Upstairs on Caltrain
For a variety of reason, we have not been doing much traveling lately. On Sunday though we had tickets to go and see the SF Giants play the Chicago Cubs in the last game of a four game series. The Cubs had won the first three games. The game started at 1.05 and Tom and I were pondering how we were going to get to AT&T Park. We normally drive all the way up and park next to the stadium in a parking lot but the charge is $30. There are several alternatives. We could have driven up to Millbrae and caught BART to Market Street and then taken Muni; or we could have driven up to 3rd and 16th, found some on-street parking where there are no parking meters; or we could have driven up to Oakland and caught the ferry across to AT&T Park. In the end, we did none of those. Instead we drove into San Jose and caught Caltrain all the way up to San Francisco.
(Click on the images for larger versions)
We caught the 10.00 am train and sat upstairs. I have been on Caltrain before but never upstairs. I thought there were only single seats upstairs but there is one double on each side in every carriage and we were lucky to snag one of those. I spent most of the time looking out of the window and very little in reading my book.
Obviously I can’t recall everything I saw but I can recount the highlights. My first impressions were not what you would call highlights though. Rusty rails strewn alongside the tracks, rank weeds, fences with razor wire on the top and lots of graffiti. The houses which backed onto the railway were a bit mean as well with piles of rubbish in some places which had been tipped over the fence. But raising my eyes over the mean houses gave me a view of the mountains in the distance and they were a far better sight.
Just before we came to the Sunnyvale Station we passed the apartment block Tom and I lived in for the first year of our marriage. It was a lovely
Out front of AT&T Park waiting for Tom's Brother
apartment, the only problem being the trains that passed close by. In the middle of the night a freight train would lumber by which rocked the place but the most annoying feature were the whistles which some drivers sounded very enthusiastically as they passed our apartment.
From Sunnyvale to San Bruno the scenery changed to be very pleasing, apart from the fact that we passed lots of our old haunts. At Mountain View they hold a farmers market on a Sunday morning and that was in full swing as we passed by. It is one of the best farmers markets in the area. The best has to be Sunnyvale on a Saturday because of the shady street with the cafes on the sidewalk where you can sit and have breakfast or drink a cup of coffee while drinking in the sights and smells. There are no cafes near the farmers market in Mountain View and no shady trees to sit under.
Passing San Antonio reminded me of a trip I took on Caltrain from Sunnyvale to Stanford shopping center with my daughter a few years back. The railway conductor had a very distinctive way of talking and when she announced the name of the station it came out as ‘Saaaaaaaan AAAAAntOOOnio’. Every time I see a sign for San Antonio I mimic her rendition.
At California Street we saw the Farmers Market down the main street. This is one we have not been too but we must go some day. Next stop was Palo Alto. From the train we could see the entrance to Stanford University and some of the palm trees lining Palm Drive but the distinctive buildings of the university could not be seen. From the train station it an easy walk to the fabulous Stanford Shopping Center.
Between the California Street and Palo Alto stations is a bike track, which was being well used. I wonder how far it goes. The original station building at Menlo Park Station is the oldest station in California. It has been refurbished over the years but is still a charming building.
Atherton was our next stop and this is a really nice location. It was once described as a “plain of oaks” and it still is. Looking down into the gardens of the houses we passed, they all had large shady trees and many of them were well established. Redwood City is an interesting place. From the train we could see a large painting on the side of a building. It depicted a lady in medieval dress sitting in a boat. I’m not 100% sure but I’m guessing it was from the ‘Lady of Shalott’ which was a poem by Alfred, Lord Tenyson. Here is a short quote:
‘Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And around about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.’
Just past the station, near the railway crossing, is an old sign which used to be on El Camino. It boldly proclaims ‘Redwood City – Climate Best By Government Test’. To read why the town claims this distinction check out this website.
San Carlos station was next. Here the tracks are raised and below, on the station forecourt, there was another farmers market. Tom pointed out the unusual station house building which was more or less hidden by the raised tracks. This one was almost as old as the one at Menlo Park but completely different architecture. San Carlos station is built from gray stone blocks unlike the conventional wooden structure at Menlo Park.
Margaret, Tom's Step-Mom, Arlene, Tom's Dad and Brother Jeffrey
Yet another farmers market was being held at Belmont station. Tom used to live in Belmont when he was a little boy and remembers driving with him Mum to collect his Dad from the station in the evening. The next few stations are unimpressive. Hillsdale used to be the station for Bay Meadows racetrack but that closed down in 2005. There is, of course, the big shopping mall at Hillsdale.
Burlingame has a very impressive station building. It’s architecture is Mission-Revival style and is painted bright yellow and is now a museum. Tom was born in Burlingame.
The next few stations are OK but not outstanding apart from the clock at Milbrae which showed the wrong time and the date as January 2, 1995! Once passed San Bruno things began to deteriorate again. The only thing which impressed me was the graffiti. OK I know graffiiti is a blot on the landscape and taken as a whole really gives a neglected look but some of the individual paintings are very artistic and far more colorful than the specimens displayed near San Jose.
