So Close To Paul Rudd, And Yet So Far From Paul Rudd...

"The whole of life is just like watching a film. Only it's as though you always get in ten minutes after the big picture has started, and no-one will tell you the plot,

so you have to work it all out for yourself from the clues."

~Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures

Yesterday, I grabbed the cameras, and the hubby, and we headed over to San Francisco to chase down Paul Rudd. Well, not chase him down per se, but rather to find the location of where his new movie, Ant-Man is being filmed. It was fairly easy to find really, once again, like a couple years ago when Blue Jasmine was being filmed in the city, Twitter, and On Location Vacations provided the time and the place to be! In yesterday's case it was at the corner of Java street, and Buena Vista West. Just off Buena Vista Park, and the Haight/Ashbury district of San Francisco. In other words, one of my favorite neighborhoods of the city!

Unlike two years ago, and my stalking... um... enthusiastic pursuit... of  Woody Allen, I was able to find Woody, and walk on the same side of the street as he was, in-between time for him to be inside making movie magic! I could have walked right passed him had I wanted to, but yesterday, it was NO DICE. The closest anyone could realistically get was about a half a block. Which I did, but I didn't get to see Paul Rudd or Michael Douglas, or any of the other stars of Ant-Man, and add them to my folder of candid celebrity moments. 

But all was not lost. I was able to buzz the neighborhood and get some photos of the cameras and some long shots of the general area. I love the behind the scenes stuff, and really enjoy all the technical details, so I am a happy girl! It would have been fantastic to have a photo of Paul Rudd, but for me the fun is in the photography safari, and what you might see along the way! Driving through Haight/Ashbury you have the opportunity to see almost everything, and there was one or two sights that caught my eye, but we will speak more on that later. For now, enjoy the shots of the Ant-Man filming that I did get. They aren't stellar or anything, but it is a cool memory for me. 

Yesterday, I was only a half a block away from Paul Rudd. That doesn't happen every day!

Ant-Man Gallery

Buena Vista West and Java Street

San Francisco

August 20th 2014

 

 

 

 

And now a look at the neighborhood and street where the filming

 was being done by way of Google Maps...

 

More and more films and TV shows are being shot in and around San Francisco, so this is far from my last chance to have some fun chasing down movie magic!

The fun, for me, is definitely behind the camera!

 

Mood: Happy

~Me :) 

Oooh... an intriguing update! The photo on the left is of the first official "Ant-Man" photo, posted on Marvel Entertainment's official Twitter page.The picture on the right is a photo I did yesterday in the Buena Vista Park area. Did I accidentally photograph Ant-Man's van? Interesting!

:)

Round Robin Challenge: Someplace I Have Never Been

"I never kept up with the fashions. I believe in wearing what I thought looked good on me."

~Bettie Page

RRC: Someplace I Have Never Been

A couple weeks ago, Alan and I, grabbed our cameras and got out of the house for the day, deciding to spend some time in the Haight/Ashbury district of San Francisco. There are some amazing murals all through the neighborhood, as well as the occasional bit of public art, which makes it very photogenic, but it's not just that which draws us in, it's the fun and spontaneous sights as well!

We have visited Haight/Ashbury quite often over the years, but it seems like it is never the same place twice! I thought about just posting pictures from around the neighborhood, but with the true  spirit of this challenge in mind, "Someplace I Have Never Been," I decided to step into one of the marvelous, gitchy boutiques on Haight that has caught my eye many times, but I have never actually been inside!

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."

~Coco Chanel

Welcome To The Betty Page Store...









Aren't the clothes amazing? Oh my goodness, how I love retro-chic! The first dress would be perfect for a night of swing dancing, don't you think?  And the red dress with the cute little cropped jacket is just perfect for going out to lunch, but don't forget some little black gloves to go with it! Gosh, I could have bought all kinds of beautiful things that day, but I decided to put them on my Christmas list. Alan liked the fancy pink and blue dress the best, but I kept going back to the marvelous red one! LOL. What style! What glamor! I can remember pictures of my mother, when she was a young lady, rocking outfits just like those! Thank goodness for retro-chic! Don't you just love the black handbag with the pink bow? :)

Bettie Page was quite the curvaceous beauty, and the clothes in this store represent the styles of her era the 1940's and 50's perfectly! Lucy, Ethel, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and then there was Bettie Page. While she wasn't exactly known for a conventional modeling career, Bettie is better known for a life of twists and turns. She lived in San Francisco for a while, but as her career as a model went through it's paces, she moved about the country. She was known as not just a "pinup girl" but indeed the pinup girl of her time, and she was named "Centerfold Of The Month for Playboy's January 1955 edition. Her life took yet another turn later, when she became a Christian and she began working for the Reverend Billy Graham for a while. Unfortunately, while she achieved her own kind of stardom, she also experienced a good bit of tragedy as well. However turbulent her life might have been, one thing is for sure she left her mark on pop culture, and her style lives on! Katy Perry, Madonna, and many other performers have paid homage to her through their stage style.

