San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Week Fifteen

It has been 105 days since Mayor London Breed issued the shelter-in-place order in San Francisco to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. 105 days of almost total shut-down is enough time to change a city forever. All the key elements are still here: the buildings, the fog, the Golden Gate Bridge. The parks and cars and streets and trash and most of the residents and about half of the restaurants are also still here. And although some of the lockdown restrictions have lifted, the city will never be quite the same. Neither will I.

One of my coping mechanisms is photography. And as time goes on, I look less to the empty streets and keep gravitating back to what is familiar and comfortable. All the urban eye-catching fun I love is still right outside my door.

I am not going to stop taking or posting photographs. But I think 105 days is enough time to blog about San Francisco during these very strange times in 2020. So I am going to put this project to bed for now and maybe start something new. As a final send off, here are few shots that caught my camera’s eye the last week of June.

This Xfinity ad on billboard at Mission and 10th Street was being replaced by another ad. You can’t see the workers above in this photograph, but you can see their scaffolding ropes on the right.

This window on 10th Street has some kind of protective film or backing that’s peeling off and making a really cool design.

Sticky notes of wisdom posted on a window in SOMA.

An explosion of hearts decorates a window on Nob Hill.

Lombard Street is known as the crookedest street in the world. In actuality, it is not even the crookedest street in San Francisco. The hydrangeas flanking the hill are in full bloom this summer, and the street and sidewalks have few (if any) tourists.

I have lived in San Francisco for more than 30 years and had never known about the charming Fay Park on lower Russian Hill until I walked by it several days ago. The small park was designed by renowned landscape architect Thomas Church. In 1998, the city accepted Mary Fay Berrigan’s bequest of the Fay-Berrigan house and garden for a public park. The city renovated the garden in 2005 and opened it to the pubic in 2006.

This very handsome metal dragon sculpture adorns a door at 2647 Leavenworth Street near Fisherman’s Wharf. The dragon door was created by Steve Pinetti and Cari Jones. A door just up the street at 2645 Leavenworth Street is also decorated with metal art by Steve Pinetti. Inspired by “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”, it features seven snakes of the Horcrux - a secret entrance to the world of wizardry.

This mural by artist @amillionair is outside Columbus Cyclery Go Bike It in North Beach.

The San Francisco LGBT Pride parade was cancelled this year. Instead, it went virtual and was celebrated online. Some people still dressed up on Sunday to show their pride. This gentleman was shopping at the Civic Center Farmers Market.

We Change mural in Chinatown by street artist DYoungV.

Evict Racism mural outside Pacific Cocktail Haven near Union Square

King Kong sports a mask inside Escape From New York Pizza in the Financial District.

This Buddha artwork was placed out front of the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Church on Broadway Street.

Shadows outside John Yehall Chin Elementary school on Broadway Street.

Columbus Avenue leads directly to the Transamerica Pyramid. On this day it also happened to line up with the moon.

San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Weeks Thirteen and Fourteen

It has been more than three months since the shelter-in-place order was issued in San Francisco to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. In some ways, that feels like a really long time ago because so much has changed since then. As we moved toward the summer solstice and the days were getting longer, they blended into each other in a kind of Coronavirus-induced haze. But somehow it also seemed like it hadn’t been that long at all since we adapted to the “new normal”, almost as if we are just pausing for a short while and letting time pass, as it inevitably will.

We were beginning to see signs of change in San Francisco. On June 12th, some restaurants opened up for outdoor dining. (My wife and I actually went out for dinner!) On June 15th, the city went into phase 2B, allowing for non-emergency medical appointments and the opening of indoor retail, manufacturing, and offices that require onsite operations. Things started to seem a bit more normal but there were still many buildings boarded up, large hotels closed, few (if any) tourists, and sometimes hardly anyone out on the streets. It is pretty spooky after dark - most businesses are closed and there are hardly any people around.

People continue to be supportive of neighbors and to look out for each other. Positive messages are posted in windows and attached to trees. There is evidence of the Black Lives Matter movement everywhere, including stencils on sidewalks and lots of beautiful and creative street art.

Here are a few of my photographs from those two weeks.

Evening light enhances the beauty of an empty Woh Hei Yuen park on Nob HIll.

