Four wheels and the City

I ran my car into God today,

I thought I had the right of way.

He says He’s suing after all

Can you believe the Almighty gall!

(Roshni D’Souza)

Two vintage beauties, three if you count the cable car and I will, on Powell Street between Bush and Pine Streets: Sears Restaurant is still around, but it’s one block down Nob Hill from here between Bush and Sutter Streets now.

The 19^th Avenue entrance to Golden Gate Park, looks like the late 1940’s or early 1950’s: They’re still kind of snotty about that left turn. I guess they thought I was a panhandler when I went out on the medium to get my picture because people in passing cars kept handing me money. I made a fortune! (San Francisco History Center)

The old Travel Lodge at the Lombard Street entrance to the Presidio: Next to it is the now closed due to a fire Liverpool Lil’s Restaurant. I used to go to Liverpool Lil’s when I had a date and was in the area, but I’ve never been to the Travel Lodge next door. Hmmm, there’s probably something subliminally suggestive in that last line so I’d better take a closer look at it.

The Cliff House from Sutro Heights in the 1920’s, the 1950’s and last week: You can’t see cars, the road, or even much of the Cliff House from here anymore.

On April 1^st 1953, illegally stored butane gas in the basement of a building on Waverly Place in Chinatown exploded injuring ten people and destroying the building. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the building was on the southeast corner of Waverly Place and Washington Street which would be where the Lucky Dragon Gift Shop is today. The car with the dent in the back to the left of the fireman in the middle appears to be a circa 1950 Ford. This was the kind of car driven by the police inspectors in the old 1950’s television series ‘The Linup’ also know as ‘San Francisco Beat’. I think that this was the best on location television show ever made, and I wish that episodes of these could be found and restored. There is a grainy collection of about seventeen episodes available on DVD and they are wonderful to watch, including episodes where a woman threatens suicide by jumping into the ocean from behind the Cliff House, a serial killer is taken down by the police in front of #9 Fishermen’s Grotto, and a lunatic threatens to blow up Seals Stadium with a bomb.

A few vintage chassis on Stockton Street south of Post: No, I’m talking about the old cars! Because of the Stockton Street Metro Project my picture is a little closer to Post Street than where the ladies and the precursor to Shirley Temple were. The vintage photo is interesting because it’s difficult to tell if that’s the Stockton Tunnel in the far back of the photo. If not, then the picture predates 1914 when the tunnel opened. The Galen Building can still be seen peeking out in the center of my picture. (San Francisco History Center)