Sutro Tower through the glass

I was riding a bus into San Francisco from the Peninsula (south) and got a good view of Sutro Tower through the window pane. 

view of downtown from Dolores Park

When the weather is nice on weekends, this park gets super crowded with picnickers and frisbee players and people with their dogs. It's a fun and colorful place. And the ice cream around the corner is fantastic  (Bi-Rite creamery).

South San Francisco

This is just by the bay in South San Francisco where you can watch the planes taking off and landing into SFO.

palms at 16th St bart station

This was taken going up the escalator as I exited the 16th Street bart station (BART is Bay Area Rapid Transit - the public rail transportation system). The skies were unusually sunny for late July - usually this is heavy fog season...

electric wires

Some of the streets here are so full of electric wires, it's a whole landscape in itself when you look up at the sky. It's very different from New York City where I used to live, where all the wires and everything are underground.

Harlequin VW Polo

This car immediately caught my attention because I had seen a photo of a very similar one posted on The Berlin Image daily photo website a little while back. This one looks a lot more beat up...! but it kind of fits SF with its many colors.

bookmobile

While the public library branch in the Mission is closed for renovation, there is a Bookmobile parked outside. I wonder what books are inside.

rainbow world fund bus

I spotted this Rainbow World Fund bus as I was walking up Market towards Castro. I hadn't heard of this relief organization before:
www.rainbowfund.org

street at dusk

A man was sleeping next to his bike on this quiet street.

Golden Gate bridge in fog

Sometimes it gets so foggy you literally can't see the bridge until you're on it...

enormous kite

I have to admit this photo was taken a few months ago, in spring when the grass was still green and the wildflowers were out, but it is so cheerful in that SF-in-the-spring way that I had to post it. Took this out the window of our car as we drove by - this guy was flying the most incredibly huge kite and tons of kids were chasing after it. I only wish I could have captured them too.

7th St at dusk

I took this is on a quiet and eerie bike ride. I like the evening light reflecting off the painted arrows. The 80 freeway is above, to the right. 

Takahashi building

A rare example of a brick building. Most structures in SF are built out of more flexible material such as wood, due to the risk of earthquakes.

house on fire mural

This mural covers an entire block just off Harrison, near 15th Street. It's a cool one - quite a crazy scene. I couldn't even fit it all into one frame, standing across the street.

swooping freeways

This was taken in SoMA (south of Market) where the 101 and 80 freeways come into the city. 

nightfall

doll on dashboard

This doll was sitting on the dashboard in an electric van belonging to a handyman in the Castro.

zipcar and a shack

Urban parking lot scene... a strange mixture of order and desolation.

Alemany graffiti

Graffiti is somewhat of a fixture of this town. You see it everywhere, and some of the murals are pretty amazing. This modest example is right by the Alemany market, just southeast of the city.

house in Bernal Heights

There is a row of little houses snuggled together towards the back of Bernal Heights. This one had caught my eye several times before. It just looks so cute and homey. 

on Harrison around 20th

Harrisson St at the East edge of the Mission. The streets around here are kind of quiet and a mixture of residences and old warehouses. And this street has a good bike lane too.