San Francisco Daily Photography

San Francisco Daily Photo has moved!

2006-04-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

To upgrade your widget, go to the yahoo widget gallery and download version 1.2. The direct URL is: http://widgets.yahoo.com/gallery/view.php?widget=38664. If you click on View Map, this widget will take you there.

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Wall One Frame One

2006-04-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

So, this will be the new Monday series with a few photos from this one wall that I found that has a few stories to tell. I'll try to keep the series short with probably just four or five frames. This first frame is a close-up, on following Mondays, I'll be moving around a bit and will probably finish by showing the entire wall. Happy Monday!

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Made In Switzerland

2006-04-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

A photo of the new de Young Museum in Golgen Gate Park. I hope it's not too obvious that I like going to Museums on the weekends...

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Invitation To A Weekend

2006-04-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

Something peaceful for the last workday of the week, have a nice weekend everyone!

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Long Day At School?

2006-04-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

I took this one at the same exact spot I had taken the photo of the innocent man. Those girls look like they had a long day at school.

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The Return Of The Palace

2006-04-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

When posting the April 4th photo, I had promised something a little more conventional (and with a bit of luck, no mud involved), so I'm keeping my promise with this other shot of the Palace Of Fine Arts.

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Settlement

2006-04-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

That's all I had on my memory card today, so I had to settle for it. Today was a really nice day in the city and we hadn't had a good sunset in a while. Consider it my monthly San Francisco sunset, that's right, technically the previous one was in March... (looking for excuses here...) Let's hope for a quiet day - today is the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake...

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Happy Easter

2006-04-16T00:21:00.000-07:00

The new San Francisco Daily Photo widget is still not on the yahoo website, so let me post another photo here while waiting... I wanted to do something a little special for Easter Sunday and didn't feel like chasing bunnies or real Easter eggs, so that's the closest to an Easter egg that it's going to be... Happy Easter!

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Portrait of a San Francisco rock star

2006-04-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

The yahoo widget is still not on the yahoo website, so I decided to post a few things here so widget users would have something to look at!

This San Francisco rock icon lives on Haight Street of course. There's a little story behind the dollar sign that was tagged on the license plate, anyone of the locals know it? If not, answer tomorrow...

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San Francisco Shadows and Colors: Multicolor

2006-04-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

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This time, we'll start off the week in multicolor. The previous image in this series can be viewed here. There will be one more next Monday, and then I'll move on to something different.

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Ten Sixty Two: Louisville

2006-04-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

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There's a little over twenty 1940s ~~buses~~ trolleys in circulation in San Francisco. Each of them is painted using a different color scheme borrowed to another American city. This is number 1062: green and cream with a black stripe - colors used by The Louisville Railway Company. Oh, and please don't think that I know this by heart, I have a cheat sheet.

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Homelessness

2006-04-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

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There are about eight thousand homeless in San Francisco, half of them living in shelters and rehabilitation centers and the other half on the streets.

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Nature At Work

2006-04-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

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After yesterday's mass of concrete, I needed a bit of greenery today, so here's another glance at Golden Gate Park.

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Stacks Of Concrete

2006-04-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

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One of the embarcadero center buildings. The embarcadero center consists of plenty of office space and what you could consider a shopping mall (yes, there are a few shopping malls in San Francisco, for the longest time, I didn't think there were any, but I was wrong). Since I'm not very big on malls, I typically go there for the movie theater because it usually features films that you can't see anywhere else. Plenty of details here.

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Downhill Fun

2006-04-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

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The Palace Of Fine Photographic Arts

2006-04-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

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Almost a hundred days since I started this site and I realized I haven't posted a photo dedicated to the Palace Of Fine Arts, one of the most photographed places in San Francisco - even though you can actually see it on this photo. And... there's a few other highly photographed landmarks I have postponed until now: Postcard Row, Pier 39, Coit Tower, etc... So, let me try to fix the situation and by the same token, get it over with these... So, here's a photo of the Palace Of Fine Arts, and I hope it won't offend anyone, but when I saw this roll of film in the mud, I just couldn't resist and had to immortalize the symbol (I will post a more conventional photo in the next few days I promise!). Here's the history of this construction (it's pretty surprising), and some information about a really good science museum hosted there called the exploratorium. The palace also hosts a theater with some pretty diverse programming: concerts, theatre, spectacles, films, lectures, etc...

