The Marina: History and Recreation

San Francisco’s history began in 1776 when the Spanish still occupied the area, and with that the first European settlement was established with a mission and a presidio. To protect the bay against invasion from the British and Russians, Spain fortified the cliffs where Fort Point now stands. The area along the water is part of San Francisco’s military history, home to not only Fort Point but Crissy Field, an airstrip that flourished after the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, a World’s Fair hosted by the city in 1915; becoming one of America’s foremost military airfields and a portion of the Presidio army base the Spaniards established all those years ago. *

Now in 2009 the area between Crissy Field and Fort Point is drenched with history and the relics of the Army forts still stand along the bay. Even the Palace of Fine Arts, though reconstructed in the 1960s, is a reminder of the glory that came with the exciting beginnings of a new city. Now a popular destination for joggers, photographers and dog owners alike, Crissy Field stretches along the bay, a short journey from houses, homes, and restaurants, it’s a popular place to enjoy the company of friends and family, whatever the weather.

All of my photography in and around Crissy Field and Ft. Point can be seen here
* Information provided by wikipedia.

Pacific Heights: Glamour and Grandeur

Before the invention of the cable car in 1873, the area in which residents and entrepreneurs could start their lives in the “City of Gold” was very limited. However, when the California line was built, that is when the hills began to develop. However it was a very slow process, and in 1906 when the earthquake, everyone in the city that lived on the east side of Van Ness fled to Pacific Heights and an explosion of popularity and development followed. Soon this neighborhood was home to many consulates, heirs to sugar and silver fortunes, such as the Spreckel family of Spreckel Sugar. Some of the homes found in Pacific Heights cost $150,000 just for the land, but when you’re taking in $500,000 in revenue a month (equivalent to approx. 16 million in today’s money) that’s not a problem. Now one of the most sought after neighborhoods, in terms of real estate in modern San Francisco, in the last ten years some of America’s actors and directors, like Chris Columbus and Meg Ryan, have lived, and live at the peak of San Francisco’s glamorous neighborhood.

The rest of my pictures can be found here

Off the beaten path...

The idea for this project came about when a few of my friends and myself decided to walk through North Beach in San Francisco taking random pictures. What started as an idea for something to do ended up being something genuinely fun and something I wanted to definitely do again. I then decided I wanted to work my way through the whole city, neighborhood by neighborhood and capture the side of this wonderful city that the average "out-of-towner" normally doesn't see. Add the influence of friends and family interest, and a magazine article in "Popular Photography" - the idea of a blog came to be. Enjoy your visit and I hope that this can either serve as inspiration to visit or serve as your visit for the time being, to San Francisco.