The San Francisco Bay Area

[nottheboss 1]

wow great work since i last looked

[Smarty218 2]

Amazing work! I've been to Chinatown, SF and that is very accurate!

[fern244 1]

Amazing! Crazily realistic. I like!

[Explodingsims 3]

Great work, it's always nice to see some take on a recreation project!

[tgcela 0]

greate job so far...are you going to show Japantown or at least what it used to be...looking forward to the east bay and hopefully Milpitas

[spectrumtech 15]

Absolutely awesome. As a native of San Jose, I hope you put the spotlight there for one of the chapters. If I'm not mistaken, the building on the bottom left of the 17 overpass pic is Frys... Good Luck!

[anarchy0029 2]

Gotta see the rest of this... Looking forward the Transamerica Pyramid.

[nottheboss 1]

looking foreward to the next update

[jim5917 1]

anarchy0029:  Wow! The whole thing head to toe?  I’ll put on the coffee.  Lol.  As far as being brief expect all the other chapters/cities after SF will be less involved.  Anyway, I’m glad you’re enjoying the so far.

Hijodecordoba (4/28):  Thanks, I think it will also.

Lucky7: Thanks. Good to see you again.

Smarty218 (4/28): Thanks.

Godzillaman: Thanks.  And welcome.

Twenty20:  Thank you and welcome to the CJ.  Another night shot is coming up!

Waiyeap90:  Good. A lot of work goes into those photos.

Patricius Maximus:  Thank you and welcome.

Skyliner22: Good to see you again.  I haven’t really compared the BART skins.  Anyway, I’ll take you up on the offer for the PM.

Yoshikoroyimara:  Don’t worry haven’t forgot about Milpitas yet.  Glad you like it.  And yes the freeways were tough.  Especially since they were the basis of where to put everything else.  Originally I put 680 in Niles Canyon where 84 was to go.  Oops.

Panthersimcity4:  Thank you and welcome.

Jacqulina:  Thanks.  Like I said earlier more night shots coming up.  

Ky72x (4/29):  Thanks.  I will have to say I do add cars and or people to the pictures – usually I take several pictures and mix and match until it looks like a busy city.  Although, the following update didn’t have too much photoshopping.  That line of a dozen or so cars at the traffic light to the left of the Transamerica building is legit. 

Bombshoo:  Oooooo THANKS!  I remember reading it correctly – not sure why I wrote that.  Glad you are enjoying. 

Hijodecordoba (5/1):  Thanks.  Something interesting I read is that the Chinatown Gate faces to the south because it is the proper way to enter a city according to XXXXXX.  Mine faces east.

Ky72x (5/1):  If you liked that I think you will love the Transamerica Building – I can’t wait to see what it looks like on the page. 

The Big Z:  Thanks. Welcome.

Nottheboss (5/4):  Thanks – kinda started out slow but know the CJ is in full swing.

Smarty218 (5/4):  Thanks.  I was just in Chinatown last weekend.  Think I may update the photo to add a few hundred people.  Lol.

Fern244:  Thanks. Welcome.  Realistic AND funsize.

Explodingsims:  Thank you and welcome.

Tgcela:  Sorry, no Japantown.  If I ever found a BAT that resembles the Japantown center I would probably include it (if it fit).  You’re my second request for Milpitas.  Need to work on The Great Mall and some other stuff still. 

Spectrumtech:  San Jose should be the next chapter.  The Fry’s location is bottom right – that picture is looking south. 

Anarchy0029: ME TOO!  Good to see you again.

Nottheboss (5/5):   . . . And here it is!

[jim5917 1]

The Transamerica Pyramid (C-

Located at 600 Montgomery Street, the Transamerica Building is the tallest and most recognizable landmark in the Financial District.  The design was the inspiration of John R. Beckett, President of Transamerica Corp.  He wanted to abandon the typical box shaped building style and build a tower that allowed natural light to filter down to the street below.  Completed in 1972 the tower stands 853 ft high, surpassing 555 California by 75 feet.  Crushed quartz on the outside walls give the building its color.  The Pyramid was the tallest building west of the Mississippi from 1972-1974.  Today it is the 3rd tallest building in California and the 30th tallest in the country.