While some may have not approved of her choices in life, one thing is for sure, she lived in a stylish time! A time when girls with curves were all the rage, and it was okay not to be a poster girl for stick figures. GO CURVES! I am always watching old movies from the 40's and 50's and admiring the style of white gloves on women, and hats on men! What a marvelous time for fashion! While Bettie Page is known mostly for her risque modeling, she also did a significant amount traditional fashion modeling as well! Good or bad, she was her own person, and I admire that!

How To Dress Like A Fashion Icon In The 50's.

1950's Vintage Fashion Trends Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn Fashion Icons

Bettie Page Store

Mod Cloth

Okay, you have seen my "Someplace I Have Never Been," so go see where everyone else has been! Just click the link at the top of this post to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog, where you can find all the information you need to play along, plus the link to all the participating Robin posts!

"Create your won style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others."

~Anna Wintour

Read more about the life of Bettie Page at Biography.com

Mood: Happy :)

~Me :)

A Sweeping Metaphor

"It may be difficult, but there will be times we need to pick up our brooms and do some spiritual house cleaning. It is through this process that we find our true relationships, our true heart, our core integrity, and our life's purpose."

~Molly Friedenfeld, The Book Of Simple Human Truths: Inspiration, Love And Wisdom

While walking through the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco the other day, I happened upon this little broom, just resting on the concrete. Sometimes I can be right in the middle of a place of bold, vibrant colors and sounds, and while it's all exciting and inspiring to take in all that, sometimes  it's the subtle things that tend to hit me over the head. Sometimes the little, average things that pleases my eye the most.

There is a superstition that says when you move from one home to another, the last thing you should do is sweep the last of the moving dust out your door, and leave the broom behind. Which, of course, is symbolic of sweeping your troubles, your ghosts out of your live, and not taking them to your new home.

That works well for attitudes as well. Preconceived notions. Old boyfriends, Addictions. Fears. Bad neighbors. Almost any "ghost" that haunts you. I have done it many times. Daily I have swept up the dust of everyday life and thrown it in the garbage, but there is something about the final sweeping of the mind, regarding anything that needed letting go of, that has cleansed my life the most. I like brooms very much.

"When someone hands you a broom, get a few buckets of paint. That is how a janitor becomes an impressionist. If the 19th century French style could improve upon nature, it can make your floor look clean."

~Bauvard, The Prince Of Plungers

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Art About Town: San Francisco. Street Art And Murals Of Haight Ashbury (Part Two)

Jimi Hendrix Mural, By Artists, Ernest Doty, Max Ehrman, And Sean Griffin

"There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life."

~Federico Fellini

Jimi Hendrix. It's hard to believe that so much talent, could die so young. I guess when you are that age, death seems like it's for someone else. I am especially reflective about age and dying because of this week I think. The point driven home about the age of Trayvon Martin, and on the same day, the sad news of the passing of Cory Monteith. At just 31, another artist dead, from the same demons that claimed Jimi Hendrix. Brian Jones. Janis Joplin. Jim Morrison. Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse. I don't want to speculate about Cory Monteith, about why, or how, he lived or died. It serves no real point. I wasn't even particularly familiar with his voice, as I have never seen a single episode of Glee, but I did hear his singing the other day on a news report about his untimely death, and it made me sad to know that I won't be hearing him sing again. I could have been a fan.

But back to Jimi. In 2017, Haight/Ashbury will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the "Summer Of Love" and this mural of Jimi Hendrix is a little taste of what's to come in the way tribute to a significant time in our culture. The mural is on the house, very near the intersection of Haight and Asbury, where Jimi Hendrix lived during that time. The house itself is special, as it was the inspiration for the Jimi Hendrix song, "Red House." The three artists that created this mural, are working on creating another on the other side of the building. I am going to be revisiting the Haight throughout the summer, and I will keep you up to date on the project and it's progress. And you know I will be there in 2017 to see it all in it's psychedelic glory. It's art. So I will be there. Click the link below to read more about the mural, the artists, and their vision.

