50mm Fun in San Francisco

Old Green White Modern BuildingsI have a tendency to let my life get bogged down with work. Day job, side projects, chores, house repairs, exercise…it’s all work and it all adds up. I try to get everything done, every day and often forget that taking time outs, having fun and accomplishing nothing is just as vital for daily progression.

So last week I took a couple days off to be irresponsible in the Bay Area. San Francisco is the latest addition to my list of “Awesome American Cities,” joining San Diego, Chicago, Denver and Seattle (even though I’ve never been to Seattle, I can still tell it’s freakin’ awesome).

Golden Gate Bridge BoltsThe four-day journey felt like a month-long adventure. I:

  • Saw the lovely town of Sacramento where my sister lives
  • Partied in San Francisco bars, restaurants, street corners and at a friends-of-a-friends’ house in Presidio park, where a lovely afternoon bbq turned into a glass-shattering drama-bath when a few flying beer bottles gave guests the permission to flip a few tables over (a textbook case of Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point’s theory of context)
  • Died a bit inside as Kobe Bryant put an end to the Suns’ basketball season
  • Shook my head in the bleachers of AT&T Park as the Dbacks blew a two-run ninth-inning lead and lost to the Giants in the tenth
  • Got to know my 50mm prime lens better at the Golden Gate Bridge, the Painted Ladies (Full House House), Haight Ashbury, Japan and China towns and Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s a versatile lens, produces dramatic depth of field effects with unique angles, all for only $100. It’s the best addition to my photography arsenal to date.

Painted Ladies

I’m still happily reeling and itching to get back.

Click here to see more pics on Flickr.