431 walkabout

Over the course of the pandemic, I have set out on a series of walks outside my usual. In theory, I'm expanding our dogs mental map of the city. In reality, I'm enjoying seeing some different neighborhoods.

Yesterday took me through the Western Addition to Japantown and Pacific Heights. The line between what was torn down by Justin Hermann and the old housing stock is, frankly, shocking. 

There are a couple of the new "redevelopments" that are ok-ish because the residents have a lot of pride, but the baseline they're working with is ugly public housing. 

On the left, "new and improved" on the right, multi-million dollar tear downs that got saved by being closer to a "white" neighborhood.

Every once in a while, there's a Victorian building that survived, right in the middle of the concrete mid-century wasteland, and it makes the contrast that much more obvious.

I took this because it's a sweet truck mod, but it also shows the newer housing stock behind. Looks a lot like...uh... Anywhere built in the early 70s.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Bush Street, or wherever they put the red line, you have this incredibly charming old housing stock that is now incredibly pricey. Here's a walking alley, something you can't build anymore, because how could they get a fire truck in there?

Sometimes San Francisco blows me away with just how much it is a western boom town. All those old west buildings? They're right here in the middle of the city.

In the afternoon, I took a walk to the Mission. The closed streets in the Castro and Mission were popping off. Drag shows, DJs, live music, happy crowds. It gave me a real sense of what "build back better" may look like. 

It might have been accidental, but I think London Breed may get my vote next year.

The residents of this Victorian apartment building have set out these old chairs for socially distant conversation. Two things struck me: they are antiques, and they're not gone. What is happening to San Francisco?