San Francisco: Kite Hill Open Space

 

When people ask what were some of the highlights of our trip to San Francisco, I would (of course) say seeing Laura and Arend.

On the next level, there were many highlights, and one of these was living near Kite Hill.  Laura and Arend live on a hill a few houses away from the end of a cul-de-sac.  Sometimes when we went out, we would walk down the hill, but usually we would walk up to the end of their street, which led onto the open space of Kite Hill, and take one of the paths down the hill leading to wherever we wanted to go.

Stepping onto Kite Hill was like entering another world.  From one side was a panoramic view over San Francisco from the Castro to downtown, across to the Bay Bridge and beyond.  From the other side you could look across to several of San Francisco’s other 43 hills.  Walking onto Kite Hill in the morning was so beautiful it would take my breath away.  (It would also take my breath away coming back at the end of the day – it was so steep, as were the streets leading up to it, and was usually blowing a gale.)

I was completely captivated by Kite Hill, and must have taken dozens of pictures there.  Here are some of them:

 

15th June.  Laura took us to Kite Hill the day we arrived.  You can see the Castro Theatre, with its vertical red sign, and the famous giant rainbow flag of the Castro near tree-lined Market Street leading to downtown. 

 

Kite Hill, covered with wildflowers, has a few well-placed seats, where you can sit and enjoy the view or catch your breath, whichever is the most urgent.

To the top right is Tank Hill, with its flourishing eucalyptus trees.  We walked there one day, and enjoyed the view back to Kite Hill.

 

Here are the descriptively-named Twin Peaks.  On the further peak, you can see part of a giant (everything is giant in USA) breast cancer pink ribbon.

We later walked up Twin Peaks (yes, both of them), but couldn’t see down to Kite Hill from where we were.

 

It can get very breezy on Kite Hill.  This tree blew down recently.

 

Kite Hill is criss-crossed with little paths where people walk their dogs.

 

Standing sentinel over Kite Hill (and indeed all of San Francisco) is the Sutro Tower TV antenna.  Here it is at dusk on our first day as we set out for an evening walk.

 

Here is the view over the city at the same time.  The fog is beginning to roll in, you can still see the rainbow flag, the Castro Theatre sign is lit up and the lights have come on along Market Street.

 

16th June.  The stunning backdrop of the view from Kite Hill is being used for a TV presentation.

 

On our way home from a long day’s hill walking and stair climbing, we approached Kite Hill from a different direction.

 

Pat found the seat at  the top very welcoming.

 

21st June.  I can’t believe I haven’t photographed Kite Hill for a whole five days.

Another perfect day, with the alien proudly keeping watch.  Twin Peaks can be seen on the left, and Tank Hill on the right.  We’re off for a walking tour of the Castro.

 

22nd June.  It’s foggy today, and the alien is hiding.

 

But it’s not so foggy over the city, where we’re off to meet my Flickr friend John.  Pat strides purposefully across Kite Hill.

 

On the way we most often leave Kite Hill, the path winds through a pretty little garden.

 

When we come home in the afternoon, the fog has rolled in again.

 

Over the hill and nearly home.

 

24th June.  Here is a fabulous view of Kite Hill, taken from Tank Hill.  You can see how walking across Kite Hill can lead to different streets.

 

Here is a closer view.  You can just about see Laura and Arend’s apartment through the trees. 

 

6th July.  Another beautiful day.  We’re off to Sausalito, with the approval of the alien.

 

Pat walks down the hill.

 

Someone else is enjoying the view from the seat today.

If I ever forget Kite Hill, I have a few photos to jog my memory.  But I don’t think I’ll ever forget…..

San Francisco Chinatown: Meeting John

John has been a Flickr contact of mine – now a friend – for a couple of years now.  He lives in Pleasanton, a bit south of San Francisco.  We were delighted when he made time in his busy schedule to come into town (with camera of course) to see us.  We decided to meet at the Visitor Centre at Powell Street Station – because we knew how to get there.  John recognised us as we came off the train – probably because we looked like babes in the wood gazing about.  We decided to go for a wander around Chinatown.


