The City by the Bay

The San Francisco Bay Area has been the home to me forever. Established on the rugged coast of the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco embraces its moniker of “the city by the bay”. An unusual combination of modern Manhattanized cityscapes and scenic nature landscapes, San Francisco is like no other city in the world. Having spent years living in the suburb Bay Area for my day job, I enjoyed driving up to visit the city once in a while, for events or just for the view. During those casual trips over the years, I was able to capture many memorable moments in the city.

Nature Meets the City

San Francisco is often referred as “the City” by the Bay Area residents. It’s not that different from the rest of Bay Area nonetheless. The city preserves the prestine nature wonders amoung its cityscapes. Whether you are a beach-goer or a hiking-lover, the city always has something to offer.

Up in the Clouds

San Francisco is known for its unique climate: cool dry summers with a tweak of marine layer fog. When the fog enters the Golden Gate from the Pacific Ocean and remains low enough, the bridge tower stands tall in the fog in front of the city skyline, a bucket-list scene often sought by local photographers.

The City By the Bay

In this improvised trip to the city back on new year’s day 2020, I was rewarded with an unforgettable sunset. The Sun was just in the right position over the San Francisco skyline and shines conveniently through a small gap in the cloud.

Things got even better in about 30 minutes: the winter sky was completely set on fire. I scrambled to another location on the island to capture the city skyline by the bay. This was a truly fantastic way to start the new decade of 2020’s, at least that’s what I thought. But you know how things went in this year of madness: “two-week shutdown” turned into a year (no thanks to Governer Newsom) and remote working becomes the new norm in the pandemic. Without the commuting concerns, I pulled the trigger to move up to the city in 2021, which gives me more opportunities to explore the city.

Moonlight City

Art-deco skyscrapers and iconic bridges make San Francisco a fantastic destination for Moon-chasing in the Bay Area. On a clear full Moon day, hundreds of photographers flock to their planned locations and hope to get a keeper shot. This is indeed the case for a rare moment like this: a super Moon hangs over Transamerican Pyramid and the Golden Gate Bridge. I went to the planned location one hour before the moonrise but was still greeted by at least ten photographers who had already staked out the spot.

The Californiahenge

Every city has its own “henge”, and San Francisco is no exception. Twice a year, the sunrise lines up with the famous California Street in San Francisco, a phenomenon dubbed Californiahenge, after Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Manhattanhenge.

Love-hate

San Francisco is far from a perfect city. In addition to the skyrocketing cost of living, you’ll have to endure the frequent car break-ins, robberies, and of course the unpleasant smells on the streets. But the city definitely has its own charms: an ocean-front spectacle that shows off the encounter of nature and humanity. I would constantly wonder whether the San Francisco Bay Area is right place for me to live in, but I still feel grateful that I’m able to spend my 20s creating so many memories in the San Francisco Bay Area.