Just before 11.45 we arrived in San Francisco and joined the merry throng walking down King Street to the AT&T stadium. Most of the fans were dressed in the Giants colors but there were a good few Cubs fans in amongst us. And it was a beautiful day. We stopped at Starbucks for a cup of coffee as we had at least half an hour to wait before we met up with Tom’s Dad and Arlene and his brother Jeff by the Willie Mays statue outside the stadium. It was an invigorating experience being a part of the hustle and bustle outside the station. Of course there were the scalpers selling tickets and parking passes for the game, street performers and the occasional homeless person with their handwritten signs. There were also stands selling programs and memorabilia. More interesting TV cameras were set up to televise the pre-game show. The majority of movement though came from the fans pouring into the stadium not only from the train station but also from the car parks on the other side of the Lefty O’Doule Bridge and the muni station on King Street.
Eventually the five of us all found each other and we made our way into the stadium. We went through the wrong entrance but we didn’t find out
Batter Up!
until we left the stadium. Our tickets were in Field Club and we entered through the Willie Mays Plaza entrance and walked up the ramp to the Promenade level. From there we were directed to an section but we had to walk all the way down to the bottom, back through a tunnel and into the right section. We almost gave up but eventual we found our seats in Section 109, Row O. They were great seats midway between home plate and first base.
There is nothing more American than a baseball game. All the razzmatazz of the game beforehand and then the music, exhortations to shout, stand and make a loud noise during the game; the large scoreboard giving a wealth of information including replays of each ball; the seventh inning stretch and then of course there is the game itself. Being so close to the action we saw more of the expressions from the players and the occasional comments. We were also in line to catch a foul ball although none came close enough to attempt a catch. It was a great game and both sides played very well but the Giants won so that put the cherry on the cake as far as our day was concerned. We sat there enjoying ourselves immensely, eating hot dogs and ice creams (though I made a mess with mine when it melted all over my jeans and sweatshirt) and drinking beer and lemonade. We clapped every good hit and catch, no matter which side executed it, and groaned whenever a home run was never quite achieved. We stayed right to the end and stood, clapped and cheered as the teams left the field.
Then we made our way out of the stadium through the food court entrance without having to climb any stairs. Tom and I made our way back to the station, crossing the roads with hundreds of others and taking up the whole of the sidewalk. At the station we were lucky to get onto the non stop to San Carlos train which cut the journey by half an hour. It was the end of a perfect day.
October 04 2009 | Special Places | No Comments »
Yerba Buena Gardens opposite SFMOMA
After our breakfast at Dottie’s in the Tenderloin – see previous post – we drove down Jones and across Market to Howard, where we turned left towards the Moscone Center. Parking is always a problem in San Francisco but we found a car park on 3rd and Folsom where we could park for $10 all day.
(Click the images for larger versions. You’ll need to if you want to find Waldo in the last photo)
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, affectionately known as SFMOMA, was just a short walk away but we had some time to kill as it didn’t open until 10 am. We wandered around the outside of the Moscone Center, which is a huge conference/convention complex. It is named after George Moscone, a former mayor of San Francisco who was assassinated in 1978.
Then we sauntered around the Yerba Buena Gardens opposite SFMOMA. It has been some time since we visited this part of town and the gardens have become well established. Outside the Yerba Buena Center for Arts a dozen couples were having dancing lessons. It was a quickstep. I only knew this because occasionally I heard ‘slow, quick, quick slow’. Most of the other directions were given in Chinese. It was mesmerizing to watch them. The dance itself seemed to be quite slow and deliberate, almost like Tai Chi. There were also several groups on the grass in the middle of the gardens doing Tai Chi, including one gentlemen who did a bit and then sat in an electric wheelchair. I couldn’t help but admire the man.
I took a seat on a stone bench in front of the huge water feature and enjoyed people watching and writing while Tom wandered off . Although it
SFMOMA as seen from Yerba Buena Gardens
was overcast to begin with, the sun came out before too long but there was a bit of a breeze. Definitely not shorts and T-shirt weather. I looked towards the SFMOMA building which seems to be dwarfed by the buildings around it but it is a striking building. It’s main architectural feature is the huge skylight in the front. It resembles the vent on the deck of a ship in its shape but has black and white strips.
Just before 10 we walked across the road to the SFMOMA and bought tickets at the kiosk outside. It cost $28 for the two of us – senior citizens price – and this included entrance to the Georgia O’Keefe and Ansel Adams Natural Affinities Exhibition, which is the main reason for our visit today. This exhibition will be at SFMOMA until September 9 this year. We walked into the vast foyer but had to wait there. Both the stairs and the elevators were cordoned off until, at the stroke of 10, they were removed. Tom and I walked up to the third floor. We reasoned it would be quicker than waiting for a lift.
On the third floor, we shuffled in with a host of other people. At first it was difficult to get a clear view of the paintings and photographs with folks walking in front or pressing from behind but it soon thinned out as people wandered off in different directions. Tom is into black and white photography and I’m into color, so George O’Keefe’s vivid paintings attracted me far more than Ansel Adams stark photography. Her early paintings were a bit depressing for my taste but loved the New Mexico collection, especially ‘Black Mesa Landscape’ and ‘In the Patio III’. I must admit to liking Ansel Adams photo of ‘St Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico’. Tom’s favorites were ‘Early Morning, Merced River’, ‘Cedar Tree, Winter, Yosemite’, ‘Old Tree, Snowstorm, Yosemite’, Vine and Rock, Island of Hawaii’ and ‘Detail, Juniper Wood, Sierra Nevada’ – all by Ansel Adams of course.
The walkway at the top. You can see all the way to the bottom. OK Margaret what ever you do DO NOT LOOK DOWN.
