I visit the Hunter's Point Shipyard every year or so to check up on the the development status. It…read moreis difficult to gain access, but given the chance, go exploring. It is an industrialist dream with massive cranes, abandoned mid-century factory buildings, huge ship berths and tons of cement. An occasional business does operate here, and there is a randomly large police station at the far end whose purpose remains unclear. I can only fathom the endless opportunity here: artist lofts, housing, recreation, biking, yet it all remains locked up and out of reach. I know one day this place will become a hot spot, but in the meantime, let's just put this review in a time capsule.

Despite its status as a radioactive superfund site, we made many relaxing weekend visits to the…read morederelict Naval shipyard with no adverse effects. Hunters Point weather was warm and sunny, pleasant relief from the rest of cold, nasty San Francisco. Exploring the legendary place was always fun. However, as far as I know, it's closed to the public now. Our leisurely visits were made over 20 years ago when a fabulous AT&SF Pacific steam locomotive was being restored there by a railroad historical society. A massive passenger loco hoisted high above the ground in a dedicated hangar-like structure. All of the friendly, super-skilled workers were retired veterans of the great fallen flags. There was also a small, but well-designed, railroad museum onsite. If I recall, it was located in a restored steam era railcar. Someone else ran a welcoming refreshment stand. We relaxed at their shaded picnic tables, enjoying hot dogs, snacks and sodas. Also, artists could rent cheap open studios in abandoned buildings there. Several of them were very talented professionals who were priced out of insanely expensive downtown areas. Whether legendary Hunters Point Naval Shipyard will ever be decontaminated enough for completely safe human habitation is anyone's guess. Somehow, I doubt it.

Spur's origins can be tracked down to 1906 San Francisco earthquake when city leaders came together…read moreto improve housing quality. Today, Spur serves as a nonprofit public policy organization that focuses on regional planning, transportation, sustainability and resilience, transportation, regional planning, economic justic and good government practices. The main reason I love attending Spur events is the exchange of ideas between some of the brightest local Bay Area minds. From talks about commercial real estate conversion to much- needed public transportation innovation (e.g. BART work commute with 90 dB loud noise) and San Francisco downtown revitalization incentives. I love SPUR.

Today is PARK(ing) Day, when certain parking spaces around the world are reclaimed and transformed…read moreinto temporary parks. You can find such a spot right in front of SPUR today as well as scattered around the city (http://parkingday.org). SPUR, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, is a public-policy think tank that promotes good government, urban planning and design. PARK(ing) Day (conceived in 2005 by REBAR in SF) is one of the many projects that is featured in SPUR's DIY Urbanism exhibit (http://www.spur.org/events/exhibits) which is on view at the Urban Center now through the end of October. There's even a Greenaid seedbomb vending machine (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/BDSx4Y5fYzQ_sjsq6EgBPw?userid=4FcfCT4WFGdNI_E09htphQ) installed if you want to partake in guerrilla gardening. Drop by, check out the events, read the Urbanist, be informed, and be inspired.

The Lathrop house sits in the middle of San Mateo's governmental center. Originally built in 1862,…read moreit has been moved twice, became a house of ill repute, was converted to a boarding house in WWII, and now has been restored to its condition following the residence of the first three owners. The house is now in very good condition, is being elegantly decorated for the holidays, and offers excellent docent-led tours that reveal the wonderful charm of this vintage house. Hours are limited. Plan ahead. It is definitely worth it if you are at all a history buff.

The house move in November is now May and just happened and is resting above the new foundation! I…read moretook probably 200 pictures, some of them are in here showing the move and the hydraulic system to save this beautiful historic 1863 Steamboat Gothic style house. it is nestled up against the SAN mateo history museum across the street from its former location on Hamilton Street. Once it is lowered onto the new foundation in about a week it will reopen again after about 120 days to make sure that everything is secure and safe. They also need to reattach the stairs and add a handicapped ramp. It had quite a history and it's time which you can read a lot online. One of the most prominent owners was Sheriff Joel Mansfield who was the sheriff of Redwood City for quite some time and was loved by many and buried in the Union cemetery nearby with his wife Mary. Hopefully this new location will bring more visitors and hopefully more donations to help preserve this wonderful mansion.

