Displacements | San Francisco snapshots | Day 1

I am on the road again, facing the healing Pacific water, accessed through the varied topography of San Francisco and the Bay Area urban sprawl.
San Francisco is a "tale of two cities" and a geography of intersections, where opposite realities meet and diverge.The outstanding landmark architecture and public art and infrastructure contrast with the vast homeless population.
There are unusual urban grid intersections: streets meet and diverge almost at every few blocks.The geological variety intersects with the urban grid creating a topological texture where two-dimensional urban grids are warped by the irregular hilly landscape.
The human landscape is no exception to the overall diversity: social, economical and racial. Human geography and geographic topography are stimulating and inspiring. 

camminando | SAN FRANCISCO and California Cool

Seaweed soaked shoreline, Golden Gate National Recreation Area

I recently traded in the humidity that blankets Miami (my home town) during these endless months of deep summer, for the cool morning fog of Marin County, CA and surrounds. It was a delightful respite of differing culinary finds, temperature, nature and design. While I bathed safely in the refreshing air of the mountainous region, the Northeast suffered a quake and a hurricane, thoughtlessly named after me. I marveled at my sudden ability to dodge both quakes and hurricanes as I leapt from Miami's stormy season and avoided the watery onslaught of Irene's wrath.

Tennessee Valley Trailhead,

Golden Gate National Recreation Area/Marin Headlands,

A lovely 3.1 mile hike down to the sea

A patchwork quilt of architectural design in the streets of San Francisco on a shockingly fog-free day

The entrance gate to Chinatown in San Francisco’s Grant Street
was a gift from the Republic of China in 1969. It is on the oldest street in San Francisco.

Columbus Avenue and Grant Street:
This mural commemorates the history of North Beach's Italian settlers,
while the other side features Chinatown and some of San Francisco's early history.

The streetcar system has served San Francisco since the late 19th century. Most streetcar lines in other cities, including San Francisco, were converted to buses after World War II. Five lines survived until the 1970s, when the streetcar lines were converted to light rail during the opening of the Market Syreet Subway in 1980.

Hotel Triton in San Francisco

Outside the Mill Valley Library on a Sunday afternoon….
The Merry Widow performed amongst the Redwoods.

The Redwoods,
A poem by Joseph B. Strauss

Here, sown by the Creator's hand.

In serried ranks, the Redwoods stand:

No other clime is honored so,

No other lands their glory know.