Like many major cities, San Francisco faces its struggles. The popular “doom loop” narrative often paints the entire city as a dystopia. Some neighborhoods are facing real trouble, but the city is very much not a dystopia. I made the following video to counterbalance that narrative. I wanted to show that, while there are many (many) critical problems to fix, SF is still a beautiful place worth visiting.
Continue reading “The Best of San Francisco in Beautiful 4K Video”
Recognize the image below? This famous photograph immortalizes the Golden Spike Ceremony at Promontory Summit, taken shortly after the joining of the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. It was perhaps the greatest engineering feat of its time, yet absent from this image are any of the 15,000 Chinese railmen who helped make it possible.
Continue reading “The Bamboo Brothers – A Story of the Chinese Who Connected America”
Is there a more beautiful parade than the Pride Parade? Not likely. This celebration of love and inclusiveness brings out friendly people, vibrant color, and, apparently, wonderful weather. Music, dancing and endless amounts of smiling faces make up this parade lasting around six hours or longer.
Continue reading “Photos from the 2019 San Francisco Pride Parade”
Orange October comes to a glorious end for our beloved SF Giants with a classic confetti-filled parade. Led by mascot Lou Seal, the 2014 World Series champs slowly (slowly) made their way down Market Street amidst a sea of adoring baseball fans. With three World Series wins in the past five years, San Francisco was more than prepared to host a proper homecoming celebration. The parade ended at Civic Center with a televised ceremony.
Continue reading “Photos from the 2014 SF Giants World Series Victory Parade”
A jealous sigh of “oh mah gawd, that sounds relaxing” was the common response when I told people I was heading to Kelseyville for a meditation retreat at the Northern California Vipassana Center (Dhamma Manda) over my birthday. I had to explain it would be an intense 10 days of meditating from 4:30 am to 9 pm, living without our phones, the Internet and any contact with the outside world, including access to new episodes of Game of Thrones (but thankfully also all overzealous Game of Thrones tweets and Facebook posts — the universe has a way of balancing things out).
Continue reading “I Went to a Vipassana Meditation Center for my Birthday and Survived”
It was one of those rare San Francisco days when the approach of sunset didn’t also mean the onset of obliterating coldness. The hottest days in this city yield the most magical warm evenings, luring locals to the waterfronts to take in what would otherwise be environments far too frigid for relaxation.
Continue reading “Fisherman’s Wharf by Night: Aquatic Park Sunset to Pier 39 After Dark”
When I was little, our school took us to Half Moon Bay, a coastal town 23 miles south of San Francisco along Highway 1, for the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival. All I remember was standing in a field of orange globes with a bunch of other students, each of us searching for our ideal one. All the other kids took home big pumpkins, while I selected one much smaller. Maybe it was laziness, but I like to think I found value in the less desirable pick, the diamond in the rough, the scrappy upstart of a squash… No, definitely laziness.
San Francisco is one of the most magical cities in the world. It’s even more magical in the rain, should one be so brave to endure it. Here are some photos from two of SF’s most popular attractions, Golden Gate Park and the Golden Gate Bridge, in the rain, exhibited for your convenience so you can stay warm and dry while still experiencing the mystery.
Continue reading “Golden Gate Park & the Golden Gate Bridge in the Rain”
