Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island

In the middle of San Francisco Bay is the famous Alcatraz Island. Over a mile offshore this small island was a federal prison until 1963. It also has a lighthouse. The bay is famous for it’s fog so it was great to see it on such a clear day. Cycling along the bay, I stopped to take a few photographs from the Aquatic Park Pier. I’ve yet to get the ferry over to the island but it’ll be close to the top of the list on my next trip to San Francisco.

Rainbow Crosswalk on Castro Street

Rainbow Crosswalk on Castro Street

This crosswalk is in the centre of San Francisco’s Castro District. It’s on the crossing of 18th Street and Castro Street. The rainbow flag is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride. The Castro was one of the first gay neighbourhoods in the United States. It’s a short walk from The Mission district and Haight-Ashbury areas. Whilst in the area I also visited the GLBT History Museum. Whilst small it’s well worth visiting.

Kite surfing Golden Gate strait

Kite surfing Golden Gate strait

Taken from Crissy Field East Beach looking west towards the Golden Gate bridge. It was great to see so much activity on the water. There were dozens of people kite surfing, wind surfing and sailing. The person on the beach in the foreground with their kite makes this photograph work. At the time of capturing this scene there were dozens of other people around. Both with and without kites. I zoomed in to focus on this one person. But made sure I included the full length of the Golden Gate bridge in the background

Cloud Gate reflections

Cloud Gate reflections, Chicago

The most reflective sculpture in Chicago was always going to make for a good photographic challenge. After speaking with friends who had been (no pun intended) before I knew it was a popular spot for tourists. So much so that anytime of the day or evening Millennium Park was packed with people. Looking for a more abstract view of Cloud Gate, focusing on the refections of the skyscrapers around it, I got up before dawn to get the place to myself. This photograph was taken from the north side of the Bean to show reflections of the biggest buildings along Randolph Street.