After a pleasant hour browsing the exhibition we explored the rest of the museum. We decided to climb the stairs to the fourth floor but I was sidetracked by something drawn high up on a wall with apparatus hanging down from a walkway above so I asked a nearby attendant. He started to explain but then pointed to a notice on the wall. The graffiti like drawing was drawn by Matthew Barney on June 9, 2006 and is entitled ‘Drawing Restraint 14′. On that day he climbed the wall dressed as General Douglas MacArthur, navigating himself by hand holds up the wall and by carabines attached to the underside of the walkway to get the wall on the far side. From there he swung himself in a hoist to execute the drawing right under a window.
Satisfied that I had unraveled that poser, I ascended the curved staircase to the fifth floor, pausing to look through a window down towards Yerba Buena Gardens, before arriving at the walkway I had looked at from below. Some of you may know that I have no head for heights and this walkway was not only high up and narrow but was constructed of perforated steel – very scary. Tom had already crossed it so the least I could do was to walk across it as well. I took a deep breath and went for it, keeping my eyes on a large mural on the wall in front. The main exhibits here are under the heading ‘Between Art on Life’, which will be on display until January 3, 2010. Many interesting sculptures and other diverse artworks are on display and the most intriguing was a huge painting entitled ‘Princess of the Posse’ by Chris Ofili which was described as acrylic, collage, glitter, resin, map pins, and elephant dung on canvas. I loved the colors and the use of map pins but I’m not so sure about the elephant dung.
After looking at all the exhibits we wandered through the Coffee Bar and into the Roof Garden to view
Accross from SFMOMA we spotted Waldo. Can you? You might have to click so you can see the larger version.
the sculptures on display there. It is a very pleasant spot, with places to sit and relax and on top of that, it is a sun trap. There is a huge bronze statue by Louise Bourgeois entitled ‘The Nest’. Louise Bourgois is an amazing artist. Both this work and another piece by her entitled ‘Crouching Spider’, which was until recently was on display on the waterfront of the Embarcadero (part of the San Francisco Arts Commission’s Temporary Projects in Natural Settings Initiative), was in her nineties when she executed both pieces. Walking up the slope to the walkway I glanced out of the window and spotted a cardboard cutout of Waldo hiding between pipework on the roof of the building opposite.
We visited the third floor on our way down to view the Looking In: Robert Frank’s “The Americans” exhibition. This was a fascinating series of 83 photos taken between 1955 and 1956 of Americans and their way of life. The book “The Americans” was published in 1958 with an introduction by Jack Kerouac.
We decided to call it a day. There is so much more to see at SFMOMA but we will have to return another day.
July 14 2009 | Special Places | No Comments »
Dottie's True Blue Cafe in San Francisco, California.
As you know, we are always on the look out for new places to go for breakfast in the Bay Area; so when we watched Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network on Monday night, which featured Dottie’s True Blue Cafe, we just had to give it a try. We had planned a trip up to the city so this was the perfect chance to try it out.
We checked the internet beforehand. Dottie’s does not have its own website but there are plenty of reviews to check out, most of them very positive, so we knew we were in for a treat. One thing we learned is that they only have seating for 40 so we decided to get there before it opened at 7.30. We arrived at 7.15 and already there was a line outside, so we joined the end (Check the map below for the location). The Tenderloin is not in the best part of town and we spent a fascinating 15 minutes people watching and chatting to the couple in front of us. We later found out their names were Stacey and Ray – so Hi to you both if you ever check this website out.
Just before 7.30 the line started to move and we were lucky to get seated in the first wave. Our table was against the far wall and I sat under the specials board. The normal menu is relatively small but the specials are what has earned Dottie’s it’s reputation. There is also a baked goods specials board.
I went for the oatmeal ($3.95) with the fresh mixed fruit ($2.50). Tom ordered the smoked whiskey-fennel sausage, mushroom, baby spinach scramble with grilled corn bread and potatoes (10.95) with a slice of blueberry crumb cake ($4.50) on the side.
The tables and chairs are a little beaten up – our table also rocked a bit but that just added to the charm of the place. There were just five seats at the counter. I liked the salt and pepper shakers in the shape of paper bags. Small prints of old food adverts adorned the wall above the counter. On the walls near us were three black and white classic glamor posters. One of them was Josephine Baker, wearing just a garment made out of beads. There were a couple of additional decorative touches – a few postcards and a shelf high on the wall near the door with a few knick knacks on.
There was a 20 minute wait before we gave our order but we didn’t care as we were busy looking around and talking to Stacey and Ray at the next table. Outside the window we could see people waiting in line. Jazz was playing softly in the background. It would have been louder if there was not so much chatting and laughter going on around us. Everybody seemed so carefree but it was a holiday weekend after all. Tom’s coffee cup was filled regularly. The coffee is good but not quite as good as Pete’s.
I was watching the action behind the bar. There were just two cooks and they were in constant action. With very little space behind the counter, they out to be pretty nifty on their feet.
The blueberry crumb cake arrived as a sort of starter. On top was a generous dollop of whipped cream and it looked too good to resist. Mmm, nice and warm and heavenly.