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San Francisco Shadows And Colors: Blue On White

2006-04-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

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Back to more shadows and colors with this shadow over a modern house number in the Castro (the previous image in this series can be viewed here). Sorry I didn't publish a photo yesterday, I was on the road the whole day. With that, have a great week everyone!
PS: San Francisco Daily Photo just received a nice review from bloggeries that you can read here.

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J'adore Dior

2006-04-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

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Admiration or possibly even adoration, in front of this piece from Marilyn Minter at the San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art, more commonly know as SFMOMA. It's not obvious on this image, but this is a painting, not a photograph. If you're interested, you can read a little bit about her work here.

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Row Of Triangles

2006-03-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

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A row of houses that caught my eye because it looked surreal in a strange kind of way.

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Water, Butter And Wine...

2006-03-30T11:27:00.000-08:00

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...are the three things that make the world go around? Let's put some of you to work again (probably the locals): anybody recognizes this restaurant?

(we have two winners, see the comments)

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Goliath The Pacific Heights Robot

2006-03-29T11:44:00.000-08:00

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This is Goliath, a privately owned work of art installed in front of a house in Pacific Heights. The installation of the robot a few years ago had caused quite some reactions in the neighborhood because, as you can see, it is naked! This past Christmas, Goliath was even attacked and vandalized which explains why his head is leaning on the side right now. As you can see, Goliath has had some rough days, but he's still here, and standing!

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Find A Title!

2006-03-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

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This is the last one of those Union Square shots that I did 10 days ago that I'm planning to post, the other ones will remain in my private collection. But I'll probably do some more of that stuff in other neighborhoods in the weeks to come. It's pretty late and I wasn't sure how to title that photo - if you have an idea, please share and I'll update the title.

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San Francisco Shadows And Colors: Green On White

2006-03-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

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Some more Monday shadows and colors, with something a little different today as I've been trying to stay away from those walls and doors this weekend... the previous image can be viewed here.

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Anatomy Of A Cable Car

2006-03-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

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Cable cars crossing path at one of the hilltops of California street, I just like their silhouettes, especially the bells.

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Chasing That Photo

2006-03-25T11:23:00.000-08:00

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The fourth Union Square shot from last Saturday, I plan on posting one more on Tuesday (unless you ask for more...).

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Somewhat Pacific

2006-03-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

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The Pacific Ocean... which hasn't looked that pacific lately...

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Cell Phone Action

2006-03-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

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And another Union Square shot... I hope you're getting used to this...

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From Treasure Island To San Francisco

2006-03-22T11:30:00.000-08:00

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A closer view of Bay Bridge which links San Francisco to Oakland via Treasure Island. The portion between Treasure Island and Oakland was damaged during the 1989 earthquake and is currently being rebuilt. All the factoids and history about the bridge can be found here if you're interested.

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Window Shopping

2006-03-21T00:09:00.000-08:00

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One more Union Square shot from this past weekend, maybe I'll post one every other day, there's just three more. Window shopping: an American/English phrase meaning to look into glass windows of a shop for entertainment and imagine purchasing items without actually purchasing... (source: wikipedia)

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San Francisco Shadows and Colors: Turquoise

2006-03-20T08:52:00.000-08:00

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To start off the week, a third photo in the shadows and colors series (the previous image can be seen here). To be added to the palette of San Francisco houses today: turquoise. Have a good week!

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It Wasn't Him

2006-03-19T10:43:00.000-08:00

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There were lots of people on Union Square this weekend, lots of catching up to do on those shopping lists after the past couple of weekends we've had when the weather wasn't that good. This is one of the few shots I took but I can share more during the week if you want (just say so).

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The Crookedest Street In San Francisco

2006-03-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

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You probably remember the Lombard Street photo in January, if not, I recommend you take a look at it and read the text otherwise, this is going to be hard to follow... So, here it is, Vermont steet, the truly crookedest street in San Francisco, located in Potrero Hill (see the map). This street has the same number of turns than Lombard street but on a shorter length and width, which makes it more crooked. Go see it on your next visit to San Francisco, there are many wonders in that neighborhood: this photo and this one were all shot in the same area.

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Street Cleaning

2006-03-17T01:00:00.000-08:00

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Let's end the week on something easier... Street Cleaning - which for most people in San Francisco is a synonym of: Parking Ticket. Street cleaning typically occurs once a week on different days indicated on parking signs. You're required to not leave your car there during the indicated schedule. If not, you'll get your parking ticket (just like if you don't follow this rule). On that note, have a nice weekend everyone!

