alamo square

hello and welcome to the fourth and final round of my foodbuzz blogger festival recaps!  dang, this has taken longer than i expected. thanks for reading along~even though it makes you guys jealous

i misssss regular food blogging, to tell you the truth! as fun as it is to recap, i haven’t been taking photos of my food this week because i knew i wouldn’t be blogging about it and yep, i miss it. i also miss telling you about my workouts.  for the record, i went to a 5:45 AM spin class this morning! that is unheard of for me! it was awesome. and now i have my whole night to relax.  if you miss my daily rambles and whatnot, follow me on twitter because i have been rambling a lot on there!

anyway, i left off at the end of saturday~i stayed up WAY later than i should have and posted round one of my recaps.  after a short 5 hours of sleep, i woke up feeling sleepy but excited to meet up with deb again!!

allison & i walked to deb’s hotel and we set out on foot for a nice long walk along the embarcadero.  we walked from pier two or three all the way to pier thirty i believe.  it was so fun chatting with these two ladies about blogs, food and life in general.  it kills me that we all live so far apart!

we managed to get someone to snap a photo for us~

after our walk we said our goodbyes to deb and headed back up to the room to pack our bags and SOMEHOW fit all the swag into every nook and cranny of our suitcases!  i ate this pear while packing.. it was an item in one of the swag bags.

oh houndstooth carpet, i love you.

we then checked out of the hotel and took a cab to restaurant lulu.. not to worry, ashley gave the cab driver her jar of olives that came in her swag bag.  he was more than stoked.

the brunch was GLORIOUS.. we walked in and right up front was a bloody mary bar sponsored by skyy vodka.. we all skipped out on this, but still took photos of course. that is what we do.

the brunch was sponsored by nature’s pride bread.  when i looked at the buffet spread i was ecstatic to see SALADS.. i was craving veggies like nobody’s business!  i loaded up on the deliciousness of it all.

i actually took a photo of the wrong label of the pear salad. my version was the nonvegan one with big hunks of fabulous blue cheese pears and blue cheese pair SO well together!

i was REAL happy when i saw the frittata was made with mushrooms and my new favorite cheese: kerrygold aged cheddar with irish whiskey! drooool

i didn’t get a photo, but they had some delicious breakfast sandwiches made with smoked ham, kerrygold swiss (my dad’s favorite!) & truffle mustard all on nature’s pride 100% whole wheat.

they also had a huge pan of french toast made with nature’s pride’s latest bread variety~nutty oat!

my loooaded plate:

yum. washed it all down with black coffee that allison and i agreed was a tad on the gaggy side.

we said our goodbyes to our fellow bloggie friends and peaced outta there.

and then there was a parade.

hmmmm random. it is not every day you run into a parade in san fran! but we were lucky as can be.. i guess.

i had to go to the puma store to snag marshall a shirt and so ashley & jasmine went with me and allison & quinn started walking toward golden gate park.  we told them we would catch up with them after the puma store.

after i snagged a long sleeve T for marsh, we checked out a few other stores and then started walking to catch up with the other girls.  we ended up running into a dope farmer’s market!

this guy was our friend! he kept giving us samples of nuts and dried fruit. so delish.

MUSHROOOOOM HEAVEN!

have you ever seen such tiny jicama?!?  

purple peas? who knew. not me.

GIANT squash! try to get your mouth around that one jasmine!

i had no idea brussel sprouts grew like this. did you?

lots of photos loved the market. i didn’t buy anything since i already was packed to the brim as far as my luggage situation went!

after the market we said goodbye to jasmine because she had to catch her flight

ashley and i kept on trekking trying to catch up with the other girls. i am fairly certain we walked for over two hours. i was in flip flopsss. no bueno. we finally made it to alamo square.. full house opening scene anyone?

we got a call from the others telling us that their destination (the cliff house) was way further than expected and they were going to catch the bus. we totally sat down right where we were (which was in a neighborhood somewhere) and called a cab.  while waiting for the cab we were sitting on some steps. then.. a bus came! so we hopped up and hopped on! lalala, riding the bus.

oh. shit.

my puma bag was not in my hands.  UGHHHH! i left it back on the step we were sitting on.. we hopped up to get on the bus so suddenly that i must have left it behind! grumble. we hopped OFF the bus, walked back about 4 blocks. it was gone.. of course. double grumble!

we eventually caught a cab.. told him where we were going. he laughed hysterically when we told him that we were going to walk there. apparently it was WAAAAYYYY beyond walking distance. hah. he let us off at the cliff house and the scenery was well worth the journey.

we FINALLLLY met up with quinn & allison!

we all look pretty happy but i think it is safe to say we were all very exhausted.  and hungry.. sort of. we all sat down at a restaurant but by the time we got menus marisa and the fam had arrived to pick me up and whisk me away to the airport

so let me point out the irony here:

we split up from the others to go to the puma store. we spent the whole rest of the day trying to catch up with them. i LEFT MY FREAKING PUMA PURCHASE on the step in some random spot. by the time we did catch up to them i had to leave.. and remember, the only reason we split up was so i could get marshall a puma shirt. which i don’t have. someone in san fran does though.

isn’t it ironic? doncha think?

sigh.

i lovingly wrapped all my knick knacks swag in bubble wrap before heading to the airport.  thanks for your help ree!

and then i was off! back to the SLC. after a long, long day.

welp, there you have it! my recap of san fran in all it’s entirety! hope you enjoyed all four installments!!

i really, really, REALLY enjoyed attending the festival.  some people thought i was pretty crazy to be flying to california and rooming with a bunch of people i had never met.. sharing beds with “strangers”.. but you know what? i never once was worried about it. i knew i wanted to go from the minute i heard about it and i am so glad i went.  i can’t even explain to you how amazing it was to meet so many of my online blogging friends in person and to get to know each other better.  i am totally serious about buying an island and all of us moving there

if you want to see more of the festival, check out these lovely blogs: danica, allison, quinn, jasmine, ashley, brandi, brittany, coco, sophia, meghann, emily, maggie, sabrina, kath, tina, two boos, andrea, amie, jenna & taysa.

yayer.

loved it.

the end.

Qs~

1. anything ironic happen to you lately? or not so lately? i love ironic stories.. tell me one that has happened to you.

2. what discoveries have you made about fruits/veggies that surprised you? i had three at the farmer’s market sunday! 1: purple peas 2: tiny jicama 3: how brussel sprouts grow (on a stalk). who knew! not this girl.

i will be back tomorrow with flashback friday!

xo. janetha b.

another beautiful sunday! we san franciscans get blessed every year with the so-called ‘indian summer’, a summer time that comes to the city in october, temporarilly telling the fog to fog off and go hang out somewhere else for us to have some fun in the sun! In my previous post, you got a glimpse of north beach, my old neighborhood, which you will be seeing lots more of. in this post, i give you a peek into my new neighborhood, alamo square. a beautiful amalgamation of locals and tourists congregate here to brave the high altitude winds and, occassionally get a good spot in the sun. when it gets too cold, we walk down to dolores park. the locals let their dogs loose, some bring their instruments and unwind, perhaps with some wine and just catch up with friends and neighbors. the tourists come and take pictures in front of the ‘painted ladies’, the houses immortalized by the tv show full house. it doesn’t hurt that you get a splendid view of the city, with the slender transamerica pyramid, the ominous bank of america tower and the curvaceous cathedral of st. mary of the assumption in full view to just name a few. that day, a sunday just a few weeks ago, this dude was playing his tuba like there was no tomorrow, filling me with a grin that only that moment can describe.

san franciscans, the sun is out, get outside and enjoy your sunday!

