Seasonal Color

Each season here in San Francisco has unique characteristics--from weather to clothing to sights and sounds.

Recently, we have noticed a common color of this autumn season.  Check it out.  

A vintage Datsun 240Z in orange.

A socially responsible shortbread cookie.  

Another orange-hued sunrise over San Francisco Bay.

Even the moon is orange-colored.

Moonrise seen through the Bay Bridge.

Random Things in San Francisco #4

Some random things in San Francisco.

During a recent walk, we spotted one of those traffic message signs on a nearby street.  We were not surprised because there is building and road construction all over San Francisco.  We watched the sign's changing messages and were surprised by one of the messages.  Check it out.  

We guessed that some resourceful 49er's anti-fan hacked the sign to add the surprising message.  (By the way, the San Francisco 49er's were in the last Super Bowl, losing to Kansas City.  This season, the 49ers are last in their division, with a 4-3 record.)

Below, some random hottie points out a sign on the local fire station.  The sign reminds us of similar practices we learned about in Italy and France.  We wonder how many teenagers are dropped off.  

California is for wine lovers.  So, of course, you can get a manicure while sipping fine wine.  

Recently, the weather in San Francisco has been lovely--cool temperatures and blue skies.  Yesterday, the sunrise was especially beautiful.  

Did you know? #2

A couple of weeks ago, we posted about coffee in San Francisco.

After, we heard from Susan's cousin Jeff, who shared a story about Folger's which was founded in San Francisco long ago.  

"I have been reading a book about the Presidents of the U.S. Did you know that Teddy Roosevelt loved his coffee, drinking up to a gallon a day? On one occasion as he finished his Folger's coffee he said, 'Ah, good to the last drop.'” It got published and picked up by Folgers and became their tag line for the next 60 years."

Who knew?

To celebrate Jeff's contribution, we recently visited the Folger's building, which is just around the corner from our apartment.

Here's to you, Jeff!

Some random hottie enjoying a cup of Joe outside the Folger's Building

The Folger's Building at Spear and Mission Streets, San Francisco

A Nod to Buckminster Fuller

If you recognize the name Buckminster Fuller, then you know he popularized the geodesic dome in the United States long ago.  

An enterprising San Francisco restaurant, Hashiri, adapted the idea of a geodesic dome to create a unique outdoor dining experience.  Check it out.

Because indoor dining in San Francisco was banned until recently, Hashiri a few months ago moved their gourmet dining experience outside into clear plastic domes.  Since Greg is a fan of Buckminster Fuller and someday wants to live in a geodesic dome house, we strolled over to Hashiri for a look-see.  Greg liked the idea so much that he wants his own geodesic dining dome.  

In case you were wondering, Hashiri's menu is dedicated to gourmet sushi.   Dinner is around $200 per person.  No joke.  That must be some mighty fine sushi.  

San Francisco Bay #1

Year 5 in San Francisco has many benefits.

A wonder-filled benefit is viewing San Francisco and watching all of the boats on the bay.  

During our many strolls along the edge of the bay, we see all sorts of vessels coming and going--from the very large (container ships, oil tankers, car carriers and naval ships) to the very small (one-person sailboats, kayaks and even paddleboards).  

Every now and then, we see something extraordinary.  During a recent walk on one of the many piers along the bay, we spotted the sailboat pictured below.  

We see many sailboats.  However, the one above caught our attention because of its extremely tall, colored sail and its black hull.  We looked closely and spotted some telltale information on the sail--"Oracle" near the bottom and "USA 76" near the top.  

If you are a fan of competitive sailing, then you might have already guessed that the sailboat above is an America's Cup Class yacht.  The yacht was a challenger for the America's Cup in 2003.  So, it is large, sleek and very fast.  Unfortunately, it was not fast enough.  It did not qualify for the final round of the America's Cup race.  It was defeated by Alinghi, which then defeated New Zealand in the final round to win the America's Cup.

So, what do you do with an America's Cup yacht after the competition ends?  One option is to return the yacht to its home port (in this case San Francisco) and charter the yacht for day sailing on San Francisco Bay.  Check it out.  

(From ACSailingSF.com)

Who knew?

Flowers in San Francisco #1

Since the start of Year 5 in San Francisco, we have taken daily walks and discovered beautiful flowers everywhere.  What is most striking are the vibrant colors--all colors of the spectrum.  

