Tag Archives: scenic

Tasty Food – Utah Hotel

Tasty Food - Utah Hotel

Tasty Food – Utah Hotel. San Francisco, California. August 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Tasty Food restaurant in the Utah Hotel, San Francisco, California.

This dilapidated old building is by now more or less a landmark on this corner on Fourth Street at the base of the freeway off-ramp. I figured it would have been condemned years ago when I first saw it while walking to downtown San Francisco from the train station, but it still stands and even appears to get a new coat of paint from time to time.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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Detail, Contemporary Jewish Museum

Detail, Contemporary Jewish Museum

Detail, Contemporary Jewish Museum. San Francisco, California. August 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail of the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, California.

I’ve been watching this structure since the time it was under construction, and I have frequently walked past it, thought about making photographs… and not quite been able to figure out what to do with the subject. The building is an intriguing and slightly confusing combination of old-style (not shown here) and rather modern architecture, and it is embedded in a visually busy location surrounded by tall buildings and an old Catholic church. I actually have some earlier photographs of this same portion of the building (though shot from a different angle) that I haven’t posted, as I’m still pondering how to handle them.

On this visit, during a long “photography walk” across a good portion of The City, I passed by here and was intrigued with the juxtaposition of stark angles and different colors and textures.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: san francisco, california, usa, travel, scenic, urban, city, contemporary, jewish, museum, cube, blue, modern, art, culture, window, pattern, structure, architecture, building, tower, perspective, downtown, urban, new, design, shadow, texture, stock

Painted Brick Wall

Painted Brick Wall

Painted Brick Wall. San Francisco, California. August 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A painted brick wall with a grated alcove near Chinatown, San Francisco, California.

This is the person-less version of this scene that I was shooting when the man walked into it and I created the photo I posted earlier. I suspect that this interesting pattern is the result of someone painting out the rampant graffiti found all over Chinatown, but the color choice seems a bit odd for something so prosaic. The wall is just a few yards down a side street off of Grant.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Web: G Dan Mitchell Photography
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keywords: san francisco, california, usa, travel, scenic, urban, city, sidewalk, wall, brick, painted, orange, beige, green, olive, red, white, window, arch, alcove, grate, metal, fan, texture, structure, urban, city, street, chinatown, downtown, travel, landscape, detail, stock, building

Man Walking Past Painted Brick Wall

Man Walking Past Painted Brick Wall

Man Walking Past Painted Brick Wall. San Francisco, California. August 18, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A man walking on the sidewalk past a painted brick wall in Chinatown, San Francisco, California.

I was part way through my long San Francisco photography walk when I noticed this interesting painted wall on a side-street in Chinatown. (For those who wonder how the heck I made a photograph in Chinatown that only included one figure – who is not a tourist! – I was there very early.) The pattern of rectangles and lines made me think of some sort of “pastel Mondrian,” if that makes any sense.

As I was shooting the wall, this man politely wandered through the scene – and he was even wearing the right color hat for the shot!

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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keywords: san francisco, california, usa, travel, scenic, urban, city, brick, wall, painted, orange, green, beige, red, white, vent, screen, window, metal, grate, cover, pattern, sidewalk, hill, parking, meter, man, walking, hat, keys, jacket, glasses, old, slacks, chinatown, urban, street, stock, worn, dilapidated, run down