John is an Englishman who came to California with his family some years ago, and they have decided to stay.  As you can see, he is quite tall, so was easy to find if we lost him in the crowded streets of Chinatown.  He said he is easy to find anywhere.



View from the bridge where we were standing.  The word that came to mind was “tangle.”



San Francisco’s Chinatown, established in the 1840s, is the oldest Chinatown in North America and the largest Chinese community outside Asia. 



It is also one of the poorer to more middle class sections of the city.






































Chinatown is also the most densely populated neighbourhood in the city and one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in the United States.
But I’m guessing that most of these people are not locals.  Chinatown, apparently, attracts more tourists per year than the Golden Gate Bridge.  Chinatown was completely destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, and subsequently rebuilt as a western-friendly tourist attraction.


The Sing Chong Building was one of the first places rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake.



Willie Woo Wong was a Chinese-American basketball player who was born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Though Wong was only 5'5" tall, he excelled, and was known as one of the finest Chinese-American basketball players in his time, the 1940s. He was called Willie “Woo Woo” Wong because fans would shout "Woo Woo" while he played.
After Wong died in 2005 at the age of 79, local residents successfully petitioned to rename "Chinese Playground" to "Willie ‘Woo Woo’ Wong Playground".






































John and Pat walking towards the "Willie ‘Woo Woo’ Wong Playground". 
You can see how it was easy to find John in a crowd.



Find John.






































The entrance to the Tien Hou Temple, dedicated to the Goddess of Heaven, which we visited.  It was on the top floor, up a lot of steps.



This Dragon Gate is the only authentic Chinatown Gate in North America in that it uses stone from base to top. 



Chinese delicacies.



Chinese herbal shop.



How many yolks for you?



Shops carried an amazing array of goods……



…..in all colours…..



…..and shapes.






































The first building erected as a cathedral in California, Old St. Mary's was established to teach the Chinese community about the Catholic faith.  It was built by Chinese labourers in 1854 with brick brought around Cape Horn and granite cut in China.  Once the city's most prominent building, it was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and rebuilt in 1909.






































St Mary’s is no longer the city’s most prominent building.



St Mary’s clock carries a “timely” warning.



Inside St Mary’s.






































Across from St Mary’s Church is St Mary’s Square, where a 12-foot statue of Sun Yat Sen, founder of the Chinese Republic (1911-1913), is located.  This statue performs multiple functions.






































St Mary’s Square includes a children’s playground with some complicated rules.  I amused myself by mentally constructing a scenario where all the rules were broken.



Woops, an extra rule.






































Nearby Portsmouth Square is a gathering place in Chinatown which features many markers and statues. 
This is a marker for the raising of the American flag in San Francisco in 1846.



A marker for the first public school in California, opened in 1848 by the Masonic Lodge!



A monument to Robert Louis Stevenson.  I was puzzled about the connection, but later found that he spent “many hours” here during his visit to the city in 1879-1880.  This must have impressed the citizens of San Francisco – or some of them at least - as the monument was designed in 1894 and installed in 1919.



John spotted this contrasting sign of the times.
On the right is a group of Chinese people earnestly playing a card game for money on a flattened cardboard carton.  On the left is a Chinese gentleman using his iPad.



In Portsmouth Square, some young Chinese people, with “Jesus” on their T shirts, danced to some traditional music provided by “Mr Music”.



Then they took off their sashes and danced to “The Power of Your Love” by Australian songwriter Geoff Bullock.






































San Francisco’s Chinatown restaurants are considered to be the birthplace of westernised Chinese cuisine such as food items like Chop Suey, while introducing and popularizing Dim Sum (in Australia Yum Cha) to Western and American tastes.
We had a Dim Sum/ Yum Cha lunch with John at the Cathay House Restaurant.
Thank you for a great day John – it was good to meet you.