Coit Tower (C-

Coit Tower was built in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit (1842 – 1929).  Coit was an eccentric socialite that was decades ahead of the sexual revolution.  She volunteered on the fire department, smoked, gambled and was just as accustomed to wearing pants as she was to wearing a dress.  She married financier Howard Coit and upon her death left 1/3 of the fortune to the city for the building of a monument to honor the firefighters.  Coit Tower is located on top of Telegraph Hill (site of the first telegraph on the west coast) in the northeast part of the city.  The tower can be reached by car (minimal parking) or by foot up the Filbert steps.  Once inside you will be greeted by murals depicting life from various social perspectives in the lobby and excellent views of the city at the top of the 210 foot tower.

Next Stop: The Bay Bridge

[Smarty218 2]

I love that building!! Anyways, great update and I am really looking forward to the Bay Bridge!!

[hijodecordoba 74]

very informativ. for some reason i couldn't find out what the tower represence, but now i know. you have a wonderfull view from there over to the downtown.

really great update

[Voulpiotis 4]

This is great work! Eager to see more! Great details...!

[jim5917 1]

The Bay Bridge (C-9)

Opening in 1936 (one year prior to the Golden Gate) the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge linked San Francisco to the heavily populated Contra Costa and Alameda Counties to the east.  Prior to its completion the best way to enter San Francisco from Oakland was by way of ferry.  Upon completion San Francisco would be easily accessible to automobile traffic throughout the region.    Today over a quarter of a million cars use this bridge daily.  Two separate spans, which meet at Yerba Buena Island, make up the Bay Bridge.  The western span is 9,260 ft long while the eastern span stretches 10,176 ft.  From the Yerba Buena Island exit you can access Treasure Island (which is entirely man-made) and take in excellent views of Downtown San Francisco from the middle of the bay.  Prior to 1958 the lower level of the bridge was used only by trucks and rail cars; with all other traffic on the top level.  Since then the rail lines have been removed and east-bound traffic uses the lower level while west-bound (San Francisco bound) traffic occupies the top.

Alcatraz Island (B-

The tiny island located in the middle of the San Francisco Bay has a history almost as diverse as the Bay Area itself.  The name Alcatraz is derived from the Spanish word alcatrace, which was used to refer to the pelicans living on the island.  In the 1850s the US Army fortified the island to protect the region against possible military attacks.  In response to the increased travel on the bay due to the California Gold Rush a lighthouse was built on Alcatraz in 1853.  By the end of the decade Alcatraz was used as a military prison.  In 1909 the prisoners began building the current prison, which was completed in 1911.  22 years later the US Department of Justice assumed control of the island and converted it to a maximum-security prison.  It was during this time that Alcatraz gained most of its notoriety while being home to many famous residents including Al Capone and ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly.  Over the life of the prison 36 men attempted to escape (2 attempted this feat twice).  Most were caught, shot or recovered after their bodies washed up on shore.  5 men were never accounted for and are officially listed as “missing and presumed drowned”.  On March 21, 1963 the prison was closed due to the rising costs of operation.  Several years later in 1969 a group of Native Americans took control of the abandoned island.  They were allowed to occupy the island for 18 months until fires caused the destruction of property and the US Government forced them out.  Today Alcatraz is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon offers proof that well conditioned athletes can battle the cold water and strong current to make the swim from Alcatraz Island; but what about an escaped prisoner?

Next Stop: Fort Mason

 

[jim5917 1]

Ok. So this is probably my least favorite area of my CJ version of San Francisco. The Bay Bridge location is inaccurate. Russian, Nob and Telegraph Hill are all combined into one - essentially killing North Beach, which is one of my favorite areas of the city.  And due to the compressed size of the city the hills run into the bay prematurely. Thus the shoreline is much higher than it should be - and building piers has become difficult. If I ever include a Pier 39 it will be included in the preceding update.

PS - Treasure Island is the portion that the Bay Bridge crosses.  Yerba Buena Island is the portion of the island north of that.  They basically combine into one island.  In between the two spans the highway travels through a tunnel on Treasure Island - still the largest tunnel in the world.  The dirt from the tunnel was used to form Yerba Buena Island.  Hwy 80 (the Bay Bridge) does not travel through a tunnel in my journal so I decided not to include this information in the update. . . And you may note that the original name of San Francisco was Yerba Buena - if you've done your reading. 

