Cranes over Market
There are an awful lot of cranes over Market Street and the rest of SF these days. Our crazy housing and rental prices, along with the ongoing boom of certain tech sectors in the City, have led to a massive construction boom. Last count I heard, there were over 20 cranes up over SF, many of which were working on future housing. Hopefully these thousands of new units will have enough impact on the supply to bring the prices down a bit, as the majority of residents I know, myself included, would be hard pressed to afford a move within SF today.
That said, with all the sacrifices we make to live in SF, there isn’t anywhere I’d rather be at the moment. I suppose we all have to make our choices and accept the consequences.
Hardly Strictly
I’m a little slow posting this one, but came across it tonight and thought I would share. This was from Gogol Bordello’s set at sunset, closing out the 2013 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park. I only made it to about two sets and change over the weekend, due to other obligations and not feeling like dealing with the crowds earlier in the day. Being a free festival, it draws a lot of people to the park. Some come for the music, others just come for the scene or whatever else, but it can get quite crowded down there. For better or worse, though, a free festival with top notch performers in Golden Gate Park is something special, especially when the weather turns out as great as it was this year.
I made it to the park just in time to hear the last 10 seconds or so of Chris Isaak’s set, found my friends, and set up for Gogol Bordello’s closing performance. The energy, the crowd, the music, the sunset, and even the Tecate, were all fantastic at this moment. It was definitely worth braving the crowds and making the journey down the hill. See you next year?
Create Something
I haven’t posted anything to the site in a while, and I have a personal assignment to create something today, so why not at least create a new post?
This photo comes from a few weeks back, on a day when high clouds drew me to Twin Peaks in search of a nice sunset. The sunset did not disappoint, even though the winds tried their best to blow me off the hilltop (and almost succeeded in stealing my motorcycle helmet). I have a few other nice shots from that day, but something about this one, looking out over the Golden Gate toward the Marin headlands and Mt. Tamalpais, just feels right for today.
Mt. Diablo Fire
Waking up before dawn this morning with hopes of catching a nice sunrise over the low fog, I instead discovered this apocalyptic vision of Mt. Diablo burning over the East Bay. This wildfire started yesterday afternoon and has grown at a frightening pace to cover over 1500 acres overnight. I believe it has doubled in size again by this afternoon.
The flames crawling up the mountain are visible here from San Franicisco, over 30 miles away. Quite the opposite of the peaceful foggy morning I had in mind. Best of luck to those fighting the fire and those affected by it over there.
Sunset Piano Opus Two
This month, twelve pianos appeared along the hills and bluffs of the San Mateo County coastline. They sit on cliffs and above beaches, patiently awaiting discovery by anyone with the time to stop and play a few notes for the sea.
Intended to call attention to the fragile states and uncertain futures of our oceans and of the personal acoustic piano in today’s world, the project does just that, all while just being a whole lot of fun. I mean, I don’t have the first clue how to play a piano, but the awe and wonder of stumbling upon these beauties in their surreal and amazing habitats is just something else.
The brainchild of local artist and musician Mauro ffortissimo, this fantastic project expands upon the earlier Opus One, in which Mauro gave a brief new life to a single neglected grand piano by placing it by the sea for all to enjoy and providing nightly performances. Within two weeks, however, one governmental agency or another had determined that the presence of this piano was a violation of code, and Opus One was brought to a close with a final cremation ceremony for the beyond-repair piano.
Due to overlapping governmental jurisdictions, misunderstandings, and bureaucracy, several of the dozen pianos brought out for Opus Two have met the same fate, having already been collected by the authorities or brought back from their seaside posts. A handful remain in the wild, and performances will continue through the week, or as long as the final pianos last.
Last weekend, I made a journey down the coast to catch the pianos while they remained. In return, I was rewarded with some amazing views, a performance by Mauro on a 1917 vintage grand piano in Half Moon Bay, and a childlike sense of wonder that we just don’t seem to get enough of in the real world these days. (oh yeah, and a parking ticket to snap me right back to reality… Don’t park in the Half Moon Bay beach lots after 8:30)
Catch them before they’re gone! You won’t regret it.
More info on the project can be found here: http://sunsetpiano.com/
Finally, A Step in the Right Direction
Last weekend was a special Pride celebration this year in SF, starting with the warmup party on Wednesday in the Castro after the Supreme Court rulings that brought Prop 8 and DOMA to an end. The celebration started in the early evening, with Castro Street filling up before long. Among the crowd were supporters, families with children, and countless couples, including at least one couple who had been together over 26 years. It was an amazing moment to witness, and I’m thankful that I could be in SF to see it. There’s still a long way to go for equality, but to look around the crowd and realize that someday (hopefully sooner rather than later) children will grow up in a time when the equality being fought for today is a thing that has always been. Having not lived through the major civil rights struggles of the past, I remember learning about them in school, but it all seemed so distant and backward that such discrimination could be tolerated by society. I hope that future children will soon feel the same about today’s events.
Another Night on Twin Peaks
One of the downsides to living in such a picturesque city: When you get to the top of the hill to take some photos, there’s a good chance someone’s already set up a tripod in your spot. What to do, what to do? Might as well step back a few feet and photograph some photographers.
I have no idea what’s going on with that tripod set up, but it looks fancy and expensive, sooo, naturally, I now want one… :p
All Your Teams Are Belong to Us
SF City Hall, lit up in blue and gold in honor of the Warriors’ NBA playoff progress (and mostly in support of SF’s plans to steal the Warriors from Oakland). As much as I don’t follow the NBA these days, congrats to the Warriors and all of the faithful fans out there for making it as far as they did this time around. Best of luck next year.
Now, will someone please wake me up when the Sonics are back in Seattle? Thanks.
A Very Blue City Hall
My only shot from an evening stop atop Twin Peaks that wasn’t foiled by my old frenemy Karl the Fog. Driving up the hill around 11, I was presented with a plethora of photo ops. The moonlight on Sutro Tower was fantastic, and the Mt. Davidson cross was lit, which only happens twice a year. Conditions couldn’t have looked better. Of course, by the time I stopped the car and got out about 2 minutes later, EVERYTHING was covered in a thick wall of fog and the wind was howling. I managed to duck behind some shelter to get this one, but eventually the frigid wind got the better of me and I was forced to give up on waiting out the fog. You win this round, Karl…
Parnassus at Night
The City changes at night. Darkness hides some features, while the glow of artificial light brings out others that would be missed in the daylight. I love light, particularly unique light, and the night brings me this nearly every time. Between that and the strange peaceful quiet that comes over much of the City, this has always been my favorite time for a photowander.
And yes, of course, there’s a Muni stop in this one. Those things just sneak into my pictures without me even noticing anymore. I suppose I can never stray too far from my photographic roots…
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