Thought Paper #9

     I had never been to North Beach before this experience with the class. I immediately knew I would like it when I heard that the phrase “Little Italy” was associated with it. I’m not sure exactly why, but I have always been drawn to the Italian culture. It might have something to do with the fact that before nearly every sporting event that I partook in growing up, we would have pasta and homemade pizza for dinner.

     I’m not sure if it’s just because I am a big fan of Italian food or if the signage was particularly effective, but I found myself drawn to many restaurants and cafes. Madeline and I were so eager to experience some of the food and culture that we wound up visiting three separate little eatery joints. The first one we popped into is famous for its focaccia bread. It’s the only thing that they sell, but they sure do a good job at it. I found it quite interesting though, based on the bakery’s appearance on the inside and outside. From the outside, it didn’t really look like anything special. In fact, if Stacy hadn’t recommended we go there, I doubt that Madeline and would have been drawn to it solely by its outward looks. In a way, it had a somewhat grungy feel to it. The inside was quite similar. It was very empty looking, and there weren’t very many captivating visuals. However, the focaccia spoke for itself, and I would certainly revisit for the beauty of the bread.

     After treating ourselves to the delightful bread, we decided it would be worthwhile to trek up to Coit Tower. I certainly did not regret this decision. Not only was the view breathtaking from up there, but the murals and art work inside was definitely a sight to see as well. The murals along the walls on the inside of the tower were part of a WPA project like the murals inside of the Beach Chalet. Although they had a similar feel to them, the murals inside of Coit Tower are much less well preserved than those in the Beach Chalet. This could partly be because the Beach Chalet has turned into a little museum and restaurant as well. Since more people visit and are drawn to the Beach Chalet, people probably thought it more prominent to preserve these murals.  It was a little saddening to see that nothing is being done to preserve the murals in Coit Tower as they should be. Even with the weathering, they were still beautiful and quite effective.

     After making our down from the tower, we decided it would only make sense to look around for gelato and a pastry or two. After wandering up and down the streets a bit, we came across a very interesting little business. We were drawn into it because of its uniqueness. It had signs on the outside for cigarettes, ice cream, and sandwiches. It seemed like a strange combination to us. Sure enough, upon entering we discovered that it was indeed a smoke shop, deli, and gelato/ice cream shop all in one. Despite the strange smells and vibes of the place, the gelato proved to be quite delicious all the same. I tried the mango sorbet, and Madeline went for the raspberry cheesecake. Both were recommendable choices.

     As we were walking about with our gelato, it seemed only right that we find a cute a little café to finish off our little “tour of Italy.” We happened upon a very cute café that drew us in because of the classy looks on the outside and inside. This is where it differed from the previous two places we had visited. Rather than being slightly underwhelmed by the atmosphere, we found it to be quite lovely and suave all at the same time. Our taste buds were telling us to order something savory, so we went with the ham quiche and a basil pesto tart. We walked back to Washington Square Park to eat our little treats in the sun.

     North Beach is well known for its red light district and lively nightlife scene. Although it is surely more prominent during the nighttime, the signage was still visible during the day. Since North Beach use to be home to the infamous Barbary Coast due to the close proximity of the docks, it makes sense that this is now the red light district. When you get a chance to get a good look at the signage, the history and relevance of everything in the North Beach area becomes clear. Although much has changed over the years, the basic culture and purpose has remained the same.

Thought Paper #8

     Although we didn’t spend an abundant amount of time at our final destination in the Castro, it was lovely to experience the Lower Haight and Duboce Park/Harvey Milk districts en route. I’d been to the Castro before, but only by bus. For some reason it always seemed so far away. It’s easy to forget how close we actually are to many of the districts in the city. As we made our way down the infamous Haight Street, it was quite interesting to observe the change in atmosphere and signage in the Lower Haight versus the Upper Haight where I spend most of my time. The Lower Haight is definitely subtler in terms of psychedelic vibes and the “free love and drugs” attitude. This difference in atmosphere and signage draws a much different crowd of people, and if you will, audience to the signage. I feel as though there is a more diverse population of people that reside in the Lower Haight. Many of the houses and shops are less vibrantly decorated, and business in the Lower Haight is much more lacking than in the Upper Haight. Since business generally creates the largest amounts of signage in an area, the signage in the Lower Haight is not as populous. In general, I would say that the Lower Haight gives off a slightly “grungy” vibe.