What is also striking is the type of flowers growing here.  Most of the flowers are what you might find in a hot, dry climate, such as southern Italy and France.  In fact, one of the parks we visit often is planted mostly with flowering plants from Mediterranean-like environments around the world.

Here is a sample of the lovely flowers we have enjoyed.  

More to come.  

Did you know? (Part 2 of 2)

In the last blog post, we shared the story of San Francisco's important role in keeping the country caffeinated.  

Well, it turns out that Greg's brother has a connection to that story.  Greg's brother, Michael J. Bendlin, has the same initials as one of the early coffee brands in San Francisco.  The brand, MJB, was founded during the same period as Hills Bros. and Folgers.  MJB, considered the third of the "big three", was likewise located in the S.F. neighborhood where we live.

One day, we went in search of the former MJB headquarters.  We found it a few blocks away.  It turns out that we had passed by the building many times during our daily walks.  

Below, some random hottie stands in front of the former MJB Coffee building at 665 3rd Street. 

MJB Coffee building, completed in 1916

The building, one of many warehouses in our neighborhood, is still known as the MJB building.

Below is a 1913 photo of an earlier MJB building near the waterfront.  Check out the big coffee pot on top of the building.

(From FoundSF.org)

Now, back to Greg's brother Mike, aka MJB.  This year, Mike celebrated a milestone birthday.  (Mike is a lot older than Greg.)   So, we sent Mike some genuine MJB coffee, plus a coffee mug with the MJB logo.  

Mike initially thought that the coffee can and mug were custom made for his birthday.  He was happy to learn that MJB Coffee is the real deal from the former coffee capital of the U.S.  

P.S.  In a small twist of fate, Hill Bros. and MJB, once rivals, are now part of the same family of businesses.  They are sister companies still serving great coffee after 140 years.  Did you know?  

Did you know? (Part 1 of 2)

Did you know that San Francisco was once the coffee capital of the United States?  It's true.

Some of the biggest names in coffee got their start in San Francisco.  Hills Bros. and Folgers are the best known.  Those brands and others started very small in San Francisco and grew into household names.

Why San Francisco?  Following the Gold Rush, the city, with its well-protected bay, became a bustling port.  The completion of the transcontinental railroad connected the city to the rest of the rapidly growing country.  So, San Francisco was a logical place to import coffee beans from nearby Central and South America and prepare them for distribution throughout the U.S.  

To help preserve the coffee, it was roasted and vacuum packed, an innovation embraced by Hills Bros.  So, long ago, the neighborhood where we live was filled with the smell of roasting coffee.  From our apartment, we can see the former headquarters of Hills Bros.  

A view of the Hills Bros. building, including the tower for storing and blending coffee beans. 

A view of the front of the Hills Bros. building, built in the Romanesque Revival style.

Another photo of the company's trademark, located in Hills Bros. Plaza.

Around the corner is the former home of Folgers, also built in the Renaissance Revival style.  The building reminded us of architecture that we saw during Year 2 in Florence.   

(From Wikipedia)

In our neighborhood, we have seen banners along the streets celebrating San Francisco's caffeinated history.  

So, San Francisco was once the coffee capital of the U.S.  Who knew?

Next Up:  Is there link between San Francisco, coffee and Greg's brother?

Namaste

Susan is from a family of talented dentists--father, brother, sister-in-law, cousin and future son-in-law.

So, during our strolls around San Francisco, Susan's heart skips a beat whenever she spots a dental office.  

Shortly after Year 5 began, we spotted the dental office pictured below in the Financial District.  The office is located in a very old building with an out of the ordinary vintage neon sign.  

Another day, we spotted an office with a unique approach to dentistry.  Check it out. 

We guessed that each treatment plan begins with meditation and chanting.  Greg still wants novocaine for a filling.   

Namaste.

Where do you live in San Francisco #2

Where do we live in San Francisco?

We live in the northeast corner of the city, at the bottom of Rincon Hill.  ("Rincon" is Spanish for corner.)  Our building sits right on the edge of what was once a shallow cove of San Francisco Bay.  

In the 1840's, San Francisco (known as Yerba Buena until 1847) was a very small town of about 1,000 people living in small buildings and tents along the edge of that cove, which was named Yerba Buena Cove (pictured below in 1846).  