When our scramble and oatmeal arrived I looked at my watch, only to realize that the time on the parking meter was about to expire. We had been lucky enough to find a meter right outside the restaurant. The maximum you could put in though was for one hour of parking and at 25 cents for 12 mins of time it seemed a lot of money. Tom nipped out and put another half an hour on the clock. Meanwhile I was enjoying my breakfast. The fruit on top of the oatmeal – sliced strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, purple grapes and blackberries – had never seen the inside of a freezer and tasted wonderfully fresh. The oatmeal was in a large, round shallow bowl and tasted great. Not steel cut but I had no complaints. Tom was really enjoying his scramble. I had never had grilled corn bread before so I tried a piece. Was not too impressed as it had hot spice in it and I don’t like hot spicy food. I should have expected it because I remember thinking that most of the dishes prepared on Triple D (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) had jalapenos in them.
The restroom was very ordinary – clean and functional with no decoration at all but getting to it was an adventure. I was pointed towards a door and told to collect the large spoon with key attached which would be hanging on a hook by the door. If it wasn’t there, somebody was already using it and I would have to wait. The spoon was there so I took it off the hook, walked through the door and found myself in the lobby of a small hotel. I found the restroom but it was locked. The receptionist told me somebody was in there and I would have to wait and wait I did for some time. While I waited I looked round the lobby and found a few disturbing notices – one a warning about a dangerous cocaine out on the streets and another telling me that everything was being recorded. Goes with the territory I guess.
So that was our visit to Dottie’s and we can certainly recommend it wholeheartedly. The food is top notch and certainly worth the wait.
Dottie’s is at 522 Jones Street in San Francisco.
July 08 2009 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
Lefty O'Doul Bridge being raised
On Father’s Day we had a great treat. Tom’s daughter Annie, her husband, Mitch, and grandson Brady (14 months) traveled from Eugene in Oregon to stay with us for a few days. Brady is a cutie and we kept us entertained all of Sunday.
(Click on the images for larger versions)
Monday Margaret took a day off work and we all set off for a day in San Francisco with no real plans in mind except to meet Tom’s brother, Jeff, for lunch at the Connecticut Yankee at the foot of Potrero Hill. Our first stop was McCovey Cove, right alongside AT&T Park – the home of the SF Giants (that’s a baseball team by the way for all the non Americans amongst us). Across the small cove we could see the park – one of the best in the country (feel free to dispute me if you wish). What distinguishes from all other ball parks is the giant Coca Cola bottle and a huge sculpture of a leather baseball glove.
To get to the ballpark, we had to cross the Lefty O’Doul bridge. Lefty O’Doul was born in San Francisco and was a Major League ball player. The bridge is a steel drawbridge which has no clearance at all so it has to be raised for even the smallest boat to pass underneath. We have walked over this bridge many times and had never seen it open. A copper plaque states that Strauss Engineering Company designed and built the bridge and was opened in 1933. Joseph Strauss, who headed Strauss Engineering Co, engineered both this and the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a very noisy bridge, due to the iron plates at the joints and the wooden roadbed. Tom got into a conversation with a bridge operator who told him the bridge was about to be raised. Apparently this is a daily feature just to make sure that everything is in working order.
We just had to watch this event and there we were with our cameras. A klaxon sounded, a barrier was lowered and bells clanged. Slowly the roadbed was raised and the huge concrete blocks, which balanced the whole structure, were lowered until they were almost resting on the road. Tom, who was standing in front of the blocks, was dwarfed. We all got a kick out of it, including Brady who clapped his hands and grinned throughout. The whole process was repeated in reverse and five minutes later the traffic was flowing again.
The ballpark is right next to the Lefty O’Doul bridge and that was our next stop. By the Lefty O’Doul entrance is a statue of former Giants pitcher Juan Marichal. Just outside the main entrance to the park is a statue of Willie Mays, one of the greatest ball players ever. He played for the SF Giants from 1958-72. In 1973, when playing for the New York Mets, he hit his 660th home run and stands at number four in the rankings. His godson, Barry Bonds, currently is at number one with 762 home runs. Willie Mays was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979. His statue outside the ballpark is surrounded by 24 palm trees in honor of his number 24 uniform, which was retired by the SF Giants.
When we walked past the Giants Dugout Store I noticed a board advertising tours of the ballpark . They are conducted every day at 10.30 and
AT&T Park. Home of The San Francisco Giants
12.30 expect on days when there is a home game. As Mitch is such a keen baseball fan and coaches a high school team back in Eugene, we decided this was an opportunity not to be missed and bought tickets for the 12.30 tour. That gave us enough time to move the car from a parking meter to a long term car park and pay a visit to Borders book store on the corner of 3rd and The Embarcadero. At 12.30 we were at the top of the stairs in the Giants Dugout Store with several other people waiting to begin the tour.
Our guide showed up on time and opened the roll up door leading to the ballpark and through it we all trooped. Just inside we gathered round as he introduced himself. The only trouble was we could hardly hear him. The sound of the traffic outside seemed to be magnified and that didn’t help but even when we were inside later on, hearing still was a problem as he was so quietly spoken. In order to hear what he was saying, you had to stand really close. In the end, we must have missed half of what he said, which was a pity because he had so many interesting things to tell us.
Our first stop was the Press Box. I’ve never seen a press box before but I’m guessing they are all very much the same. It is located on the lower level and overlooks home plate. There are several banks of counters and chairs. On a game day I can imagine the room filled with sports commentators and journalists all talking nineteen to the dozen. On the back wall are the shirts bearing the numbers which have been retired by the SF Giants.