Here’s another trio of properties that have high Walk Scores. Today, we check out Russian Hill, Hayes Valley, and Alamo Square.

1348 Filbert Street
Condo
Russian Hill
List Price: $995,000
2BR/1.25BA
1458 sq ft
HOAs: $166
1-car pkg
Walk Score: 91
On the market for 172 days last year at $1,129,000, 1348 Filbert is now at a more reasonable price. It’s located on a tree-lined block at Filbert and Larkin, and has lovely period detail. There’s also a remodeled kitchen with the whole Wolf range and Miele dishwasher thing going on. In-unit washer/dryer and a roof deck with pano views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay.

270 Linden
Condo
Hayes Valley/Van Ness Corridor
List Price: $999,000
3BR/2BA
1514 sq ft
HOAs: $308
2-car pkg
Walk Score: 98
Also on the market for about 171 days last year at a $1.2M price point, this baby has a whittled down list price and a master suite with marble bath. There’s also a wood-burning fireplace and a huge, private roof deck. Parking is stacked, but you get two spaces. Last sold in June 2007 for $1,230,000, so this is seeming like a pretty good bargain to me.

535 Steiner
Condo
Alamo Square
List Price: $969,000
3BR/2BA
2172 sq ft
HOAs: $350
No deeded parking; leased for $350/mo.
Walk Score: 94
Though this unit doesn’t have deeded parking, it’s huge and has high-end finishes. The master bedroom has a gas fireplace and overlooks the garden, and there’s plenty of storage and a full laundry room. Location is a little busy (between Fell & Oak), but at least you’re not on those two thoroughfares.

Fashion Week is happening in New York City (more on that later!), but it’s a busy week in San Francisco too. Here’s what’s up:

Tues: Leaf & Petal – Three Dot Trunk show; call 650 329 8070 or check out their Facebook page for the deets. (Palo Alto)

Weds: Leaf & Petal – Celebration and Informal Fashion Show; call 650 329 8070 or check out their Facebook page for the deets. (Palo Alto)

Th: Macy’s Passport – “Fashion and compassion come together” – benefit fashion show feat. Harajuku girls. (Marina)

Th: The Mission Statement – Sample sale + jam tasting at one of my favorite shops in San Francisco. Check out their calendar, or their Facebook page for deets. (Mission)

Th + Fri (and next week): Altered Barbie – the 7th year of Altered Barbie exhibits, “Over 100 artists showcase their eco-friendly ken and Barbie art.” (Mission)

Sat: The Prince Vs. Michael Experience – so it’s not fashion related, but it looks pretty hot. (Alamo Square)

Sat + Sun: The Original Vintage Fashion Expo – happens twice a year in San Francisco, featuring the “historical, collectible, wearable” for both men and women. (SOMA)

Have fun! Maybe I’ll see you at one of the events  : )

Perhaps no location captures more of the charm of living in San Francisco than Alamo Square.  …lined by the City’s row of Victorian “Painted Ladies”.

These grand dames were built on Steiner Street between 1892 and 1896.

…and their glamour is untarnished more than 110 years later. 

Evening views are no less romantic.

…and take on an urban sophistication in black and white. 

(Shot in September, 2009)

I’m happy to announce a very special I <3 the 90s this month.  Trevor and Unity of Napalm Clique will be joining the Heartist Crew on Friday, August 28 to premiere the music video Shining (A Michael Jackson Tribute).

Please join us this month for a very special night.  In addition to a world premier of the Shining music video, we will be celebrating Trevor from Napalm Clique’s, and Michael Jackson’s wouldbe, birthday.

MUCH love,
dj SAMALA

ugh, another busy day.

2 laps around alamo sq. (the hill of hell) + run to the panhandle with Lauren.
≈ 2.7 miles in about 25 min.  Not ideal, but the roommate was detoxing (two days of nothing but lemon water. ugh.) so we took it nice and easy.

i should do more hill training: The National  – Apartment Story

Não é só ao “agito” da cidade que o apelido faz referência, mas claro que se refere também aos tremores de terra, muito comuns na região. Mesmo assim, São Francisco é uma cidade encantadora, uma das mais bonitas que já visitei, certamente entre as top 5 dos EUA.

“Old child, young child, feel alright
On a warm San Franciscan night.
I wasn’t born there, perhaps I’ll die there.
There’s no place left to go… San Francisco”

Eric Burdon foi um dos que expressaram seu amor pela cidade californiana. O único erro dele foi citar as “noites quentes” de São Francisco. Se tem um lugar onde o aquecimento global não chegou, este lugar é São Francisco. Ô lugarzinho gelado!!
Ainda que o clima de lá seja bem peculiar (fora os desastres naturais), os viajantes e mochileiros precisam incluir SanFran em seus roteiros, pois a visita será inesquecível!

Clima e Terremotos

Dois assuntos muito importantes para quem visita a cidade.
O clima de lá é bem ameno. No verão, não conte com as “noites quentes” de Eric Burdon. Mesmo no pico da estação, dificilmente vc enfrentará um calor significativo. O sol pode até aparecer forte, mas a brisa gelada que vem do Pacífico e bate em toda a cidade ameniza qualquer calor e os dias normalmente começam com 10 graus Celsius e não chegam a 20. O ventinho é realmente gelado.
Por outro lado, mesmo estando a altas latitudes, São Francisco não é tão fria no inverno. A temperatura dificilmente chega ao negativo. Portanto, o clima de São Francisco é bem constante durante o ano (constantemente frio…).
Outra característica única é a incidência de neblina. O calor do solo californiano combinado com as brisas geladas do Pacífico provocam uma densa névoa todos os dias na cidade, principalmente no verão. Os dias começam nublados e muito gelados. A partir do meio-dia que as coisas começam a mudar e o céu abre, apesar de a temperatura não subir muito.
Como se não bastasse o clima peculiar, São Francisco ainda é uma grande vítima de terremotos. Diversos terremotos, das mais variadas magnitudes, já atingiram a cidade. Um dos maiores ocorreu em 1989, com 7,1 graus na escala Richter. Mas o terremoto mais devastador de todos os tempos foi sem dúvida o de 1906. Em 18 de abril deste ano, pouco depois das 5h da manhã, quando todos ainda dormiam, São Francisco foi abalado por um histórico tremor de terra. O abalo, de 8,25 graus na escala Richter, causou destruição de pontes, ruas, casas, prédios, etc, além de causar incêndios por toda a cidade, matar mais de 3 mil pessoas e deixar mais da metade da população desabrigada.

