Saturday, October 24, 2009

San Francisco's Treasure Island

Treasure Island is an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland. It is connected by a small isthmus to Yerba Buena Island, and was created in 1936 & 1937, from fill dredged from the bay, for the Golden Gate International Exposition.

Downtown San Francisco as seen from Treasure Island

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

Treasure Island Marina

New Bay Bridge construction

Pelicans over San Francisco Bay

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Bernal Heights and Precita Valley, San Francisco

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) "Walking the Neighborhoods" class taught by Max Kirkeberg. Our second neighborhood walk was Precita Valley on the northern slopes of Bernal Heights. Settlement began here at the end of the 19th century as a lower end working class neighborhood, but today homes sell for $1,000,000 if they have views.


View of downtown San Francisco from Bernal Heights

The OLLI class gathers at the barrier on Bernal Heights Blvd.

Max Kirkeberg

Max Kirkeberg and OLLI class on Bernal Heights


Bernal Heights hill and microwave tower

Lofty views of downtown San Francisco



New Housing on Ripley


Old small Victorian houses: A door and a garage (12.5 feet wide)

Remodled Victorian Houses: A door and a garage (12.5 feet wide)

New Construction: A door and a garage (12.5 feet wide)

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Alamo Square, San Francisco

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute “Walking the Neighborhoods” class taught and led by Max Kirkeberg.

Alamo Square is a residential neighborhood and park in San Francisco, California. The Square consists of four city blocks at the top of a hill overlooking much of San Francisco, with a number of large and architecturally distinctive mansions along the perimeter. The park includes a playground and a tennis court, and is frequented by neighbors, tourists, and dog owners. A row of Victorian houses facing the park on Steiner Street, known as the painted ladies, are often shown in the foreground of panoramic pictures of the city's downtown area. On a clear day, the Transamerica Pyramid building and the tops of the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge can be seen from the park’s center. San Francisco’s City Hall can be seen directly down Fulton Street.


Max Kirkeberg

The Painted Ladies


View of Fulton Street from Alamo Square

Potted plants in Alamo Square


Victorian on Grove Street

Approaching Fulton and Scott Streets

Victorians on McAllister Street

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Hank Miller's North Beach Photo Class

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at San Francisco State University contracted with Hank Miller to teach a Travel Photography Class to "take photographs of San Francisco’s famous North Beach district to capture the lovely churches, buildings and the zany characters that comprise one of America’s great neighborhoods." These are some of the photos I took on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2009.

Hank Miller and the OLLI class start at Caffe Roma in North Beach

Statue in Washington Square

Restaurant on Washington Square

City Lights Book Store On Columbus Avenue



Mural on Stockton Street



Celebrating St. Patrick's Day in North Becach