They still have the old windows with their signs.
Pretty atrium with the fountain from the sky.
After doing some sketching we walked around downtown looking at examples of scale, renovation, addition, and modern architecture. We went to the ferry building and actually looked at the photos they have on display of the renovation.
We stopped for lunch at the mall at Powell Station and I was able to finally get a seven day bus pass. No more having to worry about having correct change! Well, for a week anyway.
After lunch we took the MUNI to the Ingleside Branch Library; one of the smaller city libraries.
SURPRISE! Our project for the quarter is a branch library of the SF public library. However, this is not our site. Our site is where another branch library currently resides. We're going to visit tomorrow.
At the Ingleside Library we talked to one of the architects who worked on it (also a Cal Poly alum, of course) and the librarian about various issues that came up and what they wanted vs. what they got. It's a nice little library, but it was really simple and I'm not sure why we spent the ENTIRE afternoon there.
In the evening I went to dinner/happy hour with some people from class. Lots of walking. I didn't get home until almost midnight.
Then this morning I got up at 6:30 so I could leave at 7:30 to be in Berkeley at 9:30. We met at the East Asian Library for a tour with one of the architects (sensing a theme?).
For some reason this was the only picture I took of the exterior. After the tour and photographing the entire interior, I just wanted to leave.
This library was actually really nice. Really good use of natural light from above in my opinion.
After the East Asian Library, we didn't have enough time to go see all the other buildings she had planned for us to see in S.F. that morning, so instead we had three hours for lunch and to find our way back to the San Francisco Public Library. If that sounds a little off, it's because it is. My prof. seems to have a slightly distorted sense of time. She also seems to think she's given us info when she hasn't, so half the time we're just trying to figure out what she's talking about. It's going to be a real exciting quarter.
Next library on the agenda was the San Francisco Public Library.
We had over an hour to explore and photograph before meeting with one of the head librarians. She gave us a lot of good things to think about when designing our branch library. She also showed us the super-cool automatic book sorter.
When patrons bring in their books, dvds, etc. to return, they feed them into a machine that reads the barcode and automatically takes it off their record. A conveyor belt then takes the book to the back where it gets scanned again and the conveyor then knows exactly which cart the book should go to.
After the library, my prof. took us to City Hall right across the street because "we just [had] to." It is beautiful, but at the time we were all so tired from walking around libraries all day, we just wanted to go home.
Inside the rotunda.
So after the such a long day, my feet hurt, I was tired, and just wanted to be home. It was about 6, so of course the MUNI train was packed (I love the trains btw). I barely made it onto the train so was stuck standing next to the door. After we make the first stop, I notice this woman talking really loudly over my podcast (I've been really into podcasts lately, not sure why). Talking loudly quickly turns into yelling. Then she started yelling about the guy spitting in her face.
The train is approaching the next stop, so when the guy started backing up and the woman continued walking toward him, causing people to squish into me, I assumed they were going to get off the train and settle their differences outside, as it were. At this point one guy already had his cell phone out taking pictures and someone was yelling to call the cops.
I'm not really sure what happened then, but there was a commotion and a bunch of people started getting off (the door opposite mine thankfully). I decided I didn't need to be on that train anymore even though I really wanted to just get home. I started coughing once off the train and noticed everyone else getting off was too. It was then apparent that she had sprayed him with pepper spray. Both cars were emptied and the train had to sit there, blocking the station, while the transit authority dealt with it. I don't know what happened to the lady, but I heard the guy on the platform screaming for water to wash his eyes out.
Fun times on the MUNI.
Anyway, I hope this post wasn't too long and I apologize for the quality of the photos. I didn't realize how on-the-go some of my shots were.
Wow- sounds like you're having just as much fun as I am on the train! Although, yours involves violence, mine just involves waiting in the cold for 45 minutes every couple of days.
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