JasonParis
Moderator
I'm recently back from a quick jaunt to the "City by the Bay" and all in all I must say that it's easily one of the best American cities I've set foot in. It's not without it's problems (of course), but in general is very lively, urban, livable (save the real estate prices) and liberal.
Here goes...
Chinatown Gateway.
Maiden Lane in the Union Square area.
Union Square is the central shopping, hotel and theatre district. It also refers to the 2.6 acre park bordered by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton Streets. The name Union Square is derived from once being a popular area for rallys and support for the Union Army during the Civil War.
Union Square (cont.)
Real live kittens in the Macy's Christmas windows.
Powell & Hyde cable car line from Union Square.
Looking west down Geary Street towards the Tenderloin District.
Levi's worldwide flagship store (with fake snow for the Black Friday crowds).
Levi's flagship (cont.)
Black Friday craziness at Macy's Union Square.
Neiman Marcus' Union Square store (a.k.a. "Needless Mark-Up").
Macy's.
The San Francisco Centre is a large downtown shopping complex.
Bendy escalators in the San Francisco Center.
Union Square by night.
Saks Fifth Avenue's Union Square store.
Union Square by night (cont.)
Looking down Stockton Street towards Union Square.
Chinatown by night.
The Transamerica Pyramid from Chinatown.
Chinatown (cont.)
Jack Kerouac Alley is a small alley bridging the two sides of Columbus Avenue. The alley is behind the city's infamous City Lights Books, famous for being a meeting ground for the proponents of the beat generation.
The landmark City Lights Bookstore.
Broadway & Columbus sort of marks the start of San Fran's "Little Italy."
Meat shop on Powell Street.
California Street by night.
Let's just say that I was in awe of its ugliness. Just west of Union Square is the J.W. Marriott hotel.
Perhaps the steepest urban street I've ever climbed...Mason Street!
Looking back south down Mason Street.
Mason Street (cont.)
Mason Street plateaus around Nob Hill and then it's all downhill to Fisherman's Wharf.
The Transmamerica Pyramid from a Nob Hill alley.
The San Francisco Cable Car Museum (try to ignore the SUV in front).
These engines and wheels turn the cables that operate San Francisco's remaining three cable car lines.
A vintage cable car in the Cable Car Museum.
Riding a Powell-Mason cable car towards Fisherman's Wharf.
Fisherman's Wharf is tacky, touristy and sort of like Wasaga Beach on steroids. It's worth a quick walk-through, but not much else.
Christmas at Fisherman's Wharf.
Fisherman's Wharf (cont.)
Pier 39 and the Golden Gate Bridge.
One of the few redeaming features of Fisherman's Wharf are the Pier 39 sea lions.
These sea lions plopped themselves on Pier 39 after the 1989 earthquake and never left! They are now one of the Bay area's biggest tourist attractions.
Pier 39 (cont.)
The F-line runs historic streetcars along Market Street and The Embarcadero from The Castro to Fisherman's Wharf.
This car originally plyed the streets of Milano, Italia.
Since the gold rush, sour dough bread has been part of San Fran's culture. This is a large and famous bakery.
Fisherman's Wharf (cont.)
Part II is here.
Here goes...
Chinatown Gateway.
Maiden Lane in the Union Square area.
Union Square is the central shopping, hotel and theatre district. It also refers to the 2.6 acre park bordered by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton Streets. The name Union Square is derived from once being a popular area for rallys and support for the Union Army during the Civil War.
Union Square (cont.)
Real live kittens in the Macy's Christmas windows.
Powell & Hyde cable car line from Union Square.
Looking west down Geary Street towards the Tenderloin District.
Levi's worldwide flagship store (with fake snow for the Black Friday crowds).
Levi's flagship (cont.)
Black Friday craziness at Macy's Union Square.
Neiman Marcus' Union Square store (a.k.a. "Needless Mark-Up").
Macy's.
The San Francisco Centre is a large downtown shopping complex.
Bendy escalators in the San Francisco Center.
Union Square by night.
Saks Fifth Avenue's Union Square store.
Union Square by night (cont.)
Looking down Stockton Street towards Union Square.
Chinatown by night.
The Transamerica Pyramid from Chinatown.
Chinatown (cont.)
Jack Kerouac Alley is a small alley bridging the two sides of Columbus Avenue. The alley is behind the city's infamous City Lights Books, famous for being a meeting ground for the proponents of the beat generation.
The landmark City Lights Bookstore.
Broadway & Columbus sort of marks the start of San Fran's "Little Italy."
Meat shop on Powell Street.
California Street by night.
Let's just say that I was in awe of its ugliness. Just west of Union Square is the J.W. Marriott hotel.
Perhaps the steepest urban street I've ever climbed...Mason Street!
Looking back south down Mason Street.
Mason Street (cont.)
Mason Street plateaus around Nob Hill and then it's all downhill to Fisherman's Wharf.
The Transmamerica Pyramid from a Nob Hill alley.
The San Francisco Cable Car Museum (try to ignore the SUV in front).
These engines and wheels turn the cables that operate San Francisco's remaining three cable car lines.
A vintage cable car in the Cable Car Museum.
Riding a Powell-Mason cable car towards Fisherman's Wharf.
Fisherman's Wharf is tacky, touristy and sort of like Wasaga Beach on steroids. It's worth a quick walk-through, but not much else.
Christmas at Fisherman's Wharf.
Fisherman's Wharf (cont.)
Pier 39 and the Golden Gate Bridge.
One of the few redeaming features of Fisherman's Wharf are the Pier 39 sea lions.
These sea lions plopped themselves on Pier 39 after the 1989 earthquake and never left! They are now one of the Bay area's biggest tourist attractions.
Pier 39 (cont.)
The F-line runs historic streetcars along Market Street and The Embarcadero from The Castro to Fisherman's Wharf.
This car originally plyed the streets of Milano, Italia.
Since the gold rush, sour dough bread has been part of San Fran's culture. This is a large and famous bakery.
Fisherman's Wharf (cont.)
Part II is here.
