San Francisco and the Golden Gate, part 1
Oct. 17th, 2007 09:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragoness_eSo this last weekend I drove up to San Francisco for the first time. It turns out it's pretty close to San Jose, no further away, relatively speaking, than the drive from my home in Louisiana to my mother's house across the lake. Well, getting to San Francisco is the easy part. Getting through San Francisco at street level to the Golden Gate Bridge is another matter.
Panorama of San Francisco from the northern shore
San Francisco is very much a wealthy 19th century city, with a few intrusions of the mid-20th century allowed. If you're looking for a modern 21st century seaport, that's across the bay in Oakland. US 101 turns into Van Ness St, which goes right through the heart of the city.
City Hall is guilded!
Seriously. Check out the railings:
One characteristic of San Franciscan architecture is the use of bay windows on the buildings. This particular feature gave parts of the city a European feel; this building in particular looked like buildings in London, England.
The signs of the 20th century seem a bit antique as well, period pieces from the middle of the century, like the old tourist places along "Historic Route 66". And still bay windows everywhere.
Alas, I did not have a chance to get any pictures of San Fran's hill-hugging architecture. Perhaps next trip.
Eventually, I got through the city and hit the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge.
It's painted primer red, which makes me wonder why it was called the Golden Gate.
For those of you who are familiar with Lousiana, those lanes aren't any wider than the ones on the Huey Long bridge--and notice the lack of any kind of barrier between oncoming lanes? Driving across the bridge is a bit scary. Though you can't see them very well here, there are pedestrian walkways on both sides of the bridge, and they are packed with tourists, joggers, protesters, and bicyclists. (Yes, there was a protest going on at one end of the bridge, but I was too busy driving to take pictures).
Next time, pictures from Vista Point, and walking back across the bridge.
Panorama of San Francisco from the northern shore
San Francisco is very much a wealthy 19th century city, with a few intrusions of the mid-20th century allowed. If you're looking for a modern 21st century seaport, that's across the bay in Oakland. US 101 turns into Van Ness St, which goes right through the heart of the city.
City Hall is guilded!
Seriously. Check out the railings:
One characteristic of San Franciscan architecture is the use of bay windows on the buildings. This particular feature gave parts of the city a European feel; this building in particular looked like buildings in London, England.
The signs of the 20th century seem a bit antique as well, period pieces from the middle of the century, like the old tourist places along "Historic Route 66". And still bay windows everywhere.
Alas, I did not have a chance to get any pictures of San Fran's hill-hugging architecture. Perhaps next trip.
Eventually, I got through the city and hit the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge.
It's painted primer red, which makes me wonder why it was called the Golden Gate.
For those of you who are familiar with Lousiana, those lanes aren't any wider than the ones on the Huey Long bridge--and notice the lack of any kind of barrier between oncoming lanes? Driving across the bridge is a bit scary. Though you can't see them very well here, there are pedestrian walkways on both sides of the bridge, and they are packed with tourists, joggers, protesters, and bicyclists. (Yes, there was a protest going on at one end of the bridge, but I was too busy driving to take pictures).
Next time, pictures from Vista Point, and walking back across the bridge.
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Date: 2007-10-18 10:51 am (UTC)We were just in San Fransisco this past weekend. But I've lived in California all my life. I'm about 60 miles North, from Sonoma County.
Hope you're having fun/ had fun visiting our state. :)
/Old, long time fan of your Raditz stories.