See San Francisco: Through the Lens of SFGirlbyBay

By Victoria Smith

The ultimate visual tour of—and love letter to—the Golden Gate City from Nob Hill to Bernal Heights by the internationally popular design blogger.
 
This gorgeously photographed lifestyle guide gives readers an insider’s tour of the City by the Bay through Victoria Smith’s unique lens. Organized by neighborhood, each chapter features enchanting photos of hidden corners, local color, landmarks, and hotspots, revealing why so many people—Victoria included—are falling head over heels for this amazing city. Brimming with original, dreamy photography, this lovely e-book makes a perfect gift for photography fans, San Francisco dwellers, visitors to the city, or anyone who has left their heart in San Francisco.
 
“Page after page of one inspiring photo after another. It takes a lot to impress me these days with books about destinations but this is one of those titles that is more art and a coffee table book than some boring guide to a city.” —decor8
 
“Whether you live in San Francisco or just have distant dreams of going someday (I’m guilty of the latter), I think you’ll find something special to smile over in See San Francisco . . . This book is as charming as they come, and I am dying to visit the scenery in person someday.” —Dream Green DIY

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Apr 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781452143828

Victoria Smith

The author spent seven years in the Middle East (primarily Iraq) working for a contractor that provided support to the U.S. Military. A native Texan, she lives with her family in the Texas hill country.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

I started coming to San Francisco in the foggy summers of the 1960s, not as a young adult experiencing the lovefests of Haight-Ashbury, but as a curious child and watchful observer. My dad, the traveler in the family, would wake us at the crack of dawn for our summer road trip up 101 from Los Angeles to San Francisco in our little red VW Bug.

Those trips instilled in me a deep fascination and love for this city, even at a young age. I was captivated by San Francisco the moment I crossed her breathtaking Golden Gate. Riding cable cars up Hyde Street and down into the misty fog of Fisherman’s Wharf; eating steaming bowls of wonton soup at Sam Wo, where our order arrived magically by dumbwaiter from the tiny kitchen three floors below; and witnessing those colorfully crazy love-ins in Haight-Ashbury made me feel alive in a way I’d never known growing up in the more conventional suburbs of Los Angeles.

And so in 1994, when I felt a little lost and alone in Los Angeles, I made the decision to move north to San Francisco, where I knew just one person, a friend from high school—and she ended up moving away two weeks after I arrived! I didn’t know a soul, but I felt happy and completely infatuated—like I’d finally discovered my home.

That was twenty years ago, and my love for this city has only grown stronger. I write a daily blog about my life in San Francisco and endlessly photograph what my days here look like. I never would have imagined that I’d be lucky enough to lead this life when I arrived here on my own so long ago, but San Francisco has a way of helping people make their dreams happen.

I suppose that’s part of why I love sharing the city so much. Anything goes here, without judgment. It’s a progressive but sentimental city that welcomes the creative and eccentric with open arms, no matter what drummer they may march to. Rebels, dreamers, and bohemians seeking an authentic and exciting life have been arriving in San Francisco since the Gold Rush of 1849 and the heyday of Haight-Ashbury. And they’re still arriving.

My view of San Francisco may be a little quirky, and this may not be your typical tour (you won’t find every landmark in this book), but it’s true to the city and all it embodies. San Francisco is uniquely colorful and full of wonder. Polite pastel Victorians line the hilly streets, and lush green parks have grown over what was once nothing but sand dunes. San Francisco’s residents dress and think any way they like. That’s the city I want to share with my readers.

I’d never go so far as to call myself a professional photographer; I consider myself more of a storyteller. Photography is my medium and the best way I can explain what it’s like to live in or visit such an incredibly vibrant and imaginative place. This is how I see San Francisco.

NOE VALLEY

I’m lucky enough to call Noe Valley home. Nestled below Twin Peaks and the steep, picturesque hills of the Castro and Glen Park, Noe Valley was settled and developed largely by Irish working-class migrants in the 1870s. To this day it has a friendly neighborhood-pub kind of vibe, plus a dash of S.F. hippie spirit. The sidewalks are filled with people walking happy dogs and young families pushing fancy strollers. There’s a distinctive unpretentious laid-back local who calls Noe home; you might even call the neighborhood a throwback to the less-tech-driven San Francisco of the ’70s and ’80s. The coffee shops have Wi-Fi, but you’re more likely to find people reading the San Francisco Chronicle or the Noe Valley Voice than blogging or discussing their latest start-up.

The shops along Noe’s main drag, 24th Street, are uniquely San Franciscan. A stained-glass maker shares the block with indie fashion designers, specialty cheese and chocolate shops, bakeries, a few locals’ bars, charming cafés, and a couple of gourmet wine shops. There is a pop-up organic farmers’ market every Saturday, where a