The Island of the Pelicans

Innocent sounding enough, but Native Americans avoided it, believing it to be cursed.  Early Spanish explorers initially called it La Isla de los Alcatraces, after the flocks of migratory birds that nest there; it would later be known simply as Alcatraz.  First a lighthouse, then a military garrison and prison, and finally, and most infamously, a federal prison housing only the most troublesome inmates who had a penchant for escape elsewhere.

Even during one of the most beautiful days I've ever experienced in San Francisco and amidst the throngs of tourists, there's something unsettling and eerie about the place.  Beyond the rumors of it being haunted, it's bleak and cold.  The natural light that streamed into the cell block created harsh contrasts and the incandescent lighting inside the cells themselves cast a sickly yellow tinge upon everything and everyone inside them.  It was a stark contrast to the glorious weather outside.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was meeting an actual former prisoner, Bill Baker.  He has written a book about his experience and happened to be on-island during our visit.  We were fortunate enough to get signed copies and ask some questions... of course the boyfriend being far more thoughtful than I, asked the better question: What would you have mailed yourself, if you could have? He responded hilariously that he would have mailed himself either a pretty woman or a speedboat to get off the island.  It's amazing to me that he was able to maintain good spirits and humor despite all of that time locked up in a bleak environment not optimized to actually rehabilitate anyone.

Freedom and captivity

Welcome to Alcatraz

Cell blocks

A key hanging from the gun gallery

On any other island, it would just be a glorious day.  On Alcatraz, it further underscores the dilapidation.

So close, yet so far.

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Active Shooting Hours: 4
Review Hours: 2
Hours to Date: 132

Sea Lions and San Francisco

The sea lions at Pier 39 are a San Franciscan institution, though they arrived to the docks only a few months before the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989.  They bark constantly and playfully jostle for space on the wooden docks, pleasing tourists, marine biologists, and the occasional photog.

Some of these shots were difficult purely because I couldn't get any closer to the animals beyond using the 55-200mm zoom lens, which made composition a challenge.  Some of that was resolved with post-editing and liberal use of cropping, but it makes me yearn for a telephoto lens.  I don't need one, but any stretch of the imagination, but I would love to be able to zoom in to capture expression in detail when moving closer isn't an option.

Still, I managed to get several interesting images out of 40 or so tries.

The sea lions' view of the city

Unsurprisingly, they all were gathered on the docks furthest away from the viewing area.

Making a ruckus

Plenty of dock space to go around

Active Shooting Hours: 1
Review Hours: 0.5
Hours to Date: 126

Halls of Science

72 Nobel prizes, 15 Turing Awards, discovery of 16 elements on the periodic table (more than any other university in the world... Go Bears!), University of California, Berkeley and Berkeley Labs are collectively a heavy hitter when it comes to scientific discovery, research, and contribution.  And then, of course, there's the California Academy of Science... natural history museum by day, club and bar for the scientifically-minded on Thursday nights with its Nightlife events.  Aside from the nostalgia of revisiting old stomping grounds, I wanted to to capture the exploratory, innovative, and erudite spirit of these places in an image.

This was a tough endeavor since the lighting in both places were harsh.  At Berkeley, it was early afternoon with the sun bearing down and buildings created shadow, which resulted in unwanted shadows.  At the Academy of Science, there was harsh overhead lighting in the rainforest exhibit and no flash photography allowed anywhere.  Not to mention people everywhere in both places... and not helpful crowds blending in the background to add to the scene, but random individuals wearing obnoxiously bright and distracting floral patterns that distracted the eye.

Not as successful as I would have liked, but I still managed to have a great time... of course, the drinks at Nightlife helped with that!!

Looking from North side back towards the Campinile... otherwise known as how engineers see campus.

The lighting of this photo is all off since the background is in bright sunlight and the foreground has the bear statues in the shadow of the building to the right.  Opening the aperture or slowing shutter speed resulted in blown out sky and bears that were in shadow.  I'm not sure this could have been corrected with just the camera given the natural light and short of waiting for the sun to be in the right spot at the right time.  Even with a neutral density filter that would tint the sky and not the ground, the vertical lamppost and the Campanile itself would be exposed incorrectly since they both would cross the neutral density filter line.  Tricky.

Pterodactyl in the Valley Life Sciences Building

Rainforest dome in the California Academy of Science... it was 80 degrees and 80% humidity in there!

Monster of the deep.

Looking up.

More Science

Active Shooting Hours: 1.5
Review Hours: 1
Hours to Date: 124.5

Berkeley by Day, San Francisco by Night

Not unlike college days of old, I wandered Berkeley by day and then hopped on BART to play in the city at night.  It's amazing how natural it all felt and there was the bonus of being mistaken for a student and a local when more than one person stopped me for directions.  I also retained my uncanny ability to nap on BART and wake up just in time for my stop - mildly interesting superpower?

