San Francisco – Chinatown, Nob Hill, and the Financial District: 10 January 2016

The weather forecast for Sunday 10 January looked promising. I took BART to the Embarcadero on Sunday morning, did a 5.6-mile ramble through different San Francisco neighborhoods, and finished the ramble at Fisherman's Wharf.

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

A view of Chinatown, as seen from Sacramento Street, looks southwest. 

The approximate distance traveled was 5.6 miles. The approximate elevation gain was 570 feet. The track has mile markers and was generated by a GPS device. 

This graph shows the elevation changes encountered during the ramble. 

The former headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Construction was completed in 1924; the building is located at 400 Sansome Street. 

L'Occitane is located in the Financial District at 2 Embarcadero Center. 

This picture was taken at the intersection of Kearney Street and Sacramento Street. 

A view of Chinatown, as seen from Sacramento Street. The view is looking southwest.

The intersection of Sacramento Street and Stockton Street. All overhead wires are part of the San Francisco Public Transit System. The cables are electrified, and they provide power for the fleet of electric buses that traverse this area. 

The Fairmont Hotel; is located on California Street. 

This mansion is located at the top of Nob Hill, and construction was completed in 1886. It is one of two structures on Nob Hill that survived the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906. The mansion was the former home of James C. Flood, a silver baron of the 19th Century. He made his fortune from silver mines located in Virginia City, Nevada. The mansion is now the home of the Pacific-Union Club. It is San Francisco Designated Landmark #64 and is located at 1000 California Street. 

The Nob Hill Masonic Center is located at 1111 California Street. 

A partial view of Grace Cathedral, located on Taylor Street at California Street. A San Francisco Municipal Railway cable car travels down California Street to the Financial District, its final destination. 

This intersection is at Polk Street and Pine Street. This locale is part of the Polk Gulch neighborhood. 

San Bruno Mountain is visible in the distance. The picture was taken from the intersection of Pine Street and Larkin Street. The view is looking south. 

The Nichiren Hokke Buddhist Church of America; is located at 2016 Pine Street. 

This picture was taken from the top of Fillmore Street. The view is looking north. 

A view of Mason Street as seen from Sacramento Street. The view is looking north. 

Rambling down Fillmore Street and heading towards San Francisco Bay. 

A view of the San Francisco National Maritime Historical Park. The three-masted, steel-hulled, square-rigged cargo ship in this photo was launched from a shipyard near Glasgow, Scotland, in 1886. The ship is known as the Balclutha. It had 26 men and carried cargo around Cape Horn South America, 17 times. 

A view from Aquatic Park Cove. Mount Tamalpais is in the distance. The upper portion of the mountain is shrouded by clouds and is inundated with rain. The view is looking north. 

-----------------------------------------------------

"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 walk from San Rafael to San Francisco: 29 December 2015

A new experimental Golden Gate Transit bus route 580 recently went into service from the East Bay communities of Emeryville, Berkeley, and Albany to San Rafael. UPDATE: After six months of operation, Golden Gate Transit has decided to cease service on Route 580 due to insufficient passengers to make the route financially viable. Too bad.

This Marin ramble will start at the San Rafael Bus Terminal and conclude in San Francisco.

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

A view of Sausalito.

The approximate distance traveled was 18.4 miles. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 1,064 feet. Mile markers are shown on the route. 

It is 7:47 am, and I am waiting at the Berkeley bus stop on San Pablo Avenue. Here comes the bus going to San Rafael. 

The bus is crossing the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. 

The San Rafael Transit Center. It is 8:19 am, and I am ready to ramble! 

Walking south on an old railroad right of way when the trail enters this old railway tunnel. The original tunnel was constructed in 1884 and was owned by Northwestern Pacific Railroad. The current version of the tunnel was built in 1924; trains ceased using the tunnel in the 1960s. In 2010 a portion of the 1,106-foot long tunnel was converted to a pedestrian/bike path and named the Cal Park Tunnel. It is a direct connection between San Rafael and Larkspur.

Crossing Corte Madera Creek, the pathway is adjacent to US Route101. Mount Tamalpais overlooks the action. 

We are crossing the Mill Valley-Sausalito Path over Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio Creek. This pathway is also on a portion of the old Northwestern Pacific Railroad line. 

On the Mill Valley-Sausalito Path, looking back at the route just traveled. 

Tamalpais High School's track. The school is in the background, and the picture was taken from the Mill Valley-Sausalito Pathway. 

Houseboats permanently docked in Sausalito. 

Downtown Sausalito. 

Sausalito's tourist/shopping area. 

