BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: New Answers

For your GG shot, head across the bridge to the Marin side, take the first right, go under the freeway (101) then left at the stop sign and up the hill. You can stop at various places on the way up to get different angles and views of the bridge, (depending on the weather at the Gate at the time). On the backside of the overlook there, is Fort Cronkite. Fort Point offers a different perspective, it's located in the Presidio on the west side of the bridge. Bakers Beach is ok but overdone, I think.

Views of the city from the GG, Alcatraz Island, and the Oakland Side of the Bay Bridge are nice, as are the ones from atop Nob Hill and Mount Sutro in the city and Yerba Buena Island which has great views of the Oakland Bay Bridge. Bring a polarizer and maybe a warming filter or two.

Every neighborhood, from Fisherman's wharf to the Sunset District, the Tenderloin, to Golden Gate Park, North Beach, Chinatown, the Haight, the Alamo Square Victorians off Steiner Street (postcard row), and the Castro districts are all very cool places. Each neighborhood or district has it's own character and photo ops. whether people or buildings or both. Again, it depends on how much time you've got and the weather, which, btw, is kind of crummy at the moment. But don't be dismayed by that. If it's foggy at the Golden Gate it could be spectacularly clear down at the Wharf or Embarcadero. Depends on the wind. And, as Mark Twain once said: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

There are lots of museums and galleries, but if you have kids with you, (or not) go to the kids museum at Exposition Park, then hike down to the Marina adjacent to the Presidio. You can get shots of Alcatraz Island off the Wharf at Pier 39 and along the Embarcadero, or take a ride on a tour boat out there to get shots of the city.

Pack a light, water resistant jacket and very comfortable shoes. Plan to do lots of walking. If you can avoid having a car, do that, and maybe plan to have one on one day to get out to the Golden Gate and Marin where you can go to Sausaulito and Muir Woods. Muni public transport is good and can get you where you want to go fairly easily. Also, even with residential parking permits, parking spaces are at a premium and parking fines are off the charts these days.

That's just for openers. When you get here, score some of the free local newspapers to see what's cooking during your visit and have lotsafun. ;>) Mark

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May 05, 2005