Tag: street photography

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 13, 20239:54 pm

Finally, Somebody Uses the Bike Lanes

Dec. 9, 2023, as I stopped to photograph someone’s life belongings heaped onto four shopping carts, suddenly, and rapidly, riders roared by along University Ave. in Hillcrest. San Diego’s panache for tearing up parking spaces and replacing them with kilometers-upon-kilometers of bike lanes is controversial among businesses and many residents but unapologetic policy public.

On any normal day, bikers are few, and their numbers are next to meaningless compared to the volume of buses, cars, SUVs, and trucks, among other vehicles. So I was rather surprised seeing such mass of riders, who vastly spilled out of the bike lane into traffic.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 12, 20239:58 pm

A Life Reduced

For Dec. 9, 2023—before encountering the problem delaying new posts—I had planned to share some sightings in Hillcrest that same day. I had ventured there to drop off at FedEx a box containing my wife’s Galaxy Tab S8. For holiday sales, Samsung offered insanely generous $600 trade-in against the S9 Ultra, which I ordered for me and Annie happily inherited my S8 Plus. Expect a future first-impression about the larger tablet.

The homeless are prominent fixtures along University Avenue in, ah, Hellcrest. Used to be that street dwellers had crusty, weathered appearances; many had problems with alcohol, drugs, or mental illness—perhaps all three. But during the past 12 months or so, particularly, more of San Diego’s homeless appear to be new to the streets, older in age, or both. Many of them cart along more belongings—shopping carts carrying real possessions, not the debris collected hunter-gather style by long-time wanderers.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 6, 20238:42 pm

Hey, Cottontail

On the way to Smart & Final, today, my wife and I detoured to the renovated and reopened Lafayette. The Christmas decorations had always been so festive and inviting. What would the new owners do to celebrate the season? We wondered.

Answer: Absolutely nothing. No lights. No tree. No wreathes. Instead, we beheld the Hotel’s new interior design, which decor is meant to be retro-something but really is garish gay. I know men whose flamboyant clothing would make them fit in nicely with the furniture. Say, any of you guys need a job as a living mannequin?

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 5, 20237:57 pm

Waiting to Cross

From the same North Park corner as yesterday’s jaywalker, we regard a woman looking at her smartphone while waiting to cross 30th Street at University Ave. She wasn’t the target of the shot; I cropped him away for her.

This neighborhood is considered one of the more desirable ones closer to downtown San Diego. I passed a dozen (or more) homeless folks from Meade to University. Streets are dirty, and stinky, but nowhere near as ripe as Hillcrest. Yep, desirable.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 4, 202310:33 pm

The Jaywalker

If I walk where there are stoplights, someone surely will cross the street against traffic. Nowhere else have I seen such consistently stupid, arrogant behavior. Is it only San Diego? All California? I do wonder. This type of jaywalking isn’t occasional. Every time I venture out, someone strolls into oncoming traffic.

The gentleman in the Featured Image is an offender seen today. He and I walked along 30th Street in North Park—he ahead of me and later behind. Oddly, we would both arrive at Target, but by different routes. At either Lincoln or Polk (not sure which), I crossed to the other side of 30th with a walk sign. That meant green light for the cars going in the same direction as me. Continuing along 30th, he ignored the don’t walk sign and brazenly crossed into oncoming traffic, meaning cars proceeding on a green light.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 2, 20239:47 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Gorgeous

For the first Caturday of the last month of the year, we return to Alabama and the ninety-eighth feline from the street between boundaries Adams and Lincoln. This beauty also is one-hundred-nineteenth furball found behind door or window since this series started in October 2016.

I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to capture the Featured Image on Nov. 10, 2023. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 800, 1/30 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 4:40 p.m. PST, which was 11 minutes before sunset.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 1, 20238:24 pm

Pretty, Yes, But What About the Electric Utility Bill?

I want the Featured Image to better, but the discards from last night’s Christmas decor photo walk are worse. This house has beckoned my camera for years. The property, on Florida near Howard here in University Heights, is brazenly lit every December. I must return and seek skills redemption.

Vitals, aperture manually set: f/1.7, ISO 1000, 1/15 sec, 28mm; 7:33 p.m. PST; Leica Q2.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 21, 202310:04 pm

Not This Stingray But Another

To the owner of this Corvette, Stingray is a classic car. To me, it’s a kids TV show (circa 1964). Developed by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, the British sci-fi, underwater adventure combines sophisticated puppetry and models in a production style/technique known as Supermarionation. Stingray is a program most Americans of any age wouldn’t know, nor its contemporaries like Captain Scarlet or Fireball XL5—although the latter was broadcast on this side of the pond by NBC.

But many of these same people easily could know Thunderbirds, which popularity extended beyond the 1960s into the modern era, with several follow-on series and even a live-action feature film. As a kid, I watched all the Anderson Supermarionation shows. You might wonder how, seeing as I am American and, with the exception of aforementioned Fireball XL5, none of them was broadcast in the States.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 18, 20239:27 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Zoe

As we walked together along Louisiana on this fine Caturday, my wife spotted a tabby dart across the street nearby where both Ash and Nelson have been photographed. New kitty sightings are rare along that particular block—my guess because more single-family homes than apartments means less turnover of residents.

The shorthair wouldn’t tolerate close approach, so I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s 10x lens to capture the Featured Image and companion. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/220 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 11 a.m. PST. The other is the same but 1/120 sec.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 17, 20238:54 pm

Deciduous Delight

Six weeks or so since my last haircut and sports medicine specialist appointment today compelled me to get a trim yesterday afternoon from the Barber of Seville, who at 80ish continues to cut clients’ mops. His shop is located along the main business blocks of Park Blvd in University Heights.

I was on time, but George was late—focused on another customer who dragged out the cut with conversation. While waiting outside, I marveled at the turning colors of leaves on several trees. San Diego’s mild Mediterranean climate and Southern latitude (for the Northern Hemisphere) typically mean later-year seasonal change for deciduous trees. Leaves bursting with color, and being shed, is something seen in December for sure. November timing grabbed my attention.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 16, 20239:16 pm

The Outlier

If elected, she would be the youngest President-elect in the history of the United States. She also would be ineligible to serve, at time of the election next year, being then 34 and 35 is the Constitutionally-mandated minimum age. However, Taylor Swift was born on Dec. 13, 1989, which means she would be of age to take the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2025.

Despite insane popularity, the singer sure looks like a longshot at this juncture, particularly with no real political experience—although navigating the complicated contractual craziness of the music business and self-managing a multi-million dollar entertainment career isn’t that far removed from taking on Washington.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 14, 20239:52 pm

San Diego Police Return to University Heights

While walking this morning, my wife and I detoured to Adams and Mississippi to see what was up with all the police vehicles. Sharped-eyed Annie spotted a cop car roll through the stop sign at Mission, and we decided to follow.

The Featured Image and companions give glimpse of the activity. We went elsewhere in our neighborhood of University Heights before playing public peeping-toms with the many other onlookers. Police tape was up when we arrived, and going East—closer to Arizona—officers could be seen holding assault rifles pointed in safe directions. Whatever had their attention, ended. Firearms were put away, circling helicopter flew off, and the yellow tape came down.