Sing Chong Building, San Francisco

Whenever you see photos or art of Chinatown, this one always shows up eventually…

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Ross Alley, San Francisco

While the huge festival crowds were clogging up Grant Ave, I took a shortcut through Ross Alley. It’s the oldest alley in San Francisco, and is the location of the famous Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company.

The Guzheng

During Chinese New Year, I came across an elderly street band offering passersby a chance to play. While I feebly attempted to play a qinqin, one of the real musicians strummed some beautiful melodies using a guzheng. This is the instrument that most folks associate with Chinese music; movies, tv shows, and video games related to the culture typically use one as part of their soundtracks.  YouTube has several videos demonstrating just how awesome this mass of wood and strings can be. It’s been over 2,000 years since its invention, and it’s still going strong.

Wentworth Place, San Francisco

Whenever I’m in Chinatown, I usually stop by Wentworth Place. It’s nice, secluded from tourists, and has places to sit. The fact that it also hides one of the best Gundam model stores in the Bay Area might also have something to do with it.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Wall, Or: The Wentworth Dragon

This week’s photo challenge calls for some walls, and I instantly though of this one. Taken in Wentworth Place, an often-overlooked alley hidden deep in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It’s also across the way from the best Gundam model store in the Bay Area…

Orange In Shadow

Taken on Waverly Place in Chinatown, San Francisco.

Red-Eyed Orange Lion

One of the Yau Kung Moon lion dancers. Taken during the SF Chinese New Year 2015 Festival in Chinatown.

San Francisco Chinese New Year 2015 Lion Dance

I celebrated Chinese New Year in San Francisco this past weekend. I had a really cool continuous shot through the festival recorded, but the video file is too big for both YouTube and Vimeo. The only footage I was able to upload was this Lion Dance from the Yau Kung Moon organization. Five Chinese lions paraded around Chinatown, stopping at various storefronts and giving impromptu performances. I was lucky enough to get close before the crowds started following them.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Rule of Thirds, Or: Peking Bazaar, San Francisco

This week’s challenge calls for the Rule of Thirds, so I thought I’d use a shot of one of Chinatown’s most famous landmarks.

Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge: The Old Coca Cola Sign

For this week’s Odd Ball Challenge, I went back and look through a few random photos I took during my first time in Chinatown. It didn’t disappoint.