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Art? Not Art?

2006-03-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

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One definition of art: "Any human creation which contains an idea other than its utilitarian purpose." (Spinoza)

So what do you think of this graffiti on this photo? Art? Not art? (I'll count the opinions)

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Happy Duckie

2006-03-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

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I took this photo at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park, very near to where this one was taken. On weekends, you will see people renting boats and cruising around. I like the place better without the boats and I bet the duckies will agree.

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San Francisco Trivia: Can Anyone Name That Car?

2006-03-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

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Alright, let's see if I can put you to work: can anyone name the make and model of that car on this photo? (snow update: I saw some snow flakes flying around me this evening... someone also sent me a photo of hailstones in Noe Valley, maybe it'll really happen this time - to be continued...)

we have a winner - see the comments

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San Francisco Shadows and Colors: Green

2006-03-13T01:31:00.000-08:00

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A different door, a different wall, a different color for the second image in the series San Francisco Shadows and Colors (the first image can be seen here). Today's color is green for St Patrick's day.

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Snow In San Francisco

2006-03-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

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Based on the weather forecast (and a little pressure from Michael), I have been looking for snow this weekend. As I was getting desperate finding any, I started exploring options: ice in my freezer and... foam on Ocean Beach. I figured you would enjoy seeing Ocean Beach a little more than my freezer, so that's what I picked for today's photo. Bottom line: it hasn't snowed in thirty years in San Francisco, but I'll keep an eye out. I read it has snowed this weekend in surrounding areas though.

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Montmartre

2006-03-11T00:03:00.000-08:00

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For being a lover of the Montmartre neighborhood in Paris, I was pleasantly surprised when I first found this place in San Francisco close to Buena Vista park. Eric, I wish you a happy one year blogging anniversary! (for the record, it's after seeing Eric's blog that I decided to start San Francisco Daily Photo)

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Black And White Trails

2006-03-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

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Colorful Standing Freebies

2006-03-09T23:43:00.000-08:00

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Almost at every corner in the city, you will find these colorful boxes that let you pick local free newspapers. I don't find these particularly pretty, but it's convenient to have access to those papers pretty much everywhere. I would say that SFWeekly is probably the one that I pick up most often.

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Oscar Night (or pretty darn close...)

2006-03-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

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I took this photo on Sunday evening and I really should have posted it on Monday but I forgot about it... So, a few days late, here's a photo of Oscar Night which took place on Sunday followed by about 40 million TV viewers in the United States (one of them featured on this photo). If you're interested in the results of these Awards or want to see some footage, this is the place to go to.

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SOMA Banality

2006-03-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

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It's been a while since I introduced a new San Francisco neighborhood, so... (drumroll please) introducing... South of Market - a large district located South of Market street, hence the name and hence its commonly used abbreviation: SOMA. I'm not going to hold the suspense any longer (and maybe the title of this post gave it away already anyway), but SOMA is by far my least favorite area in the city. In my opinion, it is a patchwork of architectural desolation. It's very industrial, souless, and a nightmare to drive through (one way streets, potholes that could swallow a mini cooper and the streets take a 45 degree turn as you get in the area from the north which is pretty disorienting - see map below). The area has a few pockets of interest though. When you get close to the financial district, you'll find hotels, some pretty nice stores and museums (for example, the Museum of Modern Art is there). The area also hosts over a hundred nightclubs, and about as many furniture stores, which is convenient. Even more interesting is probably the area around Folsom street and 11th street which is known as the heart of the leather and S&M scene. The city has been redeveloping this area for decades and in different ways (or with some change of plans - however you want to look at it). These days, it's working hard at making it a true neighborhood that people will enjoy living in: grocery stores, restaurants, new apartments, etc... This photo today illustrates my feelings pretty well: an attempt at making something souless more interesting. As San Francisco rock icon Janis Joplin would say: "try just a little bit harder" please.

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San Francisco Shadows And Colors: Red

2006-03-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

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Since I do quite a bit of abstract photography and haven't dared to share any on this site, I decided this weekend that I would make a commitment and share one abstract photo each week. I thought I could do it each Monday, hoping that (with some luck) these could be bring some inspiration to start the week. So, I'll start with a series called San Francisco Shadows And Colors: a different shadow and color each Monday. Let's see how it goes... Today's color is red, with this wall I found in a backstreet of Chinatown.

