thomas_hardy1 Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Looking for opinions on these two California cities, as far as things to do, photo ops, intangibles? This will be an anniversary trip. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterlyons Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 They're quite different! If you're thinking beaches and sun and warmth all the time, San Diego is probably the better choice. But I live in San Francisco and love it here. On the days you want guaranteed warmth and sun, wine country is just an hour and half away. On days when you want to explore, there's no shortage of stuff to see, from the city itself to redwoods to awesome rugged coastal cliffs. And it's not really THAT cold! Just windy in the afternoons. Say more of what you want! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 What do you want to shoot? Here in San Francisco, we have great opportunities on the street, at Alcatraz, in the Marin Headlands at the old Nike missile site, in Muir Woods, and along the coast. We don't have a lot of bikini-clad girls at the beach, it's too cold for that, so I'd recommend San Diego if that is what you are looking for. San Diego is also close to the desert, some amazing stuff out there too. Music and Portraits Blog: Life in Portugal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scot Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 If you like architecture, San Francisco. Overall, a much more interesting place, and very photogenic. Maybe I'm prejudiced; I lived there all through the seventies. If you choose SF, find time to see Fort Point, which is under the Golden Gate bridge on the SF side. And be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. Oh, wait, that was 40 years ago. Scot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petrana_batik Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_krantz Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 I'd recomend San Francisco by a wide margin. San Diego is 'pretty' but boring - San Francisco is an adventure.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrmccombie Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 I spent a day a couple weekends ago shooting about 300 digital images, a roll of 35mm and about 6 rolls of 120 in the Marin Highlands. From a photography view the bridge, the bay, the surrounding mountains and the coastline, as well as the skyline and architecture of the city are about the most picturesque place in the US. If you expand a bit to someplace like Big Sur and the redwoods and coast there you have even more opportunities. I dont think it is close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monophoto Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 San Francisco - for photography, for wine and for food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_hardy1 Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 Thanks for your help. I would like to visit both places Petrana, but time does not allow. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_gillette Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 For an anniversary? San Francisco! This from an Angeleno! San Diego is "newer" for the most part, easier to get around, has things like the Zoo, Wild Animal Park and some romantic sorts of places, like the Hotel Del Coronado. But San Francisco is classic! San Francisco has the bridges - San Diego? Uh, yeah there's the Coronado Bridge but it hardly compares to cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset, the redwoods. A bit of a get-away? San Diego offers Los Angeles and Tiajuana. From San Francisco you can get to the Napa Valley, coast to Mendocino, Monterey and Big Sur. OTOH, if it were me and I wanted a quieter and less frantic, less metropolitan, less world class destination. I'd consider the Monterey?Carmel/Pacific Grove area. Close enough to the bay area if you wanted to take a drive up, close to Big Sur, etc. The aquarium walk to cannery row to fisherman's wharf is comfortable. The beaches of Carmel and Asilomar out at Point Pinos/Pacific Grove are always lovely. Yeah, like San Francisco, some times of year can be foggy or coolish. And if it's a really special occasion, I'd try to get in here. The Grand View in is less chintzy (delicate) Victorian and the views from the upper/front rooms over Lover's point and back to Monterey? Serious intangibles here! http://www.pginns.com/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce_margolis Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Anniversary, huh. Well, if you go to San Diego, you could always get a great shot of your wife with an elephant or feeding a giraffe at the zoo. Or maybe drive down to Tiajuana and get a photo of her on a donkey. Really neat, spend your anniversary taking a tour of the aircraft carrier. But if your wife is like mine, try San Francisco. I took my wife there last year for our anniversary. Besides all the great things mentioned, take a ferry from Fisherman's Wharf over to Sausalito. Great view of the bay and San Francisco skyline, especially from a hotel called Alta Mira. Neat old place. On the morning of our anniversary, I surprised my wife with a sunrise balloon ride over Napa. If the morning is clear, you get a nice view of San Francisco but you need a long tele to get a decent shot. My wife loved that so much, I could have bought six new Nikon lenses that day. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnw436 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 San Fran by a wide margin. It has everything. Great people photos, the best Chinatown in the US, architecture, scenics/landscapes, the bay, the bridges, and awesome restaurants. The really neat thing about San Francisco is its proximity to other locations. Go north to Sacramento and turn right. Follow the highway for about an hour or so through the redwoods and mountains. You'll end up in Lake Tahoe. One of the most beautiful day trips drives you'll ever take. From Lake Tahoe, shoot north 45 minutes to Reno if you are interested. If you don't want to head back, spend the night in Tahoe or Reno and then shoot back down to San Francisco, or swing out west through wine country. Sonoma and Napa are gorgeous. *Awesome food, too. The wines and breads you'll find will make it worth the trip. Great food is really in abundance through Napa and Sonoma. This is the home of California gourmet. (Yes, I'm a foodie.) Take a drive down the coast and stop north of San Fran and see Sausalito. Head east from San Fran and you will see the wind farms if you are so inclined. It would be very hard to beat San Francisco for a short trip. Very very hard. If you want to save some money you can get a hotel closer to Sacramento and drive into the city each day. Convenience is great, but you don't have to break the bank to see the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phyrpowr Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I'm a North Carolinian, don't get to the West Coast as often as I'd like, but from a tourist "what do I do now" standpoint, San Francisco by a mile. Food, shops, views, food side trips to great places, museums, food, you name it and San Fran has it. Just goofing around the various neighborhoods can take the whole day...apiece Did I mention food? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnw436 Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Jack, I like your style! If you and I ever take a photo trip together we know we'd eat well. Might even get some pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith_leonin Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 I'm in SoCal, but I'd have to say that San Francisco is one of, if not the most beautiful cities in the world. Just be prepared to deal with the crowds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phyrpowr Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 John, we can see if we can get some freelance work for a food mag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnw436 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Jack, I'm all for it. We could even write a cookbook based on the recipes we encounter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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