A place to watch the world go by

As we looked for an apartment in San Francisco, one of my big criterion was a window, overlooking a street, where I could put a table and chairs and watch the traffic, both foot and auto.  I had gotten this idea from my daughter’s Berkeley apartment where her dining table overlooked a street with a large church as well as People’s Park.  The street was a thoroughfare leading to the UC Berkeley campus as well as downtown Berkeley.  Never a dull moment, and I knew I wanted something similar in San Francisco.

I got my wish in quadruplet!  I have the bay where I can watch all sorts of ship and boat traffic.  The cargo ships come from all over the world. Then there is Herb Caen Way along the Embarcadero, a wide stretch of pedestrian walkway for dog walking, jogging, and people walking to and from a variety of places.  The Embarcadero is a main thoroughfare leading in and out of San Francisco, especially to its tourist attractions like Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf.  And finally there is a train track that shuttles Muni cars as well as old fashioned trolleys back and forth.

The world goes by

I can sit here for hours and watch the traffic–nautical, auto, and pedestrian.  On Saturdays there are weddings on the lawn of Cupid’s Span, or the wedding parties taking photos, capturing the bridge and bay view.  The ferries come and go from across the bay.  The Harbor Court Hotel is across the street.  I wonder who stays there.  What are the rooms like?  In juxtaposition to all this is the homeless. The homeless encampments change almost daily, but some come and stay for long periods.  I have become acquainted with Sondra with whom I share our food.

Sometimes I feel that I am in a big cartoon with all the antics going on outside my window.  There is always something happening, never a dull moment.  Just like I wanted, a place to watch the world go by, literally.

I did the driving, Terry did the shooting

No, dear Reader, I have not joined one of the many gangs in Fresno and become a gun moll.

Last Saturday Terry volunteered as a photographer for Rebuilding Together, San Francisco, and was assigned three locations at which to shoot photos.  He knew he wanted to get in-progress pictures as well as the finished project so he would be making a series of visits.  Parking, in San Francisco, is at a premium.  That is nicely saying, there ain’t any.  So it was decided, I would drive by, drop Terry, park somewhere and wait for him to call me to drive back by to make the trek to the next site.  I got pretty good at maneuvering through those narrow streets, up and down hills.

I had to amuse myself during the waiting periods so I took my own photos and I did a lot of Facebook updates.  Thought I would share a few of the photos with you, dear Reader.  San Francisco is such an amazing place.  These photos, except the last ones, are in an area called Silver Terrace, which butts up to Bayview/Hunters Point.

These houses are down the hill from Thurgood Marshall High School.  Here is the back of the school which overlooks downtown and the bay:

That grass is astroturf, by the way.  Holds up well to high school feet trampling it all day.

There is also a great overlook from the school.  I just know these kids don’t appreciate the views they have at this school.

My Subaru Forester handled the steep hills and narrow roads very well.  However, I kept wishing I had a smart car to fit in tight places.

This steep street made me nervous. After I had parked I noticed all these little old ladies walking up and down the sidewalks.  Must be the best exercise around.

And this was the view from our apartment window that greeted us when we finally returned.

Terry noticed a wedding party down on the grassy area so ran down and shot a few more photos.  This last one is his.

I have since realized that this is my 500th post.  Just want to put a celebratory note on this piece.