I’ve been checking out the progress of the Pier 36 teardown the last few weeks along Embarcadero as I walk home from work each day. The pier is being torn down in preparation for the next America’s Cup regatta, to be held in San Francisco in 2013. It’s been a pretty fascinating process to see!

Earlier today, I snapped a few photos with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic photo app. Black and white make for some pretty dramatic photos of a construction site!

Updated: New photos added April 12, 2012.

Or something like that. It sure is raining a lot though!

Taken at 5th and Mission.

I’ve been having a lot of fun with Hipstamatic’s new update (which includes Instagram integration).

I saw this crazy, old Coast Guard ship docked off the Embarcadero last week. Pretty awesome!

Transmission tower in Dreamtopia, inspired by San Francisco’s Sutro Tower

Earlier this week, the ngmoco:) team behind We Rule released our latest game: Dreamtopia! (Currently only available for Android.)

The basic premise behind the game is that you have have the ability to make dreams come true — in order to do that, you need to build things to fulfill various goals for each character.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this absolutely awesome take on San Francisco’s very own Sutro Tower inside our game! I think it raises a valid point:

How awesome would it be if there were a restaurant / observation deck on top of Sutro Tower?

I’m not the only one to wonder this. Three years ago, Laughing Squid had an awesome post on what it was like from the top of Sutro Tower.

Photo by El Caganer

So, who do we have to talk to in order to make this happen? 😉

This image from over a year ago at Dolores Park in San Francisco is especially relevant today. Blue skies, mid 60’s, an otherwise perfect day!

My friend Scott and I took the afternoon off this past Friday to check out the Blue Angels practicing over San Francisco. We somehow found ourselves on a boat and ended up having front row seats to the practice. It was incredible!

If you need some proper theme music, may I suggest the Top Gun soundtrack? You’re welcome!

http://www.rdio.com/#/artist/Various_Artists/album/Top_Gun_-_Motion_Picture_Soundtrack_(Special_Expanded_Edition)/

It’s official. After living in San Francisco for the last seven and a half years, I’m moving! More specifically, Kerry and I are moving to Oakland. There are a number of reasons: easier commutes for both of us (seriously! BART > Muni), cheaper, and the apartment we’re moving into is just fabulous.

Don’t worry, I still love you, San Francisco. We’re just trying something new for a bit!

It seems like such a lovely place, doesn’t it? 😉

Blek le Rat stencil at Cafe Divis., originally uploaded by Dave Schumaker.

This is a relatively new stencil that popped up at my favorite neighborhood coffee shop. It was created by a French street artist named Blek Le Rat. Some have speculated that Blek le Rat’s stencil style is the inspiration for Banksy.

Via Wikipedia:

British graffiti artist Banksy has acknowledged Blek’s influence stating "every time I think I’ve painted something slightly original, I find out that Blek Le Rat has done it as well, only twenty years earlier."