City
Daily I walked from my hotel to my office. I chose a slightly different route every day so I could see different parts of this charming city.
(Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
I absolutely love the wrought-iron fire escapes outside the buildings. No doubt they are utilitarian -- they are for people to escape fires, and they are constructed outside buildings to save precious real estate space. But each one has its intricate patterns and different color, fascinating objects for me.
Another object of my fascination is the row houses in San Francisco, I never tire of seeing them (though I could never afford one).
One day I walked by Grace Cathedral in Nob Hill. I like its intricated carved doors.
Of course I also walked through Chinatown more than a few times.
On the diagnoal Columbus Street, there are many interesting builds, such as the Flatiron Building (1907), the St. Francis of Assisi Shrine, and the Columbus Tower, and, of course, the Transamerica Pyramid.
One of the memorable trips we took was to Twin Peaks on our last afternoon, when a dense fog was rolling in from inland. The view from the peaks was panoramic and expansive, and the rolling fog added a lot of drama to the scene.
In the distance, the Golden Gate Bridge rises above the sea of fog, a scene I long wanted to photograph and was finally able to.
We were worried that the fog would block of view of the city (and it did in the beginning), but fortunately it cleared just before sunset, giving us perfect opportunities to take sunset and night pictures.
On our last morning, we walked toward the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. We made a little detour to the Palace of Fine Arts, a building with grace and grandeur that I long admired. It is also of significance to us, as this was the place where we made our last stop in San Francisco during our cross-country trip more than 11 years ago.
Finally, again we walked close to the Golden Gate Bridge, but we also had to turn back at this time -- our one-week trip to this charming city by the bay had to come to a close now.
Fire Escape
Fire Escape
Row House
Grace Cathedral
Grace Cathedral
Grace Cathedral Carved Door
Chinatown
Flatiron Building
St. Francis of Assisi Shrine
Columbus Tower
Transamerica Pyramid
City of San Francisco in fog
Twin Peaks in fog
Twin Peaks in fog
Golden Gate Bridge from Twin Peaks
City of San Francisco at twilight
City of San Francisco at night
Palace of Fine Arts
Palace of Fine Arts
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
