Above the old Embarcadero Freeway and close to the build site for Embarcadero 4 (our youngest Embarcadero, it turns out) and Embarcadero 5, the crazy Hyatt Regency Embarcadero Hotel:
“The Hyatt Regency San Francisco is a large, imposing exposed concrete structure. It was built in 1972, designed by notorious architect John Portman. He is known for his outlandish designs. The Hyatt Regency here is no exception. It’s hard to describe, but I’ll try. It was built as a modern concrete structure around an atrium with extensive use of odd angles…presumably to take advantage of the odd, triangular-shaped property and beautiful bay/city views. From some angles it looks like a normal building, others like a pyramid, and from yet others like spires shooting up to the sky. It’s extremely unique and enjoyable to look at by us architecture and engineering dweebs. To everyone else, it’s a big gaudy hotel that is seriously starting to look dated architecturally.”
Now here’s Harry leaving City Hall back in the mid-1970′s – can you imagine an uglier color than this blue?
We’ve had some extra low-and-loud chopper traffic over the 415 recently, not sure why.
Are our U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dauphinhelicopters taking a new short cut from the east side to the west side, buzzing the NoPA and Nob Hill, when they’re on search and rescue missions nowadays? Could be.
As seen over the Western Addition (yes, there are tiled roofs on the DivCo).
Click to expand
As it noisily flew over my vast real estate holdings I started thinking about how a trend like this could affect property values, so I started yelling and waving my arms and chanting “U.S.* out of NoPA!” But I remembered I’m not a God Damn Landed Gentry NoPA NIMBY Millionaire and then everything was fine once again. Crisis averted.
Semper Paratus.
*The CG is the smallest branch of the U.S. military, hence the mil in .mil.
See them fellers on the bridge? That could be you, someday:
Click to expand to see them fellers
Don’t think this was on an airshow day. It’s just every military pilot’s dream to buzz the GGB on the taxpayer’s dime, so this kind of thing happens all the time. They generally don’t try to fly ‘neath the bridge anymore.*
*Former Presidential candidate John Kerry tried doing just this back in ’67, but he “chickened” out. Oh well.
Looks like you can just forget about a helipad for now:
“First, rumors need to be dispelled: ‘I just want to settle one thing right now,” says Jeff Critchfield, Chief of Staff. “Will this project include a helipad? There is no plan for a helipad. I’ve heard it mentioned a few times this evening. There was a prior application for a permit. It expired. There is no plan for a helipad.”
“Another hand goes up. ‘Does No helipad mean “No applying for a helipad permit in the future?”
“The helipad is not part of project,” says SFGH CEO Susan Currin.
