Category: Archive
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May Day Mashup- Bucky, Hippies, And The 99%
Last Tuesday , I had time to duck in to SF MOMA and catch a couple of shows ; the painter Mark Bradford, and a show on Buckminster Fuller. It dawned on me the night before there were also going to be protests and marches the following day- it was…
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The Pacific Crest Trail
This is hike number 7 in my series of 50 hikes during my 50th year. A couple of posts back, I mentioned this book, which I just finished reading: The premise is a Minnesota woman whose life basically has gone off the tracks. She has just divorced, lost her mother,…
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Tenderhouse
I walk everywhere, and sometimes I think I’ve walked every block in the city. And then, I’ll discover something I’ve never seen, and realize that’s not the case. Here’s the latest example. Now, I really like the Tenderloin, but I guess there hasn’t been much call for me to be…
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Last Call For The TransBay Terminal
Last week, Urban Ambles wandered down to the Transbay terminal for one last time. The terminal has been , for years, the terminus of transit to and from the East Bay, and the terminal is slated for demolition. In its place is planned a spectacular new station that is hoped…
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Welcome To Clubland
Commuting via Muni or BART for us means walking down from Nob Hill to the Powell Street BART Station. Descending to the station, one passes through a dense neighborhood of retail with apartments above, and interspersed amongst these buildings are a collection of noble brick buildings that are almost civic…
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Holiday Tales Part 2: The Urban Amble
Unlike what we saw in part 1, Christmas in the city is a study in contrasts. At Thanksgiving, I walked through the streets en route to dinner, and the streets were delightfully quiet, revealing both sights of joy, as well as desperation. A similar experience could be seen on Urban…
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Traveling Up The Hudson River
A common lament of those of us who were raised in the northeast is that “while I love California, I do miss the fall”. And I certainly have uttered that phrase many times, although lately, I have found my love of California wavering, its been more tough love given its…
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The San Francisco Art Institute
I have many favorite places in San Francisco, but one stands above all the rest, the San Francisco Art Institute on Russian Hill. The Art Institute, founded in 1871, is one of the oldest and more prestigious art schools in the country. Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Bruce Nauman, and Clyfford…
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Grand Tour.9-Escaping To Treasure Island
Do not fear loyal reader -The Grand Tour (Recession Version!) continues, after a brief hiatus. To recap, we have made our way south from the Golden Gate Bridge,to the south bay, and back up to the through East Bay. Part 9 takes us to our second island on the tour:…