Street Shooting in SF, Vegas, Phoenix and possibly LA

In a few weeks I will take a roadtrip through these cities. LA is

dependent upon time, but I will definitely pass through Vegas and

Phoenix (relatives in AZ) and plan to spend a couple of days in SF.

 

I plan on doing a solo 24 Hour thing in SF so I would love

suggestions on where to shoot (and areas to possibly avoid in the

wee hours) and when. Most likely I will be in SF midweek. I've

visited before so I have a basic idea on how to get around, but

since this will be my first time street shooting there suggestions

are welcome. In fact I'm new to street photography period.

 

Also any suggestions for good areas to shoot in the other cities

listed would be helpful. I will have less time there so I would

rather not wander around aimlessly.

Although I shoot in SF all the time, I don't have a good feeling about snagging stuff over a

24 hour period. It's not like NYC. Maybe Jeff has another opinion.

 

I'll think more on some places to hit.

Stuff to shoot in SF: BART and Muni (on trains and platforms), Alcatraz if you like

decaying concrete and iron - a great place, Chinatown - lots of stuff there, Northbeach,

the embarcadero waterfront, neighborhoods on Irving St and Polk St, the Mission, other

neighborhoods. Union Square sucks and is always too bright. I took some snaps at the

Marin Headlands (across the GG Bridge) a couple days ago - more rotting concrete and

iron...<BR><P>

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u.jpg">

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Wow great shot! Is that the Marin Headlands? Chinatown and the Mission are definitely on my agenda and I'm sure I'll spend plenty of time downtown. I'm basically looking for a good starting and ending point. Somewhere I could park my car for 24 hours, and trying to find a good area to shoot late at night that is active but not terribly dangerous.

There's a large parking garage on Mission and 5th - the hourly rates during the day

seemed reasonable... That's essentially in the Downtown area. From there you could

wander around Market St, Chinatown, Northbeach, Embarcadero, South of Market (SOMA),

etc. Probably easiest to get on Muni or Bart to get to the Mission.

 

I haven't done much late at night in SF, but the few times I have, Market St, Northbeach,

and Chinatown are dead around 10 - 11PM - even on a Friday night - way different than

NYC. So if you want to do the 24 hour thing, it would mostly be buildings and lights. If you

go to Alcatraz, snag the first ferry to avoid lots of people on the island - get that in

Fisherman's Wharf. Probably good to avoid the Tenderloin at night.

 

You can get a Muni day pass for $9 that covers rails, busses, and cable cars. That's a good

way to get to the different neighborhoods other than the ones I mentioned above which

are easily walkable with good shoes. There's a Muni bus that even goes over to the Marin

Headlands - that's where the pic above is from.

 

Good luck on the 24 part - might get a little lonely after 10PM - maybe 2 days till 10PM

and a snooze in between would be better?

Thanks again Brad.

 

Somewhere I have a city map so I should probably map out a gameplan before I arrive. I know its very difficult to get around by car (lack of parking) so the Muni day pass is a good idea. I have been through the Tenderloin and yes I probably want to avoid that area late at night. I'll shoot that area late afternoon/early evening.

 

As for 24 hours? It's my goal, but if I don't make it so be it. I do remember a few areas being pretty lively during weeknights, but they may shut down at 1-2 AM, I can't remember. Would love to do NYC, but it's way too far for me to drive and I'm not crazy about flying. Besides I'll get to see some cool things on my way.

Brad's right, but the areas around Mission (like Valencia/16th) seem to have people around during bar hours on weekends at least.

 

I wouldn't hang around Civic Center and those places alone past midnight or so.

 

Maybe North beach would have people around during bar hours? I haven't checked yet myself though.

Although now that i'm thinking about it these guys went 24hrs for 4 days covering EVERY muni bus line in the SF area, I'm sure there's interesting stuff to see on buses at the wee hours :D

 

http://www.examiner.com/article/index.cfm/i/090704n_muni

A few ago I did the tourist thing is San Francisco. I wasn't out after dark so I have no late night suggestions. I can recommend a couple daytime places.

 

If you're not homophobic, you might find the Castro district an interesting place for street photography. Lots of leather and stainless steel studs. Alcatraz was one of my favorite places, but it's not a people pic place. In the large park area, there's a Japanese garden where you might find some good people snaps. China Town would be another good place for street photography. You'll find all these areas on a map of the city.

 

While I live only an hour or so away from Los Angeles, I rarely go there. I don't like the traffic or the uncleanliness of the place. But Hollywood will provide some interesting street photos as should downtown Los Angeles. I'm bummed that I didn't get a shot of Angel's Flight that last month it was running. I was too lazy to find a place to stop and decided that I'd get it "next time." Now it's not running.

 

It's been several years since I went to Las Vegas, but the new hotels are fabulous. If you can deal with the tons of people on the sidewalk at night, you should be able to get some nice shots. I liked the pirate ship show in front of Treasure Island. What's the place with the fabulous fountains? Excaliber? The Venecian is pretty and you might get some good roller coaster pics at the New Yorker. (I think that's the name.)