Then we took a lift up several floors to the club level where we first walked through the tunnel to one of the general seating areas with a view down to the field and over McCovey Cove. Our guide said that the ballpark was originally planned to be built the other way round, look towards the west instead of the east but following some research on wind movement, when it was discovered the prevailing wind was from the west, it was decided to turn it 180 degrees thus overlooking the bay. He went on to tell us the history of the coke bottle – which is a children’s slide – and the glove sculpture. He went on to explain about splash hits – that’s when a home run is achieved by hitting the ball out of the park and into McCovey Cove. When Barry Bonds was scoring home runs and splash hits regularly a couple of years ago, there used to be a multitude of boats and kayaks, all waiting to retrieve any balls which landed in the water. I wonder, now that Barry Bonds has retired, whether there are so many boats out there on game days.
We walked back through another tunnel onto the outside promenade where our guide explained how the ballpark was built to withstand earthquakes by showing us an expansion joint. We then looked out over the Embarcadero and the Bay Bridge before turning back and entering a luxury suite. There are about 70 luxury suites at the ballpark, most used by private companies or individuals. There are two though which can be rented for about $10,000 a day. That overall price includes the cost of food. The one we entered could hold about 25 people, though I was not too impressed with the view of the field. Our tour continued down the corridor, past all the other luxury suites. All the doors were open so we can take a peek inside but were not allowed to go into any of them. They all were decorated by the users in a variety of baseball memorabilia. Willie Mays has one of the suites and, inside, the main pieces of furniture were two, very comfortable easy chairs. Along the corridor were a collection of lithographs of ballparks around the country. None of the names meant very much to me and, to be honest, they all looked the same. Of course, to baseball fanatics, every ballpark name conjures up memories of past teams and games.
Annie and Brady in the visitors dugout at AT&T Park
Halfway along the corridor we took a lift down to the Field Club Level and walked through a tunnel to some of the premium seating in the ballpark. Out on the field the groundsmen were mowing the grass. Mitch used to work at a golf club and knows a lot about the different types of grass. He was keen to talk to the groundsmen and here was his opportunity. While the guide led us to the visiting teams’ dugout he stopped and spoke to a couple of the men. Meanwhile we were hearing about how the seating areas and dugouts are cleaned after each game. First of all the rubbish is removed and then everything is washed down thoroughly. It was interesting to sit inside the dugout and have a player’s view of the field. Tom was fascinated by the beat up look of the wooden seat at the bag – ten years of abuse by players shoes and bats. Behind the dugout is another tunnel, this time leading to the indoor batting cages – all three of them.
Our last stop was the visiting team’s clubhouse. We saw the changing room and lockers where there is a baseball shirt up on the wall behind a perspex screen which has been signed by just about all the players who were in attendance the last day the Giants played at Candlestick Park. I was surprised how small the room was considering not only the size of some of the players but all the rest of the support people that must travel with them. We were also shown the laundry room and looked through a window into the Visiting Team Manager and his large collection of bobble heads.
The tour was advertised to last two hours and to cover over two miles of walking. It costs $12.50 for adults, $10.50 for seniors, $7.50 for children under 12 and free for children under 2. As the tour lasted nearly two and half hours, we certainly got our money’s worth and it was great to get a behind the scene tour and to see areas not normally visited by members of the public.
Needless to say we were a bit late getting to the Connecticut Yankee but as Jeff is the barman there it didn’t really matter. Tom had rung to let him know we were going to be late. Maybe it was just as well because the lunch time crowd had gone and the early evening drinkers had not arrived. We had a very nice lunch there without too much interruption. The only trouble being that this was the first time Jeff had seen Brady, his great nephew, but he slept most of the time we were there, due no doubt to all the exercise he had got on the tour.
If you are ever in San Francisco we thoroughly recommend the tour.
July 04 2009 | Neighborhoods and Special Places | 1 Comment »
Pork Store Cafe on Haight Street in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury neighborhood.
Before we took a tour of the Haight Ashbury neighborhood, we just had to stop for breakfast. It was just after 9 and we’d been up for five hours.
(Click on the image for a larger version)
Right opposite the yellow legs in fishnets and red high heels, sticking out of an upstairs window, is the Pork Street Cafe. It’s small with just half a dozen tables and 14 stools at the L-shaped counter. Every table was occupied so we grabbed two stools at the counter.
It’s a busy and bustling place. The noise level was high but it’s a happy chatter. There was no oatmeal on the menu, gosh darn, so I chose the granola with mixed fruit and yogurt . Granola, for my English friends and especially Sue in Taunton, is a bit like a cluster of mueseli but darker in color and sweeter. Tom ordered the chorizo special. We could hardly hear our server. We thought she was asking Tom whether he wanted ‘soap’ or biscuits. After she repeated herself a couple of times, we realized she was saying ‘toast’.
From our vantage point at the counter, we had a good view of all the work going on behind it. Our server got a bowl; removed fresh strawberries and blueberries out of the fridge; chopped a banana; added yogurt and, finally, a sprinkling of granola on top. Voila, my breakfast was ready. The short order cooks were busy cooking hash browns and eggs on the grill. With three servers and two cooks, there was not much room behind the counter but they co-ordinated perfectly.
On one wall there were 14 posters for the Haight Ashbury annual street fair. The event has been held since 1978 but the earliest one on display was dated 1979. The only other decoration in the place was a large and, I’m guessing , ceramic pig on top of the stainless steel hood over the grill. It’s obviously been up there some time because it looked a bit grubby and greasy.
