viewing the Painted Ladies

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I've seen the Painted Ladies from afar before but I never had the opportunity to really stop and gaze at them. So after our trip to the San Francisco Botanical Garden, Biboy, Anna, Barbara, and I dropped by Alamo Square to look at this row of Victorian houses. 

Alamo Square is a park set on a hill. It has a good vantage point to look at the Painted Ladies. On the afternoon we dropped by, there was a crowd trying what we also wanted to do: take photos of the picturesque houses. Some people wanted to have photos with their families and friends, others wanted to have photos with their pets. Needless to say, it was quite challenging to find the perfect time to take a photo without a group of people blocking the view.

The Painted Ladies are often seen in photos with the vivid blue sky as a backdrop. But on this particular afternoon, a huge dark cloud took over the backdrop, giving a different hue to the pastel row of houses. This reminded me of when I was at the Taj Mahal: tourism photos typically show the Taj Mahal with a clear sky behind it, but when I was there, a grey background loomed behind it. This unique background made the colours of both the Taj Mahal and the Painted Ladies pop out more.


I've always thought that these Painted Ladies looked like cake toppers. Each house appears to have at least three floors: a garage on the ground level, two floors of living space, and a loft. The façades feature bay windows, intricate roof decorations, glass-stained window details... these houses stand out so much that people who don't know much about architecture (like me) would be encouraged to read up about Victorian architecture! These houses got me thinking about the terrace house I used to stay in while I was studying at the University of Sydney. Are the interiors of the Victorian houses generous in terms of space or do they feature narrow corridors and winding stairs inside? Are the floors wooden or are they made of cement? Are the windowsills delicate due to age or are they easily manipulated? Do people actually live inside these houses? Don't they get bothered by tourists having photo ops on the steps?


Before we left, we just had to join the bandwagon: we had a group photo! Finally, I've been able to tick off a visit to the Painted Ladies in my list of places to see in San Francisco.

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