[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

folks been asking, here are my pix from San Francisco etc

 

(Saint Patrick's off Market Street) I wandered into the church entirely on accident, I was actually trying to catch a snapshot of the museum next to it and I noticed the statue on the facade so I ended up following some lady inside..

 

after strolling around Golden Gate Park I ended up following some butterflies to the street.. I looked to my right and saw some more gorgeous churches, and I was looking for a third church to see so I wandered into Cristo Rey..

 

 

(Palace of Fine Arts)

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

 

(Haight/Ashbury)

 

(710 Ashbury)

 

(Chapel inside a nunnery across the street from the Dead house, which I also wandered into completey on accident after having had such a mystical experience at St Patrick's.. I was in there praying about noon and then all the nuns came in and started chanting matins prayes in latin, it was deep)

 

(my pops' property in Sonoma County in a creek off the Russian river)

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

 

(more at the Palace of Fine Arts)

 

(by the Golden Gate Bridge)

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

 

(palace of fine arts)

 

(Cristo Rey)

 

(facade of the Chapel on Ashbury)

 

(palace of fine arts)

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

 

(palace of fine arts)

 

(St Patrick's)

 

(St. Patrick's)

 

(behind the Botanical Gardens, Golden Gate Park)

[Rob Instigator]

love to look at this. good stuff man

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

so my itinerary was rather loose, I had checked out some buses, planned to wander around a bit in the Haight, at the Palace, in China Town etc..

I ended up first in St Patrick's entirely by accident taking pictures of the Downtown skyline.. it was breathtaking..

then I caught the bus to the Haight to do some Deadhead tourism. I know the Haight is rather corporate like Sunset or Hollywood Blvd but I fine interesting things to do over there too and I am way too into the dead to not go..

so I ended up at the Haight, wandered around, went by the Deadhouse at 710, did the cliche thing there. It was a trip, to be a deadhead (and an educated one at that) in that neighborhood is like being a Christian in Jerusalem.. it has all the sights, places, spots, blocks, parks etc etc. It was literally a trip.

I swayed into a nunnery also by accident across the street from 710 Ashbury, it was also spectacular, but reserved in comparison to all the red marble and 4 story pipe organ of St. Patrick's.. I was in there quietly praying when the nuns came in to do their afternoon matins (in latin) which was also very very moving for me. I had never even properly been into a Catholic church before, let alone heard prayer services in latin. Very spiritual after my conversion to Orthodoxy, where prayer is more in song than the morning birds..

I got some coffee and made my way down to Golden Gate park, slided by the piles of low-lives and drug addicts festering around the entrance and made my way to the historic Panhandle. I loved being where paramount Dead shows took place (like on Haight street or in the Panhandle) especially those which I listen to on tape

I toked it a bit in the park, and followed some vibez an then three white butterflies to the Botanical gardens.. now I when I was in the nunnery chapel praying I realized that I was to find one more Church on my unexpected pilgrimage across San Fransisco.. so I followed the vibe and ended up outside the Park on the street.. I went to catch a touristy snap shot in front of the gates to the park when I looked to my right and saw the largest, most elaborate churches yet, St Ignatius and the Carmalite Monastery of Cristo Rey.. I ended up in Cristo Rey, the smaller (not much) one of the two on the intersection..

I was to me the most beautiful yet.. smaller but by no means inferior, it was all dark, musty gray granite with Corinthian pillars and elaborate mesh-work on the lintels and friezes.. a few life size statues, including a mystical on of St Theresa near the altar..
The altar to this Church was immaculate, a true vision.. It was all gold, it had an almost four story carved post canopy (like at the Vatican) crowned with a Diadem on the top (for Cristo Rey 'Christ the King') and a glorious Christ in his Second Advent statue literally bursting forth from the Altar.. The place was empty, and without a single light or candle to speak of, strictly the sunlight billowing in from the few, small stained glass windows at the top (similar in style to a Greek church with small, round stained glass, in fact I went in initially because I thought it was an Orthodox Church and not another Catholic)..
I love this Church..

I prayed there for quite some time, left enlightened, ecstatic, and energized for the rest of the year..

I staggered back into Golden Gate Park (tipsy in the Spirit) to toke another joint and hed off to catch my bus to the Golden Gate Bridge..

I missed it by a few seconds so I went into Amoeba there on Haight, which was actually rather cool cuz I go to Amoeba in Hollywood all the time, I picked up two reggae cds and caught my bus out to the bridge..
I went to smoke in this cool little grove I found last year, with a spectacular view of the both the bridge and the bay and was only 5 minutes from the bus stop, but so nestled in the thick bush that I was invisible enough to smoke an enormous spliff.. well they mowed it down, it looked desolate like St Helens

I smoked my spliff in another location, which all the tourists at the bridge considering, was a monumental achievement..

toked out and relieved, I caught the bus out to the Palace of Fine Arts..
this place is exquisite... but it was gated up last year. When my sister went a few months ago it was open, but they closed it again!

It was still as impressive as it was before, and I was by no means disappointed. I initially went to see the architecture of this building up close, but I was much happier to end up in all the churches..

I grabbed a bus at the world's most beautiful bus stop, went to china town, jumped on a cable car to the best chinese food I have ever had.. I straight flew up to the bay primarily to get some more of this food (U-Lee's).. it was just as perfect as I remembered..

It was getting late, jumped back in the cable car to the BART, crammed my way 'home' with the business commuters and called it a night in the East Bay..

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

 

(the most gorgeous bus stop in the world)

 

 

(St Patrick's)

 

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

 

(St Patrick's Pipe Organ)'

 

(Cristo Rey inside)

 

(the OG Amoeba's)

[Rob Instigator]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to SuchFriendsAreDangerous again.


Thanks for sharin man! You are exactly the kind of guy to go on a sightseeing tour with! Love your rambling technique, let the wind take ya where it may

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

 

 

(St Patrick's, dome over main altar)

 

(US war dead memorial and counting near Pittsburg in the East bay, this is startling scene, there are nearly 5600 crosses on that hillside over looking the freeway and BART which is main artery into Oakland and Frisco from the East Bay suburbs, it took me 3 different attempts to get this one snapshot)

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

I am planning a similar excursion around Los Angeles after discovering we also have a lot of beautiful cathedrals.

the Itinerary:

St Sophia

 

St Vibiana

 

and
St Vincent