SF Winter Solstice Union Square (1469)

San Francisco local

Folder: California
The parts of San Francisco that have been an integral part of my life. The areas where much of who I am, developed. My first visit to San Francisco was in 1967, when I was in the military. I've been in and out of the city ever since, having lived there from 1983 to 1996 and continuing to have personal and professional contacts there that facilitate regular visits. The city was very important…  (read more)
San Francisco Castro theater (# 0549)

San Francisco Castro theater (# 0549)

15 Oct 2020 2 1 91
The Castro theater, closed for many months by the pandemic. The sign looks much more worn than I’ve seen it in recent years and I doubt that wear is due to the closure from the pandemic. Here’s a photo from 11 years ago.
San Francisco / Castro redevelopment (# 0560)

San Francisco / Castro redevelopment (# 0560)

15 Oct 2020 94
A series of four photos documenting the redevelopment/urbanization of one intersection (Market/Sanchez/15th) in the Castro; each photo contains a link to a Google Street View of the area prior to the new construction. This is a new building just to the right of Beck’s Motel (adjacent picture 0559). What was here before was a building that was most often a restaurant when I lived in SF, though it seemed to often have tenants that had trouble staying in business. The one exception that I remember was a good Thai restaurant that lasted a number of years. Below is a link to the Google Street View of the same section, taken in July, 2009. goo.gl/maps/piWJtrG8Hf8w57w78
San Francisco / Castro redevelopment (# 0561)

San Francisco / Castro redevelopment (# 0561)

15 Oct 2020 1 103
A series of four photos documenting the redevelopment/urbanization of one intersection (Market/Sanchez/15th) in the Castro; each photo contains a link to a Google Street View of the area prior to the new construction. This building is on a piece of land that was ‘iffy’ for most of the time I lived in SF. For a number of years there was a gas station here, but that gas station closed and was demolished, leaving the lot empty and a spot often used for selling Christmas trees. While this might be considered to be a positive improvement over the previous use, its overall mass ends up dominating the remaining historic structures nearby. The link below, again Google Street View from July, 2009, may be from when the lot was being prepared for the construction of the new building that is this picture. I vaguely recall stories that building on this lot was difficult because of problems associated with the gas station that had been here. goo.gl/maps/2Z1ahVBSdLTty2iL6
San Francisco / Castro redevelopment (# 0563)

San Francisco / Castro redevelopment (# 0563)

15 Oct 2020 98
A series of four photos documenting the redevelopment/urbanization of one intersection (Market/Sanchez/15th) in the Castro; each photo contains a link to a Google Street View of the area prior to the new construction. This building is also on a piece of land that was once a gas station – and a more successful (longer lasting) station than the one across the street (the previous picture). Linked below are three Google Street View pictures from January, 2011. The first link, labeled Market and 15th, is closest to being similar to this view. The second and third try to capture the changes of the entire intersection with a broader view looking down Market towards downtown and then up towards the Castro. Market & 15th : goo.gl/maps/SYcuJEZHAKyNA6Ug7 Towards downtown: goo.gl/maps/v5GPKZ3oSQjgQaY29 Towards Castro: goo.gl/maps/FKsLGchb7Y255rHCA
San Francisco / Castro redevelopment (# 0559)

San Francisco / Castro redevelopment (# 0559)

15 Oct 2020 95
A series of four photos documenting the redevelopment/urbanization of one intersection (Market/Sanchez/15th) in the Castro; each photo contains a link to a Google Street View of the area prior to the new construction. When this era of redevelopment started in around 2010, it didn’t seem particularly objectionable since often it was replacing an old and unused or underused building, and seemed to be providing some interesting new design. Ten years later, though, I can definitely understand why my local friends see it as the destruction of the neighborhood, of wiping out much of its culture. By being typically 5 or 6 stories (3 or more stories taller than previous), filling the entire piece of land right up to the sidewalk with a vertical box, and following a consistent angular architectural design, the style overpowers what was the defining uniqueness of the area. In this picture, I’m surprised that Beck’s hasn’t succumbed to the redevelopment demands – it’s one of the few old fashioned motels still in existence relatively close to downtown SF. What was next to it, and is being replaced, was a funeral parlor. Below is a link to the Google Street View of the same section, taken in July, 2009. goo.gl/maps/rQF1tyVsxq4g3LQd7
SFO Bayfront park / egret / breakfast (# 0567)

SFO Bayfront park / egret / breakfast (# 0567)

16 Oct 2020 94
Always an interesting stop for me, and since I had to get a ‘to go’ breakfast from McDonald’s, a necessary stop to have a place to eat. Bayfront Park is on landfill that’s primarily occupied by hotels that serve SFO (San Francisco International Airport). The park has some interesting trails through swampy areas, and provides an excellent view of SFO (and birds).
SFO ANA flight / pandemic (# 0569)

SFO ANA flight / pandemic (# 0569)

16 Oct 2020 1 114
ANA (All Nippon Airways) flight coming into SFO; taken from Bayfront Park.
SFO / pandemic (# 0565)

SFO / pandemic (# 0565)

16 Oct 2020 102
Fairly quiet with quite a few empty gates – only one Southwest and two Delta flights at the gates at 9AM on a Friday morning. Taken from Bayfront Park.
SFO Volga-Dnepr Airlines (# 0573)

SFO Volga-Dnepr Airlines (# 0573)

16 Oct 2020 1 2 115
I originally wasn’t going to use this because I was too far away to get a clear picture, but then I realized that it included two cargo planes of the Russian company, Volga-Dnepr Airlines. The company, based in Russia, specializes in moving very heavy and bulky cargoes using the pictured Russian-built Antonov An-124 Ruslans. U.S. government agencies are among the organizations that contract to Volga-Dneper for use of the An-124. Sources: An-124: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-124_Ruslan Volga-Dnepr Airlines: airline.volga-dnepr.com/en
SFO Bayfront park / Westin / egret (# 0575)

SFO Bayfront park / Westin / egret (# 0575)

16 Oct 2020 2 118
At Bayfront Park, a Westin egret (I’m kidding (about Westin)). The N/S runways for SFO are behind me, the E/W are off the right side of the picture.
SFO ANA flight / pandemic (# 0572)

SFO ANA flight / pandemic (# 0572)

16 Oct 2020 2 94
ANA (All Nippon Airways) flight touching down at SFO; taken from Bayfront Park.
SFO traffic jam ! / pandemic (# 0574)

SFO traffic jam ! / pandemic (# 0574)

16 Oct 2020 114
Almost a traffic jam – there’s actually three Alaska airlines planes in this picture. Between the two you can see there is a third pointed straight in and thus barely visible.
678 items in total