WEEK 10:

  After months of exploration in San Francisco, we have reached the end. Our field trips, which have become my favorite part of the week, have been wrapped up. Our final trip was to the Embarcadero, the Ferry Terminal Building, Fisherman’s Wharf and the Piers. As the holidays role around, it is beautiful to tour around the city with the large amounts of christmas lights and wreathes. 
  The signage directs people to various tourist attractions. All along the piers they have signs with arrows pointing to the major attractions such as Fisherman's Wharf, the Embarcadero and other destinations. It is helpful to have the arrows pointing a person in the direction of the destination, as sometimes it’s hard to know when one must turn to get to the particular place. Also, with every pier you reach there is a sign telling you which particular pier you reach, such a “Pier 27” or “Pier 39.”  I personally used this type of signage while walking along the piers. It helped me to know how far I was from both Market Street/ the Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf. In this way the signage was very effective.

A large portion of the signs I saw were for the American Cup. The American Cup is a sailing competition famous all around the world. It brings about the worlds best sailors and yacht designers, but is also popular with wealthy entrepreneurs and sponsors. The race is held in a different areas each time it is held, but this year it is held in our very own San Francisco. Sign upon sign, anywhere from flyers to giant billboards to stores broadcasted this event. It was amazing to see how much investment there was in the signage of this event all around the piers. Something that isn’t a major attractive, but yet an event was so advertised it was hard to ignore.

We divided up as a class and as I have visited Fisherman’s Wharf more times then I could even count, I felt I wanted to spend time in an area that I was less familiar with. I focused much of my time around the Ferry Terminal Building. The large building can be seen all the way down Market Street. This terminal has a 245-foot tall clock tower on top of the building and San Francisco written in giant red lit letters. The inside of the building is a giant marketplace, which I spent time meandering through. The signs in the marketplace tell you what type of shops there are, or what type of restaurants are available to the visitors. The terminal is not only used for the marketplace, it is a terminal for the ferries and boats coming to and from other areas around San Francisco Bay. 

Historically, before Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge were built, the building was the second busiest transit terminal in the world. After the bridges were build, the use of ferries significantly dropped, but the building was used for a train terminal. The condition of the building began to decrease over the years. It began to be less of a grand space for travelers and changed into less used dark corridors. Locals began to grow upset as the access to the piers was obscured as the construction of the Embarcadero Freeway occurred in the 1950’s. Pedestrian access was limited, and the terminal building that stood as a landmark, was obscured. After the large earthquake in 1989, the freeway was demolished. When rebuilding the area, a ground level boulevard was put in place of the freeway which brought back access to the Terminal Building. 

Coming from Washington and living directly on the water, it’s alway nice going to a destination where I can see San Francisco Bay. Also interestingly enough, as I have been studying the 49 mile drive, I saw a handful of the signs along my walk from the Ferry Terminal Building to the piers. The piers are all not as popular as Fisherman’s Wharf, but they each provide a beautiful view of the bay. I must say I have enjoyed every minute we have gotten to spend touring the city this semester. It has been an amazing experience week after week. Coming a few months ago and not being that familiar with places in San Francisco other than Union Square and Downtown, this class has introduced me to so much. I am happy to say I now feel like a native in this large, amazing, unique city. 

North Beach:

WEEK 9:

  As we wrap up our semester of field trips around San Francisco, we took a trip to North Beach or as the locals like to call it, Little Italy. Unfortunately I was not able to take the trip with the rest of the class, but I made it only a few days later, along with my roommate. Getting to this destination was a trek compared to other trips, but it was well worth it. North beach is a neighborhood in the northeast part of San Francisco. It is located adjacent to Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf and Russian Hill. Historically this area has been home to a large Italian American population.  

I thought while on the trip, where is the beach? Historically, the area was actually a beach but in the late 19th century, the beach was filled in with landfill. With all the docks and wharves, the southern half of North Beach became home of the Barbary Coast. Just as many other place in San Francisco, the area was hit hard by the 1906 earthquake. The regrowth of the area brought about the large Italian community. A few decades later, in the 50’s many bars and restaurants in the neighborhoods became the epicenter of the Beat Generation. This was a group of American post- World War II writers who came in the 1950’s, where they’d experiment with drugs, sexuality, Eastern religion and much more. This is where the term “beatnik” originated from. Over the years, the Italian community has began to shrink, but there are still a prominent group of young, professional San Franciscans living in the area. 

Barbary Boast, grew to be known as the city’s red light district, full of strip tease clubs and other night life. America’s first topless bar was opened in the area in 1964, known as the Condor Club. There are other well known strip clubs and establishments in the area. 

“When in Rome, do as the Roman’s do.” This was the motto I felt suited the trip to North Beach. While walking through the streets, the delicious smell of freshly baked, cheesy, warm pizza, large bowls of delicious pasta’s, and pastries wafted through the air. I responded to my growling stomach, by grabbing myself a lush slice of pizza. While sitting outside on the street enjoying my food, I took in the atmosphere of the area. There were many large families out for lunch, people out for afternoon walks, and other locals that seemed to just be soaking in the stormy day. We finished off our trip with a stop to a gelato shop, I mean “when in Rome,” right?

Though North Beach is adjacent to Chinatown, the signage is completely different. My favorite part of the signage was the Italian flags painted onto each lamp post. A lot of the signs were for Italian foods. Examples of these signs are “original Joe’s- Fine italian Food” and “Fine Italian Cuisine- Pellegrino.” As we continued walking around, the food signs kept popping out to me. The graphic language for restaurants and clubs competed for my attention, but not in an overpowering way. Were as in Chinatown, where the signs and colors were close together and bright, the signs in Little Italy didn’t overpower each other. When we reached the area where the red light district begins, the signage becomes larger and more electric, flashing with neon lights. For me personally, the restaurant I choose attracted me with the filled seats along the street and the classic Italian sign advertising pizza. 

Coit Tower is seen from everywhere around North beach, it towers over the whole neighborhood. Coit Tower, as well as the Beach Chalet, is part of the WPA project. The tower, built in 1933, is in the city’s pioneer Park. The tower was proposed in 1931, as a gift from Lillie Hitchcook Coit- a wealthy socialite of San Francisco who’s bequest was to beautify the city. Murals line the walls of the tower, just as they did at the Beach Chalet. Most of the murals are open to public viewing without charge during open hours, although problems with the murals have arisen. The murals have had weathering problems and have began to degrade.

Upon arriving into this neighborhood, you feel as if you have left San Francisco and made a trip to Italy. The use of Italian flags all around the area was my favorite addition to Little Italy. I’ll be sure to go back next time I want some delicious Italian food or next time I need my gelato fix. 

Lower Haight to The Castro: