Wharf

Savannah Armer

November 24, 2012

Signage of San Francisco

Stacy Asher

Fisherman’s Wharf

Fisherman’s Wharf of San Francisco is one of the biggest tourist attractions that the city of San Francisco has to offer. Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39, and the wharf are just some of the different top visited points in the area. When in the area you are confronted with constant offers of tours of the cities with double decker buses, bike rides over the golden gate bridge, and yes even Segway tours. The area is always packed with tourist looking to get their “San Francisco” experience. The Wharf’s signage is designed for tourist to get from attraction to attraction in order to make the most profit possible.

Going back into history to 1906, the wharf wasn’t in existence yet. The wharf is not a natural body of land; instead it is a man made area that used the rubble of the 1906 fire to create it. Originally the coast only went to the point of Coit tower before being extended. The area gets the name the Italian immigrants who came to the area to fish much like they did in North Beach.  It has been the home base for san Francisco’s fishing fleet ever since. During the 1939 Golden Gate international exposition the signage was vast. The city wanted to direct all the traffic into Treasure Island to show what success they had achieved to the rest of the world. In that time their was no internet, phones were available but they weren’t used in the ways we can use them today. Directing people would have actually been difficult, but they pushed the message to leaders all over the world and got the turn out that they had wanted.

The signage in the wharf is extremely detailed. The signs give you the closest big attractions on the top, direction to the transit information area and a whole map with points to let you know how to get from place to place. The signage is so detailed because most of the people looking around in the wharf aren’t locals that know the area. They have no knowledge of San Francisco and because it is such a public transportation city, most of these travelers are on their feet. In order to maximize the tourism economy, one of the biggest industries in the city, they need to have maps that allow tourist to visit as many places as possible. When someone feels confused like they don’t know any area, they tend to get frustrated and not spend as much time as they would have otherwise. The signage is extremely effective because it gives the tourist in the area all the information they need to get from point A to point B. They make it almost impossible to get lost in the area.  Another area which is filled with self directing signage is Pier 39. When arriving in the area you are confronted with eight different flags all with the same message, Pier 39. Because it is a very popular attraction but it is slightly hidden away towards the coast, it is extremely important the area makes itself as obvious as possible. 

Wharf Photos

north beach pictures

North Beach

Savannah Armer

November 18, 2012

Signage of San Fran

Stacy Asher

North Beach

            Little Italy or North Beach formally known can be found between Chinatown and Russian Hill. The neighborhood is known for great food, nightlife, culture, and the beats.

North Beach was first in habited by Italians working the docks trying to catch the American dream. In the 50s, spaces in homes were limited and people craved community, the craved the same culture that they had received in their home countries.  A group of youngsters started hanging out in coffee shops and writing poetry to become what is now known as the beat generation.  For the older generation is was seen as a threat to everything they had known, to their tradition. The beats wanted to express themselves emotionally, fully uncover the heart to their mystery. Ofcourse as spiritually awaken they were, they still managed to get in to some trouble with many erotic dance clubs, and sketchy business. The beats left their food print on the streets of San Francisco, something you can even see today if you visit the area.

            North Beach’s signage conveys busy city life while still holding on to traditional Italian style.  City lights book store was simple enough, wood boarded, big windows and ofcourse a lot of books. But as I traveled down the street, it became more and more about the glitz. On each counter stood some kind of dance club, the garden of eden, was one to remember. The signage is of a woman’s body being wrapped with a snake suggestively. The signage was begging to take advantage of a male’s deep sexual desires and leave him with really no other choice but to walk in the club desperately. The area is inevitably seedy, the woman walking around in six inch glitter heels at 11 am definitely isn’t helping the reputation of the area. The signage was all so flashy and over the top because of the competition around every counter. From there I saw the Beat Museum, somewhere I had to go get the scoop on. The man on the inside told me story after story about how the beats came to be in San Francisco, the reference I used for the paragraph above. As I continued down it became very city like, nice restaurants but really small amounts of space. All the store signage was remarkably well done, artwork and Italian colors everywhere. Little Italy is a place of hustle and bustle while still keeping the italian community culture alive.

           

Hayes Valley Adventure

Savannah Armer

November 11, 2012

Signage in SF

Stacy Asher

Hayes Valley, Castro, and the Mission

            When walking around the streets of San Francisco, one will find a new culture in every area they go to. On Monday, my class and I were presented with a challenge, walking from our area in the Richmond to Dolores Park. The directions were simple, but they gave no details on all the different unique culture we would be enjoying along the way.

We started the adventure working on way down Stayan towards Golden Gate Park. We arrive at the opening of Haight street and take in all the way down to a street called Scott. It seemed as if we had walked from another world. Instead of the lively bums on Haight and the creative artwork on storefronts, it was calm, simple liquor stores, bigger houses, a generally much quieter area. We had officially arrived to Hayes Valley. We arrive at the Harvey Milk Center, a place that provides crocheting classes, dance class, theatre, and even a darkroom. The audience in Hayes valley seems to be the artsy types, people who enjoy music and theatre. There are not bums on the streets so it is a more calm affluent area in the city.

            Next we continued down to Market street where we were confronted by a much different cultural area. Along the tops of the street lights two rainbow flags hung down, very well functioning signage to let you know you have arrived in the Castro. A wall mural presents all the values and the morals of the people in the castro conveying a utopia of people of all sexual orientations. As we arrive at the corner of market and Castro, suddenly a giant rainbow flag blows in the air, the most beautiful signage in the area. The streets here are busy, constant foot traffic, lots of delightful shops line the streets. We now run into a more residential area going up and down the hills of San Francisco until we get over a concrete bridge and arrive to the park overlooking the whole thing and the beautiful Dolores Mission. A lively atmosphere surrounded by tons of people bathing in the sunshine.

            Each area, Hayes Valley, Castro, and the Mission all had very different kinds of vibes and atmospheres. Starting with Hayes Valley, it was a quieter area more affluent, families and elders probably lived dominantly in that part of the city. The Castro has a different kindof vibe, a loving gay-friendly zone for everyone to come and enjoy equality. Very busy lots of clothing shops, a very dense alive part of the city. The Mission is a little different very lively, nice, lots of diversities of people in the area.