Commentary — All In A Day’s Walk

I used to spend a lot of my time wandering the streets of San Francisco.  My pattern was to pick up the thread of whatever I was writing, plant it firmly in my subconscious and develop it as I walked. My meanderings took me sometimes up and down the nearly secret stairways, short cuts from one neighborhood to another, and often through one of the many parks, where I’d eventually sit and transfer any thoughts about mystery into a small notebook.   Then, I would find my way to the nearest market to pick up dinner.

I always took my camera. San Francisco is endlessly photographable; but one of my favorite things to find was what the street artists had done since I last traveled those parts.  You could and can find their work almost anywhere in the city, but the Mission and Haight Street were genuine goldmines.

When my walk was done, I’d settle into my small, dusty apartment, have dinner, some wine, watch a film and sleep. In the morning I would take out the notebook.  If I had been lucky, the next few pages of my mystery would begin to flow.   When the muse had given its all, I would start the afternoon walk all over again, loving every minute of it.

I’ve put together a slide show of some of the street artists’ work. Some of the images are gone now, many of them painted over by newer exciting images — the way of the world for artists — and writers.