 

Other than being born in Chandler (just outside Phoenxi) and spending the night in the Phoenix airport after some guard let a guy with a package breach security about three years ago, I'm not at all familiar with Phoenix.

 

You might also consider San Diego. It's my favorite weekend getaway city with lots of street shooting opportunities.

Any suggestions here? Last time in SF I stayed just over the GG Bridge. Can't think of the name of the town, but the motel was just off the Muir Forest exit. It was relatively inexpensive for the Bay Area (like $60 or so), clean and safe. Would rather stay in the city and stay in the $60/$70 range. Suggestions?

http://thehoteltropicana.com/

 

Right Near BART (the trains) and a bunch of restaurants and bars.

 

I haven't stayed there myself, but it looks ok.

Thanks for the links Bart! Actually I should get some interesting shots on Muni as well.

 

Melissa,

 

Yes the Castro area is one place I remember being active at night. Not homophobic at all, so that may be a good area to shoot at night. I remember being disappointed by the Haight-Ashbury area.

 

Not sure if I'll do LA or SD. Just depends on how long I take on my drive. I will leave on a Saturday morning and be gone for 9 days. I live in NM and will drive through SW Colorado, southern Utah, southern Nevada (through Vegas) and on to San Francisco. I will spend my last weekend in Phoenix visiting relatives. It's about a six hour drive home from there.

Don't forget to post your favorites !

This place is a little more expensive than you're looking for. I think it's about $90 for one person. Parking is free. http://www.sealrockinn.com

 

It's a not a fancy hotel. It's just a simple little motel on the east side of town, walking distance from the Sutro Baths and a nice little park. Quite a distance from downtown, but the bus stop is right across the street. With the exception of the buses, it was quiet as it's practically in a residential neighborhood.

 

When we go back, that's where we'll stay again. There were three of us: my mom, my teenage son and myself. We got a third-floor room with a fireplace, a small fridge, a queen bed, two twin beds (that converted into a frumpy corner group living area) and a nice little ocean view for $125 a night--plus room tax of course.<div></div>

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In SF avoid areas like south Potrero Hill, Bay View and Hunters Point at night.

 

Most other areas (except Tenderloin) should be OK.

 

As for places to cover I see that nobody so far has mentioned the Presidio. I bet you could find something interesting in there.

Late night will be slow; I might try the club area of SOMA (South of Market) or Valencia or Castro streets.

 

If you're here on a farmer's market day you could throw that into the mix. Saturday is the big day for the market at the Ferry Building but Tuesday and Sunday have smaller presences.

 

I'd check the events of the day to see if there's anything that'd be attracting lots of folks - opera, a ballgame, critical mass...

Hey Jenna,

 

When my wife and I were in SF Labor Day weekend 2003 we stayed at the Stanford Court Renaissance Hotel. We Pricelined the area and got that hotel for $75/night. Really unbelievable. It is at the corner of California and Powell streets which is where the North/South and East/West cable cars cross. We just had to leave our room and hop any car. Great location! I'd recommend Pricelining a hotel in the Nob Hill area and see what pops up...

 

Good luck!

Brads Alcatraz shots are interesting, though no album to be found.

 

<P><B>"The King" Of All Leicas</b>

i love youth yostels, and the one on the old army base (near fishermans warf?) is great. big and clean, great kitchen.

i think the stain should still be out front too :p

Look for a room in Chinatown. There are great deals to be had there. And you are central to many things you may want to see in a 24 hr period: the Warf, Alioto's and fresh crab (late aft), Telegraph Hill and North Beach, Upper Grant Avenue and Café Trieste (for morning coffee), City Lights Bookstore, Vesuvio's for a drink. You could hang out in these neighborhoods easily for a day. Take the Hyde Street car from Powell and Market all the way to Fifth Street Pier and the Buena Vista Bar at the end of that run, stop for a drink after work and watch the sunset with the fog rolling in and Alcatraz in the distance. Great restaurants going back along Columbus Avenue. Go for coffee in North Beach. You can drop in small clubs playing good lived music around Columbus and Broadway, approx across from City Lights Bookstore. Check the web and find some live music the days you are going to be there or a museum showing and go. The Financial Distict is just south along Columbus toward Market Street (day time and close of shift when everyone is on the street. A cable car runs from Market and California over the top of Nob Hill by Grace Cathedral to Van Ness Avenue. Nob Hill at sunset is not bad (Top of the Mark for a cocktail and the view.) Chinatown itself is wonderful and really old San Francisco.

<b>San Francisco</b>

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You did say 24 hours rather than 24 days, right? There are so many

possibilities that you simply need to make a few choices based on what you

like—you won’t have nearly enough time for even the few places

that I mention. You might want to get a copy of Andrew Hudson’s

<cite>PhotoSecrets San Francisco</cite> and study it before your trip.

