Scott Hess Photography

Creative Destruction for High Speed Rail

Walking up Howard Street, I come across one of those dramatic, apocalyptic-looking scenes that I love so much. There is just something about the demolition of grand old structures that grabs my attention and creates a reflective pause. In this case, the scene in front of me is the destruction of the old 1930's Transbay Terminal and bus ramps to make way for the the new Transbay Transit Center at First and Mission.

The old center closed on August 8, 2010 and the groundbreaking for the new facility took place on August 24th, 2010. To my surprise it is billed as: "the northern terminus for the California high speed rail system and a multi-modal facility that will accomodate eleven transit operators and serve more than 45 million passengers each year". This is a bold plan since only a small fraction of the funding for the high speed rail system is now in place.

The Executive Director of Transbay Joint Powers Authority proclaimed at the groundbreaking, “Today we deliver to the public the first new High-Speed Rail station in the United States, the first modern regional bus station in more than 60 years, and after more than 100 years, a downtown San Francisco train station.” 

I feel the collective will surging into an uncertain future. Confidence is high among powerful supporters. They point out that many countries are now running these expensive new high speed rail systems and ALL are popular and profitable. We do love to connect.

Cultural Beacons

Academy of Sciences and Sutro Tower

I head over to the De Young Museum to check out the new Post Impressionist show but I am too late to get in. It is a beautiful afternoon however and I am struck with the golden fall weather and the intelligence and beauty of the California Acadamy of Sciences building across the concourse. The green domes of that living roof blend perfectly into the forested slopes of Mount Sutro. This does seem like a center of the peninsula and the Bay Area.

Sutro Tower ,above, is the highest structure in the City. It is sited behind the main peak of Mount Sutro, a few yards away from the old Adolph Sutro Mansion site. This centralized beacon of TV and radio signals has become an iconic part of San Francisco architecture. So many culture making words and images constantly stream from this tri-tipped techno sculpture.

Here's the spot from where the topmost photo was taken - in front of the De Young Museum. Looking forward to the newly installed Post Impressionist show, "Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne, and Beyond". Just seeing the sign in the rich, warm light imparts an upward bounce of mood.

Relief from the Heat at Mountain Lake

The City is so hot today that I head to Mountain Lake in the the western highlands of San Francisco's Presidio. I feel immediate refreshment when I reach the edge of the water. It feels natural, cool and moist here. Ducks, grebe, and gulls are gliding over the shimmering surface in the last, low rays of the Sun.

This natural Lake is where the Anza party camped on their founding journey of 1776. An interpretive sign on the shoreline reads "On March 27, 1776, Spanish Captain Juan Bautista de Anza, Father Pedro Font, and an advance party of soldiers ended a grueling nine month trek from what is now Mexico here at Mountain Lake. The Spaniards camped here for two days—long enough to lay the groundwork for the settlements that would eventually become the City of San Francisco. Three months later, the 193 settlers of Anza's main party arrived. Soldiers soon staked out the Presidio on ground a half mile northeast of here: clerics established a Mission three miles to the southeast. For most of the next 46 years, these would be the northernmost outposts of Spain's empire on the Pacific Coast."

It's surprising to me how this little heart shaped lake has retained so much of its natural beauty and presence after over 150 years of use and abuse. Much of the lake's western shoreline was buried in the 1930's to provide a freeway approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. Pesticide runoff has undoubtedly been "contributed" by the adjoining Presidio Golf Course, and who knows what else has been dumped into the Lake, yet the ducks and waterfowl still nest in the tule reeds, and the cool, sweet, moist air still rises in the evening to refresh the soul stressed out by the hard, hot urban grid.

The Beloved—and Enduring—Ferry Building (1898)

So many "roads" lead to, or through, the Ferry Building. I end up pausing here at the end of the day and sink straight into the essential beauty and excitement of the City. The architecture echoes with grand classical themes and it works perfectly in this powerful place at the foot of Market, California, Sacramento and Clay Streets.

At the ferry boats' peak in the early 1930's, at least 50,000 people per day from Marin and the East Bay poured through these gates to work and play. When the bridges were built in 1936 and 1937 the building declined into neglect and fragmented use. The Embarcadero Freeway, built in the late 1950's, isolated the Ferry Building further by blocking the flow from the City's interior to the waterfront. This last insult, however, was reversed by Mother Nature's earthquake in 1989. Now the building is free of the offensive freeway, and restored and resplendent, it serves renewed ferry traffic and is a showcase of the region's finest agricultural products from artisan cheeses to the best of local fish. 

   

The Ferry building has endured two earthquakes and the related 1906 inferno. Historic photos show a wall of smoke and flame coming right up to front of the building at the foot of Market. The U.S. Navy and City fireboats under the command of General Frederick Funston saved this important portal from devastation, and the foundation and structure designed by the young architect A. Page Brown in 1897 stood firm. 

 

Now the Ferry Building Marketplace occupies the beautifully renovated interior and offers up the best of California's cuisine to residents and travelers alike. A dynamic year-round Farmers' Market outside has made this place a true center of the urban community. It feels like a Temple and I feel gratitude for the very good fortune of living in a place like this.

