most dangerous part of the beach is the rip currents. 

This location is no more than 100 yards from the ocean. If there is a significant earthquake, get thee up to the top of the hill asap. 

A two-car L-Taraval Metro Muni light rail train is heading towards the ocean. 

A view looking west. It was taken from Grand View Park, located in the Inner Sunset District. The large area seen on the upper left portion of the photograph is Sunset Reservoir. It was built in 1960 and has 25,000 solar panels on a part of the reservoir's roof. The solar panels were installed in 2010. It is the largest solar installation in San Francisco. 

A section of the beautiful Moraga Street and 16th Avenue tiled steps. 

The Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco came to the apex of its popularity and notoriety during the Summer of Love in 1967. 

A house in The Haight. 

An example of street art on Haight Street. 

A store on Haight Street. 

The southeast corner of the intersection of Haight Street and Ashbury Street. 

The southeast corner of the intersection of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue. 

Houses in the Haight-Ashbury District. 

A view of Kezar Stadium while some minor renovations are taking place. The original stadium was constructed in 1925 and was demolished in 1989. The original stadium was the first home of the San Francisco 49ers football team. 

A house in the Western Addition District. 

This photo was taken from Alamo Square Park, and it shows a famous scene, sometimes known as "Postcard Row." These "Painted Ladies" were built between 1892 and 1896. 

Japantown. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"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 those photos.

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

A walk in Oakland: 27 September 2014

I joined a walking group as we explored some of Oakland's streets, paths, and walkways. 

A house in the Trestle Glen neighborhood.

The route we traveled, with mile markers shown. The approximate distance covered was 9.8 miles as measured by a GPS receiver. 

A graph of the elevation changes encountered during the ramble. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 1,250 feet. 

The group met in Oakland at Tierra Mia Coffee, located on Broadway and one block from the 19th Street BART station. 

The downtown Oakland Sears Roebuck building. The building was completed in 1929, and it incurred significant damage during the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. 

The Oakland Veterans' Memorial Building was completed in 1926. 

A partial view of Lake Merritt. 

A house located in the Adams Point neighborhood

Walking through the Adams Point neighborhood. 

Descending a stairway in the Adams Point neighborhood. 

The group is in front of a stately home in the Crocker Highlands neighborhood. 

The entryway. 

We are rambling through the Crocker Highlands. 

One of the participants in the walk grew up in this house; her mom still resides in the home.
--------------------- 

"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 those photos.

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

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. 

------------------------

"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.

A Sony camera was used to take these photographs.

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