Até hoje este é considerado o maior desastre natural da história dos Estados Unidos.
A boa notícia é que terremotos podem acontecer a qualquer momento, mas não são tão frequentes. Grandes terremotos acontecem muito raramente. A má notícia é que nenhum terremoto pode ser previsto, então não se pode saber quando será o próximo. :S

Como chegar e andar pela cidade

Tragédias à parte, vamos ao que interessa!
Para chegar em São Francisco, se vc vier de Los Angeles, pode vir de carro (pela Interestadual 5), de ônibus (passagens a cerca de $25) ou de avião (passagens a partir de $59). Vindo de carro pela I5, vc não pagará nenhum pedágio, somente na ponte Bay Bridge, ao entrar em São Francisco. Lá o pedágio é de $4 só na entrada. Para sair da cidade não se paga nada.
Vindo do Brasil, não existe voo direto. Vc precisará fazer escala em Miami, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, etc, dependendo de qual companhia aérea vc escolher. Como a cidade está na Costa Oeste americana, a viagem é longa e entre voos, escalas e tempos de espera em aeroportos, vc gastará umas 20 horas. Prepare-se!

O fuso-horário lá é 4 horas a menos em relação ao horário de Brasília (no verão americano) e 6 horas no inverno.
Em relação a transporte público, São Francisco é uma das melhores cidades dos Estados Unidos. O sistema de transporte lá é muito eficiente. Existe um sistema de metrô e trens que atende toda a região metropolitana, de forma que vc pode inclusive ir para o aeroporto de metrô. Por cerca de 8 dólares, vc vai do metrô ao centro da cidade. Mas não se assuste, este não é o preço do metrô. Na verdade, o preço varia conforme o percurso que vc fará, exatamente como o metrô de Washington (veja post de Washington para entender o funcionamento). Então, por $8 vc faz o percurso aeroporto-cidade. Por $15 por pessoa, existe uma van (shuttle) que te leva do aeroporto ao seu hotel também. Vc ainda pode pegar um táxi e gastar cerca de $70 a corrida. É óbvio que o melhor mesmo é pegar o metrô.
Entretanto, para se locomover dentro da cidade, o metrô não é a melhor opção, afinal ele só “passa” por São Francisco, não a atende totalmente. Para andar pela cidade, existem outras opções.
A primeira é o tradicional Cable Car, o clássico bondinho de SanFran. O bonde é movido por cabos de aço subterrâneos e são a melhor opção para enfrentar as ladeiras da cidade. Na verdade, os habitantes da cidade não utilizam o bondinho com muita frequência pois, apesar da eficiência e rapidez, a passagem é cara! Custa $5 por viagem. Vc paga na hora para o “maquinista”. Se vc não quiser encarar estes preços no seu transporte diário, não deixe de fazer pelo menos uma viagem no bondinho. Ir a São Francisco e não andar de bonde é como ir a Roma e não ver o Papa ou ir a Paris e não ver a Torre Eiffel!

Cable Car

Fora o cable car, existem ainda bondes elétricos. Estes são mais modernos e mais baratos. Circulam mais no centro da cidade. São vários tipos de bonde elétrico.
Para finalizar, ainda tem os ônibus. A maior parte são elétricos. Eles atendem toda a cidade e podem ser utilizados por ciclistas, pois todos os coletivos possuem um rack para bicicletas na dianteira do veículo. Assim, basta vc encaixar sua bicicleta ali e seguir viagem de ônibus (fundamental na hora de encarar as ladeiras!).

Se vc estiver de carro, São Francisco é tranquila para dirigir. A cidade é pequena (800 mil habitantes), então o trânsito é bem tranquilo. Para estacionar é fácil também. Na região central vc precisará pagar o parquímetro das 7h às 18h. Tome cuidado com os bondes! Preste atenção nos trilhos no meio das ruas. Vc em geral pode circular sobre eles, mas tenha atenção com os bondes, pois eles têm preferência. Nas esquinas com placa de Stop, pare e olhe, mesmo que não venha ninguém, senão a polícia pode te abordar. E lembre-se: pedestre SEMPRE tem a preferência! Se vc for entrar numa rua à direita ou à esquerda, terá que esperar os pedestres, mesmo que o semáforo esteja aberto para vc.

Hospedagem

Todas as grandes redes de hotéis estão em São Francisco e vc encontrará quartos a partir de $60 a diária. Não espere muito do café da manhã, quando este existir. Assim, é sempre bom ter uma reserva de mantimentos no seu quarto. Albergues também existem muitos. Procure dar preferência aos mais famosos, senão a surpresa pode ser desagradável.
Dê preferência aos hotéis do centro, pois vc poderá fazer quase tudo a pé e economizar com transporte.

Conhecendo a cidade

São Francisco é uma das cidades americanas com maior número de atrações turísticas. Se vc estiver de carro, conseguirá conhecer as principais atrações em 3 dias (que foi o meu caso). Caso esteja dependendo de transporte público, é melhor reservar um dia a mais.
E nunca é demais lembrar… sua programação deve se encerrar às 22h, pois para os americanos a partir daí já é madrugada e nada mais funciona, nem restaurantes. Os shoppings fecham às 20h e lojas de rua às 18h. Isto em dias de semana. Nos finais de semana então nem se fala. Americano vai pra casa cedo, então esqueça as agitadas noites a que estamos acostumados. Existem algumas baladas lá, mas poucas e elas terminam às 2h ou 3h da manhã.
Vamos então começar com o principal ponto turístico da cidade: a mundialmente conhecida Golden Gate Bridge! A imponente ponte pênsil é considerada uma das 7 Maravilhas do Mundo Moderno. Ela liga as cidades de São Francisco e Sausalito e atravessa o estreito Golden Gate, na Baía de São Francisco.

Golden Gate Bridge

As duas torres da ponte possuem 227 m de altura e com cabos de aço erguem quase 3 km de pista. O vão livre entre as torres é de 1300 m! Com tamanha imponência, a ponte não é só alvo de turistas, mas também de suicidas! Mais de 1200 pessoas já se suicidaram da ponte. Em média, uma pessoa pula da ponte a cada duas semanas. A queda, que dura cerca de 4 segundos, é quase sempre fatal. Por isso, espalhados pela ponte existem diversos telefones para aqueles que pretendem acabar com a própria vida. Uma entidade dá conselhos para aqueles que estão nesta situação. Basta pegar um telefone desses e conversar com a atendente psicóloga. Bem coisa de americano! rs

