Sonoma coast sunset
Nob Hill
Prior to the 1850s, Nob Hill was called California Hill (after California Street, which climbs its steep eastern face), but was renamed after the Central Pacific Railroad’s Big Four – known as the Nobs – who built their mansions on the hill… The neighborhood was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire, except for the granite walls surrounding the Stanford, Crocker, Huntington and […]
Memory Monday slides redux, Week 16
Northern California coast, 1956 — Up in the extreme northwest corner of California, you’ll find Crescent City, county seat of Del Norte County, home of the popular roadside attraction Trees of Mystery. Known to travelers of Highway 101 as the home of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, Trees of Mystery first opened in 1931. As I wrote in […]
At Carquinez Strait
Whenever I get the chance to travel between Sacramento and San Francisco on the train, I can never resist taking pictures out the window — especially where the tracks run along the shoreline of Suisun and San Pablo bays. There’s usually something interesting to see!
Memory Monday slides redux, Week 15
This week, I’ve got a road trip for you, up the coast of California and into the beautiful Redwoods. These slides are all from 1956, and we start off in Santa Cruz, about 75 miles south of San Francisco. I’ve never been to Santa Cruz, and I’m sure the city has changed a lot over the years — but after […]
Lands End
Saturday morning at Lands End in San Francisco.
Memory Monday slides redux, Week 14
San Francisco — In 1956, the Golden Gate Bridge had been in operation for just under 20 years. The historic Sutro Baths building was still standing, although the baths had been replaced by an ice skating rink in 1937. You could spend the day at Playland-at-the-Beach, just across the street from Golden Gate Park; Playland shut down in 1972, and […]
