Re: Calling all San Franciscans


"Richard Burke-Ward" <richard.bw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:richard.bw-FAC67A.21053717042008@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi folks,

I've got a short filming trip coming up which will take me to SF for a
couple of days. I'd suggest meeting up but I don't yet know how much (if
any) spare time I will have. There may be a window, in which case it
would be great to meet you. There might be time on the evening of Friday
2nd May or any time on Saturday 3rd. Anyone around?

Oh, I'd love to meet up. Nothing on my schedule around then.

.... So my shopping list for GVs goes something like:

- People busy with cell phones, iPods, etc

Ha, like that will be hard. Especially around UC Berkeley.

- Traffic junctions (busy)

Hmm. Freeway junctions or street intersections? If it's freeways, the maze at the east end of the Bay Bridge is quite a tangle, and often snarled with traffic. Staying where you are, there are plenty of busy street intersections nearby, up and down Van Ness. Especially if you head down to Market, or up to O'Farrell or Geary.

- Pedestrian crossings (complex is best - plus traffic)

Probably somewhere down the in the SF Financial District around rush hour, especially close to the BART/Muni underground station. I can't think of any particular intersection that's intesting, though most of the intersections with Market have multiple streets at various angles because Market cuts across on the diagonal. Plus there are trolley buses and streetcars on Market, which adds visual interest and probably fits right in with your theme. Some of the crossings on Market near Powell are also busy (with shoppers and tourists, mainly -- different crowd from Financial District)

- Lights in shop windows / advertising displays (or a shopping mall?)

Main shopping district in SF runs from Union Square down to Market. At Market is San Francisco Centre, the one downtown mall of consequence. The new half of it, to the east, where Bloomingdale's is found, is very shiny, and the Bloomingdale's facade on Mission Street (the back of the mall, essentially) is very glassy. The other half of the mall, to the west, where Nordstrom is, has interesting curved escalators in the atrium. The Macy's facade onto Union Square is also kind of neat (since they rebuilt it a few years ago). Big glassy wall. Most of the luxury retailers are on Post St. west of Union Square. Bulgari, etc. No shortage of retail in central SF. Levi's store, Apple Store, etc. Every name brand on the planet.

- Glass buildings reflecting sunlight

I suppose that depends on the time of day. A few of the highrises are glassy and have interesting lines, especially the pretty, silo-like 101 California, and the ugly, but glitzy Marriott. The newly built Intercontinental, too. It has curving walls of greenish reflective glass.

- Shadows of people / cars

Can't think of anything special.

- Power cables / wires

Now this is easy. The streets with multiple trolley bus and streetcar lines are absolutely covered with wires. Market St. included. Some of the junctions are very cool. Most utilities are underground in SF, except a few patches here and there. I don't know about Berkeley or Palo Alto in that regard, though getting them buried has been a priority in earthquake-prone California for some years

- Gas station with traffic foreground

That would be almost any gas station. What would be the busiest in the area? I don't drive, so I'm not as aware of them as I might be. Most of the ones near downtown are south of market. There must be some out near the Phoenix. For traffic in front, one on Van Ness would likely be best, as it is very wide and very busy, but it isn't blessed with many gas stations. It's mostly car dealerships along there, and furniture stores, and electronic stores. A quick search in CitySearch finds a Chevron station at 1501 Van Ness, at about Pine, but I can't picture it at all. Google Earth is your friend, I guess. There is also a Shell station on Turk not far from the Phoenix, but Turk isn't as busy.

2. A film crew works best when well fed. Where is good for reasonably
priced evening meals? We are staying at the Phoenix Hotel, Civic Center.

Reasonably priced. Well, you're used to London prices, and with the current exchange rates, meals won't look too terribly expensive. The Phoenix is a hoot, btw. It's an old motel on the edge of the Tenderloin, in what was a terrible location, yet the owners managed to cater to rock stars and the like, and turn it into a very fashionable place. One of the attractions is that there is parking for the buses and trucks tours need, something the downtown hotels can't provide.

That eastern edge of the Tenderloin has improved a bit and is now heavily Vietnamese. All up and down Larkin you'll find good, inexpensive Vietnamese restaurants. The people at the Phoenix would know which are best. I ate at Mangosteen a while back and liked it. You're also not far from a San Francisco institution, Tommy's Joynt www.tommysjoynt.com. It's a bit of Americana you guys might get a kick out of, and it's only a few blocks away. The food is tolerable, for that sort of thing, and certainly cheap. All around Civic Center are restaurants catering to the opera and symphony crowds. Many of them empty by eight, so can be easy to get into then. One I really like is Citizen Cake, at Grove and Gough. It's not cheap, but it is reliably good and not too formal. It started as a bakery, and still has great desserts. www.citizencake.com. I could name half a dozen others in the general area, if needed. I'm a walking SF restaurant guide, as I've been eating out nightly here for twenty years.

Mark Alan Miller

.

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