Task 51 - Create a Photo Album (San Francisco, CA)

(51) Create 2 new photo albums of past vacations (1/2)

Album: San Francisco, CA
Year:    2012

There is nothing I enjoy more than taking pictures of places I visit. I equally enjoy being able to show others where I have been and what experiences I had while there. I think the best way to do that is with a photo album. Sometimes things are lost when nothing more than a photo exists and as such I prefer to use my photo albums tell a story about my trip. I focus on keeping the order the same as I experienced it and I include notes and information about each of the places I visit so that later when the memories aren’t as fresh less is lost.

My most recent trip was to San Francisco with two friends. It’s admittedly taken some time since returning to complete my photo book but it is finally done. I made several different versions of the book one for each of us to enjoy and changed the pictures around so that each of our books focus on each individual’s experience. While they are not inexpensive to create I believe these albums will always be a reminder of the great experiences we had and hopefully will continue to have. This particular album is 73 pages long. I have posted the first few pages below.

 

Task 30 - Crepe Cafe (San Francisco, CA)

Restaurant: Crepe Cafe.

Review:       Yelp Review

Location:     Pier 39
                     San Francisco, CA 94133

Rating:        5-Stars

There isn't really much to say other then delicious. The night before we watched them make Strawberry, Banana and Nutella Crepe's and I knew immediately what I would be having the next morning for breakfast. The smell of the freshly made crapes did not disappoint my taste buds as I finally got to devour one of these amazing creations. I wish this place was near where I live because I would certainly have become a regular if it was.

Enjoy the great video of this guy as he makes these things like they were easy. I couldn't get over how quickly he peeled and cut up those banana's.



Dutch Windmill

The Dutch Windmill was built in 1902 to harness the power of the pacific winds to pump fresh water from well’s to irrigate the Golden Gate Park. Prior to the construction of the windmill the city of San Francisco was provided water by the Spring Valley Water Company at exorbitant rates which only provided enough water for 75 acres.

Though the exterior looks in good condition today, this once majestic relic of the past has once again fallen victim to decay and neglect which are undermining the integrity of the windmill. On this particular day the lush lawn below it provided a great spot for a picnic and frisbee which is what many locals clearly enjoyed doing.

I found a great website documenting the history of the Dutch Windmill. The website is History  of San Francisco's Dutch Windmill. 

Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden provides visitors from around the world with an opportunity to experience the natural beauty, tranquility and harmony of a Japanese-style garden in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. 

It was originally created as a “Japanese Village” exhibit for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition, the site originally spanned about one acre and showcased a Japanese style garden. When the fair closed, Japanese landscape architect Makoto Hagiwara and Golden Gate Park Superintendent John McLaren reached a gentleman’s agreement, allowing Mr. Hagiwara to create and maintain a permanent Japanese style garden as a gift for posterity. 

Mr. Hagiwara became caretaker of the property, pouring all of his personal wealth, passion, and creative talents into creating a garden of utmost perfection. Mr. Hagiwara expanded the garden to its current size of approximately 5 acres where he and his family lived for many years until 1942 when they, along with approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans, were forced to evacuate their homes and move into internment camps. When the war was over, the Hagiwara family was not allowed to return to their home at the tea garden and in subsequent years, many Hagiwara family treasures were removed and new additions were made.

Today, the Japanese Tea Garden endures as one of the most popular attractions in San Francisco, featuring classic elements such as an arched drum bridge, pagodas, stone lanterns, stepping stone paths, native Japanese plants, serene koi ponds and a zen garden.

You can't help but find yourself wanting to sit and enjoy the peaceful serenity that the Japanese Tea Garden offers. The Zen Garden was one of the less busy section and offered a great opportunity to just sit down and relax. I enjoyed climbing the Drum Bridge and walking along many of the pedestrian paths that cris-cross the lush oasis.

 



Painted Ladies & Alamo Square

“Painted ladies" is a term used for Victorian and Edwardian houses and buildings painted in three or more colors that embellish or enhance their architectural details. The term was first used for San Francisco Victorian houses by writers Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen in their 1978 book Painted Ladies - San Francisco's Resplendent Victorians.

