Ocean Beach & Cliff House in 1930

There's this great blog I follow that's all about my neighborhood, and they recently posted this fun video of scenes from Ocean Beach and the Cliff House, back in 1930. Since I'm a fan of local ephemera, I thought I'd repost it here.


This might resonate a little extra for me because I used to live a stone's throw from Ocean Beach and the Cliff House, and also because my grandpa grew up in the Sunset and he or other relatives sometimes talked about the Playland at the Beach. I feel grateful to have experienced a little bit of history crossing generations, as when I lived in the Outer Richmond, the Musee Mechanique was still housed below the Cliff House. I often took long walks along the Great Highway that ended at the arcade, where I'd spend my spare change on Laughing Sal and the nickel and dime machines.

Giant Gnome Design

I was recently downtown and came across an unusual sidewalk vendor: Giant Gnome Design. The designer and his girlfriend had a small table set up on Grant St., not far up from the opera singers (who were out singing, full force, on Maiden Lane), selling greeting cards - a welcome respite from all the jewelry, leather cuffs and knitted baby hats. I love that several of the cards feature local spots.

 

Perhaps even more interesting than Giant Gnome's street presence is their Card Gnome venture, set up like a stationary store with shelves to browse through. Though the experience is virtual - you pick a card and write a personal message - they will prep and physically send the card in the mail to your recipient, postage included.

*All photos from Giant Gnome Design's etsy shop

San Francisco Ephemera

My husband sent me this great film clip (set to music, Air's "La Femme D'Argent") of old footage taken from a streetcar going down Market Street in 1905. That's right, 1905 - before the big earthquake.



I love the slow hustle and bustle, the way everyone seems to be going in every direction. It makes me feel rather small, the way we replace each other but the street remains.

amateur photography: i'm learning

The photo directly below, taken recently in my neighborhood, was included in sfgirlbybay's blog today, which I was thrilled about because I like reading the blog for decor & shopping news, general inspiration, or just to see a pretty photo to break up the monotony of my day job. The grittiness and grime of this doorway actually makes it quite lovely.



When I took the photo, my intent was to make this diptych:



On that particular day, I was noticing how everyone's iron work and gates were so different and I started taking pictures of the patterns.



I liked, in particular, these two sunbursts.



In an undergrad playwriting class, we used to take walks as a writing exercise - to train ourselves to notice the details of our surroundings, and to test our levels of observation. I find, when I'm looking that closely, I see a lot of beauty.