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Skateboarders

2006-03-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

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I'm not sure if skateboarding at the Embarcardero Center is a religious ritual, but there seem to be skateboarders there every Saturday and Sunday. Anyone knows if they're there on weekdays too?

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Tree Falling In Lafayette Park

2006-03-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

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Today at around 5 pm I heard a huge noise, followed by some screams, and shortly thereafter some sirens. A tree had fallen on a group of people in Lafayette Park. Luckily, only one person from the group was truly under the tree and apparently only suffered from minor injuries. This was quite an extraordinary scene and I'm guessing this is a late result of the strong winds we've seen in the city these past few days. It was impressive to see how rapidly the SFFD and SFPD (and SFDP now that I think about it) were on the scene. I'll be checking for some news on the injured person tomorrow but let's hope for the best.

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Flower Pots

2006-03-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

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It looked like those guys were anxiously waiting for their flowers when I saw them. As I happen to pass in front of them every once in a while, I'll keep you posted on the progress. Have a nice weekend everyone!

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Shaklee Terraces

2006-03-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

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This is another one of those modern buildings that can be found downtown San Francisco. I am not sure which company this particular building hosts (anyone knows?), but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's a bank... It's interesting to know that however futuristic this might look today, this was built in the late 1970s. The rooftop features a terrace with some greeneries that you can actually see on the map link below. More information on this building and how it compares with others in the city can be found here.

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Vera Eldora

2006-03-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

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With no transition whatsoever from last Monday's photo, this is a photo of the Presidio Military Cemetery. If you're interested, you can read some information on this cemetery here.

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San Francisco All-In-One Package

2006-02-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

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For the last day of the month, I'm happy to present you with a San Francisco All-In-One Package: a big slope, cable car tracks, Victorians, the Transmerica pyramid, bay bridge, the bay, ... Did I miss listing something from this photo? Please help! ;-)

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On The Job

2006-02-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

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It was a pretty nasty day today in San Francisco. Obviously, that didn't stop photographers, like this lady who was wearing numerous layers of clothing and had been there on the beach shooting for several hours. As for me, I took a few shots and went home!

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Brunch At Bagdad Cafe

2006-02-26T00:14:00.000-08:00

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Something For Everyone

2006-02-25T09:43:00.000-08:00

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There's often something for everyone at store fronts: the benches for the husbands, something for the kids to play with, the bowl of water for the dog. In other words: anything to help the ladies shop in peace and at length! How convenient! ;-)

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Potrero Hill Community Garden

2006-02-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

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I'm not sure if you will be gardening this weekend (it might not be the season or you might not have the gardening gene), but I bet there will be some gardening at this community garden on top of Potrero Hill this weekend. Happy Friday!

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Traffic Worker

2006-02-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

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Since I didn't have much to write about this photo anyway, I thought I'd use the opportunity to mention that I'm trying something new with the large photo formats when you click on the above thumbnail. The idea is to be able to browse the larger formats easily. Please try it and let me know how you like it.

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Prevent Runaways

2006-02-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

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So, I guess this is a typical San Francisco traffic sign. There is indeed a specific procedure to follow when you park your car on a slope: turn your wheels toward the curb, set the hand brake and leave the car in gear. And you better follow these rules or you will get fined. I got fined for all sorts of things in San Francisco, but never for that one, so I don't know the amount of this fine (I'm keeping my fingers crossed... and my wheels curbed).

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Golden Gate Bridge Cables

2006-02-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

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San Francisco Stop Sign

2006-02-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

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Today is Presidents' Day in the United States. If you're interested, you can find a little bit of history about this holiday here.

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Architecture By The Glass

2006-02-19T10:45:00.000-08:00

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French Tourist In San Francisco?

2006-02-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

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I apologize for this "below average photo" but when I found myself driving behind that car, I just couldn't resist... I have seen lots of funny cars in San Francisco, but this one caught my attention. Not only the car itself is funny but when I started reading the stickers, I thought it really deserved worldwide exposure, so here it is. I think my favorite sticker is the one that says: "Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often and for the same reasons." Although, I also really like the one that says "Never buy a car that you can't push". And... "You have to be really secure to be seen in a car like this" is one of my favorites too... Ok, I like them all! What's your favorite?