     As we made our way into the Duboce Park/Harvey Milk district, things began to pick up a little. This area seemed to be more well kept and less “grungy.” I’m not sure if this is because of the signage that I picked up on or the people that I observed. Either way, there was certainly a distinct change in atmosphere that we underwent. This district seemed to attract a more artsy, acceptive genre of people. This might be due to the fact that there is a strong emphasis on Harvey Milk in the neighborhood. As we all know, Harvey Milk was a major gay rights activist. I think that this majorly contributes to the district’s vibes.

     The Duboce/Harvey Milk district was a great segway into the Castro district. Although the Duboce/Harvey Milk neighborhood was somewhat of a “statement” region, the Castro was much more so. The Castro was a district where historically, gays and lesbians were more or less shunned. Now, it is a place that people love to visit because of the vibrant and loving community. One of my favorite pieces of signage that I observed in the Castro was in front of a bakery. It was printed on the awning. It said, “Baked with Love, Served with Pride.” I feel as though this is a bold statement that wasn’t always accepted. This is what I love about this particular district. Anything and everything is done with pride, whether people decide to accept it or not. With time, more and more has been deemed “appropriate.” It’s because of this prideful attitude that our society today is so accepting and understanding. We see people for who they rather than who they love or what they believe.

    

Thought Paper #7

     The San Francisco Chinatown is the oldest in North America. It has the largest Chinese community outside of Asia. It was first established in the mid 19^th century. Most of the immigrants that first came over had jobs with the Central Pacific Railroad. They soon began to establish their own town in the city. By the end of the 19^th century, racial tensions started to grow, and the United States government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. This reduced the number of Chinese allowed into the country, and it therefore impacted the population of Chinatown. This would be the start of a rough patch for the newfound Chinatown. With the beginning of the 20^th century came a treacherous earthquake in 1906 that destroyed much of the neighborhood. After this disaster though, Chinatown started to revitalize. By the 1920s, more buildings were given a so-called “Asian makeover” with pagoda-like roofs and lampposts decorated with dragon motifs. Signage became a more prominent factor in the area. After WWII, racial laws were retracted, and Chinatown began to grow rapidly in the 1950’s. Chinatown became an attraction for not only Chinese immigrants, but for many tourists as well. Tourists came from around the nation to learn more about the Chinese culture. It is a community that, to this day, upholds its own traditional customs, languages, places of worship, social clubs, and identity as a whole. Signage has played a major factor in the growth in popularity of Chinatown since the 1950’s. Not only has the signage in and around Chinatown drawn many people, but there is signage in the rest of the city that contributes to the area. Technology has changed the way that some of this signage is viewed with the aspect that people now a day are drawn to a more captivating appeal. Since much of the signage in Chinatown is slightly outdated, people might look upon it as being somewhat “grungy.” However, another way to look at this so-called “outdated” signage is with an heir of respect and historical significance. It is up to the viewer to decide for him or herself what to take from the varying signage. It is still a major tourist attraction today, drawing more visitors each year than the Golden Gate Bridge.

     Although Chinatown has become a major tourist attraction, it still gives off the vibe of being an “authentic” experience. While Madeline and I were walking around the streets, browsing in little shops, and peeking our heads into several of the food joints; we felt as though we had been removed from our familiar Americanized environment. It’s strange how as a society in general we feel so “out of our element” in completely new and foreign settings. I’ll admit that I was victim to this phenomenon as well. Things looked strange and unappealing in many of the shops and food joints due to the unfamiliarity I was experiencing. Madeline and I felt it necessary to fully take part in the experience by talking to several of the storeowners and really looking thoroughly through many of the strange novelties we saw. The trip wouldn’t have been complete without trying some authentic Chinese Dim Sum though. We really felt out of place ordering our food in this little joint. We had not the slightest clue as to what anything we were ordering was. This made the experience all the more interesting though. We had fun tasting all the different kinds of Dim Sum that the restaurant owner gladly piled onto our plate. 

Thought Paper #6

     Upon first exiting the bus, I was immediately aware of the atmosphere surrounding us. We were in the Fringe of the Tenderloin. This is an area where many underprivileged, troubled people live. We automatically make stereotypes about these people upon their appearances. Although many people living out of shopping carts and in boxes are addicted to drugs and alcohol and are therefore somewhat incoherent and “removed”, there are also many who have simply been laid off or have unfortunate events take over the course of their lives. As we walked down the street, I automatically found myself feeling nervous and unsure around some of these people. I tell myself not to worry, but it’s a natural inclination to feel uncomfortable around people who aren’t as fortunate as us. It’s hard for us to look at them and not feel either guilty or disgraced by the way that they are living their lives.

