Day 13: Eureka Station
Day 13: January 13, 2014: Eureka Station
Here’s a question for all of you out there: Is this interesting, or is this a throw away? What do you think? I’m having a little debate in my head here, and would love some additional input.
I would have originally told you that this was a quick shot on my walk home, just to have a photo for the day, but now I find myself questioning my assessment. I’ve been told that this one is far more interesting than I would have given it credit for. Now I’m here wondering if this one really is so interesting: Is there a story in this photo that I’ve taken for granted? Maybe I’ve lost hold of it because I’m so familiar with this space. I’ve been walking past this spot for years, and I know so much history behind it. Maybe it’s gotten too familiar. I do notice that I have far better luck finding interestingness in new locations than in those I’m familiar with. This raises even more questions: Am I just taking for granted other great things around me? Do I get so caught up in the day to day routine and the things I know that I miss the wonder around me every day?
That’s probably not too far off the mark. I think that may be a bit in my nature. I find myself seeking out the new, the unseen, the unusual. These things fascinate me, but is this causing me to ignore something else important just because it has become familiar? Wow, who would have guessed that a photo a day would lead me into such weird depths of my head?
Anyway…back to the question at hand: Does this raise a curiosity or a fascination in the viewer, or is it a routine shot of average routinenessitude? I’d love to know your thoughts.
For a bit of history, this is one of the entrance ramps to the Muni Twin Peaks Tunnel in the Castro. These unused ramps lead down to the former Eureka Station, which has been abandoned since the construction of the Muni Metro in 1972. This station was replaced by the Castro Station a block or so away, but was never demolished and still exists as an abandoned platform, visible when passing through the tunnel on today’s metro. I would love to have the chance to wander down there and see what remains.
New things. 🙂
(Taken with waterproof Canon Sureshot SLC P27 snow leopard cam, using an expired roll of Fuji Velvia 50 slides)
I immediately knew this was S.F. even before seeing your ID and even though I’ve never seen this place before. it’s interesting to me for both reasons: the newness of the small space and the familiarity of the larger place. I like seeing empty spaces within a context. I love that you see not only the surface but what is almost hidden deep within.
I like the stipe of green and newness running through an otherwise grey field and then into the tunnel. It makes me imagine other places on the other side, away from the grey and mundane. But that’s a lot of the fantasy nerd in me 🙂