Parkside Playboy

I've been travelling in the Outer Parkside lately. Unfortunately my camera is broken and I only have the clunker along sporadically. There are quite a few things I want to shoot.

Check out the gate to this bunny hutch:


It is right across the street from this:


Awesome garage door paint job.

Name this Restaurant

In which restaurant on the western side of the city will you find this lovely floor?


Hint - it has great views

Hint #2 - it has been in business since 1937

Hint #3 - one of the few places you can get a chocolate malt and actually taste the malt



It's Louis', right above Sutro Baths and the Cliff House.

Out and About

Just a couple things I saw today.
A really bright house:


I don't know if you can see, but the shingles are kind of orange.


I hadn't seen this imprint before. It's on Irving at 11th.

Speaking of contractors, be on the lookout for "EJB". A reader's grandfather was a contractor, and she is lucky enough to still have the imprint iron. I haven't seen that particular mark yet.

Re-Visit

I was back at the corner of the house in my first post on this blog. I've been meaning to put up new shots to put it into better context. It was built in 1940, according to City records.

I still haven't come across another exactly like it.


Since the last time I was on this block a couple houses have been painted. Here's a very bright one. Quite cheerful on a foggy day.

44th Ave

I took a walk to confirm the location of yesterday's cactus. I ended up walking a fair bit on 44th Ave. There was no shortage of stencil letters the day this was poured.



Wow, that's a bright house.

Fast Food Confessions

Since it is Sunday, I have decided today will be a day of confessions. I confess I have patronized chain stores and eaten crappy food.

Confession #1. I kind of like this bright paint job. It brings out the details on this old bank.
Confession #2. I bought a bean burrito here within the past few months.


Confession #3: As I child I often ate food from this corner. Back then there was a Kentucky Fried Chicken and an H. Salt nearby. I loved H. Salt and it's funky English Newspaper decor and packaging. Sometimes we would sit in H. Salt. Sometimes we would get take out from one, the other, or both. I credit KFC in large part for my becoming a vegetarian later in life.

Confession #4: I can't remember. Where exactly was H. Salt? And wasn't what is now Taco Bell a Radio Shack?

Confession #5: I can't remember a lot about the Silver Spur (next to Taco Bell), although I have been there several times.

Confession #6: I went to Starbucks shortly after these photos were taken.

Forgive me for all my sins against my stomach, my arteries, my brain, and the neighborhood.

Hello Panda

It is hard, especially with my limited photography skills, to show just how bright green this house on Sloat is. But trust me, it is neon green a foggy day like today.



And the panda? I think it is a clever use of a filled in window.

Is it Pink?

It is no secret to people who know me that I love the color pink. Is this building pink?

I'm not sure, but it really brightens up a foggy day in the Sunset.


I love the paint job and the little details that have been kept. Like these garage door opening guards.
















Here's the front entrance:

Look up and there is a wealth of little details.

Fitting In

This development, which encompasses a whole block at Sloat and The Great Highway, was built in 1997. I remember at the time being skeptical.

The main view I've looked at over the years was from the Great Highway at these four buildings. Not so inspiring.

Now I go to the Zoo often and appreciate the colors and style of the buildings. There’s nothing like a bit of color on a foggy day. And the buildings really fit into the neighborhood. The round windows, glass blocks, and other elements are found in the homes from the 1930's and '40's.

They also really encompass the spirit of the Sunset, being similar, yet not identical.

For the curious I walked all the way around. Here's Sloat & 47th:

Wawona:

Sloat:

Never realized there was an alleyway on 47th Ave.

That Double Vision

It's funny, I jog by these houses three times a week but only noticed them today. I thought they were identical homes, painted identically. No wonder people say all the houses look alike out here.

Of course, on closer inspection, you can see they are slightly different. But the paint color is identical, as are the vertical blinds.

Eye-Catching

Wow is this place bright!



But you know, on an overcast or foggy day it isn't quite as jarring. In fact, I like the way the colors of all the homes are muted on a foggy day, yet stand out without competition from the sun.

Garage Doors

Another thing I like are original garage doors like this:


And this:


Especially when the details have been painted, the door hasn't just been coated in one color.


No surprise, 1970's looking garage doors are not my favorite:

Thanks for the Effort

I noticed this building a few weeks ago.


It's nice that someone put in the effort to add some color and dimension to an otherwise flat and bland building. These blue panels give the illusion of a raised detail.


The effect is quite nice.

Rock On

I don't like rock facades. This just can't be original, can it? It is out of scale with the white ornaments. The staircase must have been stucco.


And yet I don't like rock (or brick) that has been painted all one color. But there is something so funny about this:


I don't know, if I had a house with fake rock on the front I would probably paint the house a neutral color pulled from the rocks. I don't know if I would have the guts to paint the rocks like this. But if I did it would be shades of pink.