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.  

Random Things in San Francisco #2

 Random Things in San Francisco #2

Here are some more random things spotted during our daily walks in the City by the Bay.

Many of our walks follow the Embarcadero, the street that runs along San Francisco Bay.  As a result, we see all sorts of random things with a marine theme.  

In San Francisco, we see plenty of wildlife, both the human kind and the natural kind.  Below is a not-so-good photo of some natural wildlife--a large sea lion napping on the dock next to a boat in the marina.

Where do we live in San Francisco?  Apparently, we live in a tsunami hazard zone.  Who knew?  Check it out.  

Fortunately, we live on the 20th floor.  

One day, we were walking along the Embarcadero and spotted some commotion at the Ferry Terminal.  There were lots of police cars and officers, a fire truck, an ambulance, a fire boat and even a small boat with divers.

It turns out that some dude thought it would be a good idea to climb on the roof over the ferry dock.  He intermittently danced, sat down and talked to the police.  We watched for quite awhile as other spectators gathered and ultimately walked away.  Apparently, the episode ended without incident.  

Random Things in San Francisco #1

During our many daily walks here in San Francisco, we see many things that intrigue us and we think are blog-worthy.  Here are a few.  

Have you had a very hard day?  Then, ZaZa may be the place for you.  What makes someone feel like a million bucks better than a manicure and a glass of wine?  Where else but in California?  (Still closed, by the way...)

Greg is fascinated with potty humor.  He especially liked the name on the port-a-potty pictured below.  

A couple of weeks ago, we spotted a seasonal display that seemed a little premature.  Still, we are happy to be reminded of happy times.  

When we first arrived in San Francisco, we enjoyed a tasty lunch at Mel's Drive-In, made famous in the film American Graffiti.  The original Mel's Drive-In was located in San Francisco and was used in the film.    

Some random hottie enjoying tunes on the jukebox at Mel's.

Art is Everywhere

Some days, art imitates life.  Other days, life imitates art.  

Here in San Francisco, we often spot picturesque scenes that we think an artist might like to paint.   

Recently, Susan (aka Marie-Chantal) rose early and spotted a lovely sunrise worth painting.  

The scene, as viewed from our apartment, immediately reminded Susan of her favorite artist and painting.

Below, Marie-Chantal during Year 4 in Paris, next to the original work, Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise.  It is Susan's very favorite painting and it's the one from which the Impressionist movement got its name.

Strolling in San Francisco: From the Divine to the Porcine (Part 2 of 2)

Our visit to Grace Cathedral continues.

The final thing we saw on our visit to Grace Cathedral was a silly surprise.  We saw a pet pig on a leash!  There was also a dog, and the owner had a baby stroller for both animals.  

Imagine our surprise when we saw this same pet pig featured in an issue of People magazine!  We noticed the photograph in the magazine and recognized not only the pig but the dog, too, which was also there on the church steps.  When Susan read the short article indicating that this pig and dog are in San Francisco, she knew we'd seen them without having a clue that they're famous.  It turns out that the pig is Pickles and the dog is named Dill.  They have 100,000 followers on social media.  Who knew?  (Article is below.)

From People magazine

We never know what we will see in this city!  So that's it, from the divine to the porcine at Grace Cathedral.

Strolling in San Francisco: From the Divine to the Porcine (Part 1 of 2)

During our strolls in San Francisco, we see a wide variety of things, often during the same stroll.  

One recent day, we headed to Grace Cathedral, a large Episcopal church atop Nob Hill.  There, we met our friends Kay and Tom from D.C. for a socially distant picnic in Huntington Park, next to the church.  We first met Kay and Tom during Year 3 and they recently relocated from D.C. to San Francisco. 

After the picnic, we visited the exterior of Grace Cathedral.  (The interior has been closed since March.)  There, we discovered an outdoor labyrinth.  Check it out.  

The Grace labyrinth is based on the design of the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral, which we have also  visited.  

Both of us walked the Grace labyrinth and here's Greg in the center:

We also admired the main doors of Grace Cathedral.  The sculpted panels on the bronze doors are copies of Ghiberti's doors on the Baptistery in Florence.  We saw those many times during Year 2.  It was impressive to see the replica here in San Francisco.

We also admired a sculpted door handle.  

Next Up:  From the divine to the porcine.

Daily Life in San Francisco #2

Daily life in San Francisco is changed.  Before, everything was "old normal".  Now, the "new normal" prevails.  

One unfortunate feature of the new normal is the absence of San Francisco's famed cable cars.  

(February 20, 2020)

Our apartment-hunting trip to San Francisco occurred during the old normal when the cable cars were still operating.  

With a carpe diem mindset, we rode the Powell-Hyde Street Cable Car from end to end.  We enjoyed the comfortable (albeit bumpy) ride across the city.  And we are happy that we seized the day because the cable cars ceased operating shortly after our arrival and are not expected to resume until some time in 2021.

The most interesting part of riding the cable car was experiencing how steep the hills are, especially Russian Hill.  The cable car easily rolled up and down the hills.  It was certainly easier for us than walking.

We later learned that San Francisco's cable cars were an unintended consequence of how the city was laid out. When San Francisco exploded from a small camp on the edge of the bay to a bustling Gold Rush town in the late 1840's, city planners laid out street grids without regard to the city's many hills.  So, some streets were built on very steep hillsides.  Since horses had great difficulty pulling people and loads up the steepest streets, cable car lines were established starting in 1873.  The cable cars facilitated real estate development and everyday living atop San Francisco's many hills.  

Thankfully, a couple of the original 23 lines survived and still operate.  With luck, the cable cars will return in 2021.  

Where do you live in San Francisco #1

Each year during The 10 Year Plan, we are often asked:  "Where do you live?"

When selecting a place to live, our goal is to live in the center of the city or close to it.  That way, we can be within walking distance of the heart of the city's life, culture, history and all the wonderful things that make the city a world city.  

Before settling in San Francisco for Year 5, we visited the city and looked for a neighborhood and apartment that suited us.  We explored different neighborhoods, including Russian Hill and SOMA, which is short for South of Market Street.  We even explored a trendy neighborhood called Cow Hollow, where cows once grazed.        

We settled on an apartment in SOMA, in an area variously called Rincon Hill and the East Cut.  The area is one of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco.  It has undergone many changes over 170+ years.  Today, the area is home to the Tech Hub in San Francisco and includes many new office towers and gleaming residential buildings.  We live in one of those gleaming buildings on the 20th floor. 

Our apartment, like our apartments in prior years, has a nice view.  From our apartment, we can see both the Bay Bridge (which connects San Francisco and Oakland) and San Francisco Bay.  

Here are a couple of photos taken shortly after our arrival in March.  

An early morning view of the fog shrouded bay and Bay Bridge

The Bay Bridge at dusk.