Fitting Tribute To Hendrix Ahead Of Summer Of Love

Mood: Reflective

~Me :)

Art About Town: San Francisco. Street Art And Murals Of Haight Ashbury (Part One)

"Imagine you saw a color in your dream, which you have never seen before. It doesn't consist of any colors or shades that you know. Trying to describe that color would be as difficult as trying to believe that there is enough love and compassion in the world so every human can feel happiness."

~Egor Kraft

Street Art And Murals Of Haight Ashbury (Part One)

The Pink Bunny Endures!

 

The Haight/Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco is basically two intersecting blocks, but the long block of Haight street, and all the surrounding streets provide even the most casual observer a kaleidoscope of creative beauty, from the funky little independent shops, to the amazing street art, there is just nothing like it! I absolutely love the diversity of San Francisco, and the feeling that as one moves from neighborhood to neighborhood, there is a distinct difference and feel to take in. As an amateur photographer, and public art enthusiast, it is always exciting to me to pack up the cameras and head over to the city to explore each neighborhood's expression of life. The Haight is definitely one of my favorite places in San Francisco to spend time and take in the colors of the little world that is their neighborhood.

The funny little pink bunny with the skull in his mouth has had quite a time since the artist, Jeremy Fish installed him, as a gift to the neighborhood, in January of 2011. Vandalism. A fire was started behind the bunny on the platform, you named it, the bunny has endured it. He looks a lot different now, then he did when he was first debuted, but I kinda like the look now. He's a even more edgier than before, not that he needed any changing, but I do appreciate the change from a esthetic point of view. Its like seeing him take a on a new great adventure, without his having to leave home. I like the smile it brings to my face to see him live on, despite having suffered some of life's pain. Does that make sense? Anyway, I am loving this bunny, and that's the whole point of art... right? To inspire not just thought, but emotion as well.

Read More About The Art And The Artist Here...

Lower Haight Mural Gets A Giant Jeremy Fish Statue
(Haighteration The Lower Haight Blog)

Skeletal Rabbit Statues
(Trend Hunter Art And Design)

Know Your Street Art: Untitled Bunnies, Corner Of Haight And Laguna
(SF Weekly)

Jeremy Fish Installs A Silly Pink Bunny Statue In Lower Haight
(Jeremyriad)

Part 2 of this series comes tomorrow, and I hope to bring you more before the end of the summer! I haven't photographed nearly enough street art!

Stay Tuned!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Summer Of Love... 40 Years Later

"If you're alive, you can't be bored in San Francisco. If you're not alive, San Francisco will bring you to life."

-William Saroyan

There was a free concert in Golden Gate Park yesterday. A concert to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Summer Of Love, 1967. It was estimated that well over 50 thousand came to the park, to step back in time, if only for the afternoon. It's funny, while America might be a little better off socially, there are still some striking similarities to the summer of 67, in that America, once again, finds itself in an unjust and unpopular war. I wasn't able to make it to the city yesterday to attend the concert, but it was interesting to see folks on the news, of all generations, come together to recognize such an interesting era. I think a lot was learned from those years, although perhaps not enough. I am looking forward to going to the 50th anniversary celebration, already being planned for the summer of 2017. Of course I will bring my camera, and my peace sign, although hopefully I will be wearing it as just a piece of symbolic jewelry, because America will be once again at peace, with no war in sight. Heres hoping!

Here is a sampling of how the Haight/Ashbury district looks today. It still has a funky, free feel to it, and there is something wonderful to discover and see at every turn. Just thinking about it makes me smile, it is one of my favorite neighborhoods in San Francisco, unfortunately I don't stop by there very often. Maybe I will put that on my list of things to do this week...visit Haight/Ashbury. Be sure to click on the above YouTube video. It is the music video of Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco," which was written by Papa John Phillips, and which became the official anthem of the Summer Of Love. It's one of my favorite songs, and fits the city perfectly.

Corners of Haight and Ashbury

Haight Street Market

Jerry Garcia's former residence, located at 710 Ashbury Street

I took this picture of myself, by focusing in a darkened window on Haight Street. I think it came out kind of cool!


"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

-Jimi Hendrix

Thousands Gather For The Summer Of Love Anniversary

-OndineMonet
"San Francisco 40 Years Later"
Haight/Ashbury
2006/2007