Messages written in chalk on the sidewalk on Russian Hill pointed to this tree decorated with lights and a “Be excellent to each other” sign.

A beautiful blue sky over Telegraph Hill.

This viewpoint overlooks the Marina District and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Words of thanks on paper hearts decorate a tree on Russian Hill.

Artwork of George Floyd outside a shuttered CVS Pharmacy on Market Street.

This poster of Muhammad Ali in the South of Market neighborhood was tagged with the quote “If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do you no harm.”

A heart made of sticky notes in the window of a restaurant near Fisherman’s Wharf.

I was really impressed by the creativity of this Black Lives Matter message on 3rd Street.

Jimi Hendrix quote on the Warfield Theatre marquee. I’m guessing there will not be a show here for the remainder of the year.

Metal plates covering scaffolding at a construction site on Stockton Street made some great shadows.

“Heroes Work Here” sign on Saint Francis Memorial Hospital.

A crew painting a mural outside Biscuits & Blues on Mason Street.

This Black Lives Matter poster outside the AT&T store at Powell and Market Streets incorporates a cable car into its design. The world-famous cable cars are still not running.

The Westfield Mall on Market Street is now open but this window display was empty.

A colorful heart painted on a closed business in Union Square.

#PaintTheVoid efforts continue all over town. In five weeks, more than 60 pieces of Street Art have been painted on 56 businesses. This beautiful art outside Sushi Nagai on Ellis Street is by Kate Tova.

San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Week Twelve

Week twelve of the San Francisco lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 was a weird week. On one hand, the shelter-in-place order was working. By June 2, San Francisco had officially recorded 2,717 cases and 45 deaths. The Mayor announced the city would move to phase 2a; opening up child care, botanical gardens, outdoor museums and historical sites, and curbside retail pickup.

At the same time, Black Lives Matter protests continued daily throughout the city. Most businesses downtown were completely boarded up to prevent looting. Traffic barriers blocked all entry points into Union Square. There was a city-wide curfew from 8pm to 5am through June 4. In some ways, San Francisco seemed quieter and stranger than ever.

But things were also slowly shifting back towards a new normal. Car and foot traffic during the daytime was increasing. More and more boarded up businesses were given artistic paint jobs. I got a COVID-19 test (negative) and went to the dentist for an exam and teeth cleaning (lots of PPE involved in that). The weather continued to be splendidly beautiful with deep blue skies and crystal clean air.

Here are a few images from my camera from that week.

Say their names / Black lives matter sign on the window of Center for New Music.

A mindful message on a boarded up business South of Market.

Traffic barriers blocked all access points to Union Square so the streets were free of cars. This guy took advantage of the situation and practiced baseball pitching in the middle of O’Farrell Street.

The basketball guy on top of the Tap Room sign on Powell Street is wearing a mask now.

Bicyclists in front of a mural outside Trader Joe’s on 4th Street.

Mural by street artist Seibot outside Emperor Norton’s Boozeland in the Tenderloin.

“Equality” mural by @funguyfick on Mission Street.

Mural by Messy Beck in front of Good Vibrations on Mission Street.

Enlightenment mural by Geary and Hyde Design in front of an art gallery.

The Transamerica Pyramid shines brightly in the midday sun.

This little kiosk on Nob Hill at California and Powell Streets is usually manned by someone giving the cable car operators a signal that it is safe to cross the top of the hill where the two cable car lines cross. It’s been empty for months.

Light reflecting off the Transbay Terminal onto 1st Street.

Black and white bricks in front of the Salesforce Tower.

Plants are growing through the glass wall at Salesforce Park.

Looking up at the giant skylight in the Transbay Terminal.

Proper Food on Market Street decided not to cover their windows in plywood. Instead they emptied the restaurant and put up this sign.

These painted doors on Market Street are another way of protecting property.

The Crocker Galleria is currently closed but the atrium is as cool as ever.

This mural by Matley Hurd is outside the closed Rambler restaurant in the Zeppelin hotel.

San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Week Eleven

On May 25, 2020, 69 days into the San Francisco shelter-in-place order, George Floyd was arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota for allegedly using a fake $20 bill. He died in police custody. Such incidents usually garner little attention. But in this case, the excruciatingly painful death of an unarmed black man pleading “I can’t breathe” while being pinned to the ground by a white police officer’s knee on his neck was captured on cell phone video and posted to Facebook. The video went viral.

