I happened to find a painting of the New Upper Terrace Market in San Francisco by artist E. Dale Erickson. It really captures the building and it's setting marvelously.
Now that is San Francisco. I've only seen a few other works depicting scenes in the City by the same artist, but if I had to live with this one... life would be good.
It might be noticed that for the San Franciscan, most familiar points of reference contrast quite a bit from those the tourists know. It really is a shame that most people scurry to and fro to all the tourist traps and don't experience San Francisco. Of course, those who remember the City from the 30s and 40s and 50s are fond of saying (like the residents of Miami Beach), "ah, but you should have seen it back then..."
And it is true, that since the early 1960s when my family first came to the Bay Area that the City has changed a great deal. The number of Victorians homes, for example, has shrunk from 18,000 then to about 14,000 now. Fortunately, the 60s brought about --along with all of the very significant change to the skyline and the psyche of the City-- a very strong sense of public stewardship in the protection of the cultural heritage of San Francisco... in far more than just the skyline.
If you should ever be so fortunate as to have the chance to visit San Francisco --or for that matter, return for a repeat visit or even live there, do your best to look at the City through a different perspective. It amazes me that not until years after I left did I ever wander around the ruins of the Sutro Baths, or see the Golden Gate Bridge from the walkway mid-span, or from the ocean-side view in Lincoln Park.
Part of the little ritual I do upon entering San Francisco that I've described before is a silent thanks that I have one more chance to see the City. It makes me look at where I live at present with an entirely different perspective and appreciation as well. Not that any other place could ever be San Francisco.
Now that is San Francisco. I've only seen a few other works depicting scenes in the City by the same artist, but if I had to live with this one... life would be good.
It might be noticed that for the San Franciscan, most familiar points of reference contrast quite a bit from those the tourists know. It really is a shame that most people scurry to and fro to all the tourist traps and don't experience San Francisco. Of course, those who remember the City from the 30s and 40s and 50s are fond of saying (like the residents of Miami Beach), "ah, but you should have seen it back then..."
And it is true, that since the early 1960s when my family first came to the Bay Area that the City has changed a great deal. The number of Victorians homes, for example, has shrunk from 18,000 then to about 14,000 now. Fortunately, the 60s brought about --along with all of the very significant change to the skyline and the psyche of the City-- a very strong sense of public stewardship in the protection of the cultural heritage of San Francisco... in far more than just the skyline.
If you should ever be so fortunate as to have the chance to visit San Francisco --or for that matter, return for a repeat visit or even live there, do your best to look at the City through a different perspective. It amazes me that not until years after I left did I ever wander around the ruins of the Sutro Baths, or see the Golden Gate Bridge from the walkway mid-span, or from the ocean-side view in Lincoln Park.
Part of the little ritual I do upon entering San Francisco that I've described before is a silent thanks that I have one more chance to see the City. It makes me look at where I live at present with an entirely different perspective and appreciation as well. Not that any other place could ever be San Francisco.
1 comment:
Hi!
Thanks for the visit and the link!
Good Work
Zé
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