NorthBeachChinatownPolkGulchNobHillRussianHill

Grant Avenue

Day 143
Co-Walker: Monique
Neighborhoods Covered: Financial District, Jackson Square, North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square
Streets Completed: Columbus, Vandewater, Richard Henry Dana Place, Nobles, Wentworth, Newell

There was that house on Jackson Street. I can't remember who lived there first: DaveG? Dan? Shayne? D? They all passed through at one point, though I have it in my head that Dave was there longest--and at any rate, it's DaveG with whom I most strongly associate that place.

Otis and I still laugh about this: whenever anyone would ask Dave where he lived, his reply would vary depending on his mood, who was doing the asking, the day, the weather, and any number of other factors. Often, it was North Beach, and just as often Chinatown, both of which made a good amount of sense, as Jackson between Powell and Mason could be considered part of either (if perhaps leaning a bit more toward the latter).

But sometimes it would be Nob Hill--a bit of a stretch--or Russian Hill (ditto), and sometimes Polk Gulch, which seemed to be thrown in there just as some sort of ringer.

There was, of course, a kernel of truth to Dave's shifting neighborhood claims. In that part of the city, the lines between one 'hood and the next weave and blend and blur, sometimes to the point of non-existence. So within a handful of choices, he could more or less rightly claim to live wherever he felt like saying he lived.

I thought of this as Monique and I walked the length of Columbus while she was here on vacation. (Yes, this all happened more than a month ago; clearly, life has gotten in the way of all things WSF lately. But there you have it.)

Columbus starts (or ends, depending on your perspective) in the shadow of the Transamerica Pyramid at Washington and ends, somewhat abruptly, at Beach Street, in the shadow of 10 billion tourists looking for Pier 39. It wouldn't be altogether inaccurate to say that Columbus is entirely in North Beach, as it is that neighborhood's main thoroughfare, but it also wouldn't be wrong to toss in more detail. At its southern end, it dips its toes into the Financial District, and comes within spitting distance of Jackson Square. As it meanders north, it sorta kinda maybe brushes Chinatown. And as it nearly butts up to the Bay, it officially sticks its nose into Fisherman's Wharf. Not quite DaveG's NorthBeachChinatownPolkGulchNobHillRussianHill, perhaps, but not too far off.

To a lesser degree, the same holds for Grant, which we took chunks of on the way back. But unlike Columbus, which maintains a fairly consistent commercial front for the duration, Grant meanders from strictly residential in Telegraph Hill to a blend of housing and commerce in North Beach to a riotous and insane all-out capitalist fiesta in (ironic, no?) Chinatown.

So it was that by the time we'd reached the Chinatown gates, I was 100% officially exhausted and done for the day: so many neighborhoods (and neighborhood-lets) in so few streets and so relatively little time. I was glad to head home and leave it all behind.

Bits and Pieces

Day 20
Neighborhoods Covered: Telegraph Hill
Streets Completed: Bellair, Midway

Day 21
Neighborhoods Covered: Financial District
Streets Completed: Trinity

It's been a slow and relatively walk-less few days. Yesterday I had a sliver of time to kill before seeing a client in Telegraph Hill, so I parked the car and did a quick scoot around the surrounding streets. The day was brilliant, clear, sunny, and from the upper reaches of Chestnut Street (which clearly dead-ends into a wall at this point, though that didn't deter me), I could see far into the East Bay.

What surprised me was how quickly Telegraph Hill comes down to earth--and I mean that literally. Walk down a few blocks from Chestnut (perhaps on, say, Bellair and Midway) and you're roughly at sea level. It didn't seem like such a rapid decline on the way down, and for part of the walk back up things seemed nice and easy. But then I hit the 1900 block of Grant, which is at, like, a 90-degree angle, and changed my tune slightly. By the time I got back to my car, I had to shed my coat and pause for a moment to catch my breath before reporting to work.

Today found me down on Montgomery with a client all day, so the most I could squeeze in during business hours was one mini street (Trinity) and the random assortment of blocks that got me to and from Madeline's at lunchtime.

When I left around 4, I was struck by the desire to knock off a good stretch of Sutter (the first block of which I'd trod earlier in the day) until I actually started walking. I got as far as Grant (much flatter at this point) before my sinuses made my head feel close to explosion, so I gave up the ghost.

On the bus home, though, I started plotting for tomorrow. Should enough sinus drainage (yes!) occur by then, I've got one long-ass street I intend to knock off once and for all. Stay tuned.