The Sojourner of San Francisco - 2. LTR/02: Pick Up Where We Left Off, or AKA, a New Beginning?

FROM: Sojourner

TO: Perfect Stranger

DATE: MAR-12-2019

Dear Stranger,

I wonder what’s your reaction upon the receipt of this letter, is it a smile or a cringe? I hope it’s the prior. I am going to share something about myself again in this letter. Oh, before I forget, you really shouldn’t write me back. I will be changing lodging options from time to time (my newly adopted hometown is VERY expensive). I do appreciate it if you try to reply. Hopefully it’s not a hate letter, not saying you would do that, but…. On the other hand, you can recycle my letters if you don’t appreciate them….

Please keep the photos, because I really enjoy taking them. I hope they’re at least decorative to you. By the way, did you notice my photos are a bit grainy? Well, they were shot on 35mm film! You are probably thinking, “Who’s shooting with film nowadays?” Well, I do! When you dip the exposed photo paper into a tray with running water, and the image slowly emerges under the black light. Not like I’ve been printing photos wet since like forever, but the idea of a piece of your memory just resurfaced out of nowhere. The IDEA of it, isn’t that incredible? Do you remember something like that, for example, from a Photography class in high school? If you don’t, that’s fine…. I am still holding onto this camera, seeing through its lens. To me, it’s like the Golden Gate Bridge is still red* when shot in B&W. It is the memory of it that makes it real. I hope that makes sense.

I said each letter would be short. I lied. Haha. Seriously, there are so much history and culture here, the more I dig, the more I find when I was preparing topics to write to you about. I hope you don’t mind me ramble a little.

I’m going to leave you with a couple of photos I took this time around, but I’ll get around to tell you the stories about them next time, because I ran out of the space. Heh.

Lovingly yours,

Sojourner

*Technically, the color of Golden Gate Bridge is International Orange. RGB code (240, 74, 0).

Rows of Apartments Near Ocean Beach

Rows of apartments near Ocean Beach, on the site what was once Playland amusement park until it was closed in 1972. You can faintly see Dutch Windmill nested in Golden Gate Park from here, too. Ocean Beach is a popular spot for activities: beach volleyball, fishing, campfire, or simply kicking the sands. Water activities is not advised, as Pacific Ocean brings rip tides. The beach is wide and expansive (about 3.5 miles) with white sands like that of a resort town. The Great Highway runs parallel to it along with O’Shaughnessy Seawall. Ice plants with yellow and purple blooms thrive in dune. It’s a great place to sit and listen to the roar of the Pacific and let the waves take away whatever is on your mind.

Sutro Baths Stairs

Sutro Baths was the largest indoor swimming pool when it was completed in 1896. It could accommodate 10,000 visitors at once, and the 1.7 million gallons of water could be filled by Pacific Ocean in one hour. There used to be Sky Tram that ran from nearby Cliff House, took you above Seal Rocks and landed on Point Lobos just above. Just like the Baths itself, was a commercial failure. After the fire consumed it in 1966, it was left as a ruin and never got rebuilt. The stairs connect Sutro Baths to Lands End Lookout, which offers a spectacular view of this romantic ruin. There is even a tunnel near the end of the Baths to explore! The sunset anywhere near is the best.