     Clearly the signage surrounding this area on the Fringe of the Tenderloin is directed towards people of all socioeconomic classes. It is certainly not directed towards the high status members of society due to the culture of the area. Not to make stereotypes of any kind, but there are certainly people living in and around the Tenderloin who don’t have the same educational opportunities as us. Thus, some of these people never learned how to read efficiently. The signage in the area was clearly created for the purpose of being effective upon a purely visual encounter.

     As we continued to walk down Market Street, the atmosphere changed rather drastically. Less people occupied the streets, and more high-end shops and restaurants came into the picture. The signage and art culture became more “in depth” in a sense. I found this very fascinating considering the small amount of space between say the Fringe of the Tenderloin and Union Square. Union Square has commercial signage visible from all vantage points that is undoubtedly directed towards people with money. This area of downtown is not the place to shop if you only want to drop a couple bucks. If you plan on spending four hundred dollars on a scarf, than be my guest, go right into Prada or Gucci.

     As we walked toward Mission Street, it was unbelievable how many different billboards and signs we saw for the new Target store. I can’t say that the signage wasn’t effective though. When we saw the first sign advertising the store, we immediately changed course and set out to find it. We fell into the trap that signage artists set up for society in an oh so subtle matter. Sooner rather than later, we were inside the realms of the store. Once we were in, let’s just say that it was not easy to leave as quickly.

     As we headed back toward the Civic Center and Public Library, the atmosphere changed again ever so slightly. We went from feeling like we didn’t quite fit in the “high class” vibes to feeling quite well put together. We came to the conclusion that the area around the Civic Center and library were attempting to raise the bar, and that they would be quite classy minus the groups of homeless and weed-smoking people. It wasn’t an observation that we were proud of, but it is certainly intriguing to think about how much a place can change based on the people and vibes that are expressed there.

     I felt as though this field trip was a successful one by the end of the day. It was a good way to open our eyes to the city that surrounds us. I’m sure most of us have been downtown several times, but it wasn’t until this little trip that I came to realize and really take time to study my surroundings to a full extent. Downtown was one culture and one atmosphere in my mind before. I now see the differences in the people, signage, art, culture, and atmospheres that lie between a matter of city blocks.

     

Thought Paper #5

     Ocean Beach is filled with a lot of history. During the early years in San Francisco’s history, the area was largely undeveloped. Development didn’t start to come until the late 19^th century when a steam railroad was put in. The railroad attracted people to come to the first amusement ride at the city’s ocean side and to the Ocean Beach Pavilion for concerts, dancing, and other public affairs. This was the beginning of a new era for Ocean Beach. By the time 1890 rolled around, there were multiple trolley lines that led down to the beach. This only caused the area to grow in popularity over the years. For a brief period of time after the 1906 earthquake, Ocean Beach served as a refugee camp. It became almost like a small resort. With the 1920s and 1930s came a major construction period. The Great Highway along with housing in the Sunset and Richmond Districts were built. In the 1990s, the area was no longer seen as a resort spot, and apartment blocks and a supermarket came in to replace the amusement park that once stood.

     Before any development took place at Ocean Beach, there was not much attraction to the area. Signage was a major step in the development that took place. The signage at Ocean Beach transformed the landscape from “space” to a “place.” Previously, the beach had simply been a so-called “abandoned space.” After development took place, the space became a friendlier environment for people of all ages to interact in. This is when it really became a “place” in the eyes of many locals. Some of the signage that contributed to this area was simple, such as warning signs and informational signs about the beach. Much of the signage in and around the Beach Chalet is a little bit more detailed and complex. I find it so interesting that signage could make such a difference in the rate of attraction to a given area of land.

     The WPA did a lot of work to make Ocean Beach a more desirable destination spot for locals and tourists. The WPA was more or less an organization that created useful jobs for people in a time of need. Many of the projects that the WPA worked on consisted of improving public space. In general, the WPA has done much in terms of contributing to the culture of San Francisco. Without much of the signage and developmental work that the WPA has put in, San Francisco would not give off the same cultural vibe as it does today. San Francisco is known for its vibrant, accepting, diverse community. Much of this is expressed through forms of art and signage all around the city.