The Richmond is such a strange mixture. It's also really picturesque and sort of classic San Francisco, in some ways. Here are some pictures at taken within a few blocks from my house.
Never been in this place, but I love the exterior. Clement street is full of places that look like this.
The Four Star is a small movie theater up the block. They play a lot of Hollywood pap, but they also host a world class Asian movie festival each fall. I just saw Kung Fu Hustle there (which would probably be too mainstream to make it into the festival). It was really fun to watch. I also loved the music, which is probably traditional Chinese something or other, but nevertheless something I'm totally unfamiliar with. And it made me realize I want to listen to more diverse music. I'm in a kind of earnest indie rut these days.
This is one of the used book stalls in front of Green Apple books, which is this great bookstore near my house. They have a great selection, loads of used books, a huge magazine collection, and good postcards. Plus it's conveniently situated on the way back from the Sunday morning brunch place.
I took this picture while I was waiting for my watch battery to be replaced. ($5. Is that a good price?) At first I thought the picture was a loss because of the reflects of the ceiling lights, but now I kind of think that makes it more interesting. Anyway, this place smells like cat pee and the people who work there are very nice.
Just a few blocks from the Four Star is this crazy Russian church. As you can see it's across the street from a Kragen Auto Parts (and a Jiffy Lube, where I took this photo while waiting for an oil change). Just one example of the striking diversity of the Richmond (and the abundance of national chain stores, which takes the city edge off a bit but is ultimately pretty damn convenient when you're searching for a place to get your oil changed on a Saturday morning).
Spotted on a garage door down my block.
California greenery and lovely old San Francisco buildings on the corner of my block.