July 30, 2007

  • Saturday, July 28

    I got up early and walked Rufus and then headed off on my bike.  I went down 18th to Valencia and took a few pics of the new City college building going up on Valencia between 23rd and 24th.  It's tricky to photograph but straight up fabulous:

    I"m pretty sure that the ornamentation above the windows is meant to refer back to Mexico because it's the Mission.  I hesitate to use the word Mayan because, it makes my archaeologist friend Jim awfully prickly when i do that.  Apparently it's supposed to be Maya not Mayan although my gut tells me that this distinction is likely an example of something cooked up by academics solely for the reason of giving them multiple opportunities to correct lay people (let's call them "winkies").  So I'm not going to suggest that the cool, stylized ornamention is meant to refer back not only to indigenous Mexican art  but also to the local craze for all things MayaN that  swept through the city in the 20's.  Because if I were to do that a brick might likely come sailing through my window with a note attached reading "THAT'S MAYA YOU IDIOT".  Well it would more likely come sailing through my neighbor's window.  Jim's aim isn't very good.  And besides, this building's probably supposed to be Aztec.

    I'm fond of the paining on the protective structure they've built around the building to keep construction stuff from falling on pedestrian's heads.  This was my favorite:

    I'm not sure what statement it's trying to make and maybe that's why I like it so much.  I continued down Valencia and caught this view of Potrero Hill from Valencia and Cesar Chavez:

    Pretty!  Then I made my way over to San Jose Ave and then into Glen Park.  Then Monterey to Plymouth to Northwood to Faxon to Ocean to Eucalyptus to Middlefield then round Lake Merced and up the Great Highway.  I went up to the Palace of the Legion on Honor and then down Lake Street where I got this view of the beautiful Synangogue on Arguello:

    From Arguello I took Sacramento to Scott to Duboce to Castro to 17th and then home.