Looking Up

Those in the wish-to-be-taller category see the world through the breaches in the crowd.
Around holidays shoulders become broader, mob thicker, leaving gaps even narrower.
Face it, facing average dull behind might get equally dull.
Try to look ( + cheer ) up !
Here is what we saw in NYC.
All images are clickable

Corner of Broadway & 42 Street

Shopping at Times Square

181 Thompson Street. Rocco Restaurant sign.

405 Lexington Ave, Chrysler Building

The Greenwich Savings Bank, now Haier Building. View from 5th Ave

St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Ave

Wall ad, 248 Lafayette Street

Tiffany & Co Building, 5th Ave

Duane Street

Nath'l Fisher & Co Clocks, Duane St

 Silk Exchange, Broadway

Dancers, 24 Bond Street

Century 21 Department store, 22 Cortland Street

Construction site next to MoMA,  West 53 Street

Times Square

Treasure Island

TripAdvisor ranks Treasure Island 55 out of 343 San Francisco attractions, 
likely pumped by 17 “likes”.

“Simply breathtaking!” consists of:

- a 2 sq. km concrete slab, edged with dilapidated army barracks ;
- broad shouldered fishermen blocking “no fishing” sign view;
- a civilized embankment, facing San Fran ;
- lacy bliss dancer.

All is connected to the rest of world via a rock ( Yerba Buena Island ), 
crowned with Coast Guard’s observation deck, bridging 2 sections of 
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. 
Ignoring “no trespassing” under the “missed my turn” pretense, opens 
a couple of rare views of both sections of the bridge.

You won’t miss it : it is on the Yelp’s must see list! 

All images are clickable

Embankment. View on Yerba Buena Island & Bay Bridge.

 Bliss Dance Statue by Marco Cochrane

 Bliss Dance Statue by Marco Cochrane

Bliss Dance Statue by Marco Cochrane

 Bliss Dance Statue by Marco Cochrane

 Bliss Dance Statue by Marco Cochrane

Sunrise over San Francisco.
View from Treasure Island

Bay Bridge, eastern section  ( Oakland-Yerba Buena Island )
View form Yerba Buena Island

Bay Bridge, eastern section  ( Oakland-Yerba Buena Island )
View form Yerba Buena Island

Bay Bridge, western section  ( Downtown San Francisco -Yerba Buena Island )
View form Yerba Buena Island

Bay Bridge, western section  ( Downtown San Francisco -Yerba Buena Island )
View form Yerba Buena Island

Bay Bridge, western section  ( Downtown San Francisco -Yerba Buena Island )
View form Yerba Buena Island

Quest West

Our photography corkscrewed through cracks in the concrete of urban realities.
That was and will be our wonderland. 

Silicon Valley is a chain of unmemorable settlements beaded on a narrow corridor between 101 and 280 (*). Most noticeable (**) of which, and worthily, is Stanford.

Vacationing in the Valley presents several options :
- commuting to San Fran ( and back ! ) ;
- camping under the Apple in unfounded hopes of something ending up on the top of your lap ;
- going West.

“West quest” snakes through the ridge, what is, presumably, Santa Cruz Mountains, to the vastness of the Pacific.

Super wide landscapes of the Monterey Bay. Super tall portraits of Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

What we saw colored our urbanite, mostly B&W soul. Velvet of the dunes, teal of the ocean, mahogany of the redwoods, Egyptian blue of the deep blue sky. We tried to bring these back home.

Here’s what we managed to preserve.
Welcome to our Valley Photo-Serenade.
 
All images are clickable.

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(*) sclerotic commuter veins of Southern SF Bay Area
(**) If you visualize a halo over Parc Place, navigating processions of the 
IT Magi “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy”, hate to disappoint you.

Año Nuevo Natural Preserve

Shoreline Park ( Mountain View )

Shoreline Park ( Mountain View )

 Marine Dunes Preserve

Shoreline Park ( Mountain View )

Carmel-by-the-sea

Carmel-by-the-sea

Pelican colony ( Pescadero State Beach )

Sequoia ( Big Basin Redwoods State Park )

Santa Cruz Mountains ( view from La Honda Road )