In Pieces

In Pieces
Originally uploaded by Ame Otoko

Sometimes the greatest photographs are complete accidents. I was doing a photo walk around the Financial District and noticed the doorway of the Shell Building. It’s a stately art deco style arch and door. I took a few shots of the doorway itself, then decided to go under the arch to capture some details. When I turned around, lo and behold, the reflection of the Shell Building in the windows of the glass behemoth on the other side of the street was absolutely amazing! Even better, the art deco style of archway created the perfect “frame” for the piece of art in the reflection across the street.

Around SF - Marin Civic Center

Circles
Originally uploaded by Ame Otoko

Though I have worked within half a mile of the Marin Civic Center for 5 years now, it was only this week that I finally ventured inside. The occasion was a test run for my new Sigma 10-20mm lens which I bought specifically for indoor architectural shots (although I’m sure it will have many other great uses).

The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1957. Apparently, it was part of a larger project that was designed to make the surrounding area (a park, lake, and theatre) a center for community gathering. The 2,000 seat theatre was eventually built, though not exactly as Wright had designed it, but much of the other park design was abandoned.

The old blueprints are displayed in the building and it is immediately apparent that circles were a theme that Wright intended to use throughout the project. The theatre is also a perfect circle, and there is a sad little barren island in the lake which is also a circle, which was apparently supposed to be “Children’s Island”. The circular theme takes many shapes inside the building, from the windows to the seating to the door handles and even much of the signage.

I’m not a huge fan of the look of this building, but I have to admit it is quite a spectacle inside. The roundness of the design combined with the lengthiness of the corridors make you feel like you are in a spaceship rather than a public office building. Hollywood has not overlooked this fact either, using the Marin Civic Center as the filming location for two futuristic movies: Gattica (1997) and THX 1138 (1971).

The only negative thing I can say about the interior design is the hideous color scheme of orangish-brown with brass accents. I’ll bet it was really cool in 1957, but now, it simply looks dated. In fact, I disliked the color so much, I desaturated all the photos I took inside there to black and white.

More photos here.

Hidden San Francisco - San Francisco Railway Museum

San Francisco Railway Museum
Originally uploaded by Ame Otoko

This is a very different museum from the Cable Car Museum, but like the Cable Car Museum, it is probably not well known, even by locals. The SF Railway Museum is a stone’s throw from the Ferry Building, but tucked away enough that you could easily walk by it without noticing.

Don’t let its shoebox size fool you; this museum is packed with history, information, and in sharp contrast to the Cable Car Museum, stuff you actually want to buy. It appears the organization that runs the museum commissioned artists to create very contemporary yet historically rooted items to sell here. There are t-shirts, bags, posters, greeting cards, and magnets that are custom made for the museum. But the other items on sale here too are extremely relevant: San Francisco history books, replicas of placards and station names, postcards of historical photos of streetcars and cable cars, and my favorite of all, the Moleskine travel notebook for San Francisco. I had just picked one of these up for our upcoming trip to Tokyo, but I spend so much time in San Francisco, I had to have this one too.

There are two touch screen monitors which display historic movie footage of streetcars and a visual display of all of the streetcars in the SF stable which you can touch each image to find out information about where the car came from, when it was first put in service in San Francisco, and all the standard measurements (weight, powertrain, seating capacity, etc.).

The staff (of one, when I was there) is friendly and knowledgeable. It’s quite nice to have a person working there that genuinely cares about the history of the streetcars in San Francisco.

I’m not a train freak or anything, but these streetcars represent functional pieces of history, and more than that, moving pieces of art.

More pictures of historic streetcars.

The San Francisco Railway Museum is located at 77 Steuart Street and is open Wed-Sun 10am to 6pm.

Hidden San Francisco - The Cable Car Museum

Vintage San Francisco Cable Car
Originally uploaded by Ame Otoko

Ever wonder how the cable car system in San Francisco actually works? The answer lies at the corner of Washington and Mason Streets, in a quiet neighborhood below posh Nob Hill and a few blocks above the chaos of Chinatown.

The Cable Car Museum is not just a museum, it is the powerhouse of the entire cable car system. When you visit this museum, you will see exactly how the system works, smell the hot oil, hear the humming of the engines. There are also vintage cable cars and models here as well as an authentic cable car bell you can ring (you know you always wanted to!).

Best of all, this little gem of a museum is absolutely free and is always surprisingly uncrowded, probably because it is not easy to find. A great rest stop for a walk up to Nob Hill. The only disappointment is the gift shop, which is full of tacky gifts you could find at any of the junk stores lining Fisherman’s Wharf. It would be great if they stocked this place up with more exclusive merchandise that reflect the classiness cable cars have brought to San Francisco for more than a century.

The Cable Car Museum is located at 1201 Mason St. (at Washington) and is open 10am to 6pm April thru September, 10am to 5pm October thru March.

San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival

Tea Ceremony - Omotesenke
Originally uploaded by Ame Otoko

I attended the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco this year. It seemed smaller as a result of the economic climate, but it is still a fantastic festival. There were less visitors from Japan this year participating in the festival, although they did secure a guest appearance and show from the one and only Kitty-chan (Hello Kitty) herself!

I had front row seats for the tea ceremony again this year, but this time I was armed with a D90 instead of a D40. However, I didn’t have time to sit through two ceremonies this year, so I have shots with only my 50mm lens. The shots this year are very different from last year, but change is good, isn’t it?