[GreekMan 246]

This is looking great!!!!

[ky72x 13]

Sweet job on the The Transamerica Pyramid and Coit Tower areas, I can't believe that I missed that update! Oh well. Of course, I liked that long line of cars, and like always, I'll also point out the flawless building mix you have achieved in both places.

Well, some things are just to hard to recreate in the game, and unfortunately, this part of SF is one of them. The landmark of Alcatraz is very under-scaled, and since you can't make diagonal bridges, a straight version of the Bay Bridge will have to suffice. Despite that, very good effort in building the area.

- Kyle

[jacqulina 162]

wow wonderfull night shots my friend, excellent work you have done.

[lucky7 73]

Very good job, as always, the pics are looking great! Looking forward to more,

lucky7

[jim5917 1]

smarty218: Thanks

hijodecordoba:  During my reading I found out that many people think the Coit Tower was designed to look like the end of a fire hose.  I’ve also read conflicting reports.

Voulpiotis:  Thanks. Welcome.

GreekMan:  Thanks and welcome.

Ky72x:  Thanks – I definitely wanted a good mix of buildings – now I just need to update the photo in chapter 1.

Jacqulina:  Thanks again!

Lucky7: Thanks, I’m glad you like them.

[jim5917 1]

Fort Mason (C-

In 1850 President Millard Fillmore appropriated strategic lands along the northern edge of San Francisco to be used by the US military.  One of these areas was Point San Jose, the current location of Fort Mason.  The fort would be home to civilians for the next several years until 1963 when the Army finally moved in following the start of the Civil War.  Today, much like the other military outposts in San Francisco, Fort Mason has once again been converted for civilian use.  The area is home to various classes and workshops ranging from martial arts to sailing, as well as large conventions.  The SFMOMA (museum of modern art) artist gallery is located here along with the GGNRA (Golden Gate National Recreation Area) headquarters.  Fort Mason is also an excellent place to view the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.  Crowds gather every 4th of July to watch the fireworks show from the Great Lawn next to Fort Mason.  The fort is also home to some of the oldest buildings in San Francisco, many of which date back to the mid 1850s.  It was here in 1859 that David C. Broderick, US Senator, died while being treated for gunshot wounds following a duel with David S. Terry near Lake Merced*.  This event put an end to public dueling in California.

* Lake Merced is located in the south-west corner of the city near the San Mateo County boarder.  (E-1) 

The Palace of Fine Arts (C-6)

Located in the Presidio of San Francisco, on the edge of the Marina District, the Palace of Fine Arts was constructed for the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915.  The plaster structure was meant to be only temporary and demolished after the fair.   That changed in October of 1915 when people petitioned to make the Palace a permanent landmark.  Since then the plaster has been replaced with concrete.  In 1969 the Exploratorium Museum opened up at the Palace of Fine Arts.  This 2-story museum offers hundreds of hands on exhibits that are exciting for visitors of all ages.  

Next Stop: The Presidio of San Francisco

[lucky7 73]

Again, beautiful work, great progress!! Looking forward to more,

lucky7

[edmonton_stinks 5]

Everything looks great. I've missed a lot in this CJ, but I'll be sure to check back on future updates!

[panthersimcity4 162]

Your pictures are very pretty. I just love the colors. Even with maxis buildings it looks fantastic.

[ky72x 13]

Beautiful coastline development! Nice W2W's, I like 'em a lot. I also liked how you made the road intersection in the same place as the fort entrance. It's really pleasing to see small, realistic details like that. Impressive night shot of the Palace of Fine Arts, those nightlights pop out greatly.

- Kyle

[waiyeap90 0]

Wow nice! I like the shot of the Transamerica Pyramid. Totally LOVE your cj.

[skyliner22 16]

Woah! Great job with Fort Mason! I know exactly where that duel happened, its a few feet from my friend's house! its right on the Daly City, San Francisco border!

[yoshikoroyimara 5]

Awesome updates...I encourage you to continue this CJ! Oh...can you get a shot of the whole SF downtown? Just curious to have a better look! Thanks!

[spectrumtech 15]

Two things: You are missing Lexington Reservoir (Along 17) and Anderson Lake (East of Morgan Hill in Mtns.). Otherwise, doing great! Love the CJ!

[jacqulina 162]

awesome work very nice building skills my friend