Telefone Anti-Suicídio

Para visitar a ponte, o melhor é ir de carro. Para sair de São Francisco vc não pagará pedágio (mas na volta terá que desembolsar $6 para atravessar a ponte de carro). São muitos os mirantes da ponte. Antes de atravessá-la, ainda em SanFran, siga uma placa “Last Exit to San Francisco”. Lá existe um mirante para tirar fotos da ponte e estacionar seu carro para fazer uma caminhada na Golden Gate. Da mesma forma, do outro lado, logo após o término da ponte, também existe um mirante com estacionamento. Siga a placa “Vista Point”. Mas estes dois mirantes não são os melhores. São bons para estacionar seu carro e caminhar na ponte. Para se ter uma vista espetacular da Golden Gate, atravesse-a, passe pelo “Vista Point” e pegue a próxima saída. Faça um retorno como quem vai voltar a São Francisco, mas antes de pegar a pista de volta, siga por uma ladeira que sobe paralelamente à estrada. Logo no começo desta estradinha vc verá a entrada de uma antiga base militar. Estacione ali e siga uma pequena trilha até o mirante. Lá vc terá uma incrível vista da ponte (leve agasalhos, pois o vento ali é sempre gelado). Aproveite e visite também a antiga base militar, um forte de onde o exército vigiava a baía contra invasores.
Se vc seguir pela mesma estradinha, subirá um morro e durante todo o caminho passará por diversos mirantes. Pare em todos eles e tire fotos de diferentes ângulos da ponte.

Golden Gate Bridge

De volta à cidade, assim que vc sair da Golden Gate, vc passará pelo Presidio. Não se trata de uma prisão, mas sim de um charmoso bairro, onde em outras épocas moravam os militares que trabalhavam nas bases do estreito de Golden Gate. Se vc estiver de carro, vale dar uma circulada pelas simpáticas e arborizadas ruas da região.
Siga na Presidio Boulevard até cruzar com o início da Lombard Street. Siga por esta rua por alguns quarteirões. Entre as ruas Hyde e Leavenworth, vc terá uma bela surpresa (se já não espera por ela). Trata-se do mais famoso quarteirão de São Francisco, onde a Lombard Street ganha um trajeto sinuoso, com 8 curvas fechadas no mesmo quarteirão. O ponto é famoso não só pelo aspecto sinuoso mas também pelos jardins sempre impecavelmente tratados e floridos. Não deixe de visitar, este é o segundo ponto mais famoso da cidade!

Lombard Street

Perto dali, encontra-se a panorâmica praça Alamo Square. A praça em si não tem nada de mais, porém sua vista panorâmica da cidade atrai centenas de turistas todos os dias. É ali também que estão as Painted Ladies, apelido dado à série de casinhas idênticas lado a lado, cada uma de uma cor.

Alamo Square & The Painted Ladies

Junto à Alamo Square passa um ônibus (não me lembro o nome da linha) que te levará ao centro da cidade, caso vc não esteja de carro. Siga para o centro e desça na região da Market Street. Ali, diversos pontos turísticos podem ser visitados a pé. Na própria Market St. está o Westfield Mall, o maior shopping de SanFran. É melhor aproveitar para fazer as compras durante o dia, pois o shopping fecha cedo, por volta das 20h. Nas redondezas também estão lojas de marcas famosas, como Nike, GAP, Adidas e outras, sempre com ótimas promoções. Encontrei calças da GAP por 19 dólares!
Bem em frente ao shopping, nas esquinas da Powell St com a Market St, está o principal ponto final de cable cars da cidade. Ali é o início e o fim da linha Powell-Hyde (se vc a esta altura ainda não foi na Lombard St, esta linha te deixa lá) e é onde acontece também uma curiosa manobra dos bondinhos. Como a rua é estreita, não há espaço para o trilho fazer a curva, então um trecho da rua possui uma plataforma giratória de madeira, onde os bondes são manualmente virados para o outro lado.

Como manobrar um Cable Car

Subindo duas quadras da Powell St, vc chegará na Union Square, uma moderna praça com gramados, fontes, grandes lojas, etc.
A alguns quarteirões a oeste dali, está o Civic Center, onde se encontram alguns edifícios públicos, incluindo museus, bibliotecas, a Suprema Corte e a Prefeitura. Vale uma visitinha também.
Pegue um bonde ou ônibus na Market St. na direção nordeste e siga até o final da avenida. Vc chegará ao distrito financeiro de São Francisco, único lugar onde existem arranha-céus na cidade. Ai está também a Transamerica Pyramid, um edifício em formato piramidal, o mais alto da cidade, contruído desta forma para resistir aos terremotos que atingem a cidade de vez em quando.

Transamerica Pyramid

Seguindo alguns quarteirões para o leste, vc chegará à Baía de São Francisco, com seus vários Piers. Vc estará próximo ao Pier 1. Ali vc terá uma bela visão da Bay Bridge, ponte que liga SanFran a Oakland. A ponte tem arquitetura parecida com a Golden Gate Bridge, porém é mais comprida e suas pistas se sobrepõem. Uma vai por cima e outra vem por baixo.
Vc pode ir caminhando pelo calçadão em direção ao norte. Vc passará pelos Piers, uma a um, até chegar ao mais famoso deles, o Pier 39. Neste enorme e animado pier, existem dezenas de restaurantes, inclusive de redes famosas, como Hard Rock Café, Bubba Gump, etc. Lojas de souvenirs também estão por lá. Vale a pena almoçar por ali. No horário do almoço, o pier fica lotado. Mas se vc pensa que essa animação é maior ainda à noite, pode tirar o cavalinho da chuva. Como não me canso de dizer, americanos vão pra cama cedo. Então, depois das 20h o pier já está deserto e todos os restaurantes fechando. Não conte com uma noite agitada por lá, como seria normal no Brasil. Seguindo até o final do Pier 39, além de ter uma linda vista da Baía, vc apreciará também a Prisão de Alcatraz, bem no meio da Baía. Voltando pelo lado de fora do Pier 39, vc vai se deparar com as plataformas onde descansam dezenas de leões marinhos. Durante todo o ano é possível avistar os animais descansando e fazendo seu barulho típico.
Seguindo mais alguns metros pela avenida The Embarcadero, vc chega ao Pier 45, onde está o famoso Fisherman’s Wharf, um centro de compras, turismo e gastronomia. Lá vc terá uma dezena de opções de restaurantes de frutos do mar, museus, visita a um submarino da marinha americana, etc. É um dos lugares mais famosos de São Francisco. Vale a pena conhecer também.
Em toda a região dos Piers 39 a 45 estão também diversas lojas de souvenirs. Se vc quer levar lembranças para parentes e amigos, ali é o lugar para comprá-las.