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A Sunset Home

2006-02-17T01:00:00.000-08:00

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The Sunset is the neighborhood located south of Golden Gate Park. It is a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood. I believe it was named The Sunset simply because it is located by the ocean where the sun sets. This house on the photo is located on a hilltop close to where the mosaic stairwell can be found, but The Sunset is mainly a flat area which makes the sunset on the ocean visible from most parts of it.

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Downtown Playground

2006-02-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

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I took this photo at a playground located downtown, close to Chinatown. It was quite a scene to see these kids have this much fun in this skyscraper surrounding.

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The Fairmont Hotel

2006-02-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

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The Fairmont hotel in Nob Hill, is one of the fanciest hotels in San Francisco. Only two buildings remained standing in Nob Hill after the 1906 earthquake and The Fairmont was one of them. Maybe that explains why "important people" usually stay there?

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The Hearts Of San Francisco

2006-02-14T00:58:00.000-08:00

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A few years ago, San Francisco launched a fundraising project involving over a hundred artists who were asked to create heart-shaped sculptures. The sculptures were auctioned and two million dollars were raised. The first hearts were unveiled exactly two years ago, on Valentine's day of 2004. Today, you can still find a few of them in the city, displayed publically like on this photo, or sometimes even in some of the auction winners' front yards.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

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The Mechanics Monument

2006-02-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

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As the Douglas Tilden statue featured earlier on this photo raised some curiosities, here's a closeup of another one of Tilden's works located on Market street. This one is entitled The Mechanics Monument and has been around for a little over a hundred years. Plenty of info on this bronze sculpture can be found here.

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Lomar Produce

2006-02-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

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Just like in Paris, weekends are often spent grocery shopping. Here's a typical scene in The Mission district where locals shop for fresh produce.

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Shadows In Golden Gate Park

2006-02-11T00:42:00.000-08:00

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I went for a walk in Golden Gate Park today and stopped by this area close to stow lake. The trees there looked different than in the rest of the park, they were smaller and their branches were really interesting to look at. As the sun came down, the branches casted those shadows that made them look somewhat intimidating. What do you think? Tranquil? Scary? I haven't quite made up my mind yet.

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Street Music In The Haight

2006-02-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

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It's not unusual to see musicians on Haight Street. It's part of the scene, locals typically don't pay too much attention to them and just walk by. Some of these musicians are definitely better than others, but I really enjoyed this couple playing and singing old American folk songs.

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Sing-A-Long Mary Poppins: Last Chance Today!

2006-02-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

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For those of you not familiar with Sing-A-Longs, it is the projection of a film where the audience is required (encouraged?) to sing along the tunes during the film - oftentimes, at the entrance of the theater, you are also given tools and instruments to make noises and sounds at specific moments during the movie (indicated on the screen for your convenience). I have attended a couple of these sing-a-longs in the past (and participated to the best of my singing ability) and it is a lot of fun! Located in the Castro neighborhood (follow the rainbow flags), the Castro Theater is my favorite theater in the city: I love the place, its atmosphere and the programming offers a unique opportunity to see old films in a theater. I think this theater is a "must-go" on a San Francisco visit, and the next time I'll go, I'll take my camera so that I can show you how beautiful it is inside and maybe even capture the theater's very own organist who plays on a old Wurlitzer pipe organ before each film (a pleasant alternative to the series of adds for sodas and cell phone providers that you usually get in regular theaters...). More information on the theater can be found here, and of course, there will also be more photos of the neighborhood coming your way on this site.

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Well Behaved Ladies

2006-02-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

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I was pretty pleased when I bumped into those ladies today because I think this is a great example of architectural diversity within Victorians from a same style and era. Each house on this row is quite unique and yet, they all get along very well. Maybe we have a few lessons to learn from those houses...

PS: I'm very happy to announce that San Francisco Daily Photo now has its very own Yahoo! Widget thanks to the expert hands of Frederic Botton! The widget can be downloaded here or from the left menu.

PPS: I decided (at the last moment) to spare any of my jokes about the title of this post. But if any of you feels like it, there's always the comments...

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The Bridges Of San Francisco

2006-02-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

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This is certainly not the nicest sunset I got to see in San Francisco, but I wanted to share this photo today as it shows a few interesting things. First, you can see both bridges leading to the city, from the north with the Golden Gate Bridge on the far right, and from the east with the Bay Bridge on the far left. The photo also shows that the Transamerica Pyramid (that pointy thing in the middle) is really the tallest building in the city.