Despite loving the conveniences and logical city planning of suburban paradise, I do find the order confining and uninspiring at times.  It's hard to find inspiration when you're staring at the back of a Prius that nearly backed into you in the parking lot of Whole Foods (true story).  Still, I find that plenty of people who live in the old cities with architectural masterpieces let their mundane daily agendas drive their attention and they miss the forest for the trees.  It's probably why they always say it's important to travel and see the world for all the wonders it has to offer.

This was also my first attempt at nighttime photography with a tripod - definitely a third time's a charm situation since I lugged that thing all over the place and finally got to use it my last night in the city.  Good thing it's only 2lbs and conveniently fits into my camera bag.  Also would have doubled nicely as a makeshift bludgeon in the unlikely yet possible event that we would have been jumped by weirdos.  I love how the shots came out even though they were pretty stock in nature and not particularly visually dramatic.

Campanile over Wheeler - some of my favorite classes were in that building

Sather Gate - fun discovery: the lights have swirly lightbulbs in them

Two of the larger bells of the carillon in the Campanile

San Francisco City Hall

Columns at the Palace of Fine Arts

Palace of Fine Arts

Seeing the city through the trees

Coit Tower

The Bay Lights installation on the Bay Bridge

Hours to Date: 41
More Berkeley
More San Francisco in the Dark

On Sundays, We Have Brunch

I miss Sunday brunches in San Francisco... and more specifically, Sunday brunches in the Castro, the veritable gay Mecca of the world.  There are so many fantastic and amazingly delicious little bistros and cafes, all replete with eggs benedict, bacon, mimosas, and bloody marys - the latter two generally having some kind of bottomless form.  Sure, there are Sunday brunches elsewhere, but they just aren't the same.  And it's always one of those game on brunches when one is specifically told to take BART into the city so no one has to drive.

Aside from the amazing food, there's always something to see and someone to meet in the Castro, whether it be the random guerrilla artwork that pops up or some bedazzled festival-goer.  And among all of the characters, I've met some genuinely hilarious, accepting, and fun people there - it's a refreshing thing to be in a place where people can have a good time without passing judgment or ridicule.  In fact, we saw some of the attendees of Dore Alley later in the afternoon.  An offshoot of the Folsom Street Festival, Dore Alley is also a leather and BDSM festival and the attendees definitely get all decked out with leashes, harnesses, and assless chaps.  To date, I still haven't managed a trip to the Castro without seeing at least a few naked butts at some point during the day, but more power to them... I definitely would not be shaking my cheeks to the wind.

Don't worry, I kept all the photos G rated.

Above-ground power lines

No mistaking which neighborhood we're in

Bear crossing?  Pretty sure that's not a city-sanctioned sign!

Aptly-named "millionaire's bacon" - so good.  And I inhaled the rest of my brunch before getting pictures :(.

Found hanging off the side of a building - a gay mobile with kissing Ken dolls.  I really wish I had my zoom lens on, but had to settle for the 35mm since we were migrating to the next stop.

Hours to Date: 36

The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent was a Summer in San Francisco

The coolest quote Mark Twain never actually said... though it's a pithy witticism that would be so characteristic of one Samuel Clemens.  It was seriously cold though, a brisk wind the entire morning and a gloomy fog hanging over the city that never fully lifted.

I love visiting this city though I would never want to live here... like other great American cities of old, I find a lot of inspiration and room for reflection when surrounded by buildings and monuments that have seen the best and the worst of things - if only the walls could speak, what would they say?

We began our morning with coffee at Four Barrel and breakfast at Tartine in the Mission and then found our way in Russian Hill at Lombard & Hyde among the tourists to look at the 8 hairpin turns of that crooked street.  From there, we headed to Fisherman's Wharf & Pier 39 and waved across the bay at the Campanile, which we only found through the haze by finding The Claremont Hotel first.  After lunch at Boudin's to have the famously tart sourdough (apparently unique because of the humidity & weather in the Bay - the starter dough was actually brought from Europe, but after being exposed to SF weather, it developed that characteristic sourness), we made a quick jaunt to Fort Point to get pictures of Golden Gate before heading back.  I also made a detour to Bi-Rite before jumping on BART back to the East Bay.

I'm behind in posting since I also took pictures in Napa and brunch in the Castro, but those will come soon when I get a free moment from taking pictures to actually update and post!

Coit Tower & Bay Bridge from the top of Hyde & Lombard - I clambered up and nearly fell off a brick wall getting this shot

Walking around Fisherman's Wharf

Alcatraz, as seen from Fisherman's Wharf

Sea lions at Pier 39

Practicing for the America's Cup

Bay Bridge from Pier 39

Berkeley & the Campanile from Pier 39, zoomed in and contrast increased to see through the haze

The bar at Boudin's

Golden Gate with the characteristic fog hanging about

Vaillancourt Fountain with the Ferry Building clock tower in the background

Hours to Date: 30