"My heart shoots into my throat every time I think I see his loping walk, or catch sight of some floppy brown hair on a boy... but it's never him, and each time it isn't, my heart does a reverse trajectory down into the very pit of my stomach."
~Lauren Oliver, Before I fall
LOL. Okay, first off, I have to say... it's not as bad as the quote above implies. But I have to admit, being able to watch Woody Allen at work is a thrill that will last forever. And seeing him, being able to hear his voice did make my heart thump a little harder... in a good way. I had a great time last week, checking online for the latest sightings, then grabbing my cameras, some snacks, and Alan of course, and heading over to San Francisco. Throughout this month long adventure, I have known that it was a matter of being in the right place, at the right time, and I have always had a plan B for a secondary outing, so if I should miss him, the day wouldn't be completely disappointing. Last week was awesome, but this week it's a different story.
On Wednesday, he suddenly popped up at a cute little grocery store on 24th and Florida in the Mission district. As soon as we found the latest Woody posting online, we ran. And we made pretty good time across the bridge. I was thrilled. We would be there in less than 40 minutes. And we were. But when we turned down 24th street, we saw that the Studio Services crew was folding up all the equipment for the day. Everything was being put away with such great care, that if I had arrived just 15 minutes later, I wouldn't have known they had been there at all. The only thing to indicate that they had been there, were the side streets lined with wardrobe, hair & make-up and some technical trailers.
But no town car... and no Woody.
:(
It was okay, Alan and I had a hoot going on the chase, and when we didn't find him, we checked out the area, and took in the neighborhood. I was able to get a lot of new photographs for the files, and just like the week before, I discovered sights and sounds I wouldn't have seen otherwise. It was good. After we finished on 24th, we took a drive over to 20th and Geary, to check out where he was going to be filming next. We saw the usual sandwich boards, and again there was plenty of photography to be done. Geary is a much wider street then the previous two neighborhoods, so there was a lot to take in. This particular location is only a few blocks off Golden Gate Park, which is great, because we discovered some new places to visit for lunch and dinner, the next time we plan to eat in the city! It was great!
Again, knowing that it could be a case of hit and miss, we searched online for Plan B. I found an article that talked about a visit to that neighborhood by San Francisco's wild parrots. It seems they found a tree with some red berries for lunching on. VERY COOL! I have been trying to find the wild parrots for years, and never could find them. I must be the only one in the Bay Area who hasn't seen them. The tree was covered in them on Tuesday, and the couldn't eat all the berries... right? Okie Doke. It was a Plan B!
LOL. Why do I plan things? LOL. Yesterday. Oh yesterday. Well, Alan got off work at 2 pm, he was home by 3 pm, and we were on our way by 3:30 pm. There was light traffic. We made it across the bay in good time, we stopped for lunch at our favorite hamburger place on Geary, and we were in like Flynn! After all, the sandwich board signs from the previous day said, NO PARKING FROM 11:00 am till 9:00 pm. It was barely 4:00 pm as we drove up Geary. But we got to the corner of 20th and Geary and NO Woody to be found! Not a single Studio Services truck. No town car. No security. Nothing. It was like they were never there!
No Woody yet again! How could I have been skunked not one, but two days in a row?
Oh well, all was not lost. We always had the wild parrots just a few blocks away at 27th and Balboa. Well... no. As you might have already guessed... there were NO PARROTS. We couldn't even locate the tree with the red berries that was featured in the photo of the birds posted online late Tuesday afternoon. Apparently on Wednesday, the parrots came back to the neighborhood and picked the tree clean! There wasn't even berry juice on the ground! Wild Parrots? What Wild Parrots? I don't see no Wild Parrots Lady!
No Woody... And Now... NO PARROTS?
"If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans."
~Woody Allen
LOL. I think there will be a few more opportunities to see Woody Allen before the end of the month. I will try for next week. If it don't get to see him again, I will always have 20th and Lexington. That corner is where I got to see him in person, and hear his voice, so, I am good. And besides, there's always the Wild Parrots to chase around. But God, if you are listening... Could you give a girl a break? ;)
And Now... Inspiration On 24th...
And Inspiration On Geary Blvd...
Update: I may have missed him, but another Woody Watcher captured some wonderful candid moments from the Geary blvd film location...
Winnower: Woody Allen On The Street
~Me :)
Today's link comes from my pal JR...
JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/08/apadf6-105.html
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