After a seemingly unending cycle of unjust killings of people of color by law enforcement, George Floyd’s execution brought to the forefront a long list of unjust killings of people of color. A movement was born. Finally!

On May 26, the officers who arrested George Floyd were fired and protests began in Minneapolis. On May 27 protests started spreading to other cities across the US. By May 29, huge daily marches were breaking out in San Francisco. On the night of May 30, unrest turned into riots resulting in hundreds of businesses being damaged and looted, from big box stores and high end retailers, to small family-owned corner markets.

During this time I was doing my thing: job hunting, shopping for groceries, volunteering for local organizations, and capturing life on the streets of San Francisco with my camera. But all of a sudden in 2020, the world pivoted again, and what seemed relevant and important was no, well, different.

This is my photographic record of that week. When the week started, urban life in San Francisco was much like the “new normal” under the cloud of COVID-19. Seven days later, the streets of downtown seemed more dystopian than ever. I am hopeful though, that with this great turmoil will come positive changes. That we will make progress towards loving and supporting each other more. I am hopeful that we will come out on the other side of this moment in history with a mindset to make our communities, cities and the world a better place.

Stark midday shadows at 555 California Street (formally known as the Bank of America building).

I lone figure walking down Leidesdorff Street in the Financial District.

Graffiti on a metal gate that is covered by another metal gate at Post and Larkin Streets makes for some interesting shadows and designs.

This poster for the San Francisco chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild is outside R Bar on Sutter Street. I really like the design with the phoenix rising over the city - a nod to the flag of San Francisco.

A cactus blooms on Taylor Street.

North Beach Church on Broadway Street.

Tower Records used to be on this site at Jones Street and Columbus Avenue. Now it’s a Walgreens.

Garages on Filbert Street make for some interesting patterns.

Students from Notre Dame Des Victoires School 8th Grade celebrate their graduation outside Notre Dame Des Victoires Church.

Painted doors on closed art gallery on Geary Street.

Malcolm X quote on an electric box on California Street.

Street art outside Beyond Burma restaurant.

Looking up at 181 Fremont tower.

Please don’t touch the crosswalk button!

Looking up at the new Mira luxury residences tower.

I thought that this old, warped city map on 3rd Street was a good representation of our neighborhoods nowadays.

The downtown Target was looted on Saturday night and now is boarded up and closed. This is a big blow to local residents who rely on these stores for essentials.

The Disney Store in Union Square boarded up before the riots and looting. Good thing too, because you know the Elsa Classic Doll Bedroom set from Frozen 2 would not have lasted more than a few minutes.

Traffic barriers were installed on Powell Street and all other street access points into Union Square.

On Saturday night, 25 stores in Union Square were looted resulting in millions in dollars of theft and damage. Mayor London Breed requested extra law enforcement personnel from the California Office of Emergency Services. By Monday, sheriffs from counties all over California were stationed downtown in an impressive display of force.

San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Weeks Nine and Ten

San Francisco has been under a COVID-19 shelter-in-place order since March 17. The affects on San Francisco’s economy are profound. Tourism is San Francisco’s biggest industry, and despite its reputation for dirty, troubled streets, in 2019 there were an estimated 26.5 million visitors to the city, a 10th consecutive year-over-year increase. Spending $10.3 billion and generating $738 million in taxes, visitors were responsible for generating more than 71,000 jobs.

This year is much, much different. Not only has tourism been adversely affected, other key sectors are also getting hammered. The medical industry is on downward spiral. Commercial and film production spiked in the beginning of 2020 (in February of this year Hollywood film crews were shooting ‘Matrix 4’ and ‘Venom 2’ in SF simultaneously), but now it is at a complete standstill. The already suffering retail industry is simply devastated. Although some Financial, IT, Software and Social/Digital media companies remain strong, everyone is working from home, meaning most of the 250,000 commuters who brave their way into the city every day are not spending hard earned dollars here.

