Kathryn A. Browning | A View from the Top of the Mark | Photograph | 2004

These pictures were taken during our honeymoon trip to San Francisco.  It was also the first time each of us had visited the city.  We explored the city by foot and the countryside by car and I tried to capture the essence of everything we saw and experienced.  I found the busy streets of China Town fascinating with how all tourists and residents went about their daily business.  Every time we climbed up a new street, we were delighted by another spectacular view of the city.  We had hoped to take a respite from one of our days of exploring at the restaurant at the top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel.  We had a romantic vision of sipping cocktails and enjoying the view of the city.  Unfortunately we arrived just as lunch was ending and as they were closing until the dinner hour so our only view was out the window near the elevators, which was still quite spectacular.  We were particularly awestruck by the site of the Golden Gate Bridge after returning from a two-day excursion in Sonoma County.  This was the first time we saw the bridge in daylight since we had left for Sonoma County before dawn and it was dark the first time we crossed the bridge.  I remember my first glimpse of the bridge as we rounded the curve of the highway; the peak of one of the towers.  The warm reddish orange color was quite distinctive against the clear blue sky.  A mere picture cannot do it justice after you have seen the bridge in person, but I did my best to capture that moment.