(From FoundSF.org)

Once the Gold Rush began in 1849, everything changed.  Yerba Buena Cove was the epicenter of activity, with the arrival of hundreds of ships and thousands of fortune seekers.  Yerba Buena Cove was transformed into a harbor with long wharves to accommodate all of the arriving ships.  Over time, the shallow cove was filled in and the wharves became streets, such as Main Street where we live.  You can tell you are standing in the former cove because the land is flat, while the rest of the city is generally hilly.  Most of the Financial District and Tech Hub of San Francisco is located on the filled-in cove.    

In the map 1851 map above, a red dot signifies the location of our building (completed in 2016).  The thick black line marks the shoreline and the shaded area was Yerba Buena Cove

We also learned that a long time ago, during the last ice age, sea levels were much lower and Yerba Buena Cove was not a cove at all.  Instead, it, like nearby Rincon Hill, was dry land sitting on a ridge overlooking a valley.  At the bottom of the valley was a fast-moving river that roared through the Golden Gate, down a tall waterfall toward the Pacific Ocean many miles west of the current coastline.  

When the ice age ended, melting ice raised sea levels.  The Pacific Ocean flooded the valley, eventually creating San Francisco Bay and Yerba Buena Cove.  

Despite the cove being filled in after the Gold Rush, it might reappear in the distant future if sea levels continue to rise.  If sea levels rise a lot, our building will again be on the edge Yerba Buena Cove . . . or perhaps in it.

Street Art in San Francisco #1

We enjoy viewing art.  

Unfortunately, all of San Francisco's great art museums are still closed.

Fortunately, San Francisco is home to a lot of outdoor art, including public art and street art.  

During our very first walk, we spotted Welcome Tower, a recent installation which is pictured below.

Below, some random hottie is knocking on the door:  "I'm here!"

If you are familiar with San Francisco, then you might have recognized that Welcome Tower resembles a famous San Francisco landmark.

Another art installation along the waterfront is extraordinary.  It is called Cupid's Span.  Check it out.  

One of the co-creators is Claes Oldenburg, one of the great Pop artists in the U.S.  The co-creator is his wife.    

Shortly after the quarantine began, many closed businesses boarded up their doors and ground floor windows.  Some street artists used the boards as canvases for their art.  One example that we especially liked is pictured below.  

Another San Francisco street artist is "fnnch", who is known for varied depictions of the honey bear, the plastic honey dispenser shaped like a bear.  Below is an homage to Rene Magritte's Son of Man painting.   

Pictured below is another version of the honey bear, wearing a Giants cap and dutifully wearing a face mask.  Apparently, not everyone is a fan of the honey bear.  

Close by our apartment is the former home of the Hills Brothers coffee company.   In the courtyard is a one of Greg's favorite works of art in San Francisco.

 

Thanks for viewing some of San Francisco's outdoor art with us.  

Random Things in San Francisco #3

Still more random things.

San Francisco is home to a lot of dogs.  A lot of dogs!  Wherever we stroll, we see all sorts of dogs likewise enjoying a stroll.  We often see the same dog walker (pictured below) leading his posse of pooches here and there.  

San Francisco is also home to a lot of bicycles.  A lot of bicycles.  One day, we spotted a mobile bike repair shop (pictured below).

 

We have seen all sorts of bicycles.  The most interesting one is pictured below.  

Another oddity is pictured below. 

Can you guess what it is?  Answer: It is an Autonomous Security Robot (an ASR) that patrols a large residential property nearby.  You can see the ASR in action in the video below.  

Cars in San Francisco #1

During Years 1-4, we saw many exotic, vintage and interesting vehicles of all sorts.  

San Francisco is no exception.  

One category we have seen frequently is vintage cars.  We usually see them on the weekend, when they cruise along the Embarcadero for everyone to see.  

Here is a small sampling of some of Greg's favorites.

Below is a classic Corvette.  We suppose the owner is a pilot.  Check out the license plate.  

The car pictured below is a classic.  And like some classic cars, it broke down.  The tow truck arrived shortly after we took this photo.

One of the best cars we have seen is the Chevelle Super Sport pictured below.  We especially liked the great paint job.

After seeing some beautifully preserved and restored vintage cars, the saying must be true:  Californians love their cars.