I fear that with this new normal, San Francisco will never be the same. And yet, I also know in my heart that it will bounce back. Again and again the city and people of San Francisco have undergone hardships, injustices, tragedies and disasters. The flag of San Francisco features a phoenix rising, as if from the 1906 earthquake and fire. Just over 100 years ago, the city endured the 1918-1919 flu pandemic. Since then it has experienced the Great Depression, the White Night riots in 1979 and the Rodney King riots in 1992, the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s and the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. And as I wander the empty streets with my camera, the light and clouds and buildings and hills sparkle and shine with a beauty and brilliance that is truly stunning.

The 30-foot Welcome Tower along The Embarcadero near Pier 14 is reinterpretation of San Francisco’s iconic Coit Tower. There are plenty of locals along the The Embarcadero nowadays because it is one of the most popular spots to get some exercise, but there no tourists for this Welcome Tower to welcome.

This is a walkway between the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero and the Embarcadero Center. This Financial District location is usually bustling with people, but now of course, it is empty.

Someone stenciled these “sheeple” icons on the sidewalk at the social distance line markers outside of Trader Joe’s on 4th Street. Other stencils said “Open California”.

This lovely street art is on the boarded up restaurant, Scala’s Bistro.

The 45-story Four Seasons Private Residences at 706 Mission is nearing completion. There are a handful of high-rise projects in progress in San Francisco. I wonder if there will be many more in the near future.

This street art is on the boarded up Mosser Hotel. I like the tag line based on the quote from MLK “only in the darkness can you see the stars”.

More street art. This is on The Gap flagship store.

I’m not sure, but I think this is supposed to the San Francisco 49ers mascot Sourdough Sam.

The bougainvilleas in Nob Hill are blooming like crazy this spring.

This is reflection of a broken mirror someone left at the bottom of Market Street. For me this also was a reflection on the current state of affairs in San Francisco.

This sign on a construction site says “Bubbles. We pray for you!”

A bright, blue sky contrast with red lanterns in Ross Alley in Chinatown.

A gated in front of a closed business makes some interesting shadows.

San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Weeks Seven and Eight

The weeks are starting to get away from me. One day morphs into the next and then into the next. I can tell that time is passing because the days are getting longer. Mother’s day has come and gone. But still we seem stuck in some weird parallel universe where nothing is happening and days keep slipping by in some kind of hazy dream. I am only able to go out as far as I can walk, but fortunately there is a lot right outside my doorstep even with most of San Francisco still under lockdown orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The steps leading up to Nob Hill on Taylor Street often have people walking or running up and down them to get some exercise.

Grace Cathedral and all churches in San Francisco are closed. It make me sad. So many are incredibly beautiful inside and no one is allowed in to worship or celebrate or sing or gather with friends and strangers.

Flowers growing up through cracks in the sidewalk on a steep section of Clay Street.

Even the White Horse at the White Horse Tavern (closed) is wearing a face covering.

#baytogether is an organization of volunteers from Gensler, an architecture firm. They have been painting abstract murals to bring color and joy to the Bay Area. This is on a boarded up window at the Flood Building at Powell and Market streets.

This is the Hyde Out Bar. Hopefully the “wine time” is not David too.

Words of encouragement from Ricky Rat Comix are popping up all over the place.

Klatch Coffee on Franklin Street is closed, but the chairs set up on tables make nifty designs.

Peruvian lilies celebrate spring at Mary Ellen Pleasant Memorial Park.

A view of Geary Boulevard from the Webster Street overpass. I have never seen this stretch completely devoid of cars.

Sign on a house in the Fillmore district. Sound familiar?

This sticker on a lamp post says it all.

San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Week Six

San Francisco is under lockdown for the 6th week, but my camera is on the go. Spring has sprung! This can be one of the most beautiful times of the year here in SF. But this year there are no tourists. And few cars. It is so quiet and the usual, loud city sounds are intermittent. The vibe is definitely different. People are wary of others walking down the street. Masks are now required in essential businesses that remain open. If feels like we have been in quarantine for a long time already, and we still have a ways to go.

Pretty puffy pink flowers adorn a tree on Bush Street - a sure sign of spring.

This is the new Transbay Terminal bus bridge with no busses on it.

This boarded up bar now has been painted with colorful designs.

People are leaving messages of support on the streets.

