Hidden Concert

 

Impromptu Concert under a bridge in Golden Gate Park

Scenes from San Francisco's Gay Pride, 2011

Gay Pride in San Francisco is a time where everyone comes out and celebrates diversity.  GLBT and heterosexual people from all nationalities and all races join in the festivities.  Young, old, families, singles, rich, poor, all are welcome. 

 

Golden Gate?

If you have been around San Francisco for any amount of time, you will definitely see a reference to the Golden Gate, the most obvious being the Golden Gate Bridge.  You will also hear the term used in almost any song talking about San Francisco.  We now have restaurants, apartment houses, businesses, hobby clubs, etc. using the name to show themselves as local and loyal to the Bay Area.

The term Golden Gate refers to the entrance of the bay between Marin and San Francisco which is now connected by the bridge.  Before the bridge, the name was still used for that specific area.

Why Golden Gate?  Many think it is a term relating to the California Gold Rush.  It makes sense, but it is incorrect.  It was actually named by John C. Fremont after he first viewed the entrance to the bay.  It reminded him of the sea entrance to to Byzantium, now called Istanbul.  The entrance to that historic harbor is named Chryoceras (Greek for Golden Horn).  The geographical characteristics, as well as the possible commercial uses of this area, are what led Fremont to name this area of the bay Chrysopylae, or Golden Gate.

Cheers!

Mike

Reference:  San Francisco Memoirs 1835-1851: Eyewitness accounts of the birth of a city, by Malcolm E. Barker

The Hanlon House, San Francisco

 

If you find yourself walking around the Russian Hill/Nob Hill neighborhood on Jackson Street, take a couple of moments to walk by the Hanlon House at 1659 Jackson Street.  It was built in 1881 and moved to its current location after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.   

It is fascinating to reflect on all the life and conversations that have occurred in this residence.  The 130 year old home began its life during the Victorian Age, when women and men dressed elaborately and kept their parlors over decorated.  It was an age of showy excess, and this house looks like it belonged to that era.  Families continued to live in the house during the times of World War 1 & 2, McCarthyism,  poodle skirts, first moon walk, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Summer of Love, and the AIDS pandemic.  Most recently, this house witnessed the advent of accessible technology flood it's rooms.  It was built around the time that the phone was invented, and now cell phones, computers, laptops, and televisions are used on the premises.

From the looks of this residence, it is not going anywhere anytime soon.  Maybe in the future it will be cars, and not just planes, that the grand old lady will see flying above it's rooftop and chimneys. 

Cheers!

Mike

San Francisco Critical Mass on Van Ness Avenue

"Bicycle Race"
by Queen

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like

You say black I say white
You say bark I say bite
You say shark I say hey man
Jaws was never my scene
And I don't like Star Wars
You say Rolls I say Royce
You say God give me a choice
You say Lord I say Christ
I don't believe in Peter Pan
Frankenstein or Superman
All I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my

Bicycle races are coming your way
So forget all your duties oh yeah
Fat bottomed girls they'll be riding today
So look out for those beauties oh yeah
On your marks get set go
Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle
Bicycle bicycle bicycle
Bicycle race

You say coke I say caine
You say John I say Wayne
Hot dog I say cool it man
I don't wanna be the President of America
You say smile I say cheese
Cartier I say please
Income tax I say Jesus
I don't wanna be a candidate for
Vietnam or Watergate
Cause all I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like

Check out San Francisco Critical Mass at www.sfcriticalmass.org

Bay to Breakers: The Event

Bay to Breakers is definitely something you have to experience to believe. It has to be the largest costume party in the world. Thousands and thousands (55,000 plus) showed up to run and walk their way across the city from the bay to the ocean. Costumes included Angry Birds, I'm with Charlie Sheen girlfriends, underwear gnomes and regular gnomes, witches, Scooby Do, Napoleon Dynamite, fairies, etc. It is so San Francisco, and absolutely fabulous. Happy 100th anniversary to the Bay to Breakers 12K race. 

Maiden Lane

Have you been to Maiden Lane yet?  No?  Well, then hail a cab and head down to this quaint little alley near Union Square where high end fashion lives.  Retailers like Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Marc Jacobs all have cozy little stores nestled away in this posh alley.  In addition, you will find the Xanadu Gallery which is housed in a space designed by the infamous Frank Loyd Wright.

Before the 1906 earthquake and fire, this little street was known for its "red light" activity.  One can only imagine all the whoring, opium dens, and general crime that found it's home in these short blocks.  The fire destroyed all of the buildings and left piles or rubble, but a jeweler saw potential in the mean little alley and transformed it to its current glamour by first changing the name from Morton to Maiden, and then courting businesses that would help the little lane to compete with the Maiden Lanes in both New York City and London.

