[JasonParis]

Continued from Part I...

The upscale Cow Hollow neighbourhood.

A San Francisco Victorian has been turned into a Hindu temple in the Cow Hollow area.

The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District is a building originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.

It was designed by Bernard Maybeck, who took his inspiration from Roman and Greek architecture.

The Palace of Fine Arts has been a favourite location for wedding photos in the Bay Area.

The Palace of Fine Arts (cont.)

As we drive throught the Presidio the Golden Gate Bridge comes into view.

The Golden Gate Bridge (cont.)

Looking towards the Richmond / China Beach area from Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean from Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The Golden Gate (suspension) Bridge spans the Golden Gate, the opening into the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. It connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County.

The Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1937 and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco.

Downtown San Francisco from Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The Golden Gate Bridge (cont.)

San Francisco (and the Bay Bridge) from the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge (cont.)

Those of you who have seen the movie The Bridge may have a hard time looking at this ledge.

The Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Point.

The city from Fort Point.

Golden Gate Promenade, Palace of Fine Arts, city skyline, etc.

San Francisco Bay from Golden Gate Promenade.

Then it was off to the tony Marina neighbourhood where we found...Mrs. Doubtfire's house!

The Marina is also home to Danielle Steele's museum-esque mansion.

Looking west down California Street.

Of the three remaining cable car lines, the California line is the best if you are looking to escape the throngs of tourists.

Chinatown by day.

The Transamerica Pyramid from Columbus Ave.

The 'crooked' portion of Lombard Street (from a distance).

The Coit Tower sits above Telegraph Hill.

A historic streetcar plys its way down The Embarcadero.

Coit Tower (cont.)

The Fog City Diner sits along The Embarcadero (and has great food!)

"...the San Francisco treat!"

The Financial District at dusk.

Coit Tower at dusk.

From the Ferry Terminal a view of the San Francisco-Oakland "Bay Bridge." It is one of the busiest bridges in the U.S. carrying approximately 280,000 vehicles per day.

Before the "Golden Gate" and "Bay" Bridges were bulit, the Ferry Terminal was the 2nd busiest transit building in the world (after London's Charing Cross). Since 2004 it has been renovated as an upscale market.

The clock tower was modeled after the 12th century Giralda bell tower in Seville, Spain.

Inside the Ferry Terminal.

Part III is here.

 

[Edward Skira]

The road in front of the Ferry Terminal was once Toronto's version of Lakeshore complete with a freeway above it. It was ruined in the 1989 earthquake and was never rebuilt. Much nicer today.

 

[JasonParis]

Indeed, it was known as the Embarcedero Freeway and traffic chaos was predicted unless it was rebulit promptly. The incident is an example of how the congestion we deal with in North America is often "created" by allowing ever more space to accomodate the automobile. If the Gardner were one day to fall, the ensuing traffic "chaos" probably wouldn't be that different from the Embarcedro's collapse (despite what talk radio would have you believe).

 

[Long Island Mike]

More good SF - and Golden Gate Bridge - pics!

DK416: Again good SF pics! Good memories again of my 2000 trip out there. Yes-the Golden Gate Bridge is an attraction in itself-but-because of what is is did you notice the phones that have direct links to suicide prevention hotlines?
The California cable car is the least touristy of the lines-I learned to avoid the end of the other two cable car lines - that have the most crowded stations. Nice stuff!
LI MIKE

 

[Zephyr]

These are quite good.

I was particularly unaware of the Hindu Temple conversion of a Victorian.

The 'Golden Gate,' as I undertand it, is the name given to the strait itself - one of the foggiest, turbulent, and unpredictable straits in the world - so I would say it is an ironical name indeed.

BTW, there are several interesting things about the Ferry Building’s clock tower and the Tower it was supposedly modeled after from the 12th century – La Giralda (aka Giralda Tower).

• The Ferry Building’s tower was built in the last few years of the 19th century, and has survived every major earthquake since, including the last one in 1989, all with only minor damage.
  
• Aside from the Ferry Building, several other buildings in North America with towers, have also laid claim to being modeled after La Giralda. The first ones that come to my mind are the Wrigley Building's clock tower in Chicago, and Terminal Tower Building in Cleveland.
  
• Finally, even though La Giralda or Giralda Tower, if you prefer, was built in Spain, has become the symbol of Seville, is next to the largest Catholic Church in that country – Cathedral of Seville, which in turn was built over a demolished Mosque in the 1400s – there is a surprise lurking. La Geralda the Tower was once La Giralda the Minaret. In fact, La Giralda was a part of that Mosque that was destroyed as a symbol of Moorish infiltration into the culture and religion of the native people of Spain. Not only was it a Minaret, it was itself a copy of a more ancient Minaret built several hundred years before in Morocco.

Thanks again for sharing your photos!

 

[smuncky]

these san fran pics remind me of GTA:San andreas. lovely city. your photos and sean's now make me want to go and check it out for myself since it looks like an extremely interesting city.

thx again for the great photos.

 

[JasonParis]

The road in front of the Ferry Terminal was once Toronto's version of Lakeshore complete with a freeway above it. It was ruined in the 1989 earthquake and was never rebuilt. Much nicer today.

There's also a good article in the current Spacing Magazine about this. I don't believe it's available online though.

 

[yy17616433]

That is sure!!!
〖^o^〗^o^ 〖^o^〗
Shakugan no Shana
Claymore