None of the spots is especially secret to long-time San Francisco

photographers, but it would take a first-time visitor months to amass the

scouting information that the book provides. Every location suggested by

others is in this thread is excellent.

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I agree with Brad on the 5th and Mission garage—it’s usually

where I park in that area. In additional to reasonable rates, it offers

24-hour access, which many other garages in that area don’t. Across

4th Street from the 5th and Mission is the Metreon, which affords a good

vantage point facing east from the second balcony outside the second-floor

restaurant. The view from Yerba Buena Gardens below also is quite nice,

including a fountain and pool in the foreground, and the background

includes the SF Museum of Modern Art, as well as one of my favorite

buildings, the 1929 Telephone Building. Unfortunately, the view probably

will include a few building cranes.

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Golden Gate Park has many possibilities—you easily could spend 24

hours there alone. The Strybing Arboretum is quite nice if you enjoy such

things.

<p>

Of course, there is Alamo Square if you must have the shot of the

Victorians with the SF skyline in the background (it’s never a cliche

until you’ve done it).

<p>

The Haight still can be interesting sometimes. Some of the buildings are

as interesting as the people. It’s quite close to Alamo Square.

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If you like architecture, there are a number of interesting buildings in

the Financial District—you can go through it on the way to the

Embarcadero. The SF MOMA sells a nice guide entitled <cite>San Francisco

Architecture</cite>, but given your time limitations, you probably

won’t be able to use it to good advantage. The SF City Hall includes

the world’s second-largest rotunda (after St. Peter’s in

Rome). Good vantage points are from Opera Plaza across Van Ness Ave (west)

and from the east side of Civic Center Plaza. If you use a tripod in Opera

Plaza, you’re likely to get hassled by the rent-a-cops; however, they

are absolutely without legal basis—they’ve left me alone every

time that I’ve told them (nicely) to get lost.

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Unlike New York, there aren’t many glass buildings to reflect the

twilight arch. An exception is 101 California, a 600-ft cylindrical

building. One good vantage point just after sunset is Municipal Pier at

the top of Van Ness Ave (the view includes the Transamerica Building). The

shot can be spectacular on a rare night when the water is calm.

<p>

The view from the Cityscape restaurant atop the Hilton Hotel is

spectacular, especially at night, and (at least the last time I was there),

the staff are quite accommodating to photographers—tripods and all.

I usually feel that I owe them at least a light dinner (it’s not bad,

but if would be far from my fist choice for food alone). The biggest

challenge is blocking reflections from the windows. None of the other

“restaurant” views, e.g., Embarcadero Skydeck, Carnelian Room

(Bank of America Building), does much for me photographically—but

YMMV. Be warned that the Hilton is on the edge of the Tenderloin, and that

the transition from Union Square is quite rapid. I’d probably avoid

the Tenderloin after dark, although quite honestly, I don’t think

it’s is all that dangerous. Nonetheless, some of the people might

give you the creeps—especially the folks shooting up around Boeddeker

Park at Jones and Eddy.

<p>

Fort Point (under the SF end of the GG Bridge) is interesting if you like

old military facilities, though I don’t know if it would make my

24-hour list. The National Park Service have a brochure listing all the

former military sites (such as the one in Brad’s photo) in the GG

National Recreation Area.

<p>

Conzelman Rd. in the Marin Headlands is great for shots of the GG Bridge

and the city; best times are near sunrise or sunset. I’ve only done

sunrise in July, when there’s good light on the bridge, so I

don’t know what you might get near the end of September. The

possibilities for juxtaposing the GG and Oakland-SF Bay Bridges are

endless. You also can access several former gun batteries from Conzelman

Rd.; I’d recommend Battery Spencer and Battery Rathbone-McIndoe (over

the Conzelman Rd. summit—be warned that the descent is quite steep

and seemingly exposed if you aren’t accustomed to such roads) for

interest and ease of access.

<p>

Although September is the warmest month of the year in SF (because of the

relative lack of fog), the temperature can vary widely throughout the

city—it can be 80 downtown and in the 50s near the ocean if

it’s foggy. Dress accordingly, and be prepared for a quick cooling

if the fog rolls in.

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<b>Los Angeles</b>

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I have far less experience in LA. A few areas that I’ve photographed

are the Third St. Promenade, Palisades Park, and pier in Santa Monica;

Venice Beach (more the buildings than the beach); and some of the buildings

in downtown LA—which I’d like to do more of sometime.

<p>

If possible, I’d save LA for another time and spend another day in

San Francisco.

 

Jenna,

 

All of the info above is totally excellent.

 

However, I have lived in the SF Bay Area since 1959, and the violence level has increased significantly since that time in SF.

 

I you want to wander around the city at night, I would seriously suggest a few very big escorts. I have a few in mind: Msrs "Smith and Wesson," Mr. Colt, and Mr. Winchester might be helpful as well.

 

I am also available! (^0^) LA is even worse. I lived there.

 

To be blunt...don't do it! Keep yourself safe...please. Todd