Chateau Tivoli Bed and Breakfast

The old Victorian homes on Steiner Street in San Francisco are really beautiful.  I had the opportunity to stay at Chateau Tivoli on a recent trip to the city by the bay.  This remarkable old house was built between 1890 and 1892.  It has had a succession of owners/uses including an Oregon lumber baron's home, a Jewish home for unwed mothers, and a New Age center. It is currently owned by the Shohet family and is a Bed and Breakfast.  There is an afternoon wine and cheese social and a lovely morning breakfast.  Parking is available on the street and there are good restaurants and entertainment venues in the neighborhood.  

Rick Evans' Architecture Tour

Shell Building reflected in the Crown Zellerbach Paper Company Building 

Shell Building (built in 1929)

Crown Zellerbach Paper Company Building (built in 1959)

This was one of the first "towers in the plaza"buildings.

Telesis Tower entrance (built 1908)

The architect was Polk.

Look at the top of the column with the zig zag design!

Hobart Building (built 1914)

The architect was Polk.

It was built around another building that was removed to give the monolith next door its "air space".

111 Sutter (built 1926)

It has a mansard roof with gabled dormers and terra cotta roof tiles.

Building with a building built over it.

Look carefully at the gold square at the bottom in the middle of the building.

Rick Evans has an Architecture Walking Tour in San Francisco. It is a fascinating two hour experience.    Rick attends council meetings and is part of the historical society of San Francisco.  He is involved in the preservation of San Francisco's past.  In order to do that effectively, he spends hours in the library researching buildings, architects and materials.  One of the buildings that was saved due to his efforts is the Hallidie Building.  This building was built in 1917 and the architect was Polk. It is the world's first glass walled building.  No one was aware of its uniqueness until an article was uncovered in the "stacks" of the library.  The building was due to have its elevators torn down and its facade removed.  It will now be restored.  The building is wrapped at the moment and I could not get a good picture for this blog. Rick also does tours of Chinatown, Russian Hill and North Beach. His tour was $20.00 and you can contact him at rick@archituresf.com or call @415 264 8824.

popos

popos.architecturesf.com

Hidden on top of buildings and next to lobbies are 28 of the best resting spots in San Francisco.  They are known as popos or privately owned public open spaces.  If you can find these little gems, they are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 until 5:00.  The popos that I visited were accessed from the Galleria Park Hotel's fourth floor and from an unmarked door  at the back of the open air food court next door.  A second popo was accessed by going into the Wells Fargo building and taking the elevator from the lobby.  Each popo has a security guard and is maintained by the corporation that was required to build it.  In San Francisco, there are strict limit on building height.  EXCEPT when you purchase the air space of the adjacent building.  Then, you can add that height to your building but you must compensate the public with a public open space.  However, the corporation does not have to have signage indicating that a space is available until 2013 when the rules change.  So, look at the website above and mark your favorite spaces and visit San Francisco.

Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island is in San Francisco Bay and is accessible by boat if you are smart enough to purchase your ticket before you get to Pier 33.  5,000 people board the boats each day to travel to the island.  Once there, a park ranger greets you and explains the rules and gives you a history lesson.  Then you are on your own.  You can go into the theater and watch the video on the island which was first occupied by the military in the 1860s or you can walk up to the cell block.  Once in the cellblock, you are outfitted with a iPodlike recorder that gives you a living history tour through the facilities.  Since everyone starts the tour at a different time, the pacing is good and there does not seem to be any excessive crowding.  The view from outside the Administrative Office is stunning and the message relayed by the audio tour is enough to deter anyone from doing a criminal act. The island is also a bird refuge and the site of beautiful gardens and exotic plants.  Go and spent the day.  It is worth the trip.

Pier 29 Fire in San Francisco

My cousin, Diane, and I were just returning from Alcatraz Island when we saw clouds of black smoke rising from the pier in front of us.  Not a good sign! The ship offloaded its passengers and we walked out to the street where we saw fire engines and police cars at Pier 29.  Flames were coming out of the top floor and as we stood there, a piece of the roof fell and hit the sidewalk.  The firemen on the rooftops were taken off immediately and more engines arrived.  Firemen began to link hoses together and connect them to the hydrants in front of Pier 33 and 35.  We went to lunch at Butterfly and had a delicious she crab sandwich.  Great timing as the electricity went off thirty minutes later and we finished our meal and exited into the sunshine heading in the opposite direction.

Nevada: Sand Harbor Beach Sate Park and Spooner Lake State Park

Sand Harbor Beach Sate Park is a treat to the eye.  The boulders jut out of the blue green water and offer a sun splashed resting place for those brave enough to swim in the ice cold water.  Sand Harbor is home to the Trepp Amphitheater where music echoes off the cliffs and water and the Sand Harbor Shakespeare Theater.  

Spooner Lake is a destination for cyclists and cross country skiers but now there are fishermen and hikers trekking around the lake.  The facilities are clean with lots of parking and picnic areas. This is a good spot to search for the alpine plants and wild flowers.

Lake Tahoe Plants

Hiking takes on a whole new dimension when you are searching for wild flowers.  There was snow on the ground in the Tahoe region just two weeks ago, so the lovely alpine flowers are just thrusting up through the soil, seeking the sun.  As we hiked, the temperature climbed to 76 degrees F.  Quite a change from ten days ago.

Taylor Creek @ Lake Tahoe

Drive past Camp Richardson and you will find a sign for Taylor Creek.  This is a wonderful state park with meadows, views, wild life and a paved walking trail.  There is signage along the pathways and a small museum that highlights the fish that live in the lake.  The park rangers will answer questions and they also give nature talks at the amphitheater.  There is plenty of parking at no charge and the beach access is excellent.  This is not one of the overcrowded beaches but rather a haven where canoes, kayaks and paddle boarders have lots of room to explore and practice staying afloat. There is enough space for dogs to roam and the leash rule seems to be respected but with enough leeway for the animals to swim and chase their sticks.