Walking Journal #11

PROMPT: In your neighborhood or in the neighborhood of your choice, consider the history or events that have transpired there. Do a bit of research first, and then visit the site of something notable. For instance, Commrow used to be the red light district, and the area near Second Street and the river on the east side of town was once Chinatown (I think). The possibilities are endless and don't have to be related to a place, per se, like the examples above, but can relate to an event, instead. For instance, the Center St. Bridge is where Marilyn Monroe throws her wedding ring into the Truckee in The Misfits. Try to compare and contrast then and now, or imagine yourself into the place as it was and register changes.

Places can carry a lot of meaning: it's not only the scenery that gives a place its atmosphere, nor the people who walk the streets, but something more than that. For me, places carry memories. Notable things that happen in a particular place will forever be stored in that place for me: just waiting to be revisited. My dad grew up in San Francisco, and for as long as I can remember, going to San Francisco has always been associated in my mind with father-daughter days. Especially because my dad and I share a love of history and science, so visiting the California Academy of Sciences to get a glimpse at the new Planetarium, seeing the King Tut exhibit at the de Young, and trips to the San Francisco Zoo are beloved memories. As I've gotten older and grown more independent, all it takes is a visit to Golden Gate Park with my dad to recall old times.

An earlier family trip to San Francisco

Golden Gate Park in San Francisco has its fair share of history: it was planned during the 1860’s and has endured since then. Golden Gate Park has had minor roles in movies as well, including The Pursuit of Happiness. It’s also become a major center of San Francisco. Places like Golden Gate park have a sense of history about them: from the Academy of Sciences to the de Young to the mobile art galleries: all of it screams culture and history. It’s impossible not to recognize the history of a place when the history is a deeply embedded part of what makes a place unique. Whether it’s the history and culture in a “historical” sense or memories that define a place, history gives a life to place.  

For me, San Francisco, and specifically Golden Gate Park, will always be father-daughter days with my dad. The memories that you create in a place define what that place means for you: just like past historical events give a place its identity. The mood and atmosphere of a place can be affected by events that have transpired in the past: effectively stamping a place with history. There isn't necessarily a clear-cut then and now, because the past gives meaning to the present, and the history of a place is always being expanded.