This house is incredible with an amazing history. Truly gorgeous and fun to share with people who…read morehaven't seen it before.

"You see that mansion up there on the hill? They say Charles Manson lived there, in the top room…read moreof the house." That was my first introduction to The Westerfeld House from the drugged out property manager who used to manage my apartment building - and he was wrong (surprise!) But there is a tie to the Manson Family: One of its members lived there until he moved to Spawn Ranch. And rumor is Charles Manson did visit a few times. Tom Wolfe even wrote about The Westerfeld House in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test calling it, "A great old shambling Gothic house, a freaking decayed giant known as 'The Russian Embassy.'" (I'm curious if one of my mom's law school friends crashed there because she was one of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters. It IS a small little world in which we live.) Built by a wealthy chocolatier then sold to the architect of the Palace Hotel, the Westerfeld House was built in 1889 for the then-grand sum of just under $10,000 ($27M in today's money) and is now a designated Landmark and privately owned. It housed a nightclub called "Dark Eyes" in the late 1920s just before the stock market crash then it was divided up into a boarding house in the '40s. In the '60s, Joplin and Big Brother & The Holding Company and the Grateful Dead used to hang out at The Westerfeld House. In the 1970s the founder of the church of Satan lived there (his pet lion left some deep claw marks in the ornate door frames and molding around the house). Longtime and current owner, Jim Siegel, apparently had Buddhist monks bless the house because of its provenance. I've gotten a chuckle over the years that its owner sometimes hangs hand-painted protest signs as window coverings: When Alamo Square became a huge tourist destination (it took a long time to be "discovered", surprisingly) it seemed like all the tour bus companies discovered it at once: There were eight or more busses every 5-8 minutes buzzing the park and blaring Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart.." And Siegel hung signs that read "Get off the damn bus, walk around and SEE the city!" In so many ways, The Westerfeld House is so very representative of San Francisco! Look for the house on Fulton at Scott that looks a bit like the Addams Family mansion and you're there.

Behind the bush…read more.. Well, like what the other reviewers said... what's up with that humongous hedge of a fort surrounding the estate LoL! From what I could see the mansion is huge and stately with an ornate facade. The property has been the residence of bestseller romance novelist, Danielle Steel. The mansion is located across from Lafayette Park in the exclusive Pacific Heights neighborhood. We circled the perimeter and like a stalker I was hoping to get a glimpse inside the French classical mansion. Before it became the super successful novelists' home the story goes back to a successful immigrant entrepreneur, Claus Spreckels, who built his fortune in the sugar industry among many other investments including one with the Santa Cruz Railroad. Adolph, one of the sons, and his wife took over the family sugar business in SF and later purchased the property and had the home built... err, excuse me, he had the "mansion" built as a Christmas present for his wife buying off the other Victorian homes nearby to make room for his mansion. This would become the Spreckels Mansion. Fast forward to present, Danielle Steel owns the home but lives in Paris most of the time. I'm not sure how much time she still spends in the City but the mansion has become a landmark in San Francisco.. After circling around the property once I concluded that I won't be able to see anything aside from the exterior upper part of the mansion... she has those massive shrubbery installed all around the property. Danielle Steel's oversized bush has been a thing LoL! and the subject of some controversy in newspaper articles (and was even called a "botanical freak of nature"). I understand that it's to protect their privacy but dang. Well, just check out the pics... Review #2079

I drove by to see how much more massive the privacy hedgerow has become (it is a bit ridiculous)…read moreand was saddened to see the exterior looks shabby and peeling. Apparently the building is made from limestone and it's crumbling in the salty Pacific air overlooking the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Karl The Fog is not being kind to this stately manse built in 1913 by wealthy sugar magnate Claus Spreckels and his ambitious (and later, very philanthropic) wife, Alma. Designed in the French Baroque style by École des Beaux Arts' educated Applegarth, this stately home has been long owned by romance novelist Danielle Steel. The wealthy and worldly Steel is rumored to spend most of the year in Paris. While she's living her heavenly life in another beautiful city, her hedge stands guard, growing in almost terrifying proportion on a storied block in Pacific Heights.

