Union Square to Civic Center
Union Square to Civic Center
Saturday, 5 June 2010
That’s via the Tenderloin. It was a really bright day, oddly humid, when we set out from Union Square. This leg seems to have as its purpose a trip out to Japantown.
Crossing Van Ness Avenue (US 101) on Post Street we came to the Eyesore, the former Jack Tar Hotel. Supposedly it is either going to be demolished for a hospital or it will be remodeled into one. Cross your fingers and hope for demolition.
Continuing the slow climb up Post we came to Octavia Street. Except there is no Octavia Street here, just a sign.
The street must have been filled in with buildings and someone forgot to take down the sign.
Then we crossed Laguna Street and entered Japantown.
At this point the tour reverses course, back to downtown via Geary Boulevard. There wasn’t much to see going up Post Street, but I’ve never actually been here.
It turns out there is a lot here, but almost none of it can be appreciated from an automobile.
Japantown is a large, indoor shopping center. Who knew? Lots of restaurants, a large book store, a handicraft store specializing in goods from Okinawa....
Even authentic plastic food on display in front of the restaurants.
Turning on Webster Street and then again onto Geary, we started walking back toward Cathedral Hill, home of quite a few churches.
On an earlier walk we took in the old St Mary’s cathedral. Here’s the new one, the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption. We call it the washing machine agitator.
There were two other people inside the enormous building, and one was playing the organ.
The Baptist church just down the block has a nice garden.
Here’s one last church for today, Unitarian.
Crossing Van Ness, we are back in the Tenderloin. Most of the walk has been here; we might call this leg “Too Much Tenderloin.” At Larkin, we turned right towards City Hall. Here are a couple of street scenes.
We are now approaching Civic Center. The massive federal courthouse looms.
We’ve also just recognized that this tour is not just about the Tenderloin, but Asian restaurants, too. We’ve passed Thai, Burmese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese and Indonesian.
Here is the former public library, converted into the Asian Art Museum a few years ago. The building faces City Hall.
Here is the City Hall, with an interesting statue in front of it (Three Heads Six Arms).
Here is a large piece of art, James Lick Memorial.
Above shows today’s walk and below shows the progress to date (20 miles).
We begin today at Post and Leavenworth, not far from Union Square. Out Post to Japantown, back to the Tenderloin and on to City Hall.
Next—across Market, left on Howard and down towards the Ferry Building.
