“I fell in love with the most cordial and sociable city in the Union.” ~ Mark Twain
There are a few great citys on this big blue ball and San Francisco is one of them. Long ago in the days before children my wife and I visited The City every chance we got. I loved taking an early morning walk through an awakening Chinatown on our way to a little North Beach pastry shop. There we’d indulge in a perfect cappuccino and sweet, flaky goodness while watching the world rush by. Our days were spent walking the city hills in search of diamonds in the rough. Whether shops, sights or food we were obsessed with finding the very best spots San Francisco had to offer. After an amazing dinner at one of the thousands of incredible restaurants our evenings were inevitably spent sipping coffee at a local bookstore. It was, in a word, heaven.
Once we had kids we stopped visiting San Francisco. Eight long years or so after our last trip we returned to this most wonderful city but this time with children in tow. It was different but it was as though we never left. This time, instead of a more sophisticated and well dressed uncle, she was a welcoming, hippy grandparent. We weren’t there a minute before she was offering us a place to rest while the kids burned off steam chasing pigeons. She had healthy treats of culture and science to share with our kids and while the food wasn’t as haute this time around, it was delicious, hearty and largely enjoyed by our picky kids. My parents even gave my wife and I some evenings to walk around the city on our own to relive some of our past joys, favorite neighborhoods and old haunts. Nothing about San Francisco disappointed. It was, in a word, heaven.
35 Comments
superb architectural shot Chris, great your treatement of light and fascinating perspective, nicely done!!!!
Beautiful blue eyes she has… I love SF, went there in 1996 for a week with my Angelanos best friend and i enjoyed it so so so much, i dream to be back one day, the hills, the sea, the streets, the restaurants, the museums, everything is beautiful and felt at home. Thanks for sharing your souvenirs over there, and thanks for your visit & words too, dear friend.
I love San Francisco. Beautiful photo.
Wow! It’s really eye-catching
It was nice to read about your earlier days in SF – and I liked the graphic image – it makes a nice change from the Golden Gate!
Ah, San Fran is the place to live the good life. I was there briefly many years ago and thought it was the most beautiful urban setting I’ve ever seen. Still do. Your image is spectacularly minimal. I especially like the blue color against the textures of the neutral facade. Glad you could still re-live your old days in the city.
Love the shapes and colors of your composition and what a lovely tribute to this favored city. Very nice!
You nailed it when you said it was Heaven. I lived the for the summer of 2001 – just 10 years ago and I fell hard for that city. One of my favorite places to eat: House of Nanking in Chinatown. I ate there in 1996 and hten wandered the streets until I found it in 2001.
Awesome perspective!
Very good perspective shot!
I love the way you have framed this! The perfect blue reflections against the pattern and angle of this building are a feast for the eyes and senses. You are right…San Francisco is an amazing place!
bien vu ces taches bleus !
Great perspective!
Christopher, great .. like the tilt and the crop.
really good one! nice composition.
The dimensions of this one really disturbes the eye, it looks a little impossible.
excellent framing, a very good idea
nice isolation and lines.
A most amazing shot Chris.. the windows are like eyes…
Great story you shared. A much loved city is usually always still the same as you have left it many years back… cos it always welcomes you back with open arms. Glad you and wifey got to relive some of your heaven again.
Nice perspective. Clean and minimalistic composition!
Like two blue eyes peering onto the world. One day I must visit SF.
it’s a city i’d love to visit. we spent several hours in the airport in the middle of the night, but that’s the closest i’ve been. you make it sound like people talk about it on TV.
nice use of lines and the cool blue stands out nicely!
I too enjoyed visiting San Francisco, such wonderful cuisine and architecture. The simplicity of your photo and patterns is inspiring.
Wonderful urban graphic composition, Chris! Neat lines and angle.
Love the description of SF as a hippie grand-parent. So perfect..and so true. And – I just love the graphic simplicity and framing of this image.
superb composition
Géniale !
Une composition très suptile et très très réussie. J’adore…
Nice Isolation, Great Perspective… overal… WOnderful Picture,,,
Awesome Picture,,, Lovely POI….
beautiful composition, backlight and tones …
Fantastic spot. Great abstract/architectural image.
Audacious and perfect composition! Love the two blue windows in this land of grey. Clever shot!
Have a nice day.
Very nice! nice color
Wow! Really great capture Chris! Awesome geometry. Beautiful abstract.