Pier 39

Entre os dois famosos piers, está o Pier 41, de onde saem os ferries para a Ilha de Alcatraz (, também conhecida como The Rock. A visita à prisão de mesmo nome é programa obrigatório aos visitantes de SanFran. Alcatraz foi uma base militar de 1850 a 1930. Em 1933, o Departamento de Justiça dos EUA adquiriu Alcatraz e no ano seguinte a transformou em prisão de segurança máxima. Durante anos, a prisão abrigou alguns dos maiores criminosos dos EUA, como Al Capone, Robert Stroud (“Birdman of Alcatraz”) e Alvin Karpis. Diversas foram as tentativas de fuga, mas nenhuma bem-sucedida. Os fugitivos sempre acabavam capturados ou afogados na baía. Em 1962, Frank Morris e outros 2 fugitivos escaparam de suas celas e nunca mais foram encontrados. Acredita-se que tenham sido vítimas de afogamento, como normalmente ocorria. Entretanto, até hoje a justiça os dá como desaparecidos, pois seus corpos nunca foram encontrados. A história virou o filme Escape from Alcatraz, com Clint Eastwood, e tema do programa de tv Mythbusthers, que testou a possibilidade de se escapar de Alcatraz. Em março de 1963 a prisão foi fechada devido ao seu alto custo de manutenção e à obsolescência (acho que foi a palavra mais bonita que já usei no blog hein ) do seu sistema de segurança diante das prisões mais modernas (mesmo que nunca ninguém tenha conseguido de fato escapar de lá).
A prisão pode ser visitada por dentro, onde vc conhecerá as celas e a história de Alcatraz. Para chegar até lá, pegue um ferry no Pier 41. O passeio custa em média 26 dólares por pessoa e vc vai gastar no mínimo metade do seu dia por lá.

Alcatraz

Estas são as principais dicas de São Francisco. Não deixe de conhecer nenhuma delas!
Caso vc tenha tempo e um carro, vale conhecer também a cidadezinha de Sausalito, do outro lado da Golden Gate Bridge. Vc pode também ir até o Vale do Silício, onde se encontram todas as grandes empresas de tecnologia. Este passeio não acrescenta muito, a não ser que vc queira tirar uma foto em frente ao prédio do Google ou do eBay. Fora isso, não tem muita graça.
Vc pode também conhecer The Exploratorium, um museu de ciência próximo ao Presidio. Também é conhecido como Museum of Fine Arts. A entrada custa $ 14. Caso não queira ou não possa gastar esse valor, visite o museu por fora pelo menos. Existe um bonito parque e um lago com marrecos e cisnes bem na frente do museu, que também possui arquitetura bem peculiar.

The Exploratorium

Para comprar eletrônicos, procure a BestBuy e a Fry’s. Para utilidades domésticas, tem a Bed Bath and Beyond. Para souvenirs, as lojinhas perto do Fisherman’s Wharf. Para roupas, a Kohl’s tem sempre grandes promoções, bem como as lojas da Market St. Para cosméticos, tem a Victoria’s Secret do Westfield Mall. E por aí vai.
Como sempre digo, passeie bastante a pé. É sempre a melhor forma de aproveitar as vistas e a cultura do lugar.
Observe as casinhas de São Francisco. Repare que quase todas possuem grandes janelas voltadas para a rua e nenhuma com cortina! É uma característica interessante dos moradores de lá.
Caso tenha alguma dúvida, sugestão, elogio, crítica, observação, algo a acrescentar, etc, deixe seu comentário!
São Francisco é uma das cidades mais bonitas dos EUA.

Obrigado pela visita a mais um dos nossos posts!

Boa viagem!!
Enjoy!

We recently built some spreadsheets for a client who is looking to purchase a condo in Alamo Square, and as part of our due diligence, ran some trending analysis for them.  Alamo Square is a tiny neighborhood with few sales, so finding trends in the area is a tough assignment.  We had to think through adjacent areas that exhibit similar traits, both from a residential and commercial standpoint.  We determined that Hayes Valley, NOPA, and Lower Pacific Heights were similar enough (and also located in MLS District “6″) to lump together with Alamo Square and see what the overall trends were.

Cue the "Full House" intro...

So that’s what we did… we looked at median sales prices for condos in these ‘hoods dating back to 1995.  We wanted to include 2009, so we capped each year at July 15th, controlling for seasonal fluctuations.  We also inflation-adjust the medians, so we could see market movement isolated from the changing value of the dollar.

The last step was to look at the same trends for San Francisco’s condo market as a whole, and place the two lines on a graph to see how similar (or dissimilar) they were.  What resulted was pretty interesting, and you can see the charts by continuing to read –>

Condo Trends in Select Dist 6 Nabes (click to enlarge)

• District 6 peaked in 2008, and is since down ~16%.
• The City as a whole peaked in 2005 and is since down ~18%.
• District 6 showed better resilience than the city as a whole during the last downturn, which took place during the dot com crash and the terrorist attacks of ‘01.
• Keep in mind we’re only looking at January 1-July 15 for any given year.

Overall, District 6 condo behavior tends to mirror that of the entire City quite well.  The lines show that it has fared a little better with regard to value retention.  During the last trough it did not fall as far as the rest of the City, which is another interesting tidbit.

Number of Condo Sales - Dist 6 vs City (click to enlarge)

• The volume of sales in District 6 has declined ~67% from peak, which was in 2005.
• The volume of sales in the City has declined ~56% from peak, which was in 2004.
• Year over year, District 6 sales volume is down ~22% vs ~35% for the entire City.

Final Thoughts

The District 6 analysis shows that condos in these areas have fared slightly better than the City overall.  Sales volume and medians are down in both cases, but history showed us that District 6 tends to hold up a little better during downturns.  With the planned Divisadero beautification project, continuing improvements in Hayes Valley, a new Japantown plan, a Fillmore corridor that’s changing for the better, and the slow & steady improvement of NOPA, we feel like Alamo Square is smack in the middle of a lot of good things.

I <3 the 90s!… SF’s ORIGINAL 90s dance party!
(established spring 2008)

FOURTH FRIDAYS

DeeJays Samala, Mr. Grant, and Sonny Phono spin the very best cuts from the decade that brought you hi-tops and flannel, boy bands and Bud commercials, Alanis and En Vogue, Nirvana and Sir Mix-A-Lot…

Meanwhile, Teo keeps it moving with the live visual mixing and bringing back the best music videos the 90s has to offer.

Earn a drink on the DJs for The Best Worst Photo from the 90s. A winner will be picked by the DJs and Madrone each month.  Email us at bestworst90sphoto@gmail.com by 5pm on the first Thursday to be in the running! Winner announced at midnight.

FREE before 10pm
$5 10pm – 1am

accept to imitation, this is the 90s party in SF!

We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with friend and colleague Gary Beyrouti to discuss his restoration of an 1895 Queen Anne Victorian located at 925 Fulton.  Our goal?  To learn what it takes to perform a historical restoration, what challenges one can run into, and what lessons he learned from the overall project.  Gary’s experience should be able to help readers who are contemplating similar projects, and at the very least, provide an incredible tale of this labor of love.  Buckle up, because you’re not going to believe the details involved.

The story begins in 2003, when Gary and his partner purchased a dilapidated Victorian located in San Francisco’s Alamo Square historical district.  At the time, the home was the ugliest on the block.  Gary laughed as he recalled entering the home for the first time “…the home had no kitchen, no garage, and had not been lived in for many years.  There was no wall by the staircase, and for some reason there was a bath tub sitting in the middle of the dining room.”  But what Gary saw that day was a work of art… a piece of San Francisco history that had so much potential, if only it could be brought back to life.

