Category: Local

  • Last of the Howard Street folding streetlights removed

    For many years the section of Howard Street just outside Moscone Center featured some unusual French folding streetlights. During the day they stood straight up, and at night folded over the street as their lights turned on. I’m not clear on the details, but somehow Willie Brown got these fancy lights for free; I assume…

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  • Finding the Faery Door in Golden Gate Park

    Do you believe in faeries? Also spelled “fairies,” these small human-like woodland creatures appear in numerous fantasy stories. Are they related to elves or hobbits? I’ve never been certain about the lineage. Perhaps I’ll inquire if I ever meet one. This morning I woke up with the idea that I should visit more of the…

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  • Ambient sound of new and old BART trains

    Now that BART’s new “Fleet of the Future” trains have been in regular service for a while, I’ve found myself on them dozens of times. The extra set of doors in the middle is my favorite feature, followed by the significantly improved ventilation. The live map is nice too. But the biggest change is the…

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  • W.F.T (San Francisco)

    This evening I decided to take a walk by the Civic Center area to check out a brand new art installation: W.F.T (San Francisco) from artist Joseph Kosuth. W.F.T. — or “Word Family Tree” — is a neon light piece that wraps around the Polk St. side of the Bill Graham Civic, lighting up an…

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  • Moscone Center skyway lights

    With the Moscone Center rebuild (mostly) complete, one element particularly stands out after dark. Every time I walk by at night I see people snapping photos of the light display in the glass-walled skyway between Moscone North and South. I was pretty surprised when the contractors began construction on the skyway — why would a…

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  • A visit to the Oakland Museum of California

    With so many museums in the Bay Area to choose from, I’d never gotten around to visiting the Oakland Museum of California until yesterday. It’s not that it wasn’t on my radar, I just wasn’t sure what it was aside from a funny looking building I occasionally pass by while walking from the Lake Merritt…

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  • Future transbay tube fantasy planning

    Recently there’s been talk of building a second rail tube under the San Francisco Bay. This new tube would be larger than the existing transbay tube and serve two major purposes: If we put aside the question of when to build this second crossing the next question is where? There’s no pressing reason to build…

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  • I built the San Francisco LEGO kit

    Today after coming back from lunch the office manager stopped me to say “Hey, I got something for you. It’s on your desk.” When I saw what she’d left me I couldn’t help but to laugh. A few months ago I spotted a rumor in the SF Examiner about a supposedly upcoming San Francisco LEGO…

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  • Mission mural roundup

    It’s been too long since I posted about murals at home here in the Mission District. To fix that here’s some recent photos of murals in the neighborhood, starting with the Calvin and Hobbes one above across vacant storefronts. The image seemed familiar; after Googling around I found the original on this page, which claims…

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  • My biggest surprise returning to San Francisco

    Given my short holiday vacation I was surprised to return to San Francisco to notice a few rather obvious changes. On the smaller scale, the Muni Metro electrical substation upgrade seemed to have progressed faster than expected. The biggest physical change is at Moscone Center where the new structures appear to be nearly complete. If…

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