Overlooking the cafe is a balcony or minstrel’s gallery with a bright pink
Haight Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco.
balustrade. At the back of the gallery were two doors and I thought they might be offices but I found out later what they were.
My breakfast was good. You can’t do much to ruin granola and yogurt after all. The fruit was fresh so that was a bonus. Tom enjoyed his chorizo special, one of the best for some time.
My trip to the restroom was an adventure. They are up a rickety, paint splattered staircase. I walked through an archway to the left and there I was on the balcony, looking down onto the customers eating breakfast and with a birds eye view of the hard work going on behind the counter. There was only one restroom and it was pretty unspectacular. I’ve been in many worse but loads that were far superior. The one thing which caught my attention and made me giggle was the soap – or should I say the soap dispenser. It was in a huge plastic container and the liquid inside was bright pink (to match the balustrade outside I guess). The label on the side indicated it could be used for dishes and hands!
The Pork Stree Cafe is certainly worth a visit if you are in the Haight Ashbury area for both its food and novelty value.
February 01 2009 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
Spire - Andy Goldsworthy
Still in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, our next stop was Andy Goldsworthy’s new sculpture called ‘The Spire’ in The Presidio. From Crissy Field, we drove up Baker Street and, after a couple of turns, found ourselves on Lyon Street. Opposite Liverpool Lil’s, an English style pub which has been around for over 30 years, is one of the entrances, to the Presidio on Lombard Street. Just inside on the right is the Letterman Digital Arts Center, the new home for LucasFilm. In 2005 George Lucas moved both his Industrial Light and Magic and the LucasArts studios from San Rafael to under one roof in the Presidio. The Letterman Army Medical Center used to be on the site..
The Presidio covers nearly 1500 acres. It was an army post for over 200 years but became part of the National Park Service in 1994. We meandered through the Presidio, passing recently refurbished residential areas. Our destination was Inspiration Point, which is to the south of the park near the golf course. After driving past the Visitors Center, situated in the Officers Club near the main parade square, we turned onto Arguello Drive, past the golf club and eventually came to Inspiration Point. Just before turning left into the car park, we spotted the sculpture to our left.
It was just a short walk from the car park, across Aguello Drive and up a rough track to the new sculpture, which stands on a ridge looking down onto Inspiration Point and out over the bay towards Alcatraz and Angel Island. The site is still raw and the landscaping has not quite been completed. There are still cones and plastic tape preventing entry to several places.
Andy Goldsworthy is a remarkable British sculptor. He uses materials found in the environment – twigs, leaves, ice,
Looking up The Spire in The Presidio, San Francisco
stone, driftwood, etc. Most of his structures are not built to last. In fact some disappear very fast. Two of his more permanent pieces of work can be found in the Bay Area – Drawn Stone outside the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and Stone River at Stanford University in Palo Alto. The Spire was constructed last October. It is made up of the trunks of cypress trees which had been felled on the site because they were unhealthy. The structure looks like a branchless tree and is about 100′ tall. The sculpture is surrounded by newly planted cypress trees which are only inches tall at the moment. Eventually they will be as tall as The Spire. At the moment, it stands out like a sore thumb but, as the small trees grow, it will disappear and will eventually rot away or will have to be dismantled if it becomes unsafe.
It was amazing to stand at the base and look up to the top. I felt so small and insignificant. It will be interesting to see how the site changes over time.
January 28 2009 | Special Places | No Comments »
Full Moon over the Golden Gate Bridge
There was not only a full moon last night but it was also the biggest moon in fifteen years. As today promises to be a nice day, and hopefully no fog, we decided to leave really early (we were on the road by 5 a.m.) and drive to Crissy Field in the city to see if we can get some nice shots of the moon and the Golden Gate Bridge. Crissy Field is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Presidio of San Francisco
(Click on the image for a larger version)
At 5.55 we were on Geary in the city, waiting outside Peet’s, for it to open. We watched as the chairs were taken off the tables inside and the outside tables and chairs were arranged. But we were not the first customers. As we got out of the car, somebody nipped in front.
We sat for half an hour drinking our coffee – black for Tom with a muffin and a small, light vanilla latte for me. Tom read the New York Times on his Kindle. I, as usual, wrote.
It was still dark when we turned off Park Presidio onto Doyle Drive. The view of the city, Angel Island and Alcatraz, lit up and silhouetted by the moonlight, was amazing but it was insignificant to the sight which was to astound us momentarily.
We parked in the East Beach car park at Crissy Field. If you have never been to Crissy Field, let me tell you about it. It is a large tract of land between the Marina and the Golden Gate Bridge. Originally it was a salt marsh. It was the site of an international exposition in 1915. During World War II it became an army camp and a military airfield. In the late 1990′s, work began to restore the site back to a salt marsh. Today it is a magnet for walkers, joggers and dog walkers. The beach is sandy and the view of the Golden Gate Bridge is unrivaled.
The Palace of Fine Arts is a landmark to the south of Crissy Field. It was built as a ruin for the 1915 exposition and was intended to be demolished afterwards but it is still standing. During World War II the building was used by the army for storage. By the 1960′s it was in ruins and designated as unsafe. In 1964 it was demolished and reconstruction began. It opened as a museum in 1969. Now it house the Exploratorium and a 1,000 seat theater.
