How One Sidewalk Square Makes A Difference
I walk the neighborhood almost every day. Most of the Sunset District has the same sidewalk layout: two squares wide, with one square between sidewalk and curb. Each square is …
Category: Sunset District
Taking The Streetcar To School
I never rode a yellow school bus. Didn’t need to. My elementary school sat on the same block as our house. When busing kicked off in the ’70s, I got …
Why I Like Those Bleepin’ Telephone Poles
People love to knock the Sunset District for its telephone poles. They’re everywhere, right out front, not tucked neatly in the backyards. Wires crisscross the sky like a forgotten spiderweb. …
Is it a bus or a streetcar?
I have to admit, it bugs me when people call a streetcar a bus. Don’t they know the difference? Rubber tires versus steel wheels. It’s not that hard. But I …
Disappearing Farallon Islands
I take a lunchtime walk to 28th and Ortega. I start at the top of the reservoir. Most days, the fog is in. But on clear days, I see the …
Growing Luffas in San Francisco
Did you know you can grow luffas in San Francisco? I didn’t. I always thought luffa (aka loofah) sponges came from the sea. Turns out, they’re actually related to cucumbers. …
Solar Panels in Foggy Sunset District
I live near the ocean in San Francisco. Foggy summers might make solar panels seem like a bad idea. But ours have worked great. Installed in 2008, and we haven’t …
Sunset In Motion – Artist Residency – Part Two
(Continued from Part One) Did I finish everything I set out to make? Almost. As always, new ideas popped up. I needed to fill a whole shipping container, my makeshift …
Sunset In Motion – Artist Residency – Part One
Five years ago, my artist residency began… but I didn’t realize the anniversary had passed until today. I still can’t believe it happened. Six years ago, I wasn’t even calling …
31st Avenue: A Walk On The Wild Side of Typography
How many ways can you say 31st Avenue? Apparently a lot. On a short walk through the heart of the Sunset, you’ll find 31 ST, 31ST AVE, 31 ST AVE, …
Drawing PCCs As A Kid
There are a few things I wish I still had from my childhood. Or at least a picture of them. One of those is a series of drawings I did …
Restoring a San Francisco House… In Miniature
A few years ago, Joyce and I restored the house at 623 32nd Avenue in San Francisco’s Richmond District. It wasn’t the real house—just a 1/12th scale dollhouse model. Completely …
Soup at the Rusty Ladle
I went to the Rusty Ladle again today. It’s my go-to spot on cold San Francisco days. There’s something special about claiming a seat at their penny-topped counter, literally made …
Twenty Seven Miles
At the top of Sunset Reservoir near Ortega and 28th, there are a series of park benches. If you sit there on a clear brisk winter day, you will see …