Bush Street

Jon getting ready for the Trip

I walked down Bush Street to Van Ness Ave. this morning, in order to pick up a rental car, and this afternoon, Jon and I drove down to Monterey to celebrate his birthday.

I walked by three San Francisco landmarks today. The Stanyan House (2006 Bush Street) was built in 1854 and is one of the oldest houses in the city. The Stanyan House was a pre-fab building and was shipped arond Cape Horn from Boston - The architectural style represents its more austere and simple New England origins. (SF Landmark #66)

The Ohabai Shalome Temple (1881 Bush Street) was designed by Moses J. Lyon in 1895 to serve as a synagogue for the third congregation of San Francisco Jews, a congregation that dates from 1864 (after splitting with Congregation Emanu-El). In 1934, it was sold to the Soto Zen Church, which served the booming Japanese population in the neighborhood. Zen practictioners used the building until 1942, when the majority of San Francisco's Japanese community was interned in camps at the start of World War II. Refusing to sell their building even while confined, the Japanese leased the building to the Baptist Church until it was reclaimed in 1946. In 1996, the building was granted to the Japanese American Religious Federation, and turned into the Kokoro Assisted Living Facility. (SF Landmark #81)

Godzila Sushi at Bush and Divisidero

Jesus Saves First Apostolic Faith Church at Bush and Pierce

St. Dominic's Catholic Church at Bush and Steiner

Patisserie Delanghe French Bakery at Bush and Fillmore

Stanyan House, 2006 Bush Street

Stanyan House

Stanyan House

Ohabai Shalome Temple, 1881 Bush St.

(Now the Kokoro Assisted Living Facility)

Ohabai Shalome Temple

(Kokoro Assisted Living Facility)

Trinity Episcopal Church, 1668 Bush St.

Trinity Episcopal Church

Trinity Episcopal Church Tower

Inside Trinity Episcopal Church

Inside Trinity Episcopal Church

Sid Vicious and Ashbury Heights

Sid Vicious' One-time hangout, 32 Delmar St.

Today I walked through the Haight area, and up to Ashbury Heights. Along the way, I passed by Sid Vicious' one-time SF hangout on Delmar Street. Sid Vicious suffered a non-fatal overdose at this location, after the last Sex Pistol's concert at the Winterland Ballroom, in January of 1978. About a year later, he died from another heroin overdose in New York.


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Sid Vicious

Sid Vicious

View of Sutro Tower from Ashbury Heights

View from Upper Terrace, Ashbury Heights

View from Upper Terrace, Ashbury Heights

View from Upper Terrace, Ashbury Heights

Three Days in the Sunset

View Down Rivera Street

I've walked the last three days in the Sunset, taking advantage of the beautiful weather to knock off a big chunk of this district. The Sunset has street after street of small houses - The streets are arranged alphabetically (Irving, Judah, Kirkham, etc.), and the avenues are ordered by number (19th through 48th), and this makes walking this area monotonous. By far the most exciting thing about this district is the Ocean - It's never too far away, and the beach is beautiful - There are miles of uninterrupted sandy beaches and dunes.

I was surprised to discover the Sunset Solar Project, which apparently has been under construction in the last year. The City has partnered with Recurrent Energy to completely cover the Sunset Reservoir (12 acres), and then build 24,000 solar modules on top of the cover. This 5 Megawatt project is the largest municipal solar project in the U.S., and has tripled the solar energy output in San Francisco. Who knew? I guess I wasn't paying attention. It felt a little other-worldly to walk by this project in the middle of the Sunset without having any idea what it was. Also, I'm not sure why they would build this huge solar project in the most foggy area of the city, but what do I know.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

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Thursday September 23, 2010

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My Friend Ruth's Old House at Lawton and 21st

Ruth's Old House

Junky Front Yard at Moraga and 21st

Kitty in Junky Front Yard

Taraval Police Station on 24th, near Taraval

Abraham Lincoln High School on 24th

Acres of Solar Panels between Ortega and Quintara, 24th and 28th Aves.

Solar Panels

View from Ortega and 24th Ave.

Italy Shoes (Maybe Italian Shoes was too many letters?) on 24th, near Irving

Vietnamese Christian Alliance Church at Noriega and 34th

The Beach at the end of Rivera St.

The Beach at the end of Rivera St.

Row of Houses on 41st Ave., near Pacheco

Ashbury Heights and Tank Hill

On Top of Tank Hill with Rachele

Today, Rachele and I walked through the Haight area, and made our way up to the top of Tank Hill, which has panoramic views of the City. The weather was beautiful - I think Indian Summer has kicked in!


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Janis Joplin's Apartment Building (one of many), 635 Ashbury

Joe McDonald's one-time home, 612 Ashbury

Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane first practice studio, 42 Belvedere

Dog Park on Carl St., near Cole St.

View from the top of Stanyon Street

Rachele on Tank Hill

View from Tank Hill

View from Tank Hill

Sutro Tower

Sivananda Yoga Center

Sharon Meadow

Robin Williams (at left), Comedy Day in Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park

Today Jon and I walked over to Sharon Meadow in Golden Gate Park to check out Comedy Day, a free, annual event featuring over 20 comics, including Robin Williams. The fog was so dense, it was drizzling for most of the afternoon, but we still laughed and had a good time. It felt like one of those only-in-San Francisco type events, with lots of liberal politics and off the wall humor.

The Sharon Building (SF Landmark #124) was built in 1887 with funds bequeathed to the city by William Sharon, "The King of the Comstock", an important figure in the early history of San Francisco. The Sharon Building together with the Carousel and the adjacent children's playground is the first playground facility built in a public park in the United States. The building is an an example of Victorian Romanesque architecture.


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Sharon Building in Golden Gate Park

Sharon Building

Sharon Building

Carousel in Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park

Carousel

Michael Steele, Comedy Day