Click on photos for full view.

 

Meeting at the Raygun Gothic Rocketship

 

I'm walking along the waterfront and the energy is powerful, fresh and uplifting.  The images and happenings flowing by me now feel like the whole world is lifting off in joyous flight. The Raygun Gothic Rocketship from the 2009 Burning Man festival has landed in a prime spot near Pier 14 - and looks ready for a new adventures.   Just as I take in the scene a beautiful, romantic couple ride up to me and ask me to take a picture of them on their bicycle in this expansive setting. They circle a couple of times and photos are made. It's a lovely moment. Ben and Katya have been sailing for several days and Katya tells me that Ben is leaving town the next day. I can feel the love and happiness in this shared space. Its not just ordinary happiness, but a strong magic born of clear intentions and open hearts.

 at the Tidal Plaza near Pier 14 at the foot of Mission Street

Regarding the Rocket: Thanks to the Black Rock Arts Foundation and the San Francisco Arts Commission for bringing the art of Burning Man back to the City where Burning Man was born. I first saw this piece perform in all it's explosive glory in the vast space of the Black Rock Desert last year around this time, and am happy to see it again so close to home. The interior, (when accessible), and periodic performance and conceptual aspects, are all part of the experience. The creators of the Raygun Gothic Rocketship say this about their project: "The Raygun Gothic Rocketship is a roccoco retro-futurist future-rustic vernacular between yesterday's tomorrow and the future that never was, a critical kitsch somewhere between The Moons of Mongo and Manga Nouveau"-  perfect for the energy of the day.  For more info go to www.raygungothicrocket.com/    Click on photos to see full view.

at Burning Man 2009, Black Rock City, Nevada

  

Bridge to Bridge

Lots of action on the Bay today. Early this morning the Southend Rowing Club had its annual Bridge to Bridge open water rowing regatta and later the sailors were out in force. Looking down from Russian Hill on the Hyde Street Pier with its historic ships, and across the bay to Alcatraz and Angel Island in a relatively quiet period mid-afternoon, one catches a glimpse of a very full party boat under sail to the east (right). 

The Hyde Street Pier is an historic ferry pier located at the foot of Russian Hill. Originally, this was the principle automobile ferry terminal. It connected San Francisco with Marin County by way of Sausalito and the East Bay by way of Berkeley. It was even considered a part of US 101 and US 40.

The Pier is now part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. Various historic ships are anchored at the pier, some available for self-guided or docent-led tours. Among the ships on display are the Balclutha, an 1889 square rigged, steel hulled sailing ship representing the first step in a commercial transition from wood and sail to steel and steam. The rhythms of time undergo a significant shift as our new technologies unfold. 

Windows Into the Tenderloin

 
Driving up Market I decide to detour into the Tenderloin to check out the new multipaneled mural masterpiece Windows Into the Tenderloin by Swiss born artist Mona Caron. Whenever I enter this neighborhood I am always knocked back by the restless, semi-crazy energy on the streets. It is a place well known for its poverty, drugs, prostitution and crime, and yet when one settles in a bit, warmth and sweetness also appears.

Mona has worked some powerful magic here on the corner of Golden Gate and Jones. Her work is exquisite and is backed by intensive historical research and knowledge. She knows and incorporates scores of local residents in the scenes. The March 8 edition of the Fog City Journal had an excellent piece on the mural—with photos—at the time of the mural's dedication.

 

 

Crazy on Market

 
Middle Market Street buzzes with a crazy mix of people and scenes. Psycho City, near here was a famous graffiti site in the 80's and 90's and still glows brightly in the imagination of many. I don't know the name of the young lady or the graphic artist. I hope someone will see this who has more information.

South Beach Overview

 

The top floor of the 75 Howard Garage is one of the most magical spots to look out over South Beach and the Bay Bridge—day or night. The unusual sculpture in the bayside park is Cupid's Span by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen. The shape of the bow echoes the ships constantly gliding by and the sweeping curves of the bridge. There is a "cupidity" that goes with this location as well—for example, the trans-generational romance of new opportunities, and new dreams facilitated by this great bay.

   

Gazing up at my viewpoint for the top photo

Viewing South Beach from Pier 14 at night, one can see the 74 Howard Street vantage point about 1/3 of the way into the frame on the right. The Ruth Asawa sculpture featured in the last post is found next door in front of the curved, trapezoidal building at 188 Embarcadero.  Click on photos to enlarge them.
 

Asawa's Glowing Water Wheel by the Bay

Walking back from Pier 14 to the parking garage on Mission I am stopped by the glowing geometric beauty and shimmering flow of Ruth Asawa's Aurora (1986) sculpture/fountain by the Bay. I've admired this work over the years but rarely walk by it at night. When I begin to photograph the piece I immediately feel the magic of the night kick in. The radiant water wheel seems eternally turning in the warm night. Several individuals and couples stop by to admire the scene with me, and one enthusiastic Indian businessman says he had walked by here for years and never noticed the sculpture.

The ground floor of 188 Embaradero where Aurora is located houses the offices of Ivaran Lines, a Norwegian Shipping Company. The graceful, sweeping lights of the Bay Bridge form the background on the east (top photo).