San Francisco, CA

A walk down San Francisco city streets and alleys offers more than just linear pathways to local destinations. Along the walls of buildings and residential houses, there are more than 600 local murals filled with colorful beauty and social political narratives canvas.

My friend stopped to tie his shoe. I took this picture of our other friend.

with a cup of japanese tea

with a hint of caffeine

rite of passage

caged identity

dressing room day dreams

sun go

with the ghost of dr suess

My guide through North Beach

Where Italian and Chinese influences intersect with Beatniks and strippers.

Doing The Frank Sanatra Walk down Broadway, a common juke box melody playing from the Italian cafes (Trieste)

Just when I was trying to escape...

As seen from Russian Hill

new and old

Waiting for an organic doggie biscuit to go with that fresh squeezed orange juice. On Haight Street in San Francisco.

I was surprised how chilly the coastline can get in San Francisco.

Let yourself follow the trail of murals around San Francisco. Start in the Mission, drift up to Noe Valley and over to Haight street, end in the Sunset, on the mosaic staircase. It's best if you stop along the way for a burrito, and sit with a cup of tea on the Sunset stairs before searching for the perfect cookie. That part is up to you, though.

It's one of those time that you see something looks so special because in the night, Golden Gate bridge is on fire.

Great pizza with a view of Ocean Beach. Numerous bus stops out in front, couldn't be easier to get to. They were playing the Giants game while I was there, which turned a room full of strangers into cheering and clapping baseball fans. Spaghetti and meatball nights plus you can get meatballs on your pizza!

The most unforgettable thing to me about San Francisco is the nicely-painted, pastel-colored houses. If you're not a big fan of cliche tourist spots, I suggest taking a walk around the residential areas close to Palace of Fine Arts. It's quiet, breezy, and you're surrounded by nothing but trees and beautiful houses. Also, there's hardly any billboards or commercial along the streets, which is great for a city girl like me who's usually surrounded by cluttered advertising.

I've been doing a lot of traveling lately and am always excited to discover a new place, be it Vancouver, Canada, where I just spent a few days, or Tucson, AZ for a girls getaway. Yet, when I arrive back to San Francisco, I am always giddy about calling this great city home. On approach to the airport I looked out the window of the plane and caught this fabulous perspective of the city's famous icon. For a few seconds I just stared as it sailed slowly by, mesmerized by the beauty of something I've seen hundreds of times. It reminded me that there's always a new way to see the same old place. A change in P.O.V. is like a new set of eyes.

Took this from our home quite few years ago with a digital zoom (prior to digital SLR cameras) so the quality is not great but the combination of the Blue Angels, the Golden Gate Bridge and the mist as the jets roared across the bay captured a unique San Francisco moment.

Karl the Fog is as much a part of San Francisco as the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Park or all of the SF neighborhoods or awesome people we all know and love! It's active year round but is best known for making SF summers some of the coldest in the entire U.S. For us who live here, it is what makes San Francisco our home.

It seems wherever we go there is chaos, noise, lights, cars, too many people and just no place to relax and have some serenity. There are places that do not over stimulate, that do not drown out the sound of your own breath, and allow you to pursue a place of pure joy in a location that brings you peace. Below is a link to some of my photos from all over the world that highlight the minimal world. Where is yours?

We always seem to be in a rush or we feel we need to spend time and money to escape, to see something new when sometimes all it takes is a trip to our own gardens. Besides travel my two passions are gardening and photography, but it was only a few years ago that I started to photograph plants and flowers in a way that made me appreciate them even more. Angle, light, shadow, and close-up shots really help elevate the beauty of a plant, giving a new perspective on an old friend. I have a grouping of my favorite plant photos in the link below. Take a look and maybe they'll give you an inspiration to escape to your own garden.

First time in San Francisco with a mix of sensations, thoughts, and extraordinary views—like this one caught in the morning.

If you enjoy exploring busy urban centers and love to take photographs, here's a quick tips and techniques article showing how to really capture images that pop.

Starting our journey, we left the bright lights of San Francisco skyline behind

This island behind me was built by Forbes himself and you can have dinner on it.

in the middle of it all

Local artist Timothy Weldon collects the goods

Managed to grab a nice shot of this ship as we left Fisherman's Wharf.

Coppola Bldg. eclipsing the pyramid

synchronicity. this image seemed to reflect the north beach atmosphere. from iconic Beat bookstores to italian opera cafes and saloons it makes it hard to think about actually working

Dinner with friends just as the sun sets. Beautiful!

When San Francisco is in good mood (it happens, even during the summer), the quality of light is unmatched in the known Universe. The blue dissolved in the sky goes along so well with the blue resplendent in the water, that the combination invariably attaches itself to the spectator's soul.
Here we are behind The Ferry Building, leisurely gazing at Bay Bridge, after indulging in an Epi baguette from ACME Bread.
Please bring a bike in the picture and I am going cuckoo.

You have to experience this mural on Balmy Street, between 24th & 25th Street and Harrison.
You can also enjoy Humphrey Scolmbe Ice Cream on Harrison & 24th Street.
Few murals on Balmy Street stay permanently.
After this, you can enjoy fresh made tortilla at La Palma, 2 blocks from Harrison & 24th Street.
Visit Mural Center on 24th Street right after Balmy Street.

As wonderful as it is to travel to far flung places, I won't forget that I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

We took a long bike ride from San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge, to Tiburon, where we had a few drinks at Sam's Anchor Café and then caught the ferry back.

While we were waiting, I snapped this picture. No color enhancements. Just nature doing her thing. You go girl!

next time you're in sf, pick up some sustainable sunglasses at Wooed, maybe grab a skateboard at skate on haight and skate on down to dinner at Gracias Madre in the Mission.... organic Mexican food with great atmosphere and arguably the best logo in SF... well maybe Ritual coffee's logo is better, on Valencia/21st. So after dinner head for ritual and soak up some SF good vibes!!

Eat at the bar here. The burger is only on the bar menu or you can get a reservation in main dining room and order off of bar menu too

San Francisco is a wonderful city where everyday life is complimented by amazing views. It has its distinctive smell and taste that is impossible to forget. It is a city of contrasts where busy day life meets relaxing night activities including boat tours, Golden Gate Park walks, and nice dinners at the Fisherman's Wharf.

This train ferry slip is one of the many sites to be seen along The Embarcadero in San Francisco.

Invigorating and beautiful bike across Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco into Sausalito on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Many memories made with 62-year old mom.