About 48,000 houses in the Victorian and Edwardian styles were built in San Francisco between 1849 and 1915, and many were painted in bright colors. As one newspaper critic noted in 1885, "...red, yellow, chocolate, orange, everything that is loud is in fashion...if the upper stories are not of red or blue... they are painted up into uncouth panels of yellow and brown..." While many of the mansions of Nob Hill were destroyed by the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, thousands of the mass-produced, more modest houses survived in the western and southern neighborhoods of the city.

During World War I and World War II, many of these houses were painted battleship gray with war-surplus Navy paint. Another sixteen thousand were demolished, and many others had the Victorian decor stripped off or covered with tarpaper, brick, stucco, or aluminum siding.

In 1963, San Francisco artist Butch Kardum began combining intense blues and greens on the exterior of his Italianate-style Victorian House. His house was criticized by some, but other neighbors began to copy the bright colors on their own houses. Kardum became a color designer, and he and other artists / colorists such as Tony Cataletich, Bob Buckner, and Jazon Wonders began to transform dozens of gray houses into Painted Ladies. By the 1970s, the colorist movement, as it was called, had changed entire streets and neighborhoods. This process continues to this day.

One of the best-known groups of "Painted Ladies" is the row of Victorian houses at 710–720 Steiner Street, across from Alamo Square park, in San Francisco. It is sometimes known as "Postcard Row." The houses were built between 1892 and 1896 by developer Matthew Kavanaugh, who lived next door in the 1892 mansion at 722 Steiner Street. This block appears very frequently in media and mass-market photographs of the city and its tourist attractions and have appeared in an estimated 70 movies, TV programs, and ads, including in the opening credits of the television series Full House.

To see them in person rather then on a post card was very cool they are even more beautiful then you might think. One thing I will say is that some are clearly kept up better then the others. Anyone that knows what it is like to maintain a house I am sure can appreciate what it must be like to care for a home that is well known and regularly photographed. The park its self is clean and offers amazing views of the Painted Ladies and of the city skyline.



Twin Peaks

The Twin Peaks are two hills with an elevation of about 922 feet and are almost exactly located in the center of San Francisco.Except for Mount Davidson, they are the highest points in the city.

The North and South Twin Peaks are about 660 ft apart; The peaks each have their own names: Eureka Peak the north Peak and Noe Peak the south Peak. 100 ft below the Eureka Peak is the popular vista point known locally as Christmas Tree Point, which offers visitors unobstructed views of most San Francisco and the Bay.

It was really a stunning view from the top. It was interesting because you can really see how tightly packed the homes are. There really isn't alot of open space left in San Francisco. Everyone has carved out a little peice for themselves.

Great Panorama from Twin Peaks



Task 30 - The Sausage Factory

(30) Eat in 10 New Restaurants (46/20)
Restaurant: The Sausage Factory

Website: castrosausagefactory.com

Rating: 4-stars

We found ourselves in the Castro at lunch time and always being hungry we started to look for places where we might want to eat. It is hard not to notice the big sign that says Sausage Factory as you look down Castro Street and that did the trick.

The Sausage Factory is one of those old school restaurants. It does not look likes it has changed in years or was decorated to look that way but not being a local I couldn’t tell you how long it’s been here. It is the kind of place where you expect to see an older Italian lady come out of the kitchen with a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.

We settled into a nice booth and decided that we were all going to get the Chicken Parmesan. It was not to disappoint. It was different then I was used to. It looked like a chicken breast that had been filleted into two much thinner pieces. This made it so tender it melted in your mouth. It had just the right amount of cheese to satisfy the cheese lover in me without overwhelming my lunch partners. It was paired with mixed vegetables and potatoes all of which was cooked perfectly.

The portion size was perfect and we all left satisfied and recharged to continue our exploration of San Francisco by car.

Pacific Heights Movie House

Pacific Heights released in 1990 featured Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine, and Michael Keaton. The movie featured a couple and a house. "It seemed like the perfect house. He seemed like the perfect tenant. Until they asked him to leave." The house used in the movie is actually located in Potrero Hill area not Pacific Heights in San Francisco. It doesn't look the same as it used to with the new paint colors but it definitely has the charm still. It wasn't easy to find but with such a fan in the car we managed to locate it and get our pictures taken in front of it.