San Francisco over Christmas Week

[BigDipper 80]

Over Christmas week, I made a trip out to the Bay Area and got to check out a lot of the new developments. We didn't travel south but did manage to hit up a lot of the major locales in the East Bay and wine country, in addition to San Francisco itself. Luckily the weather was reasonably cooperative and I managed to get a few good shots of the City by the Bay.

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20171225_220443260_iOS (1) by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
Let's get this one out of the way, shall we?

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IMG_1999 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
We got a pretty incredible deal on a hotel in SoMa, which was a very convenient jumping-off point for exploring the rest of the city.

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IMG_2271 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2108 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
This was not the hotel we stayed at (unfortunately!)

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IMG_2106 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
Not shown: the huge piles of trash along the curb here.

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IMG_2004 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2033 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2019 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2050 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2044 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2051 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2055 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2078 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2072 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2071 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2096 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
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IMG_2119 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2114 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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20171225_190329000_iOS by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2135 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2137 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
More trash... The rest of the Haight seemed very clean (and hyper-gentrified!) but Haight Street itself was still a bastion of filth. This was Christmas Day, so not a whole lot was open.

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IMG_2268 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
I liked Mid-Market/Central Market/Twitterhood, but it's definitely still a bit rough around the edges.

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IMG_2269 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2241 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
Thanks [member=7]ColDayMan[/member] and [member=1943]taestell[/member] for pointing this place out!

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IMG_2260 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
This was a true trip highlight for me. It doesn't look like too much from the outside, and I was worried it wouldn't be publicly accessible, but...

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IMG_2252 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
...It's now a (very, very) high-end Italian men's store, and although I can't afford anything, window shopping is free!

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IMG_2249 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
If you haven't figured it out by now, it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and is one of his few remaining commercial buildings.

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IMG_2256 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
Truly a treat to experience in person.

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IMG_2270 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2516 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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20171227_215019140_iOS by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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20171225_212405710_iOS by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
Now's as good a point as ever to sneak in some skyline shots.

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IMG_2182 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2186 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2286 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2299 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2290 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2315 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2326 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2328 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2403 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
The weather isn't being bipolar; I've just shuffled some things around.

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IMG_2409 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2421 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2417 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2424 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2458 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2264 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2440 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2439 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2432 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
The Tenderloin was pretty much what I expected.

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IMG_2438 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2443 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2451 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
Japantown.

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IMG_2450 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2464 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
Some ridiculous Victorians in Pac Heights... those curved windows!

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IMG_2459 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2484 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2473 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2482 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2485 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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20171227_200849930_iOS by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2275 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2497 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
It seems as though no matter where you're headed, you always end up in Chinatown.

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IMG_2502 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2074 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2090 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2498 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2521 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2505 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2507 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2529 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2000 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2001 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2549 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2351 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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20171226_235254000_iOS by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2342 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
Even Stevie Wonder commutes via cable car.

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20171226_233558940_iOS by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2531 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2228 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2391 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2394 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2392 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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IMG_2539 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
This corner building is great.

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IMG_2545 by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

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20171227_020836000_iOS by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr
I'd say that's enough for one thread! San Francisco is a bewildering, beautiful, disgusting, energetic, ever-changing unchangeable enigma of a city, that's for sure.

[destroycreate]

What I miss most about living in San Francisco is the endlessly beautiful, charming, and historic architecture. I have such a hard on for Victorians. Seattle's architecture is pleasant overall, but way more plain by comparison.

Also just miss exploring SF by foot, few cities are as exciting and constantly changing walking-wise in NA.

[Echoes]

This is a fantastic tour. Thank you!

[Pedestrian]

Very excellent shot of my home: Condo building just above the roof of the brown "painted lady", third from right.

Hope you enjoyed yourself.

[homebucket]

Thanks for sharing!

This was my favorite shot:
20171226_233558940_iOS by Ethan Kocjan, on Flickr

[Murphy de la Sucre]

Some streets in SF looks like some Strasse in Hamburg, Germany indeed.

[LAsam]

Great collection of shots here. SF is such a unique city and a joy to explore on foot. Haven't been in a little while but need to get back there to see all the new skyscrapers! Why was there so much trash piled up on the sidewalks? Is that a common issue in SF or was it just an anomaly on this visit?

[destroycreate]

Originally Posted by LAsam

Great collection of shots here. SF is such a unique city and a joy to explore on foot. Haven't been in a little while but need to get back there to see all the new skyscrapers! Why was there so much trash piled up on the sidewalks? Is that a common issue in SF or was it just an anomaly on this visit?

Unfortunately very common in SF. I'd argue that it's the filthiest major city in NA.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by LAsam

Great collection of shots here. SF is such a unique city and a joy to explore on foot. Haven't been in a little while but need to get back there to see all the new skyscrapers! Why was there so much trash piled up on the sidewalks? Is that a common issue in SF or was it just an anomaly on this visit?

Most of the trash you see is left there by the city's legions of homeless people (about 8000 by last count). The city has mechanical street sweepers that pass through most neighborhoods twice a week or so but they hit the gutters and streets, not the sidewalks. Property owners facing sidewalks are officially responsible for keeping those clean and also repaired (if the pavement buckles or something). In downtown areas many have formed "neighborhood improvement districts" in which the property pwners have voted to tax themselves for improved services including sidewalk cleaning and roving patrols to keep the homeless from camping on sidewalks and leaving too much trash. But poorer areas like the Tenderloin can't afford this and the city doesn't do a very good job otherwise so its up to individual merchants etc. Some care and some don't. And, of course, in the vicinity or vacant lots or those with absentee landlords it's especially bad. There's a city number to call to get things cleaned up (and sometimes neglectful property owners fined) but a lot of city people just move along and ignore the grit.

One more thing often contributes also--the lack of garbage cans or vandalism of those that exist. I, myself, have sometimes just thrown trash in the gutter because after walking for blocks I saw no trash cans or other places to put it.

[Murphy de la Sucre]

"IMG_2182" voted by me as worst angle to catch SF skyline, yes it catches major skyscrapers but makes SF feel like ... a nothing, definitely not SF with soul.

[JMKeynes]

Great shots of an amazing city!

[EastSideHBG]

Wonderful!