A view from the Sausalito shoreline. 

Beautiful Angel Island as is seen from East Road, which is located on the site of Fort Baker. In 1863, during the Civil War, Angel Island became the site of US Army Base Camp Reynolds. You can see Camp Reynolds in this photograph. It is straight ahead at sea level. The green Parade Ground is visible. A white building is located at the upper portion of the Parade Ground. This view is looking east. 

Fort Baker. 

The parade ground at Fort Baker. Officers' Quarters buildings are in the background. 

This view of the Golden Gate Bridge's northern terminus looks southeast. The steel latticework supporting the roadway is currently undergoing structural upgrades, as is the steel latticework supporting the southern terminus of the bridge. 

A view of San Francisco is seen from the northern portion of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

On the bridge looking back at Marin County. 

We are now in the Presidio looking at the former location of Crissy Field. Crissy Field became a US Army airfield in 1921. The National Park Service took control of the area in 1994. By 2001 the former concrete aircraft landing pad was demolished, and the land was returned to a more natural state. Thank you, National Park Service. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"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 trip from Berkeley to San Rafael, via a new Golden Gate Transit bus route: 15 December 2015

I read an interesting news article. 

A summary: Starting immediately, Golden Gate Transit, the Marin County Public Transit entity, is inaugurating Bus Route 580, a new nine-month commuter bus service between Berkeley and San Rafael. 

I took the 8:13 am bus to San Rafael from Berkeley this past Tuesday. Bus Route 580 is only active during commuter hours, and I decided to find a different way to get back to Berkeley. 

My plan was to return to Berkeley by walking from San Rafael to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal and then take a ferry from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal to the Ferry Building in San Francisco. After which, it is a short walk to the Embarcadero BART station. I will then disembark at the North Berkeley BART Station and walk home.

Here are some downsides to this fabulous bus route: 1. Bus Route 580 has been funded for only nine months, after which there will be an evaluation to determine if it is feasible to continue the service. 2. Bus Route 580 is only active on weekdays during commute hours. 3. There is no weekend service.

UPDATE: The bus route has been canceled due to a lack of sufficient riders to make the route financially viable. Too bad.

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

US 101 is visible in the lower portion of this photograph. San Pedro Mountain is on the upper left, with China Camp State Park jutting out into San Francisco Bay. The view is looking northeast. 

The approximate distance traveled was 6.5 miles. The approximate cumulative elevation gain was 629 feet. 

This graph shows the elevation changes encountered in this ramble.

San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley. There is a new small sign to the left of the more prominent Alameda County Transit sign. The small sign signifies that this location is also a bus stop for Golden Gate Transit Bus Route 580.

A Golden Gate Transit Bus traveling to San Rafael in Marin County. Mount Tamalpais is visible in the background. The current location is on Interstate Route 580, moving through Richmond. 

4th Avenue in downtown San Rafael. 

On 4th Avenue, San Rafael. Arizmendi Bakery is located in this residential building. 

Church of Saint Rafael. This beautiful church is located at 1104 Fifth Avenue in downtown San Rafael. 

On 4th Avenue, San Rafael. 

Youth in Arts is located at 917 "C" Street, San Rafael. 

The Panama Hotel and Restaurant is located at 4 Bayview Street, San Rafael. 

This is the start of a climb up to Brett Harte Road. 

A view of central San Rafael. San Rafael Hill is in the background. 

Beautiful Mount Tamalpais. A segment of Corte Madera Creek is visible. The view is looking southwest. 

San Pedro Mountain is visible in this photo. US 101 can be seen as it passes through San Rafael. The view is looking northeast.

San Quentin Prison, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and the Larkspur Ferry Terminal are visible in this photo. The Larkspur Ferry Terminal is my destination on this ramble. The Ferry Terminal can be seen in the bottom right of this photo with its parking lot full of cars. The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is visible at the far left. San Quentin State Prison is visible at sea level adjacent to San Francisco Bay, just up from the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. The view is looking southeast. 

Mount Tamalpais. This is a view of the mountain as seen from Greenbrae. The view is looking west. 

This is a view of the US Route101 interchange above Corte Madera Creek. 

I reached the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, my destination for the day. The ferry "San Francisco" is receiving maintenance work. 

The MV Napa, a catamaran ferry operated by Golden Gate Ferry, is now arriving at the ferry terminal from San Francisco. Shorty after it discharges passengers, it will turn around and return to the San Francisco Ferry Building. San Quentin State Prison is visible in the background. The view is looking east. 

The MV Napa is slowly moving to the loading/discharging platform.
--------------------------------

"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.