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Chinatown Scenery

2006-02-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

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Grant avenue is where your first Chinatown visit usually starts simply because of a Chinese gate that was built there some thirty years ago to lead you onto the street and mark the beginning of the neighborhood. Grant avenue is home to a lot of tourist stores, easy Chinese food and lots of people with cameras (including me this time). For my first photo of Chinatown on this site, I thought I would start there as well, until we move on to the more authentic parts of this neighborhood.

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Union Square Art Display

2006-02-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

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On weekends, Union Square hosts a bunch of artists showing their art to the general public. It's actually a pretty nice getaway from the surrounding streets where the shopping frenzy takes place.

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Nature And Vista Joggers

2006-02-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

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According to a very serious study (conducted recently by San Francisco Daily Photo...), there are three types of joggers in San Francisco. There's the ones that jog on machines at the gym, then there's the ones that I call "urban joggers" and the ones that I call "nature and vista joggers". I think we're all familiar with the "gym joggers". "Urban joggers" typically jog anywhere on the streets of San Francisco: cars don't bother them, people, traffic lights, curbs, slopes, nothing will stop them. The "nature and vista joggers" like those shown on this photo, will surround themselves with nature: they can be found in parks, or by the water, and you will see them stop on occasion to admire the view, smell a flower or observe a bird.(and then there would be me, standing there and making photos, with no intention to jog...)

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Mosaic Stairway

2006-02-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

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Here's another little San Francisco secret: San Francisco's one and only mosaic stairway. Built by 300 neighbors of the Sunset district and inspired by a mosaic stairway in Rio de Janeiro, the San Francisco stairway was completed in July of last year and can be found, and climbed, at the intersection of Moriaga street and 17th avenue. Details of the construction project can be found here.

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Love And Haight

2006-02-02T02:14:00.000-08:00

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The very intersection shown on this photo, where Haight street meets Ashbury street, was in the sixties the epicenter of the hippie movement, period at which this San Francisco neighborhood became known as "Haight Ashbury". The high point of this period was of course the summer of 1967 also referred to as the Summer of Love. Today, the neighborhood is a whole new scene, but it still is a place like no other in San Francisco, and many aspects of it definitely evoke what it must have been during the Summer of Love. Before I show you some of that in images, I felt a proper introduction was needed - I apologize to all of you who knew the story, but I didn't want to take any chances.

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One Month Milestone!

2006-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

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This is my one month milestone! I wanted to thank you all for visiting and commenting on the photos. I hope you liked what I've done so far. I do realize and want to acknowledge that my photos do not necessarily show what one might expect from San Francisco photos, but to me, that's the whole point. So far, almost eight thousand of you have visited the site and I received over two hundred comments! This is way beyond what I had expected after just one month of activity and I wanted to thank you all for that! As the photo of the saxophonist seemed to have been appreciated by many, I thought that for this milestone, I could share another photo of that scene that I had taken that day. This one shows more context and a different perspective. This photo was a "safety shot" that I took because I wasn't sure that by the time I would get to the other side of the tunnel, the light was still going to be ok or the saxophonist still be playing. Anyway, I thought you might like this one as well. Thanks again for your support and let's keep going!

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The Return Of The Vespa

2006-01-31T00:27:00.000-08:00

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Recently, I've seen a few of these brand new looking old-style Vespas in San Francisco and I've been wondering... what just happened? Are we back in the seventies? Or have they always been here and I didn't notice them until now? Or did they actually just bolt here straight from the seventies this past weekend (with a flower in their hair)? That last scenario is the one I would pick if given the choice, the idea kinda sounds cool. But I did a little research and it seems that this 1977 model was recently revamped and reintroduced in the U.S. market just a little over a year ago. Alright, that explains it then... 2006: you can carry on!

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First Republic Bank Building

2006-01-30T00:03:00.000-08:00

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I guess this would be a typical example of the modern architecture that you can find downtown San Francisco. The building on the left hosts the First Republic Bank and this photo shows one edge of its triangular shape. I took this shot just three blocks away from this one.

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Smelly Cheese...

