Monday View Of Sunday

A little, happy moment during Sunday Streets  this last Sunday.

It has been awhile since riding and holding a camera at the same time have been possible.  Nice to have someone smile at me when it happens.

This Is San Francisco : Outside Lands

As you saw yesterday, we have stared a little cross pollination project between us, Vélo Vogue and Wheelright.  It is always interesting to see things from varying perspectives and so here is mine, just a little late.

I grew up in what people have, once again, started calling the Outside Lands.  Its official name is the Sunset District.  On the day we were all out there the Great Highway, the road that has physically separated the neighborhood from the shore line for decades, was closed to traffic for Sunday Streets.

This road was the terror of the neighborhood when I was growing up.  Six lanes of unregulated, high speed traffic with zero areas for people to cross on foot to reach the beach.  In 1983 most of the road and the adjacent sand dunes were destroyed by massive waves that crested over the road (20 feet above above and 30 feet in from the high water line) and the whole thing had to be rebuilt and reinforced. It is a constant battle, to the tune of millions of dollars, to keep this road safe for car traffic.  The whole road is built on sand dunes (most of which are a protected bird sanctuary)!  I am not sure why anyone thought that was a good idea and every year we are reminded it wasn't.

 At that time the road was redesigned with traffic control and crossover points at every street.  Pedestrian paths were created along the sides of the highway and we all thought it was great!  It never occurred to us to want more.  The whole Outer Sunset was in the throws of deep decline and anything we got seemed like manna from heaven.  Now, I think there are many, many people who not only dream but work toward shutting this highway down and turning it into open public space.  I think they will succeed and I look forward to that day.

 Today, when it isn't closed to traffic, bicyclists have to share the side path with joggers and dogs and walkers.  It is a beautiful path but it isn't enough.  The whole coast should be open to people to roam freely, to ride a bicycle or fly along on their skates or teach their children how to kite board.  I don't say this because I hate all cars, I say it because I have lived with this road and its impact on the neighborhood for 40 years.  The Outer Sunset deserves better.

In the meantime, there is always the beach. Miles and miles of beach to love and live on and be a part of.

So while I left the Sunset happily in 1984 to live in the Mission District, there is always a part of me that lives there.  There is always a part of me that misses the salt air and the fog horns and the never ending barrage of sand blowing into my home even with the windows closed.  I miss the kites flying above and the crazy surfers who head out daily to freeze in the violent surf and the pot smokers and the teenagers having bonfires as the sun goes down.

A little video of a regular day on the Great Highway.

This Is San Francisco: The Outside Lands

We have a new series that we are doing in collaboration with the fine ladies over at Velo Vogue called "This Is San Francisco." check out the first of the series. this series will consist of pictures we each capture at one event, or place, during each month to show you SF through our respective camera lenses.

enjoy.

a few sundays ago was sunday streets in SF. it closed the great highway and that was fantastic to see!

here's how i experienced that sunday.

it started with joining a ladies only ride.



then we went through sunday streets, which is where i broke off from the ride.

penny farthing. april 2012.


deep and ian. music bike.


declan grinded delicious coffee beans.


this is sunday streets: band. cargo bike bbq. ade&camera. bike.



james. 1968 coleman camp stove. cargo bike bbq. grey pacific ocean.


here are the posts from velo vogue and wheelright.

The Best Always Comes Back Again

I took this picture in April 2009.

And KT got 'em again over at Vélo Vogue. It is because they are just too awesome for one blog!

Correction- Ramona Wheelright is the VV awesomeness on the other end of the link : )

friday fun times: freedom and sunday streets

sunday streets is back in SF starting this sunday! i will be gone walking among green things not too far away...so unfortunately i will miss it. i do believe ade is skipping out on portlandia to take pics and celebrate with SF.

i'm very excited for sunday streets because it coincides nicely with san francisco's recent bikey friendly legislation. some say it is the strongest bike friendly legislation in the U.S.

the ordinance requires that downtown building managers have secure indoor bicycle parking for employees either in their building or guarantee secure parking in a building within a few blocks! a frequent complaint to riding bikes to work is fear of theft. i carry two ulocks for that very reason. what a relief to so many future bike commuters.

why not celebrate that with the extremely popular, and expanding, sunday streets. last year sunday streets was in 8 locations. this year, we will have 10!

oldest way to get around town...

i love this picture. we were hanging out on sunday streets in the mission a couple of months ago, and we found ourselves needing to go somewhere that was more efficient to travel by bike than by walking. our friend here didn't have a bike. the tall one has a large bike frame with extra space and the thigh muscles to match. yours truly had the know-how and suggested they do the below.

how cute. old friends, old way to get around town. now she has her own bike with fancy and friendly friends showing her how to ride. so awesome. much love!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!!

Once again, Sunday Streets is coming our way!

Streets closed to cars are streets open to people!

Sometimes there is competition in the rickshaw category.

Sometimes there is just pure joy that brings you to your feet.

Got a bunch of kids to bring? Throw on the back, just make sure they understand how to maintain personal space.

Make sure to borrow other people's bicycles to get a new perspective.

Mostly, just come out and have some fun. I take pictures of the bicyclists because that is what I do, but there is something for everyone! Don't live near by? Maybe it is time to come visit! Hope to see you there!

SF/Sunday Streets, LA/CicLAvia

San Francisco will be jumping during our 2nd Sunday Streets event of the year! 6 continuous miles of beautiful, wonderful, open CAR FREE space!!! Come see what your world could look like, and just how much noise you live with everyday (you really notice when it is gone!) The weather will be great and there will be plenty of room to ride, hula, skate, sunbathe, lie in the middle of the road, throw frisbees, ... Click on the map for a larger version.


Los Angeles will be doing the same thing for their second year! Get out there Angelinos! Go see what LA was like before it was turned into what it is now. It is amazing how quiet and tranquil the city can be when you give it a chance.

Now, imagine what it would be like if this was the map for a really big car free party for all!

Behind the Scenes

People frequently ask me if I just jump out in the bicycle lane and start taking pictures. The answer is, yes, that is exactly what I do (unless I am riding, in which case it is straight from the saddle). It is always funny to see how people react to me and my camera. My friend Jon, who is the creator of the Bikescape podcast (now defunct, but there is great stuff on there you should check out. I think he should start it again.) filmed me taking pictures of the riders of Sunday Streets.

These are some of the pictures I took.

All of these were taken at Sunday Streets. This closure was through Golden Gate Park and along Ocean Beach (where I grew up and would have been thrilled to have the Great Highway permanently closed to traffic). Last time it was closed it rained buckets. This time it was glorious with the most perfect weather anyone could ask for! You can see it on people's faces!

In looking at my pictures from this day, almost no pictures of women came out. The guys were all willing to smile for the camera, but the women were all shy. Come on, ladies! Time to represent! (I have noticed that when women wear helmets, I have a much harder time getting them to let me shoot. No one likes how they look in a helmet.)