The City by the Bay.

I am sure a lot of people back in the 80’s thought the band Journey came up with the phrase, “City by the Bay” but I am reasonably sure no matter how talented of song writers they were, this moniker was well in place when Steve Perry belted out the lyrics.

I have spent a lot of time in San Francisco over the years. I have been fortunate to have some of the hottest food I have ever consumed, acted like the tourist I am by riding a cable car, and even walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. When you walk on the bridge you realize how windy it is facing the Bay, and how far the drop is below. Neither one was very appealing to me---but it was a very cool thing to do.

One thing that never happened to me was experience an earthquake. I am sure there was a tremor or two while I was there, but if there was, I don’t remember it; I believe they happen quite frequently so I am sure there was a small one probably in the middle of the night at least one time.

Probably one of my most memorable moments I had was when I passed Alcatraz by boat on my way to Sausalito---the thought of human beings housed in that facility is nothing more than frightening. I can’t imagine the feeling of being surrounded by water, with horrible conditions, and your only opportunity to escape (if you could) would be by swimming. They say only one or two people have done that---although to my knowledge they have never been seen again after they escaped. Not a good sign if you ask me.

There are many wonderful things about San Francisco once you put Alcatraz, earthquakes and fog behind you; they have some of the most beautiful bridges, piers, and homes I have ever seen. The hills that make up the city, position the homes in very odd configurations—these row houses are nothing like we have in Chicago. They make for an outstanding, colorful photo.

The photo above was taken from the rooftop of a restaurant one night while I was there on business. The combination of the dark blue sky, and neon lights, created a mixture of colors that only worked that night. If there had been fog, the photo would never have been taken…but like the other famous song goes, “I left my heart in San Francisco” but fortunately brought a memory home in my camera.

Thanks for stopping by.