BEFORE - 925 Fulton as it stood in 2003

What Gary would embark upon was a multi-year project, one in which he would live on the top floor of the home while work was performed throughout the rest.  Once the lower levels were finished, he would move downstairs and then finish the top floor.  Gary’s goal was to

restore the home to its original splendor right down to the last detail.  In the process, he would have to become thoroughly educated in local history, architecture, and building methods down to a level of granularity that had him searching for hard-to-find experts as well as impossible-to-find pieces.  Alongside the restoration goal, Gary aspired to update the home for today’s lifestyle, equipping it with modern-day amenities and staying away from the gaudy and dark interiors common in other Victorians.  Gary envisioned a balance of old and new, with the old being as historically accurate as possible and the new integrating seamlessly in.

The finished product is exquisite, and hearing the story of how it went from Gary’s imagination to reality makes the home that much more appreciable.  It takes a certain set of eyes to truly appreciate a restoration.  Working in real estate, we too often see people buy an old property, rip everything out, and stick in IKEA.  That would be a remodel, but hardly a restoration.  Remodeling may be ok in most areas, but around historical Alamo Square, it seems a blasphemy.  Thankfully, San Francisco has many artsy, sophisticated types who can appreciate the work that goes into restoring a home like this.

Gary couldn’t just start working on the home the day he moved in.  It required a ton of research and planning first.  He searched for old photos of what home looked like in its heyday and had to figure out how to recreate the same look.  After obtaining photos and talking to historical experts in the 1890’s San Francisco era, Gary began work.  He started with the basics (and also the big ticket items), such as the new roof, new plumbing (which included a new sewer pipe leading out to the street), new electrical, and foundation improvements.  One of the biggest expenses in the project involved the excavation of a 2-car garage and the rebuilding of the front stairs.  This presented some huge challenges, as Gary recalled.  Having a historical architect recreate the look of the late 1800’s home based on a few photos was pricey.  Not to mention, all proposed work had to be approved by the city (a 1.5 year permit process) and then once again by the neighbors and San Francisco Planning and Preservation Department.  Gary persevered and got the garage and front stairs done, and the transformation is astounding:

AFTER - The new garage, front stairs, and paint job

Next up, Gary began tackling interior items.  He had all the floors sanded and refinished, rebuilt that mysterious missing wall by the staircase, replaced all the windows, and restored the front door.  It’s easy to rip something out and replace it, but most of the items in the home were worthy of restoring.  He had all the woodwork and trim in the house stripped, sanded, stained, and re-installed.  The entire staircase was restored in this method as well.

Speaking of the staircase, there was an important piece missing from the newell post when Gary purchased it… the newell post light.  Gary consulted a historian to find out what type of light would grace the bottom of the staircase.  Based on this info, he would begin a quest to find the special piece, which took him all the way to a New York antiques dealer.  Turns out the newell post light he purchased in NYC belonged to an old Pacific Heights mansion.  It’s now back in its home City, just a mile or two from where it originated.

The restored staircase, complete w/ authentic newell post light.

The home has some beautiful stained glass windows and skylights, but not all were intact at the time of Gary’s purchase.  He had to hire a stained glass specialist to match the colors and design patterns of the existing pieces to fill in the gaps where glass was missing.  This included the transom above the front door, which was recreated to perfection.

Matching stained glass is no easy task.

Another big project was the wainscoting.  The home has a Victorian paper coating covering the walls from around waist-level down to the floor.  Entire portions of the “lincrusta” wainscoting were missing or incomplete.  Gary had to find a specialist that could recreate missing sections of the lincrusta by taking plaster molds of existing sections and replicating it.  The lincrusta then had to be color matched in the rich mahogany color that dominates the wood surfaces in the home.

Light fixtures were another challenge.  Gary had to find out what types of lighting were popular in the era and source the custom fixtures.  He selected domes made of alabaster, a valuable mineral.  Visitors will see alabaster domes pleasantly diffusing light around many rooms in the home.

Alabaster light domes hanging from authentic ceiling medallions can be found in many rooms

One of our favorite stories had to do with the interior doors.  Redwood is prevalent in the home and as a result, every bit had to be preserved (they don’t make ‘em like that anymore).  To restore the doors, they first had to be removed, stripped, sanded, and stained.  Then there was the hardware.  Did Gary install Home Depot knobs and hinges?  Of course not.  The old hardware was removed, stripped, polished, and re-installed.  But the doors weren’t quite ready to be installed.  You see, at the turn of the century this home was used as a boarding house.  Most of the bedrooms were rented out to visitors and as a result, had holes drilled in them for individual locks.  These holes remained in the doors through the years.  In order to complete the restoration of the doors, Gary had to get rid of those pesky holes.  How?  A custom dowel (small cylinder of wood) had to be made to fit precisely into  the shape of each hole.  Once the dowels were made and put in place, a faux finisher was hired to hand paint the dowels to match the stain of the wood, and then the wood grain was painted in by hand using a darker color paint.  Painstaking?  Yes.  Worth it?  You bet.  The doors look absolutely amazing (not to mention, serve as a good source of cocktail conversation).

Gary tackled the kitchens and baths, installing all new appliances, Calcutta Gold marble, and Waterworks tile.  Heated floors warm up the bathrooms.  And what about that old tub… did it end up in the dumpster?  Not a chance. It was professionally reglazed with porcelain, moved upstairs, and placed in the guest bathroom.  But it wasn’t quite as simple as that.  Gary chuckled as he explained “…the tub was of course missing a foot.  So we had to go on a wild goose chase to find a matching claw foot for this 1890’s tub.”

The tub was moved back to the appropriate room, complete with all 4 feet!

Master bath

Master bath

Kitchen

We covered the kitchen and baths in a paragraph but only wish it could have been that simple for Gary.  His next big project was the landscaping.  The home is situated on a unique oversized lot, 37′ by 137′ to be exact.  This left a big blank slate for Gary’s imagination to run wild in the backyard.  He consulted a close friend who is a well known landscape architect in New York to help him devise a master plan.  Problem was, before any work could be done, 2 tons of concrete had to be manually removed from the back.  Hearing Gary tell the story of the concrete removal had us sweating just thinking about it.  Once the yard was ready, new fencing was installed along with an irrigation system, exterior lighting, retaining walls, and new vegetation.  The one relic out back was the original 1895 fountain, which was salvaged, restored, and is now fully functional.

The south-facing garden

Gary’s home is now for sale, and sports 6 bedrooms, 3 full baths, and 2 half baths on 3 levels.  The home is approximately 4,188 square feet, has 2 car parking, and a glorious garden that gets plenty of southern exposure.  List price is $2,695,000.

The key lessons he shared with us from this experience are:

1)  Live in the house for 6 to 12 months before you begin any work.  Especially in a home this size, you may find that rooms intended for a particular use have a more sensible use after living in the home for a while.  If you begin renovating or restoring based on the original intention of the rooms and find a better function for the space later, you’ll be throwing your money away.

2)  Have a master plan.  Even if you can’t afford everything in the master plan, have one.  You can do it in phases.  Otherwise you are setting yourself up to waste time and money.

3)  A renovation is fairly straightforward.  But a restoration is a labor of love.  Finding specialty items and people who can advise you on such specific historical facts is a huge challenge, not to mention, time consuming.  Gary recalled, “When we were working on the exterior of the home, we realized that many of the pilasters were missing.  Pilasters are the decorative wedding-cake style mouldings and columns you find on the facades of these old homes.  We had to find a woman who specializes in pilasters.  She had to come out, find sections that were in-tact, create plaster molds of them, then recreate the pilasters one by one.  We also had to hire an expert in ceiling medallions of the era.  We ended up working with a lot of experts who specialize in little things like that.”

Details are easy to take for granted until you know what went into them...

We’d like to thank Gary for offering both his story and advice for our readers.  You can check out the home’s listing details HERE.  We highly recommend a tour.  And now that you know more than the average visitor, you’ll fully appreciate the work that was done!

hang in there…

San Francisco – 16th April Thursday

We had the day to explore the downtown San Francisco. We bought a Muni Passport for $11, although Tracy lost hers and we had to buy another one Andrew loved the idea of travelling on the Cable Cars, Street Cars and the buses all day. I feel that he is shy but on the bus he was happy chatting away to complete strangers. He told them his whole life story, where he lives, his hotel, my phone number, what he saw/did and where he is from. It is quite amazing to see Andrew in not being shy. I do know that he loves getting attention from people.

We started at the Fishermans Wharf and headed downtown on the cable car. Downtown SF was busy with shoppers and office workers. We also encountered some homeless people wanting donations. We took a bus ride (bus number 20) to Alamo Square. This area is famous for the Victorian Houses (aka Painted Ladies) often seen in movies and TV eg. Full House and Mrs Doubtfire. We were excited when we saw the row of houses at Steiner Street as we thought that they was the houses in Full House, unfortunately the internet later confirmed that they weren’t What we also wanted to see was the house that is depicted in the movie Mrs Doubtfire. I was sure that it had to be around the Alamo Square. We wandered around the block a few times but the lack of detailed memory and planning failed us in finding the house. We later (through the internet) found out that we were quite a few blocks from the actual house.

We had lunch with Victoria at none other than San Francisco Westfield. It’s definitely more upmarket than the typical Westfields in Sydney.  We then took the street car back to our hotel to drop of some shopping.  As we headed back to downtown by bus (via Route 101 on bus 47), Hannah had fallen asleep.  It was SO cold that we were hid in Walgreens to stay away from the bitterly cold winds, that was about 5pm.  We had a quick dinner and got the cable car back to the hotel. N37 48.232′, W122 24.964′

Things That May or May Not Have Been on my To-Do List but Were Accomplished Anyway

1.  Seek out Geocache in Alamo Square, grab Travel Bug from cache to take to Hawaii per originating owner’s request

2. Visit Shoe Garden

3. Hang out with Terra Pin, neighbor’s orange tom

4. Play Fling-the-Cat with Brother and his handsome feline Junior

5.  Take time to locate sidewalk graffiti art referencing Napoleon Dynamite

6.  Grab a cab from the taxi yard

7.  Pay a visit to Chinatown

In this episode of Advanced Techniques in photojournalism, we had to use flash for “fill and balancing.”  Basically, this is the perfect technique for a sunny day when your subject is wearing a hat.  Or, if you are trying to shoot people in shadow with a bright background.  It sort of evens things out.

I tried to do part of my assignment while in San Francisco this weekend and then went down to see Marvin start the spring corn planting season.

Here are my top images.  Still haven’t decided which to turn in.  The first three photos are examples of “fill” flash:

Katie Ball reads a book and tries to ignore the busloads of tourists at Alamo Square in San Francisco, CA Monday, April 6, 2009.  The park was made popular by the opening scene of the sitcom “Full House” and is a popular tourist destination in San Francisco.

Marvin Sapp combines two seed bins of a corn planter during his  first day of spring planting Wednesday, April 8, 2009 in McBaine, MO.  The green color of the seed is the result of pesticides and anti-fungals used to protect the corn in the early stages of its life

Marvin Sapp refills seed bins on the corn planter during the first day of spring planting.

And the below photo is an example of “balancing:”

Marvin Sapp plants a field of corn in the new tractor he purchased last January.  “It’s a slick tractor… but it is smarter than me,” he said.

sean owns a kite. who knew?

it LOOKS like spring outside…. but it doesn’t FEEL like spring outside.

boo. 

still….

some pretty pictures from alamo square and buena vista park!

San Francisco, California. Una de las ciudades más cosmopolitas, clasistas y coloridas del Nuevo Mundo. Años atrás, el conocido trasfondo histórico de la ciudad estuvo protagonizado por halos de revueltas y progresismo humanitario que hicieron de ella uno de los focos de atención mediática y cultural entre los años 60 y 80 del siglo XX. Tranvías que recorren sus empinadas calles, Chinatown, atmósferas de mezclas heterogéneas de artistas callejeros, escritores e intelectuales de vida taciturna. Bohemia, liberalismo, libertinaje y libertad. Colorido, rojo, amarillo, verde y azul. Blanco y negro. Sueños ácidos, hippismo, psicodelia, distorsión y mucho Beatle, Hendrix y Joplin. Durante el “Summer of Love” de 1967, The Mamas & The Papas te aconsejaban “llevar algunas flores en la cabeza”. San Francisco se convertiría en una de las sedes mundiales principales del nuevo pensamiento en contra de la Guerra de Vietnam, contra el conservadurismo político y social y a favor de los derechos de la vida. San Francisco se tornaba en una escuela de un quehacer cotidiano a favor de los más desfavorecidos.

El “beat, beat, beat” daba la bienvenida al tercer milenio. Y es que no hay duda de que San Francisco fue y es la ciudad más progresista del país más conservador del planeta. En otras palabras: San Francisco es la ciudad más europeizada de América –ni siquiera Milwaukee se salva–. Mientras en el resto del país suenan canciones evangélicas en las televisiones públicas, en la bahía retocan acordes del más sofisticado punk revival. Y mientras los republicanos ganan escaños a costa de nada, el alcalde legaliza el matrimonio gay.

San Francisco, California, Europa… Mientras que el resto de ciudades, discípulas de la Manhattización, están compuestas por casas esparcidas out of the blue y conectadas por desiertas autopistas sin vida humana, al oeste uno puede prescindir del coche, tropezarse por la calle y aprender chino (y sus enésimos dialectos) sin la aburrida necesidad de apuntarse a una academia.

 Este país está diseñado para que no puedas organizar manifestaciones políticas. ¿Dónde las harías? ¿En el mall? ¿Y quién las convocaría? Las universidades norteamericanas están fuera de las ciudades. Pero San Francisco no es así. Aquí hay centros de reunión social. Y está Berkeley”.

