Tarnished Gold

We took an excursion yesterday to Muir Woods and got dropped off in Sausalito, a touristy town across the bay from the city. There was a mandatory stop for pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was  a bit hazy and the light was terrible so B&W was the way to go. More dramatic this way.   

Green Apples, Bowler Hats

Mrs. C and I took some time off to visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern art. It's a don't miss. We were last there several years ago. Since then there has been a huge expansion, tripling the exhibition space

The featured show was about the later work of René Magritte.  Some people consider his work simple and repetitive. The audio guide explained how complex the paintings are, challenging the viewer to think about odd juxtapositions and the subtle layers of the seen and unseen.  

It's obvious I link to take pictures of people in museums looking at the art, such as this old favorite.  You have to wonder what what gets through.           

 

Chinatown

We did a walking tour around SF's large Chinatown yesterday for as long as my back was cooperating. A lot of the area is visually explosive and full of color. There are more of these I may get around to editing but I'm supposed to be going to school here. At least some of the time.    

Welcome To SFO

Flew into San Francisco late yesterday afternoon. We really lucked out at the conference hotel and got a room on the 42nd floor with a sweeping view to the northeast. The tall building on the right is called Millennium Tower. It has sunk 17 inches/43 cm into the ground since construction. You can't see it in this picture but it is tilting a bit. Many people who bought zillion dollar apartments find that they are now nearly worthless. Lots of lawyers and engineers have all the work they can handle.

Just south of our hotel is a neighborhood called The Tenderloin, perhaps the worst in the city. As the taxi drove through, we saw many homeless people, rundown buildings and cheap hotels.  A man was was lying prostrate on the sidewalk being tended to by emergency medical technicians. There seemed to be a liquor store on every corner. There is no place for low income people to live here. A our driver told us that the median price of a house in the city proper is $1.3 million.      

Out Of My Reach

The field where much of Artica takes place is flanked by a long-disused railroad warehouse, known as the Cotton Belt Building, for the name of the defunct carrier. A few years ago, Artica founders Hap Phillips and Nita Turnage got permission to paint the side facing the Mississippi. Later, someone added the lame logo and slogan of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau. Sure doesn't add anything.

In the air this morning. Going to a different climate, in lots of ways.