2006-01-29T00:18:00.000-08:00

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As I had already pointed out on the Union Square photo, there's lots of shopping in San Francisco on the weekends but for the locals, that also includes spending more time shopping for your favorite food.
PS: I hope that this cheese smelled pretty strong because I bet the plastic film made the process difficult... ;-)

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Crooked Versus Crookedest

2006-01-28T00:29:00.000-08:00

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Per a request from Terri, here's a photo of a car path down Lombard street. This is a famous visitor's spot, often a must-see on someone's San Francisco tour. While I was on location to take the photo, I was amused at the number of taxicabs and rental cars driving down the street - I'm not sure I saw any locals but one thing was for sure, everyone was having a lot of fun driving down that street! This portion of Lombard is widely known as "the crookedest street in the world". Except that, I read somewhere that another city in the U.S. claimed having an even more crooked street than San Francisco's. And... objectively, I think that other countries in the world have not really bothered to participate in this ferocious competition! ;-) But it gets better... I know for sure that it's not the crookedest street in the world... because it's not even the crookedest in San Francisco. That's right, there's a street in San Francisco that's even more crooked than the crookedest! But I'll share that little secret some other day...

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Overlook In The Presidio

2006-01-27T00:39:00.000-08:00

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This was taken at Immigrant Point which is an overlook over the Pacific Ocean and the hills north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge. Definitely a nice spot to escape from the city, relax... and take photos. This place belongs to the Presidio of San Francisco which features 300 acres (120 hectares) of forest (primarily eucalyptus, pine and cypress trees), and about 30 miles (48 km) of biking and hiking trails (many more photos coming your way in the weeks to come...).

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San Francisco Dining

2006-01-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

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There's lots of great restaurants in San Francisco (and for those of you who know me well, this is quite a statement for me to make). You can basically find cuisines from all over the world at all sorts of price ranges. Surely, specific neighborhoods have their specialities (Mexican in the Mission, Italian in North Beach, and so on...).
I took this photo while having an early dinner (7pm) last night. The fact that it was early, on a weekday and that it started to rain in the evening explains the empty tables. In case you're interested, this particular restaurant is called Florio and is one of my favorites: I love the atmosphere, the food is fantastic and unique, and the service is impeccable.

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Marina View Of Downtown

2006-01-25T00:06:00.000-08:00

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Typically, you don't see this skyline too often in photos (maybe I should add: until today...). The primary reason being that once you stand at that location in the Marina, you're fixated by what's going on in the other direction. But when the light is right, I find this sight quite beautiful: somehow, it's a city view, but yet it's peaceful. I hope you'll enjoy it too...

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Winter On Market Street

2006-01-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

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This photo suggests a different period of time, my way of showing some of the timeless aspects of San Francisco. There's no snow in winter here, some blue skies as you can see on some of the previous photos and often, we see more sun in winter than we do in July and August... One specific winter feature though, is the steam coming from the underground metro lines. Thank you Geneline for suggesting this photo!

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Watch Out For The Fog

2006-01-23T16:31:00.000-08:00

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There are two San Francisco landmarks on this shot: the fog and the Golden Gate bridge (if you look really closely, you can see the bottom of the south tower... I promise!). When the fog takes over the city, at least, three things happen: it gets dark, it gets cold and the fog horns start to blast. And that entire process often takes less than 30 minutes. I captured this scene a couple of days ago and I liked the shot because the contrast between the brightness of the sun behind the layer of fog and the darkness of the streets that have already been taken over, pretty much speaks for itself.

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Sunday On The Court

2006-01-22T20:54:00.000-08:00

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It was really sunny day today in San Francisco. Naturally, all sorts of sporting activities take place on weekends like this. Here's your typical Sunday afternoon on a basketball court. The level played in the U.S. even by teenagers has always amazed me.
This court is on the Joe Dimaggio playground and the two towers in the background belong to Saints Peter and Paul church on Washington Square.
PS: this post is for you Rob! ;-)

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Saxophonist

2006-01-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

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Yesterday, I saw this saxophonist who found the acoustics he liked by playing in front of the entrance of a small pedestrian tunnel. His music was peaceful and it sounded incredible. I wanted to use the web site today to publish this image in memory of Myriam who's meeting the angels today.
(a different perspective of this scene can be viewed here)

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One Thousand And Seventeen Acres Of Nature

2006-01-20T20:04:00.000-08:00

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At the corner of Union Square, where we were yesterday, hop on Bus Line N towards Ocean Beach, and 20 minutes later, you'll find yourself in one of the largest urban parks in the world, Golden Gate Park, with its 1,017 acres (I just checked!) - or 411 hectares if you prefer. Twenty minutes on a bus, for a radical change of scenery, from what feels like 160,000 people around Union Square to an actual 160,000 trees, according to the National Park Services. So... People? Trees? You pick! (although, of course, you can also go to the park with your favorite people).

