November 28, 2004
Seattle
The Space Needle towers over Seattle and is the defining feature of this city's skyline.
Seattle is surrounded by water, and on a beautiful day the sun just blinds you.
Posted by Samer at 11:11 AM | Comments (0)
November 22, 2004
The Golden Gate
This is one of the most amazing pieces of architecture on the face of the planet. Beautiful, yet very very functional, the Golden Gate Bridge is one of my favorite places on Earth. This is the view from the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate.
The shadow of the bridge over the Golden Gate is very imposing. The Gate is the break between the cliffs that leads into the bay.
Container ships are huge. Completely huge. This one dwarfed the pleasure boats in the bay as it headed under the bridge and out to the Pacific.
The bridge from the other side. I hiked up to the Marin County Headlands and from there, the deck of the bridge is below you. It is a fantastic site.
Looking from Marin back through the cables of the bridge at San Francisco.
I just love this picture. Evening was setting in as I walked back from Marin to San Francisco. What a great sunset.
Posted by Samer at 12:51 AM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2004
Light Speed
I love the cable cars. Took a couple of rides on them, and while waiting for the return trip I took this eight second exposure. These things fly.
Posted by Samer at 12:31 PM | Comments (2)
November 16, 2004
Union Square
The weather was perfect in San Francisco after the first day. Union Square provided a nice place to stop for a moment and enjoy the scene.
They were already putting up the Christmas tree. It was more than a bit ironic that it was in the mid-sixties that day.
Saturday morning and the square gets transformed into an art show. Lots of mediocre stuff, but some good art, too.
Posted by Samer at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)
Art?
Apparently this is what passes for fine art in this day and age. I saw this as I was meandering on Market St in San Francisco. The window does say "Contemporary Fine Art". And yes, it is the hood of a Trans Am. And there were two of them.
Posted by Samer at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)
November 15, 2004
Magnolia
After a long walk around Golden Gate Park, I headed down Haight to find this wonderful brewpub. Just a short skip from the fabled intersection of Haight and Ashbury, Magnolia is one of the best pubs I've ever been to.
Ben, the brewer at Magnolia, was kind enough to show me around their cramped brewing facilities. It is always great to meet the guy who brewed the beer you just drank. There's a real camaraderie between brewers and anyone who takes an interest in what they do. Ben was no different, showing me around and giving me a sample of one of their beers.
There's this great mural that wraps around most of the bar at Magnolia. This is just one small bit of it.
Posted by Samer at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
Golden Gate Park
One of the prettiest TV towers in the country stands tall over Golden Gate Park.
It was a most wonderfully pretty day in San Francisco. Some people were out flying kites in the fields between the trees.
There was this very beautiful carousel house tucked away in the park. Very pretty and enclosed so that the kids could enjoy it even when it rains.
Yes, it is a working carousel with all sorts of little people riding it.
The Conservatory of Flowers is a very beautiful building in the park. It is a bit of a hot house, and I was already warm from walking all over the place, so I didn't go in.
Posted by Samer at 08:32 PM | Comments (1)
November 12, 2004
Toronado
Outside Toronado on Haight. This is a great beer bar that serves some phenomenal brews. The atmosphere is kinda dive-ish, but it is a lot of fun. An excellent spot for a drink or three.
This is part of a long wall of opened and, presumable, consumed three liter bottles of Duvel. That's a lot of really high octane beers.
The bar at Toronado is a metal one. The staff here are quite knowledgeable, and were happy to pick good local beers for me.
Posted by Samer at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)
Lined up
The Trolleys all lined up on Powell Street waiting to their turn to be turned around and sent back up the hill.
Posted by Samer at 02:32 AM | Comments (0)
San Francisco Trolley
The only moving national park. The San Francisco Trolley is an institution, and a great, if touristy, way to see parts of the city. And they run until midnight.
Posted by Samer at 02:28 AM | Comments (0)