Merry Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays ~

courtesy of downtown Danville!

I hope you find some nice decorations in your hometown to enjoy (and maybe photograph) and get you in the holiday spirit!

San Francisco's Chinatown

Did you know that San Francisco's Chinatown is the largest outside of Asia as well as the oldest Chinatown in North America? It's also a really fun place to explore, and in spite of its size, it's easy to find one's way around and even easier to wile a few hours away and enjoy the unique sights, sounds, and smells.

I was fortunate to find my way here a few weeks ago. My original intention was to retrace the Barbary Coast Trail with some friends and hit up a few pubs and pizza joints along the way (you need some good nourishment for such an endeavor!) but as part of the trail winds its way through the narrow streets and alleyways of Chinatown, I became mesmerized and took a little extra time to capture some of the colorful sights along the way. It wasn't a particularly great day for photography - the skies were about as dreary as they could be - but that didn't stop me from pointing my lens at some of the colorful architecture, signage, and artwork we came across - including quite a few Santas on a pub crawl of their own...

The main gateway at Grant Street...

The TransAmerica Building peeking through...

A typical tourist shop...

Santas looking for a pub...

More tourist items for sale...

Typical Chinatown architecture - the Sing Chong Building...

Lanterns lining the streets...

One of the historical buildings...

Dinner anyone?

One more ubiquitous store...

An interesting hallway...

Somebody's lucky number and prize?

One of the many alleyways...

You can't get lost with this map...

Portsmouth Square (aka the "Heart of Chinatown") and a favorite local hangout...

A few remaining ginkgo leaves...

No matter when you may find yourself in Chinatown, there's always something special going on. But the Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is probably the most colorful and loudest event of the year. They'll be ushering in the "Year of the Hare." Persons born in the year of the hare are considered to be talented and ambitious. Happy New Year!

The Delta Communities

The Delta is a popular spot for boating and partying, especially on a hot summer day. However, the Delta is also home to a lot of interesting and rich history from California's past. If you've never visited Walnut Grove, Locke, or Isleton, you've missed out on a lot. These small towns sprung up along the Sacramento River and attracted many Chinese and Japanese immigrants who worked on the levee construction, railways, and then in agriculture or small businesses. Locke, constructed by Chinese workers, is now a National Heritage Site and a wonderful place to catch a glimpse of this colorful past. On Saturday I took a car trip with two friends and we explored this charming territory so close to the San Francisco Bay Area...

We started out in Walnut Grove

where we had a delicious lunch in one of the local diners...

Then we headed over to Locke.

Surprisingly it was not very crowded at all...

Lastly we hit up Iselton,

known for its Crawdad Festival and annual Spam cook off...

Finally we headed back home.

We saw lots of wind farms taking advantage of the strong winds

that routinely pass over the Delta...

Then we got stuck at a drawbridge...

it only took a few moments for the small pleasure craft to pass underneath

and we were on our way again.

It's great living in the San Francisco Bay Area!