This is the bottom of Lombard Street. For years the neighbors along this, “the crookedest street in world” have complained about all the congestion due to its notoriety. This day I counted one car in five minutes.

The late afternoon light on the buildings on Nob Hill.

Construction continues. This used to be a gas station at 9th and Howard Streets.

Another boarded up business decorated by a street artist. This is muralist Max Ehrman (aka E.O.N.75).

Snapdragons and not much else happening at Union Square.

These chairs at Salesforce Park wait for the pandemic to end so people can sit on them again.

San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Week Five

San Francisco continues to be shut down and boarded up to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With that comes some new photographic opportunities. I hope you enjoy some of these!

A boarded up store in the Tenderloin was tagged and then painted over making these abstract designs made more visually appealing with shadows.

This is The Hair Shop on 4th Street. Usually there would be wigs on these. Now with the word “human” and the rows what heads, the scene looks like something out of a science fiction movie.

I have a hard time passing up a visually interesting self portrait. This is the Moncler store on Stockton Street in Union Square.

I just discovered this little buddha statue is on a stairway off Florence Street on Russian Hill. I love it!

Flowers brighten a beautiful spring day along Pacific Avenue.

Note of appreciation for those delivering packages and food on a Nob Hill door. Some people hardly ever leave their house.

I thought that this tryptic of stickers pasted on door outside a closed club off Polk Street were an apt commentary on where we are nowadays.

Sons & Daughters is a MICHELIN star restaurant on Nob Hill that usually offers a 9 course tasting menu for $145. They now have a $50 to-go meal. I was impressed that they left this golden pig along with a tip jar and bottles of wine on a table outside the restaurant on the sidewalk.

The rounded side of One Pine Street always offers up interesting window reflections.

Wonderful quote and art posted outside a closed store in the Financial District.

Window reflection of the Transamerica Pyramid on Columbus Avenue.

These lanterns outside a restaurant in Chinatown are a reminder that 2016 was the year of the fire monkey. We are now in the year of the metal rat. I fear that many small businesses are not going to make it to the end of this year.

Construction on the city’s Central Subway Project - already 2 years past it’s original estimated completion date.

Interesting street art is popping up on boarded up businesses.

Shadows at Salesforce Park.

Late afternoon light and wind make a giant Old Glory shine bright in front of 555 California Street.

San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Week Four

Four weeks so far. How many more weeks to go? No one seems to know. Are we getting used to this?

Our reality shifted quickly and all of a sudden some things are very different. Yet so much is still the same. We are still here. The buildings and streets and plants and animals and city are still here. We have just paused - giving some of us a chance to settle in, look around and check it out.

In week four of the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown in San Francisco, I focused less on the new normal. Instead, I gravitated back to capturing all the visual things that I love about this place I call home. Yes, I did take pictures of empty streets - it’s hard to ignore those. But I also shot the things usually shoot: architecture, street art, light, shadows and iconic landmarks. Enjoy! And stay healthy everyone!

The famous “Painted Ladies” Victorian houses across the street from Alamo Square with the San Francisco skyline in the background. San Francisco generally has really clean air compared to most cities, but lately the skies have been brilliantly clear, even by our standards.

This dog park is in Alamo Square. Dogs still have to do what dogs have to do, which includes rolling around in the grass.

This street art by noted San Francisco artist Eclair Bandersnatch is on the side of a convenience store on Divisadero Street.

Andrés Petroselli (Cobre) paints super eye catching works of art. I liked how this one seemed to draw attention to the staircase next to it.

This beautifully painted Victorian on Hayes Street is framed with fragrant jasmine flowers.

Union Square completely empty. No skateboarders today.

One of the many things we look forward to this time of year is the Macy’s Flower Show window displays. This year there is only plywood.

The Barbary Coast Trail is a San Francisco Historical Society walking tour that connects 20 historic sites and history museums. The 3.8 mile trail is marked by these bronze medallions embedded in sidewalks. This is at Mason and Sacramento streets.

There may not be a flower show at Macy’s, but this time of year flowers are blooming all over town. These are at the top of Vallejo street on Russian Hill.

In addition to hearts on windows to show community support, some people have had some time to be extra creative with post-it notes.

A lonely basketball waits for someone to come play at Helen Wills Playground.

Someone lost their hat on Pine street.

