Perhaps I should have done this post first in my "Tour of San Francisco" series since this is where Marc and I have decided to live. When we came for our apartment hunt, we walked all of the neighborhoods that we had decided might work for us based on proximity to his office, lifestyle, rent price, and safety. The Marina was our favorite. We love the neighborhoods of brightly colored townhomes and apartment buildings. We loved that it was clean and not smelly here, and that there was so much to do within walking distance. It was also great that Marc only had a 15-20 minute bus ride to work.
A little history:
Before the 1906 earthquake, the area now known as The Marina was mostly tidal pools, sand dunes, and marshland (I think similar to the low country of the Carolinas). Nearby Crissy Fields gets the credit for this geological characteristic. After the devastation of the 1906 earthquake, the area was chosen as the site for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This event was held in San Francisco to celebrate the reconstruction and growth of the city after such a disastrous earthquake and fire. One of the downsides of this area was that when the city prepared for the Exposition, they constructed the buildings on landfill: some rubble from the earthquake as well as mud and sand dredged from the Bay.
Though the architecture (with a primarilyArt Deco influence as opposed to the Edwardian and Victorian architecture of other parts of the city) has changed little since the 1920s, The Marina suffered serious damage during another earthquake in 1989. Basically the landfill upon which the buildings were resting liquefied and caused the building foundations to crumble and the structures to pancake. For our parents' sake, I will refrain from putting up photos of the aftermath.
Now, this is a little secret we were keeping from our parents when we told them where we were going to live. But since my mother called me one day and made me watch a History Channel documentary on the 1906 earthquake, she discovered the disturbing truth. If there were to be another earthquake, The Marina would probably receive the worst beating of the entire city.
Here's another hint I left off my "oh please don't" post earlier: DON'T talk about earthquakes in San Francisco. Just don't joke about it, ask people about it, or otherwise refer to the possibility. K?
Anyway.
The Marina is named for an obvious reason - it's right by The Marina!
A little history:
Before the 1906 earthquake, the area now known as The Marina was mostly tidal pools, sand dunes, and marshland (I think similar to the low country of the Carolinas). Nearby Crissy Fields gets the credit for this geological characteristic. After the devastation of the 1906 earthquake, the area was chosen as the site for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This event was held in San Francisco to celebrate the reconstruction and growth of the city after such a disastrous earthquake and fire. One of the downsides of this area was that when the city prepared for the Exposition, they constructed the buildings on landfill: some rubble from the earthquake as well as mud and sand dredged from the Bay.
Though the architecture (with a primarilyArt Deco influence as opposed to the Edwardian and Victorian architecture of other parts of the city) has changed little since the 1920s, The Marina suffered serious damage during another earthquake in 1989. Basically the landfill upon which the buildings were resting liquefied and caused the building foundations to crumble and the structures to pancake. For our parents' sake, I will refrain from putting up photos of the aftermath.
Now, this is a little secret we were keeping from our parents when we told them where we were going to live. But since my mother called me one day and made me watch a History Channel documentary on the 1906 earthquake, she discovered the disturbing truth. If there were to be another earthquake, The Marina would probably receive the worst beating of the entire city.
Here's another hint I left off my "oh please don't" post earlier: DON'T talk about earthquakes in San Francisco. Just don't joke about it, ask people about it, or otherwise refer to the possibility. K?
Anyway.
The Marina is named for an obvious reason - it's right by The Marina!
Another major attraction in The Marina is the Palace of Fine Arts. The Palace was built for the Exposition mentioned before, but the people of the city loved it so much, it was the only structure that stayed up when the buildings from the Exposition were torn down. It was severely damaged during the earthquake in 1989, so San Francisco took the opportunity to build a better Palace of Fine Arts - one that would stand the test of time...and landfill. The current Palace has a beautiful pond and park surrounding it, and it also houses an Exploratorium.
Now to the culture of The Marina. Basically the population has a lot of youngish singles and young families. It tends toward a more active culture where people enjoy going out. It is colorful and vibrant and there's always something going on outside. Obviously you can walk down to the beach and look at this:
And on your way there you can look at these:
But the best thing about The Marina is...we live here!
This is our building: we are on the top right - you can probably see our shampoo in the window.
This is our building: we are on the top right - you can probably see our shampoo in the window.
This is where I buy my groceries. Unless I need lots of stuff. Then I go about a mile into Pac Heights to Whole Foods.
Marc and I love the convenience of living here. We can walk to tons of restaurants, the market, our gym, two movie theatres, Walgreens, Starbucks, the Apple Store, several gelato and cupcake places, the dry cleaners, the tailors, and basically anything else we need.
RSS Feed
