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Views of San Francisco
Some scenery porn
All photos by Nick Hogan
I’ve spent a lot of my past six years documenting San Francisco, building a visual record of characters I meet, places I visit and scenes I come across. Here are my favorite views, which really encapsulate the city for me.
Lands End
This famous lookout is one of my favorite places. Back in the day, it used to be a bathhouse with saltwater swimming pools, an amphitheater and an ice-skating rink. Unfortunately, it burned down in 1967, and today only ruins remain. Here you can hike down through the paths to the bottom of the trail, walk along the ruins and rocks to the far side of the beach near the Cliff House, explore a cave with a secret inlet or look out onto the Golden Gate Bridge.
Pro tip: Sometimes when the ocean is at low tide, you can actually walk all the way around to the Sutro Baths from nearby Ocean Beach.
16th Avenue Tiled Steps
Made by the local community, these steps depict a scene in mosaic tiles going from the depths of the sea to the height of the stars. There are 163 steps in total, and they’re harder to run up than you might think.
Pro tip: Once you catch your breath at the top of the steps, make your way up a few more stairs to see Grandview Park.
Marin Headlands
At the top of the Marin Headlands, you have the seven-by-seven-mile grid of San Francisco laid out in front of you. You can see from the Ferry Building and the Financial District all the way to Ocean Beach and the Richmond and Sunset Districts. You can also see the entirety of Golden Gate Park being displayed snugly in the middle of the city. Even if there’s fog, you can get a glimpse of a scene…
