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.