To witness an outstandingly maintained century-long standing, living breathing architecture example…read moreof Art Deco's Mayan Revival trend, look no further than 450 on this street of the City by the Bay. Numerous dentists and other medical professionals hang a shingle within this historic structure. In fact, it was never designed for anything else. In the 1920s, an inspired ambitious dental salesman had 450 Sutter constructed specifically to house dentistry and medical offices; and precisely such remains true to this day. Four Fifty Sutter has survived many eras -- roaring, war-time and others -- always in grand fashion and always offering a magnificent view. Period details are perfect, authentic and make you feel like everyone should be donning proper hats, dresses, suits, shoes and carrying purses or briefcases inside. The building has certainly been retro-fitted and upgraded for the comfort, safety and convenience of all tenants and visitors. Elevators are cosy, smooth and quick. We're here because Mama's dentist is here. If you're going to have to have a simple cleaning or root canal, might as well do it in style. With this prime office space and panoramic windows, the dental practice some twenty floors up, it's most picturesque. The view from the chair and rest of the space is spectacular on a clear day. There's parking in this building, but it's going to cost an arm, leg and perhaps some teeth, compared to rolling around the corner a couple of blocks, and into the City's Sutter Stockton garage. Four Fifty Sutter is a visual treat to anyone who appreciates style, history and architecture, so you really ought to check it out if ever touring the fascinating downtown of San Francisco.

Gorgeous building...art deco. The lobby is stunning! If you are walking by step in and take a…read morelook around..the security guards are very friendly. They recently added art for the walls....most of it is pretty atrocious and doesn't match the building nor its history. The woman that manages the building is not a nice person beware!

Stopped by here on the way to the beaches of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay, and it was beautiful…read more It's a very small lookout point (almost like a mini rest stop), with limited parking, limited seating, and limited space overall. But the views are amazing, especially on a sunny winter afternoon with calming clouds embellishing the sky. Probably nothing too spectacular to make it worth a visit on its own, but a cool spot nonetheless.

It's on point. I…read morehave driven past this lookout point in 30 + years of living in San Francisco, Daly City and Pacifica. If you're a local like me, it's located on the west-bound side on Sharp Park Road between Skyline Boulevard and Highway 1. It's a scenic, winding road that you'll really need to pay attention to with all the twists and turns. Every time I passed by the place, I thought about stopping and enjoying the view. But being a local, I told myself that I have plenty of time to do so. Heck, just like it took me 20 something years before actually riding a cable car and I've never been to Alcatraz yet. Not until we moved to the East Bay that we finally decided to stop here. Well, after hiking with the Wifey, we grabbed some food in San Bruno and drove to this spot to make it a romantic dinner in the car - similar to when we started dating. I didn't know the actual name of this overlook, and there's a plaque explaining that it was named after the former mayor of Pacifica, Grace McCarthy. Born in Memphis, Tennessee on August 14, 1908, she moved to the Bay Area and married Carl McCarthy. Grace served on California's first Coastal Conservation Commission and the California State Coastal Commission. She was also on the County Planning Commission, fought for disability rights and served on Pacifica's City Council and as Pacifica Mayor three times. A beloved mayor and truly worthy of this vista point named after her. The overlook provides a view of the northern part of Pacifica, Pacifica Pier, Oceana High School and Milagra Ridge on the right. We got lucky since the sun came out, and Karl The Fog was present all day during our hike earlier. It's a gorgeous view regardless if the weather is foggy or sunny, and I think the best time is during the sunset. The golden glow of the sun as it sets over the horizon in the Pacific Ocean is better than any screen saver out there. It certainly made our dinner date that much more romantic under the circumstances.

The "Queen Anne Tower House, " aka The Brehaut House is a grand Victorian mansion in the City of…read moreAlameda. The Brehaut House is considered the most photographed home in the city. It was built in 1893 by architect Charles S. Shaner. I have driven pass this house thousands of times, as it sits on the corner of San Jose Ave & Willow Street. When you drive down Willow Street on the way to Southshore, you cannot help but look at this beautiful house. The incredible attention to detail is amazing. Interior views can be seen: https://www.7x7.com/alameda-iconic-victorian-home-for-sale-2652877572.html This is a privately owned home.