light show night walk, 11/14-15/23

The night before I shot these photos I stood on the landing by my front door to take in the night air before going to bed. A small stretch of clouds was illuminated. The clouds were drifting on the wind, but the lit section stayed put. Before I could take a photo with my cellphone the light stopped as if someone flipped off a switch. The next night I was ready for it when it showed up. Except the light was blue instead of pale white and it stretched well into the west. (It looked like the trajectory would put its origin somewhere off the coast.) I wanted a little exercise, so I went for a walk to investigate.

When I reached the crest of Ulloa Street I saw a much brighter light that appeared to come from Twin Peaks and extended in another direction. It didn't take me long to realize it was part of the laser display on Market Street celebrating the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference being held in San Francisco that week. (The artists behind it are the ones who've lit the Bay Bridge with "The Bay Lights" and the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park with "Psychedelic Photosynthesis.")

Edgehill Way seemed like the best place nearby to view it. The street is mostly unknown outside of the neighborhood—it has a steep ascent and part of it is a funky dirt road. The downtown-facing section has few streetlights, so it would be good for viewing. But I still wasn't sold on starting the two-and-a-half-mile roundtrip walk near midnight.

That was until I remembered when I worked at Fredericksen Hardware, one Sunday the assistant manager opted to be hours late for work so he could attend the 50th birthday party of the Golden Gate Bridge. With Bill Shaw as my role model I reasoned that if I didn't pursue it I'd probably never have the chance to take it in. (Rain was forecast for the rest of the laser installation period.) The decision to go made me feel free, happy, and energetic. The night was warm (I didn't zip my jacket), it was quiet, and almost no one was out (little car traffic and fewer walkers). I wondered if anybody hereabouts knew or cared about the spectacle. (For all I knew they were already downtown or aloft in their private dirigibles.) But the combination of the solitude and the illumination made for a night I won't soon forget.

The following are photos of the laser show (and a few doors ) that I saw.

One thing I haven't heard explained—the lights out of the west in the first photo (from my front steps) and the last (from Taraval Street) were not cast from Market Street. I think a third, fainter beam shone from the Peninsula (near the airport?). These were blue and intermittent, while the main show changed colors and never cut out. I don't know how they were related to the main celebration. Maybe it was the conference's space alien delegation.