I kind of feel sorry for the Transamerica Building. Built in 1972, it was the tallest, most distinctive building with its pyramid shape until the Salesforce Tower topped it in 2018.
It is no longer owned by the Transamerica Corporation, having been sold in 2020 to a New York investor. Still, it is definitely an impressive building in the middle of downtown. There are four cameras at the top of the spire that make up the “Transamerica Virtual Observation Deck” that can be controlled from the lobby by visitors. How cool is that? There is also a 1/2 acre park around the base that has redwood trees which were brought in from Santa Cruz mountains.
From Ina Coolbrith Park it looks like it still is the tallest!
As you can see, from certain vantage points, it still looks like the tallest. During the Christmas holidays and on the 4th of July there is a star that is lit at the top of the spire.
I know I talked about the Orpheum Theater in the letter “O” but I think that Theaters deserve a bit more attention. There are many spread out over the city. One is the Curran Theater, where we saw Jersey Boys 4 times, and Rock of Ages. My daughter was going to take me to see the Harry Potter play last year for my birthday in March but we all know what happened instead.
And right next door to that is the Geary Theater, which I have not been to but which is home to the American Conservatory Theater and looks very cool from the outside.
There is also the Golden Gate Theater at which I saw Hairspray and/or Mamma Mia. It is so old, there are no elevators so you definitely have to be able to walk some stairs if you are sitting in the balcony!
Stately Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall and the War Memorial Opera House along with Herbst Theater are all in a row across from the City Hall. Unfortunately there has been constant construction going on all up and down Van Ness Street. It has been really hard for me to get good pictures.
I wrote about the Palace of Fine Arts during my A to Z last year.
The Great American Music Hall is right around the corner from my son’s work. It only holds 470 people so I would imagine that any seat is a good one. I have not been there before.
And right next door to the Great American Music Hall is the famous Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theater. I guess you can tell from the marquee what kind of things go on in here!
I have not been to that establishment either, just in case you were wondering. All of the theaters are still closed but I am hoping that they will be able to start having some performances again this year.
One more letter this week and then we have a day of rest.
Disclaimer notice. The coloring book pages are from the inserts the San Francisco Chronicle put out and I mentioned them in my theme reveal so you can go to that to get the info about the artists if you are interested. I did the coloring and took the pictures.
Janet's Smiles 
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What a bummer to miss the Harry Potter play on theatre
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Yes! Maybe it will come back around.
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I bet your scrapbooking for Hairspray and Mamma Mia are awesome…I bet you have them here somewhere. Have a great day!
Cheers,
Crackerberries
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Sadly, they don’t allow picture taking in the theaters and I wasn’t smart enough to take some before the show started. All I have to scrapbook are the playbills. That was before I was a rule breaker – LOL. Now I at least get selfies 🙂
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The virtual observation deck sounds like a fun feature. You get the views without having to go to the top. Weekends In Maine
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Yes! For people who don’t like heights it perfect.
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Transamerica Building! Thank you for reminding me. I didn’t remember the name. Love the iconic building.
I have to admit, I have never visited a museum (apart from Alcatraz if this is even considered a museum) in SF. Looks like all in all we were blessed with nice weather allowing us to explore outdoor highlights.
Have a wonderful weekend!
https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-z-2021-travel-broadens-your-mind.html
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It is nice when you get good weather to spend the days outside! Sometimes the city is so cold and cloudy.
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I love theaters where every seat is a good seat 🎵😎
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Me too, especially for the money you have to pay nowadays!
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The buildings are awesome with their architectural designs. I miss going into nyc to the theaters for the plays and musicals. At the rate nyc is not bouncing back… think I’ve seen my last show there.
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I am not sure how soon things will be opening up here but I have seen that they have some shows lined up.
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There’s something about the Transamerica Building that really appeals to me. It feels a bit Art Deco-ish to me, and a bit futuristic in the way of mid-1950s imagining. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s clearly impressive to me since I dreamed about it once.
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Oh, interesting that you dreamed about it! It really is a lovely looking building and now that I read about them, I want to go see that garden and those cameras.
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