The Ferryboats Santa Rosa and San Francisco Belle are known for their dinner cruises operated by Hornblower Cruises. They stand idle on brilliant blue San Francisco Bay at Pier 3.

Broadway Street completely empty.

A porch light on nob hill accented with some dappled shadows.

There are still a few cobblestone paved streets in San Francisco. The late afternoon light really made the stop pop.

A before and after shows the difference in late afternoon traffic on Lombard street. This is the main thoroughfare to the Golden Gate Bridge. These were both taken about the same time of day. The difference in light is dramatically different due to daylight saving time.

San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Week Three

As San Francisco started week three of sheltering in place to slow the spread of the Coronavirus, the city seemed to settle into a little bit of a rhythm. People queued up at a safe distance outside supermarkets. More closed businesses boarded up their windows. The debate at city hall continued between Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on what to do about the homeless. In some residential neighborhoods, things seemed very much the same except that there were only people out to walk their dogs. In contrast, areas such as Union Square and the Financial District took on a very eerie, apocalyptic feel. I have been trying to focus on the positive: how people are supporting each other while generally observing social distancing guidelines. And this week I tried to focus my lens on the unique and dynamic beauty of this city where I live despite the profound adverse effects of the COVID-19 epidemic. Still, it’s hard to ignore the hardships evident everywhere.

Thank you sign for healthcare workers at the Warfield Hotel in the Tenderloin.

A beautiful tulip garden in bloom in Laurel Heights.

An inspirational hand written message at a little free library in Pacific Heights.

Ironically, this “MORE CHANGE AHEAD” sign was posted on an empty Forever 21 store front before the Coronavirus hit.

You know it’s the end of days when your local Starbucks is closed and boarded up!

“We will get thru this together” street art in front at the Barbary Coast marijuana dispensary.

The Mel’s Drive-in South of Market has concave windows that made for a cool design when boarded up.

In January, regular vehicles on Market Street were banned, allowing only busses, street cars, taxis and bicycles. Now it seems devoid of all of those and people too.

Hand written chalkboard sign in the Inner Richmond.

This delightful Easter display with plush unicorns along California Street would lift anyone’s spirits.

Lavender in bloom in front of a Victorian building on Pine Street.

As I walked passed Broadway on Russian Hill one evening, I was attracted to the evening light reflecting off the cars parked on the hill. Then I noticed the couple at the top of the hill taking in the view.

Looking up Vallejo Street on Thursday evening.

Paper hearts posted in windows on Russian Hill.

Late afternoon light reflecting off a building on California Street.

The plight of the homeless during this difficult time is particularly dire. Imagine living on the street, relying on the kindness of strangers to get by, and then everyone just disappears. Many are elderly and barely holding on. Some are mentally ill and have a limited understanding of what is happening. More and more often in my walks about town, I’ve seen people scrounging through trash and compost bins looking for something to eat. This person in a wheel chair in the Financial District makes a strong statement on how we have abandoned and neglected some of the most vulnerable in our society.

San Francisco Coronavirus Shelter-In-Place 2020 Street Photography: Week Two

What a crazy time!

Here are a few pics and observations from the second full week of the lockdown in San Francisco to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Looking down the middle of California Street from Kearny midday Tuesday. Usually this scene would be full of cars, trucks and people out on their lunch breaks. The lack of traffic makes lying down in the middle of the street (just kidding!) to get these types of shots that much easier.

Another shot of the Financial District midday during the week. This is at Sansome and Sacramento. Without all the traffic, the terrible condition of our city streets becomes that much more apparent.

All playgrounds in the city are closed. Poor kids! This is the playground in Portsmouth Square.

Construction throughout town continues uninterrupted. Workers are wearing masks. It must be much easier to transport equipment and materials through town without all the traffic. This is part of the never-ending SFMTA Van Ness Corridor Improvement project.

Spring also continues uninterrupted at Peace Plaza in Japantown.

Chinatown now has a new name: Ghost Town.

Empty alleyway in Chinatown.

This is Ross Alley in Chinatown. I love walking through the side streets in Chinatown and hearing the click, clack of mahjong tiles coming from the Chinese Neighborhood Associations. This day, it was eerily quiet.

