The Excelsior District of San Francisco: 24 May 2015

On Sunday, San Francisco was under a thick fog cover with a light drizzle. I was in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, located in the southeast area of the city. I went to the Excelsior District to explore John McLaren Park. At 317 acres, it is the second-largest park in San Francisco.

Click on an image to see the full-size photograph.

The Cow Palace is located in Daly City. This snap was taken from John McLaren Park. This view is looking south. 

An overview of the location of the ramble.

The blue building is Glen Park Elementary School. The school is just north of California Interstate 280 highway. This is a view looking down Peru Avenue at Athens Street. 

The small hill is Bay View Hill, which is 420 feet high. This view is from John McLaren Park, looking east. 

The highest manmade object in John McLaren Park is La Grande Tank.  

This snap was taken from McLaren Park. The houses are located in Daly City. The hilly area on the upper right of the snap is a small part of San Bruno Mountain. The houses nestled on the hillside are located in the small town of Brisbane. This view is looking southeast. 

University Mound Reservoir. This clean water reservoir is one of eleven in-use water storage facilities located throughout San Francisco. See the below map. The view is looking northeast. 

A picture of the University Mound Reservoir facility during construction. Looking north. Circa 1930s.

The locations of both in-use and unused reservoirs located in San Francisco.

A photo of Balboa High School. The view is from the intersection of Onondaga Avenue and Otsego Avenue. The picture is looking south. 

The Jewish Home of San Francisco was founded in 1871, and it is a staffed housing facility for elderly residents. This photo was taken from Mission Street and Silver Avenue. The view is looking southeast. 

This interesting building is Cleveland Elementary School. This photo was taken from Persia Avenue. This view is looking northeast. 

The San Francisco Muni Metro Curtis E. Green Light Rail Center depot. The view is from Ocean Avenue; the cross street is San Jose Avenue, and the view is looking south. 

The route of the 24 May ramble. The approximate distance traveled as tracked by GPS was 8.5 miles. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 1,075 feet. Mile markers are shown on the route's track. 

The graph shows the elevation changes encountered during the ramble. 
  

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"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera." Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com  

A Cool and Foggy Day in San Francisco: 20 May 2015

A light drizzle was falling when I arrived at the West Portal Muni Metro Station. It was cool, foggy, and somewhat windy. A perfect spring day in San Francisco!

24th Street is the location of the Noe Valley shopping district. This is an apartment building on 24th Street.

The approximate distance traveled as tracked by GPS was 4.8 miles. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 456 feet. Mile markers are shown on the route's track. 

This graph shows the elevation changes encountered during the ramble. 

This view is looking east. Oakland is on the opposite side of the bay. The picture was taken from Douglass Street, looking down Duncan Street. 

A rock garden on Diamond Street.

 An apartment building at the intersection of Diamond Street and 25th Street. 

A gaggle of children and their guardians are rambling down Sanchez Street. 

An apartment building at the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Sanchez Street.

Watch out for the alligator at 765 Sanchez Street; she looks hungry. 

 In the Excelsior District, John McLaren Park is in south-eastern San Francisco. This view is from an area of Sanchez Street situated in the Delores Heights Neighborhood. 

Entrance to the 16th Street Mission BART station, located in the Mission District. 

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"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera." Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com. 

San Francisco's Bay to Breakers foot race: 17 May 2015

I have previously participated in the San Francisco Bay to Breakers foot race. I have included photo galleries taken during the 2002, 2003, and 2004 races.

The 17 May 2015 race started at 8:00 am, and the official estimate is that approximately 50,000 registered and unregistered people entered the race. The weather was overcast and cool. This was the 104th year that the race was held.

Click on an image to view the full-size photograph.

A view looking back down Howard Street. This location is approximately 1.5 miles into the race.

The route of the 104th edition of the San Francisco Bay to Breakers foot race. The race started in downtown San Francisco, and it finished on the Great Highway, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Park. The approximate distance traveled as tracked by GPS was 7.7 miles. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 366 feet. Mile markers are shown on the route's track. 

This graph shows the elevation changes encountered during the Bay to Breakers. 

This is as close as I am going to get to the starting line before the race begins. 

And we are off! The race has begun, and the runners are heading up Howard Street. 

We are heading up Hayes Street. The building is the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. This location is approximately 2 miles into the race. 

Ahead is the Hayes Street Hill, the biggest climb of the race. 

We continue to climb Hayes Street hill. 

We reached the top of Hayes Street, and there is now a short downhill before we turn left onto Divisadero Street. This location is approximately 3 miles into the race. 

On John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park, we are heading to the Pacific Ocean. This location is approximately 4.5 miles into the race. 

We are now on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Golden Gate Park. In the distance on the horizon is the Pacific Ocean, and just ahead is a large sand dune which indicates that the ocean... and the finish, are just ahead. This location is approximately 7.2 miles into the race. 

The finish line of the 104th running of the San Francisco Bay to Breakers foot race. Another great public event which was put on with the cooperation and support of the City of San Francisco. 

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"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs that were posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com  

San Francisco, from West Portal to the Mission District: 10 May 2015

A ramble from the West Portal Muni Metro Station to La Taqueria Restaurante in The Mission: 10 May 2015.

It's a jungle at 1079 Church Street. Click on the image to see the full-size photo.

A view of Hill Street. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

A view of 3804 23rd Street. Click on the image to see the full-size photo.

1162 Church Street. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

Looking east down 23rd Street. Click on the image to see the full-size photo.

A section of Valencia Street was closed to vehicular traffic on Sunday 10 May. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

A counterman hard at work at La Taqueria Mexican Restaurante at 2889 Mission Street. Click on the image to see the full-size photo.

A view of downtown San Francisco as seen from Pier 14. Seen on the right side of the photograph is Telegraph Hill with Coit Tower on its summit. This picture was taken on 9 May. Click on the image to see the full-size photograph.

Click on the image to see the full-size map.

“A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.”-Dorothea Lange

You are welcome to visit my primary website  www.mishalov.com

San Francisco, from downtown to the Asian Art Museum and a Taiwanese "Fancy Animal Carnival": 3 May 2015

I visited the Asian Art Museum and viewed the outdoor exhibit, "Fancy Animal Carnival" by Taiwanese artist Hung Yi. 

The  "Fancy Animal Carnival" by acclaimed Taiwanese artist Hung Yi was on outdoor display at San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza from 19 April to 2 May. We arrived at the site on 3 May, a day after the exhibit concluded. Fortunately, many of the whimsical sculptures were still viewable.

The route. The approximate distance traveled as tracked by GPS was 9.0 miles. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 911 feet. Mile markers are shown on the route’s track. 

The graph shows the elevation changes encountered during the ramble.

One Embarcadero Center. 

The Hyatt Regency Hotel. 

The cruise ship Norwegian Jewel is docked in San Francisco. 

Julius Castle is San Francisco Landmark #121; it is perched near the summit of Telegraph Hill. Julius Castle is now closed, and its future is unsure. 

Inside the San Francisco Cable Car Powerhouse and Museum. 

San Francisco's City Hall, as seen from the rear of the building. 

We went to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, where we viewed "Seduction: Japan's Floating World." 

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"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com.