An oasis in the city.
No hard working street snapper can ply his trade in the absence of good sustenance, and The Butler & The Chef Bistro, south of Market at Third Street in San Francisco, provides the necessary goods.
G3, kit lens @ 14mm, 1/50, f/4, ISO1600. Click the picture for their website.
A no nonsense place which supports the arts.
Nova Bar on Second Street between Bryant and Brannan in San Francisco is your regular, no nonsense bar and restaurant. Good food, a relaxed unpretentious atmosphere and when I was there the other day for a snack, a great display of art by Paul Morin.
Nova Bar and Restaurant. G1, kit lens @14mm, 1/60, f/3.5, ISO1600.
The crowd here is strictly from the arts world – banksters need not apply. The music volume is just right. Morin writes about his work, examples of which you can see above:
Paul Morin paints portraits that emphasize character. By capturing a look of amusement, bewilderment or other quirky expression, often accompanied by some kind of prop, Paul delves into the personality of his subjects much like a candid snapshot reveals the moment-specific projection of a person’s inner thoughts. Painted with silverleaf backgrounds, these large scale portraits capture all available light in their environment, emphasizing the dimensional qualities of Paul’s realist style.
“In my exploration of the human figure, I try to bring movement, expression, and impact to the physical boundaries of the canvas. ‘Scale’ is a very important concept for me — not only the size of the canvas, but how the elements fit within the canvas. I strive for immediacy and monumentality in my work. A moment caught in time but also a timeless sense of grandeur.
My use of color relies on nature but is never a slave to it. My technique is based on the old master techniques of 17th century Italian and Flemish painters. Though rooted in tradition, my work has the impact of contemporary painting. The figures confront — they meet the viewer half way (sometimes more than half way). Through layers of under-painting, I am able to bring a sense of movement caught, which brings life to the image — an impression that the expression will change suddenly, or a muscle will ripple. ” ~ P. Morin
The location is just across from South Park and I enjoyed a fine pesto linguine with chicken washed down with a Ninkasi draft red.
Snapped on an iPhone 3G.
As you can see, there’s no escaping the obligatory jumbo, who has consumed more in his pathetic excuse of a life than would feed a third world nation.
Glutton. G1, kit lens, same data as above.
An amazing area.
Whole acres of classic warehouses and administrative buildings have been left to rot. The windows are smashed, barbed wire fences erected to prevent access. Signs warn of danger and forbid trespassing.
This is the area in east San Francisco on the bay known as Dogpatch and Pier 70.
Home to some of the oldest buildings in the city, many having survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, Dogpatch is not what you would call pretty. Gritty and exhausted is more like it. But that in no way lessens the picture opportunities. I spoke with one of the guards and he told me that most of the warehouses date from the turn of the previous century, that the roads used to be made of beautiful cobbles, now asphalted over, and that a light rail line led right into the industrial center of Pier 70.
It’s sad to see all the wonderful potential of these buildings wasted. A less corrupt city would develop these into mixed use housing though the issuance of tax free bonds and enjoy the bounty of property and sales taxes which would ensue. But don’t hold your breath. This is California, after all.
When I first processed these as pretty much straight-out-of-the-camera renditions, I tried them on a friend who advised “This series would suit a more grunge type effect” so I went back, added some contrast, vignetting, vibrance and grain in LR3 and have to agree that the results are far more dramatic and effective.
All snapped on the Panny G1 with the kit lens, ISO 320.
If you find yourself in the area, check out the Hard Knox Cafe on 3rd Avenue – and order their excellent shrimp gumbo with the Hard Knox draft ale.
Snapped on an iPhone 3G.
The interior of this unpretentious place has walls lined with rusted corrugated iron, which perfectly fits the feel of the Dogpatch. They even have half-decent, free, broadband.
In SF’s Mission District.
People shopping on west Mission Street in San Francisco are not wealthy. The area is full of cut price stores and interesting groceries selling exotic foods. Many languages are spoken, Spanish being the most common. The people are warm and extroverted, neighbors frequently meet on the street and if the area has more than its share of drunks, addicts and derelicts, none of that takes away from its character.
When you next find yourself on west Mission Street, be sure to check out The Rosamunde Sausage Grill. The menu offers a choice of sausages on a French roll ….
…. and a varied beer selection. Wine drinkers need not apply. Check out the great names. I can recommend the ‘Russian River Damnation’ lager:
The interior is nothing to write home about, basic beer cellar, but the food and beer are excellent.
Best of all, sit outside and watch the street scene as drama unfolds before your eyes.
Son of Klingon. G1, kit lens @ 18mm, 1/400, f/4.5, ISO 320.
The pub that time forgot.
When the AT&T ballpark was finished in 2000 it attracted like ugliness. But one building that time forgot is O’Neill’s Irish Pub, not a stone throw’s away, and beautiful weather and tired feet found me enjoying the lunch special, which came with a glass of Smithwick’s finest, for an all in price of $13. Can’t beat that. And as the place is old and tired and has been around for ages, it actually is somewhere you want to linger.
Panasonic G1, kit zoom @ 18mm, 1/30, f/5, ISO320.
My fellow diners included a bunch of manual laborers from the nearby new ferry terminal construction, people who know a good deal when they see it.
You can find O’Neill’s here:
Update 2012: Sadly, O’Neill’s is no more, replaced by yet another mindless chain restaurant ‘brew pub’.