The SantaCon visits the Winter Walk: SantaCon started out in San Francisco 1n 1994 as, basically, a pub crawl, but now it’s become more of an anti-tradition. Yesterday, SantaCon occurred on the opening day of Winter Walk, 2025. I believe Winter Walk, where Stockton Street is carpeted and closed to traffic from O’Farrell Street to Post Street, began in 2016. The vintage pictures are from the San Francisco Library Digital Archives. (Thumbnail images)
The intersection of Geary and Stockton during the 1940s: The vintage picture is undated, so I’m not sure what all of the flags on the city of Paris Department Store were all about.
This must have been a doozy of a traffic jam on December 28, 1945, for these ladies to be jaywalking with their child. This is looking toward O’Farrell Street; you can see the Macy’s Clock in both photos.
This is another take on the Alan Canterbury Maiden Lane picture from 1964. The Winter Walk Band, playing Christmas songs, is stationed here.
Another look at the Geary and Stockton Streets intersection, looking east on Geary toward the Palace Hotel: The vintage photo is from 1910.
Looking north along Stockton Street in 1911: Union Square is on the left, Maiden Lane on the right.
The intersection of Stockton and Post Streets, as people head toward the Winter Walk: Not much of a crowd here on March 16, 1943.
“A splendid time is guaranteed for all!” unless you’re planing on driving down Stockton Street. These photos were taken from above the Stockton Tunnel. A literary note, Sam Spade looked down from this spot, before proceeding on to Burritt Alley to identify the body of his murdered partner, Miles Archer, in the ‘Maltese Falcon’. {Spade crossed the sidewalk between iron-railed hatchways that opened above bare ugly stairs, and resting his hands on the damp coping, looked down into Stockton Street. An automobile popped out of the tunnel beneath him with a roaring swish, as if it had been blown out, and ran away.}
San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now 