Our timing was perfect. It was 6.45 and still dark. The moon was huge and suspended over the bridge. Fog is always a possibility in the morning here but the sky was clear. We jumped out of the car. Tom took his tripod and camera out of the trunk and I grabbed my camera. Immediately we started taking photos and for the next hour we didn’t stop. There were a few other serious photographers around, some with very good cameras and lenses, all intent on getting that perfect shot.
I have never seen since a marvelous sight. There were tears in my eyes. A man, who was walking along the edge of the beach, was on his cell phone. I could hear him telling somebody that they should get down to Crissy Field as quickly as possible. I took shots from lots of different angles as the moon slowly dropped towards the southern tower. At one stage it appeared to be right on top of the tower. As it sank even lower, the sky behind me gradually became lighter. Just before 7.45 it disappeared out of sight behind the Marin Headlands.
Tom and I made our way back to the car. It was now fully light and indeed it is going to be a nice sunny day. I just hope that some of our photos can recapture a few of those moments but we won’t know until we get home.
January 18 2009 | Special Places | No Comments »
Old silos along the San Francisco Bay
Our route from Candlestick Point to the Embarcadero was through some of the least desirable neighborhoods of San Francisco. At one point we stopped and Tom took some photos of an old concrete building.
(Click on the images for larger versions)
In the city, we parked in the Howard Street Car Park. They have a good deal for patrons of the Farmers Market – $5 all day until 6 pm.
The walk from the car park to the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero was as absorbing as usual. Lots of joggers around plus a few homeless souls. Mostly though the walkers were either going to or coming back heavily laden from the Farmers Market.
We were on the lookout for breakfast of course. At the entrance to the Farmers Market was a stall selling several breakfast items but at $9 for an egg sandwich, served on a paper plate, seemed a bit steep. Tom made his way to Peet’s for coffee while I meandered round a bit trying a few of the free samples. For starters I had a piece of bread dipped in olive oil. At the next stall I tried a few pieces of cheese and then at a third stall I had a piece of juicy Naval orange.
I joined Tom in Peet’s. He had his usual black coffee and I had hot chocolate. We sat outside on a seat overlooking
The Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco
the bay and enjoyed the view and the sunshine. A pigeon and a blackbird were eying the scone Tom was eating and waiting for the crumbs to fall.
We then took a tour of the market, bought a herb slab at Acme Bread and some rather special goat cheese at the Achadinha Cheese Company stall. The cheese was called Capricious and it won Best in Show at the American Cheese Society’s annual contest in 2002. Finally we bought a couple of large Naval oranges. We sat for a while, broke off bits of the bread and goat cheese and watched the world go by. What a wonderful breakfast. The bread was soft and the cheese was delicious and it was half the price of the egg sandwiches we were contemplating earlier. Who would want to be anywhere else on such a perfect day?
Inside the beautifully restored Ferry Building
Afterwards we went into the Ferry Building to check out the shops. We didn’t hang around there long as the place was heaving. What we did do though was to exit the building and climb the stairs outside to the second floor. There it was very quiet and peaceful but we could look down to the crowds below on the ground floor. A good tip for anyone wanting to use the restroom – ladies don’t stand in line for twenty minutes on the ground floor but climb to the second floor where there are two large restrooms which are hardly used.
Back on the Embarcadero we carried on walking north. Just past the Pier 1 building, we turned towards the bay. Tom wandered to the end of the pier to take photos and I found a convenient bench in the sun to catch up with my writing. The promenade has a green, wrought iron railing with a brass rail at the water’s edge and attached to the whole length are plaques with quotes about San Francisco. Tom and I have cycled along here – see this earlier post . Today though I was distracted from my writing by a crew of two men meticulously cleaning the brasswork. It is fascinating to watch people working, when you are sitting in the sunshine with time to spare.
It was time to make our way back to the car park. We crossed the Embarcadero and sauntered through the various craft stalls between the Embarcadero and Market Street. We then turned left and walked down Steuart to the car park on Howard.
January 11 2009 | Special Places | No Comments »
Candlestick Point. Looking east across the bay. Early morning.
After our whirlwind trip to England for Christmas and our few days of recovery over New Year, it was time to leave our warm cocoon, get off the couch and get some fresh air.
We decided to drive to the city and go to the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building, stopping off at Candlestick Point SRA on the way. Last time we drove to the city past Candlestick Point I remarked that I have never visited that area. Of course, Candlestick Park on Candlestick Point is the home of the San Francisco 49nrs. Tom has been here a few times to see the 49ers play and many times to see the Giants before AT&T Park was built. He remembers it as being a very windy place so we went dressed in layers and with scarfs, gloves and hats.
When we set out, it was just getting light. It was a bit hazy and the Coastal Range was completely obliterated. Driving up the peninsula, we could see the hills on the East Bay but still nothing on the right.
We turned off 101 at the Candlestick Point exit and drove towards the stadium. This is no place to come on game days. Then it is wall to wall people and the roads are all one way. But there was not another person or car in sight. All the huge car parks were completely empty.
Candlestick Point SRA is on the right, so we drove until we found an entrance. The car park is huge and there were several other cars parked there. The only other living things there when we arrived were half a dozen huge black crows, Close up they do look rather scary.
We didn’t need the scarfs, hats or gloves because it was not windy at all. In fact, although cold, if was a very pleasant sunny morning. Once out of the car, we made our way towards the water and turned left. We could see a huge crane off to the right in the distance and I thought it was on the point. So we set off to see if we could get close to it.