Hang Ah Tea Room in Chinatown opened in 1920 and is reportedly the oldest Dim Sum restaurant in the United States. Now its offerings are only available to go or through the many ubiquitous restaurant delivery companies. I hope and pray that many small businesses are able to make it through this difficult time.

I noticed this San Francisco History Center display in Mechanics Monument Plaza and it made me wonder how history would remember this moment in time.

Looking up California Street late Monday afternoon. Bus shuttles have replaced Cable Cars. There are still a few cars and people about, but not many.

A mostly empty San Francisco Transbay Terminal continues to operate despite few commuters.

I really liked the signs and cute takeout window at this little Japanese restaurant on 2nd Street.

A long lens compresses the view looking up O’Farrell Street towards the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption. I’ve been trying to get this shot for years.

The evening light in San Francisco is often quite magical. Empty streets and the long lines of a bus lane on Geary Street make the effect surreal.

Shadowy figures walking down Post Street at the end of the day.

San Francisco Shelter-In-Place 2020: Week One

As the days ticked by during the first week of San Francisco’s stay at home order due to the Coronavirus, people adapted in some interesting and usual ways. No one alive has ever lived through something quite like this, so it was difficult to know what to expect. After seven days, it’s obvious that the city has turned into a space quite different than just a few weeks ago. It just feels weird and dystopian. Generally though, people have remained supportive of each other and of the place where we live.

Panic buying line outside Costco. This was actually the day before the lockdown. Seeing people panic buying gives me anxiety!

Need a break from the anxiety effect of panic buying? How about a trip to Salesforce Park? It’s still open, but hardly anyone is there.

Succulent garden at Salesforce Park.

One of the eeriest things happening in downtown San Francisco is businesses being boarded up. Le Central has been open since 1974. I often have walked past this famous restaurant and seen the former mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown, sitting at his favorite window side table.

Stockton Street looking toward Union Square at about 3pm on Sunday.

These signs encouraging social distancing have started popping up all over town.

Shocked to see the beautiful Sir Francis Drake Hotel all boarded up!

Quite sad to see Sears Fine Food boarded up too.

One group of people not doing the social distancing thing are skateboarders. Now that the city is shut down, they have the run of the place. Skateboarding in Union Square is prohibited, so on a normal day, these guys would immediately be shooed away. The day before this, I saw this same group skating down all 3 lanes of Bush Street, unimpeded by traffic.

GLIDE Memorial and St. Anthony’s are two non-profit organizations that serve the underprivileged in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. Due to the COVID-19 virus, they had to close their soup kitchens and instead hand out to-go meals. The homeless people who eat these meals on the streets often don’t bother to throw them in the garbage when they are finished with them, much to the delight of local seagulls. This might partially make up for the lack of junk food left behind at the Giants baseball stadium this time of year.

To show their love and solidarity for neighbors and community, people have started posting hearts in their windows. Some people have modified the heart designs to add an element of humor.

Heart made of Post-It notes on the window of Isabella Cafe on Nob Hill.

San Francisco Shelter-in-Place 2020: Day One

In an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, on March 16, 2020, Mayor London Breed announced a city-issued public health shelter-in-place order prohibiting residents from leaving their homes except to meet basic needs. So of course, I had to venture out with my camera to document this exceptionally unusual moment in our history (while observing social distancing guidelines of course). These were shot on the first day of the shutdown, Tuesday March 17, 2020 starting at 5:30pm, a time on normal weekday when sidewalks are full of people and the streets are gridlocked with traffic.

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Bush Street at Sansome. Bush Street is typically backed up for blocks with commuters trying to make their way onto the Bay Bridge.

Sansome Street

Embarcadero Plaza, previously known as Justin Herman Plaza.

The Embarcadero. There were a few people out running and getting exercise.

Pier 27. This is where the cruise ships dock in San Francisco.

Pacific Avenue looking up toward Russian Hill.

Looking down Broadway Street toward The Bay.

Powell Street in Chinatown.

Washington Street cable car tracks. Cable cars and the old street cars are no longer running and have been replaced by bus shuttles.

Looking down California Street.

Nob Hill - looking down Taylor Street (there were some kids on skateboards at the the top of the hill but while I was there they didn’t work up the nerve to skate down the hill)