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Which Store Do We Hit Next?

2006-01-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

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Going shopping on a weekday is a pretty smart thing to do. Especially, when the stores you need are located around Union Square, which gets very busy with people on the weekends, many of them often coming from 50 miles away. The blocks around Union Square are considered by many "the ultimate shopping experience" in San Francisco, featuring hundreds of stores, and definitely the place to go to find those fine luxury boutiques... But the area also offers a ton of restaurants, art galleries, theaters, hotels... and people! More imagery later...

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Introducing... North Beach

2006-01-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

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I'll consider this my initial post and official introduction to North Beach although, technically, the James Brown photo was taken in that neighborhood already.
In the late 1800s, thousands of Italian immigrants settled in this area also known as Little Italy. There's a lot to say and show about it and one has to start somewhere, so I'll start with the first thing that I personally noticed the first time I went there, and that is... the Italian flags on all the posts. Quite convenient to remind you of which neighborhood you're in!
On this photo also (if there was any doubt), the Transamerica Pyramid in the background.

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Her Majesty, The Victorian

2006-01-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

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Victorian houses can be found everywhere in San Francisco. Unavoidably, you will see a few of them on this page in the weeks to come. I picked these for my first photo focused on Victorians not only because they're gorgeous but because they have attitude! Whenever I look at them, I feel like they're whispering to me: "look at me, I've been here for much longer than you have, and will be here for much longer than you will..."

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To The People Of La Mission

2006-01-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

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The Mission District is famous for its murals on the walls and facades of buildings, following a Mexican tradition of public art displays, celebrating cultural heritage and history. This particular one caught my eye today but I promise to bring you a few more on occasion.
For those of you who live around here or will travel here and want to see more, just see the location of this one on the map, go there and walk around: there are hundreds of them everywhere in that area! And make sure not to miss the small alleys, like Balmy alley.

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The Godfather

2006-01-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

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That's right, James Brown is in town tonight for a show at Bimbo's in North Beach. Just one show... that basically got sold out in a split second when it was announced... so, I'll be listening to The Godfather Of Soul at home tonight!
But if you want James Brown to do his thing, say Yeah!!!

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Not A Beach Day? Depends...

2006-01-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

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More clouds, more wind and more rain today. Not the day you would pick to go to the beach... unless you want to take photos!

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Chestnut At Avila

2006-01-13T21:27:00.000-08:00

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This evening, I stopped for coffee in the Marina disctrict at this place called The Grove on Chestnut street at Avila, in search of my photo of the day. I didn't know what kind of image I was after today. I found it when I looked up and saw this flower arrangement hanging: a touch of nature in an urban setting.

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California Street

2006-01-12T21:31:00.000-08:00

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I've always found California Street intimidating. As you drive downhill and surround yourself with more and more skyscrapers, it gets darker and darker...
Also on this photo, of course, our famous cable car, a chinatown pagoda and bay bridge far in the background.

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Beauty Parlor

2006-01-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

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I'm not sure how many beauty parlors there are in San Francisco but according to the yellow pages, there are more than eleven hundred. I will not photograph them all (I think), but I will share photos of a few that I find interesting, so here's one of them.

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House Number Signs

2006-01-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

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I don't think there is a standard for house number signs in San Francisco, you can really find a little bit of everything and here's one example. As to why 3047 is in bigger print than 3049, I have no idea! Any guesses?

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Diva

2006-01-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

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Diva would fall into the category of "hip hotels of San Francisco". Located downtown, just a few blocks away from Union Square, this place has been acclaimed for its interior design and impeccable service numerous times. It is known to be the first hotel in the city to tailor to trendy crowds and it spawned many followers since it opened its doors in the mid-80s. I personally never stayed there but today, I had the rewarding opportunity to enjoy the lobby entrance (from outside). So, if you're a Diva (or the male version of one), or if you just want to feel like one for a little while, I guess this would be the place to stay at.

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