San Francisco, CA

A few weeks ago my wife and I took a quick weekend trip to Northern California and spent a night in the Fisherman's Warf neighborhood of San Francisco. We stayed at the Hyatt Centric Fisherman's Warf and enjoyed a great location and breakfast in the morning. Our flight back home wasn't scheduled to leave until 4:00 PM, so we had plenty of time in the morning to do a little exploring.

The map below shows the directions from our Hyatt to Chinatown. It's an easy walk, and we had beautiful blue sky and warm weather for late summer in San Francisco. Staying in Fisherman's Warf, although a popular tourist area was an ideal location for us to see some interesting places without having to drive. For a country bumpkin like myself, keeping the car parked in the garage and using our legs for transportation in the city was much preferred.

Living in North Idaho, I've frequently thought how we miss out on being able to observe, learn from, and visit other cultures. Being in San Francisco was refreshing in this regard. The night before we left we ate Indian chicken curry at an Indian/Irish pub started by two men (an Indian and an Irishman), just a block or two from the hotel. On our walk back from Chinatown the next morning we ate biscotti and cannoli at an Italian bakery that, for all I know, could've been on a streetside in Italy. Most of the photos below were taken in the Chinatown district, but a few were snapped on our walk there, and I believe there's an In-N-Out photo down there somewhere.

I forgot to record the name of this shop, and even though I've searched Google Street View, I can't find it or the name of this shop. We walked past in on our way back to the hotel from Chinatown.

You don't see this scene in North Idaho, and I can see a kind of beauty in it. It was a beautiful day.

Our trips to California are never quite complete without a stop or two at In-N-Out Burger, despite how overrated you might believe they are.

I'm sure someone has made a book or series of United States Post Offices, but if not this one should be included.

Google Pixel 2 XL

I had a blast seeing these places for the first time, and I'm glad I have a few photos to remember them by. I left my Canon 6D at the motel because I didn't want to be obnoxious, and I admit I'm a little insecure tugging a big camera with me when I'm already an obvious tourist. I've always been reluctant to pull my camera out in front of people, except when I'm shooting weddings and portraits because that's my job, and so for most of this trip I used the handy little camera in my pocket, the Google Pixel 2 XL.

Each of these photos were shot on the Pixel, and like usual for this camera, they turned out great. The camera on this device is the best I've used. Obviously it's not DSLR, and the physical limitations don't allow for shallow depth of field that really helps the photos from a big camera stand out. However, for purposes like this quick trip to SF, it totally holds it's own. I'll be able to put these photos in this month's Chatbook, print them, share them online, and most people will never know the difference.

I was fortunate enough to be apart of the #madebygoogle campaign last year and Google sent me a Pixel 2 and Pixel Buds. However, I am not being paid to say any of this, and it's totally my own opinion. I'm excited about the Pixel 3 launch, and some of the other new products this year by Google. If I get my hands on the Pixel 3, I'll make sure to put up a review and let you know how the camera performs.

Each of these photos were edited on VSCO and uploaded from my phone. I did a comprehensive guide to VSCO X a while back that you can read here: VSCO X Review. My opinions haven't changed since I wrote the review, and it still takes care of 90% of my mobile editing. Paired with Google photos for management and backup, the Pixel 2, VSCO, and Google Photos makes an amazing combo for photographers.

Wrap up

If you get the chance to spend a day or two in San Francisco I highly recommend a trip up to Chinatown. It's healthy for each of us to experience a culture other than our own, even if it's just for a few hours. I have a lot of respect for the way other people do things, and I hope we can all show that to each other. Thanks so much for reading this, and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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_{Purchase my photos on Stocksy United! Stocksy United - Justin Mullet
Creating authentic outdoor and landscape photography primarily in the Western United States. Featuring a beautiful portfolio of stock photos that portray some of the earth's most peaceful and quiet areas, and portraying rural life at its best!}