The park itself is not so impressive. It’s a bit shoddy and run down. There were plenty of picnic tables around and we passed one group BBQ place. There was a frost on the ground and the picnic tables were coated in white.
There are a few sea birds out on the water and the view towards the San Mateo Bridge in the bright sunlight was noteworthy.
We followed a paved path which at one point was fenced off and a new path built higher up. The old path had been partly eroded away in places.
Before long, the path turned and went back the way we had come. There was a
Cement blocks at Candlestick Point
beaten track to the right, so we took it. This was obviously and unofficial trail but looked well used. It crossed scrub land and over a band of stones encased in chicken wire. We walked between stands of fennel and the slightly licorice smell was a welcome relief. Tom said the whole area was landfill and there was a pervasive smell of methane around.
The trail twisted and turned and we had no real idea of where we would land up. At one point we passed a pile of concrete blocks placed carefully on top each other to form a sort of wall and they were covered in graffiti. At the end of the trail we came to a large car park – obviously over flow parking for Candlestick Park. It didn’t look as though it was well used though. We walked around the edge for a while and then found another trail towards what we correctly assumed to be the actual point. We discovered that the crane we had seen earlier was not in fact on the point at all.
Somehow we managed to find our way back to the graffiti covered concrete blocks and thence back to the car.
In all honesty, we cannot recommend Candlestick Point Park for it’s beauty but it is nonetheless interesting.
January 08 2009 | Special Places | No Comments »
We planned to go and see a movie and wanted to see ‘Milk’ with Sean Penn, which opened on Wednesday, but it is not in local movie theaters yet. It is playing in San Francisco though so, on the spur of the moment, we decided to go up to the city. It was playing in several locations up there but we picked The Castro Theater on Castro Street – the very place which is featured heavily in the film.
For those of you who have never heard of the main character – Harvey Milk – (and I certainly hadn’t heard of him until I came to live in California), I will enlighten you. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in the USA. He, along with Mayor George Moscone, were assassinated by another elected official named Dan White in 1978. It was a very sad and painful time for San Francisco. The Castro is the center of the gay movement in San Francisco.
The first showing was at 10 a.m. and we arrived in Castro Street at 9.30. Already there was a line outside the theater and it took us ages to find a parking place. We bought tickets for the later performance at 1 p.m. and decided to explore the neighborhood. First of all though we found somewhere for breakfast.
After breakfast, we returned to Collingwood Street where we’d parked the car to get Tom’s camera. From there we continued up the hill and turned left on 20th. No two houses look the same and most of them are really pretty. Two smaller houses had gardens instead of the usual flight of stairs up to the front door and these gardens had flowers in them. The first of them had several different types of roses and one of them smelt gorgeous.
At the junction with Castro Street, we turned left and walked down the hill. Here we were still walking past residential houses. One on the other side of the road particularly caught my attention as it was painted a lovely shade of navy with the windows painted white. Opposite though was a semi detached in need of a little care and attention but they had one endearing feature – each had three front doors.
The shops started when we crossed 19th. The very first one was the Buffalo Whole Food and Grain Company and was a grocery store with brightly colored fresh fruit on display outside. I don’t intend to list every shop but I will mention those which caught my eye. I did go into Pro Plus – which is mini post office and sells stationery – to buy a small notebook because I’d left mine at home. Now at last I could start writing notes. On this block is Luna where Tom and I had breakfast earlier. One interesting shop further along, called Whatever, had an eye catching window display of retro toys, especially super heroes like Superman, Wonder Women, Hulk and the Flesh Eating Zombies, to name but a few.
As this is The Castro, there are a lot of shops displaying sexually explicit items and clothing. It all adds to the charm of the place.
Dolma, which sells Himalayan gifts and handicrafts, confused me a bit. I thought the window display contained sweets. What confused me were some smooth pebbles in a basket which looked like candy to me at first glance and in the basket nearby were some orange packages which looked just like a brand of nougat I’m fond off. On closer inspection they turned out to be incense! Under One Roof had a marvelous display of brightly colored fish, jelly fish and sea horses suspended from the ceiling.
Between 18th Street and Market the only shops which made me stop and look in were A. G. Farrari – fine Italian grocer since 1919 and Louie’s barber shop.
I waited at the end of Castro Street for Tom to catch me up and looked around. Market Street was bustling
and an old green trolley squealed round 17th onto Market. Behind me the huge rainbow flag fluttered in the breeze. I noticed the gas station across the street was selling gas from $1.87 a gallon, To think that two months ago it was selling for over $4 a gallon. It was fun to watch everybody walking by. This is really a nice neighborhood and it is a pleasure to walk around it. I don’t feel threatened at all.
When Tom caught up with me and taken a few photos, we crossed over and walked down the other side of Castro Street. On the corner is Twin Peaks which is a cocktail bar. Here it is only 11.10 and already the place is crowded. Further down is The Bead Store with some beautiful beaded model statues in the window. Next door but one is Castro Cheesery. Even though I pressed my face to the window and glanced in the door I could see no sign of any cheese for sale. There was lots of coffee though.
Then we came to the Castro Theater. This is a wonderful building built in 1922 and still going strong. It fits in so well with the area with its huge highly decorated awning and it’s enormous neon sign. It is the last remaining single screen movie theater in San Francisco and proud of it. More about the inside later though.
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December 07 2008 | Neighborhoods | 1 Comment »
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