Cada barrio es un mundo, literalmente. Market District, sinónimo de la Gran Vía madrileña, el Picadilly Circus londinense o la Fifth Avenue neoyorquina. Bermudas, un par de bambas, gafas de sol y una gran botella de agua. Desde ninguna otra calle se puede disfrutar del disimulado skyline en primera persona como desde esta. Russian Hill y la conocida Lombard Street, o conocido como el Uphill and Downhill District. Prepárate a sudar y a rezar un par de oraciones antes de embarcarte en la subida de una de sus numerosas cuestas. No olvides visitar y hacerte una fotografía rodeado de japoneses al final de Lombard St.

The Mission, es un barrio polifacético y multicultural de la ciudad. De hecho, la pintura mural, como forma de arte revolucionario y popular, sigue formando parte del paisaje urbano de San Francisco. Hay un callejón llamado Clarion, decorado con pinturas sobre la “resistencia mapuche” o la “lucha femenina”. Los rostros aquí son más cobrizos que blancos, y los acentos son más latinos que sajones. En los bares puedes encontrarte con americanos que te aseguran que Sendero Luminoso era un movimiento heroico de liberación de las masas, pero que tú no lo entiendes porque eres blanco y formas parte de las clases privilegiadas.

The Castro, el más gay y amable de los barrios sin lugar a dudas. Aquí puedes silbar cuando aparezcan los nazis, ir en tirantes y cantar con Julie Andrews. Recuerda al barrio de Pittsburg de la serie Queer As Folk –pero sin Brian–. Lo mejor de este barrio, sus cines, a veces con comedias homosexuales taiwanesas donde lo más occidentalmente conocido (Mitsubishi y Toyota) es lo que pasa mas desapercibido.

Financial District y el Civic Center son la pública diferencia de la ciudad. Ayuntamiento, edificios de importantes empresas, la oficina de Correos… Pero una vez que estás aquí, al son del tranvía o Cable Car, haz una visita a Alamo Square y Union Square, la zona más familiar y apacible de la ciudad. En la calle de Haight, entre casas victorianas pintadas de colores, puedes encontrar el equipo completo para convertirte en un genuino hippie en las variantes psicodélico, glam o luchador social. Las preciosas Painted Ladies de la serie Embrujadas, milkshakes de sabor a deseo de hadas madrinas y ¡Zara! Lo mejor es no dejar a tus hijos pequeños sueltos mientras te das una vuelta por Macy’s, pues las palomas pueden robártelo.

El asombroso Golden Gate Park da lugar al increíble puente rojo colgante. Ahora intérnate un poco. ¿Los ves? Allá al fondo, justo debajo de la nube de humo que atraviesa un barco, un grupo de barbudos tocan percusiones y guitarras. Ahora sí. Relájate. Déjate llevar. Acuéstate. Aspira hondo. Has llegado a la colina hippie, última estación de la máquina del tiempo. Sus más de 100 años de historia no han sido suficiente para dejar de ser una de las atracciones más llamativas y sugerentes de la ciudad. Atrévete a cruzar a pie sus casi 2 kilómetros de longitud mientras que tratas de explicar a un simpático nuevo japonés que tu cámara de fotos es misteriosamente más fácil de usar que la suya. Si sigues con fuerzas, no puedes olvidar visitar las bonitas sightseeings de localidades vecinas como Sausalito y Tiburon.

Una vez de vuelta, quédate a tomar asquerosas cremas de almejas y cangrejo –clam chowder– en Fisherman’s Wharf, situado en la zona peatonal y soleada de The Embarcadero. Échales de comer a los numerosos leones marinos y gaviotas una vez después de haber hechos el tradicional shopping por Pier 39, un fantástico lugar que recuerda al mundo de Alicia en el País de las Maravillas, donde comprar los más inesperados productos mientras tus hijos se dedican a saquear barriles enteros de golosinas en las decenas de tiendas dedicadas exclusivamente a sweets & gummies. Al concluir tu paseo por Fisherman’s, no está de más tomarse una fotografía junto al Ferry Building, situado justo entre de Market St.

Es de noche, y el contemplar Market iluminada por luces blancas y rojas y observar a los transeúntes desvanecerse entre el vaho de las alcantarillas no tiene precio.

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We’re in a vintage mood today.  There is no substitute for old-fashioned charm in San Francisco homes and they just don’t make ‘em the way the used to.  That’s why we’ve decided to count down the Top 5 Oldest Single Family Homes currently on the open market.

Number 5 on the countdown:  117 Broad Street, Year Built:  1896

This very unique home is nestled in Oceanview and was used as San Francisco Fire Department’s Engine Co. #33 station for three quarters of a century.  The Victorian-styled building then became a one-of-a-kind single family home and has been used as such for around 30 years.  The property is currently listed at $1,333,333, has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and high ceilings.  As of this morning (1/14/09), the home has been on the market for 111 days.

117 Broad Street used to serve San Francisco as a fire station

Number 4 on the countdown:  2434 Leavenworth Street, Year Built:  1890

This 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath home located in Russian Hill boasts ~3,558 square feet and is surrounded by lush greenery.  The home truly subscribes to the “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” adage as it contains 2 grand staircases, 6 fireplaces, and 13-foot ceilings.  This Victorian is priced at $2,800,000 and has been on the market for 124 days.

2434 Leavenworth Street is surrounded by lush greenery

The countdown continues –>

Coming in at Number 3 on the countdown is:  908 Steiner Street, Year Built:  1888

This home has been featured on at least one other blog recently, as the interior is chock full of funky retro-decor, wild paint colors, and busy patterns.  However, the exterior of this Victorian beauty located on Alamo Square really pops.  The home has 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a roomy ~3,600 square feet.  It is currently listed at $1,650,000.

908 Steiner has a remarkable exterior

Number 2 on the countdown belongs to:  2510 Jackson Street, Year Built:  1885

This Pacific Heights mansion is nothing short of incredible.  The home is just off Alta Plaza and has 9 bedrooms, 6.75 baths, views galore, 4-car parking, and over 10,000 square feet.  Listed at $13,495,000, it draws attention from a more worldly audience with its impeccable detailing and primo location.  It has been on the market for 272 days, which is common for homes at this price point.

2510 Jackson is a sight to behold

Drumroll…… the Number 1 home in our countdown is…  80 Ord Street, Year Built:  1875

This amazingly restored Italianate located in Corona Heights wins the prize for the Oldest Home for Sale in San Francisco.  80 Ord features 2 bedrooms, 3 baths, views, and a landscaped yard leading up to a gazebo.  The exquisite detailing was preserved during the restoration, making this home a truly one-of-a-kind property that some lucky owner will enjoy for many years to come.  The list price is currently $1,395,000 and it has been on the market for 12 days.

80 Ord is a gorgeously restored home

Here's a shot of the back yard leading up to the gazebo

The kitchen at 80 Ord

...And one of the bathrooms

We hope you enjoyed the countdown.  Click HERE for more countdown articles.