San Francisco: Around the Castro

26th – 30th July, 2013.

 

The primary purpose of our trip to America was to help with the preparations and of course to celebrate Laura and Arend’s wedding.  However, we still had time to enjoy many of the local sights.

Here is Pat pushing Zoe on our way up the hill to our apartment in Collingwood Street, in the Castro area.

 

Taking a break before tackling the hill.

 

On the walk from our apartment to Laura and Arend’s, at the top of a series of hills, there are many beautiful buildings to admire: 

 

 

It’s up hill all the way.

 

 

 

 

Pat on the Douglass Street steps.  There are pretty gardens either side of the steps:

 

 

 

 

Pat has made it to the top!

 

Not much further now!  There are succulents in many of the gardens along the way.

 

 

 

At last we can see their apartment.  It’s the one above the white one.  Not much further now.

 

Now we’re on Kite Hill, one of my favourite places.  It’s much browner than it was the last time we were here, and a few trees are missing, but the view is still stunning.

 

More of the view from Kite Hill.

 

At last we’ve arrived!  Here is the view from Laura and Arend’s balcony.

You can see straight up Market Street to the city.  To the right of Market Street  you can see the Castro Theatre, with its vertical red sign, and to the left of Market Street you can see the giant gay rainbow flag, symbolising the Castro.

The pointy building in the city, to the left of Market Street, is the Trans America Tower, designed so as not to cast shadows on surrounding buildings, and now an icon of San Francisco.