Get up, catch a cab, and go window shopping in Maiden Lane.  While you are down there, you might as well stroll over to Union Square for some light shopping, and then you can end the excursion with a cup of tea in Chinatown.  

Cheers,

Mike

Source:  Wikipedia

"The Granite Lady" San Francisco's Old Mint

Located in Soma (South of Market) on the intersection of 5th and Mission sits the Old U.S. Mint.  Constructed in 1874 and designed to keep out tunneling robbers, this stone building actually survived the 1906 earthquake and fire.  One of the features of the building which helped to save it from ruin was the central enclosed courtyard that houses a well that was used to defend the structure.  The windows melted from the heat of the surrounding fire, but the building was not engulfed in flames.  Good thing because at the time it was housing a third of the U.S. gold reserves.

In 1937, it was replaced by a newer structure that is perched on top of a hill overlooking Market Street.  The Old Mint was open to tourists until 1993, and just recently has been slated for a remodel to make it a museum by 2012.

-  Source Wikipedia

 

Chinatown: San Francisco

Macy's 2011 Flower Show: San Francisco

Every year people flock to the Macy's store in Union Square to view the real floral displays and breath in the wonderful scents.  To many, this is a ritual that marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.  This year's event occurred on March 27th - April 10th, and it included a Zen, rooftop, and enchanted garden.  In addition, the floral designers created a walk through the tropical rainforest.

If you missed this year's event, don't worry.  Just keep an eye out for it next year and welcome spring in with a San Francisco tradition that has been around for 65 years.

Happy Easter!

Mike

San Francisco: Street Smarts

Street Smarts set up shop in Golden Gate Park today to show off their talent on temporary walls.  It is a program that was created through a collaboration between the San Francisco Arts Commission and the Department of Public Works.  According to their flier, they "connect established urban artists with private property owners to create vibrant murals, making the property less likely to be vandalized."  This is so San Francisco. 

Cheers!

Mike

Street Graffiti? Art? Political Statement?

 

This photo was taken in an alley off of Van Ness Avenue near Russian Hill.  What was the artist trying to get across by writing this on the wall?  Was it gang related or just an attempt to say something about society?  Is it art?

One interpretation of this is that separation equals death.  Is it that simple?  Maybe it refers to three degrees of separation leading to death.  Maybe the three words represent a severed relationship with an individual's family, friendship, and relationship which can lead to a spiritual, if not physical, death. 

The focus is definitely death because of the placement of the word and how it is the only one capitalized, but what is the purpose of the three "separations?"  Is it significant that the first one is misspelled and different than the other two?  What about the other words (ago, it) that are spelled out in the grid?

Anything that raises this many questions must be a work of art.  Anything that makes an individual stare at it for any amount of time and ponder what it means must be art.  Therefore, this is an example, and maybe even a clever example, of San Francisco street art.

Cheers!

Mike

Mission Dolores Cemetary and Gardens

If you are religious during this season of Lent, consider spending some time in Mission Dolores and especially the adjacent gardens and cemetery.  Founded in 1776, the Mission survived many obstacles including the 1906 earthquake.  The structure itself is simple by today's standards, but very ornate for 1776.  When you visit, you will exit onto the gardens and nearby cemetery.  This cemetery is very old and therefore has very unique graver markers.  It definitely reinforces that fact that "to dust we shall return."

Friday Art: Atlas

If you walk by the front of city hall in San Francisco, you can't help but notice the four images of Atlas surrounding the entrance and holding up the pillars above.  Atlas, as the legend tells, was a Titan who waged war against the Olympians, primarily Zues.  When the Titans lost the war, Zues punished Atlas by making him stand on Gaia (earth) and hold up Uranus (sky) so that they could not embrace.  To this day, Atlas is still holding up the heavens.



San Francisco honors this Titan by placing him on the entrance to one of the most important political buildings in the city.  What type of statement does that make?

 

Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

If you find yourself around city hall with some free time on your hands, consider stopping in at the Asian Art Museum and be transported to other regions and time periods.  This museum has one of the largest collections of Asian art in the Western world, and it spans a period of 6,000 years.  As you journey through the museum, you will find yourself surrounded by magnificent sculpture, delicate pottery, and vivid screens.  When you leave, it may take you a few moments to acclimate back to the United States.  Below you will find just a few of the pictures I took when I visited this great treasure of a museum.

 

Out and About in San Francisco

Nob Hill

16th Street Mural

Garage Door Buddha

Pushing Up Daisies

The Beloved Castro District

Dolores Park