Hello? Deep Thought?

Walk #42

I hope this walk was not the answer to the ultimate question, because if it was, I missed it.

After a lovely weekend with the McEnoys including but not limited to Go Dog, Go, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, Bananagrams, trains in my boots, kisses (aw, nice), yummy meals and yoga, I walked home from the Presidio Sports Basement (yes, AGAIN). It seemed simple to take Baker all the way from the Marina to the Haight, but holy cannoli there's quite a hill in the way:

Then Baker Street got all British on me:

Maybe you go to the bakre before you go to the theatre. Or maybe the street stampers don't pay attention to their work. Either way.

Total mileage: 3.54

Anza-Getting things done for America! Avenue

Walk # 28 - Fired Up!

It was a pretty standard walk home this evening. I followed Ellis from work as far as I could and made a few detours around a school and a Safeway. I walked up Fillmore for just one block, but it was the block that had this honoring Etta James, so naturally I spent the next mile singing "At laaast" because those are the only words I know.

I had to give up on Etta James so I decided to walk with my favorite boy from the cupboard under the stairs.

Ellis ends in a secluded neighborhood on a hill called Anzavista.

Or An-backwards Z-vista (at Encanto Ave)

Or AnAzavista (at Barcelona Ave)

Anavista is also home to a stairway up, and a stairway down . . . .

Down Lyon, I found this aptly named church. It's called Solid Rock Baptist Church.

Total mileage: 4.29

Finding Fun in the Monotony

Walk # 20

San Francisco is not all glamourous or ghetto. Turns out there are many average streets along the way. But fun really can be found around every corner.

For example, after a yummy lunch with Jessamyn I headed south on 3rd St. I didn't worry about any cross streets but did hit up all dead-end streets. Clementine, St. Francis, Perry and Kaplan where I found a secret motorcycle parking lot.

After making my way to the ball park, I tried to walk parallel to the Embarcadero. As San Franciscans may know, not an easy task. Embarcadero isn't exactly straight, while most of the streets around it are. So I tried to wiggle my way as much as possible - to the end of Townsend and back to go up Collin P. Kelly, over to Brannan till it ends, then back to Delancy and so on. It didn't work well for too long. I tried to hit up all the awkward scragglybits of streets but missed a few so back I'll go. It was a little depressing over

there and this sad site didn't help.

20 newspaper stands with 2 newspapers -2 free ad books - 16 empty stands!! Poor sad print journalism (she says as she blogs).

I eventually gave up on the wiggle and took a straight shot up Beale which

became Davis across Market. Is there any street that retains it's name when it crosses Market? Only more walking will tell . . . .

On Green Street I found California Historical Landmark #941. What ever

could have happened on detached, 3.5 block section of Green Street over by the Embarcadero you ask? The birth of TV, that's what! This is the lab where Philo Farnsworth invented the first TV in 1927! Apparently, he was called the genius of Green Street (yes, I was/am thinking of Katie every time I saw/typed it). See, proof that walking is educational. And all good things come from SF. (We invented ice cream, right?)

So maybe not all good things originate in SF, that doesn't mean that we don't have Harry Potter's Pier. Lightening bolt and all! 66 days . . .

Done wiggling, I turned right onto Bay which I followed for about 2 miles. The beauty of this decision was not only crossing Jones street [Are my college roommates stalking me throughout the city today or what? I guess it'll be more interesting when I end up at the corner of Jones and Green, but still. If I come across a Brereton street things will officially get weird, though I feel like there's a higher possibility of me finding a Park St :) It's the same right?] but that Bay is probably the lowest grade crossing the city westward. Lucky me!

As the end drew near, I had some time so I decided to cross off a 3-square block radius within Bay, Fillmore, Laguna and Marina. Holy Cannoli, it turned out to be over two miles on it's own! I even had a nice plan for minimizing the blocks that had to be repeated (only 4 sides) and yet, two miles! Crazy! But done and done! And while my feet may have hated me at North Point and Webster I FINALLY found this wee error. Really, you couldn't solve that 'N' 'O' situation any better? I guess no. Bahahahaha!

Anyway, ended on Beach Street for some much needed couch time. Dinner and a movie with the fabulous Monday night movie crew = good times!

Total mileage: 9.16 miles