In January 2003 Chip and I found our dream home in San Francisco. At just 432 square feet, we realized it would be too small to live in full-time, so it's become our city retreat. This hideaway is located on Macondray Lane on the ground floor of a home that was built in 1906, presumably after the earthquake! Macondray Lane, named after the Scottish seaman Captain Frederick William Macondray, is an historic pedestrian-only lane a half block from the summit of Russian Hill. It's so special that the lane is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
And, yes, this beautiful lane indeed has a rich literary history -- it was the inspiration for Barbary Lane in Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, and it's rumored that Mark Twain courted Ina Coolbrith on this lane. What's more, our home was the site of the Macondray Lane Players, a neighborhood theatre group headed by David Dodge, the author of To Catch a Thief (later made into a Hitchcock film). (His brother lived in our house at that time.) In fact, we now live where the theatre was actually located during the Great Depression! Here are some pictures of what we affectionately call the "Mac Pad," our street, and the neighborhood.
If you'd like to explore this neighborhood on your own, the Russian Hill Neighbors organization has put together a walking tour for you to follow. Enjoy!
The Jones Street entrance to Macondray Lane at night
Photographer: Courtenay Redis
The view from the Jones Street entrance to Macondray Lane, looking down onto the Bay and Alcatraz
Photo Source: http://noehill.com/sf/russian/default.asp
The Taylor Street entrance to Macondray Lane. These steps appeared in the PBS version of Tales of the City
Photo Source: http://www.gluck.edu/html/sf/sf_1.html;
photographer Mark Gluck
Yes, this is really our street! These cobblestones date back to the 19th century. You'll find this path once you reach the top of the Taylor Street steps.
Photo Source: http://www.gluck.edu/html/sf/sf_2.html;
photographer Mark Gluck
Past the cobblestones, the lane is paved with brick.
Photo Source: http://www.gluck.edu/html/sf/sf_3.html;
photographer Mark Gluck
And the lane is lined on one side with Victorians and other styles of homes, most dating back to the early 1900s.
Photo Source: http://www.gluck.edu/html/sf/sf_4.html;
photographer Mark Gluck
The other side is a lush jungle of trees and plants that attract the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill, which we see all the time on the lane
Macondray Lane magically lit for the holidays
Looking into our place from our brick patio
Photographer: Courtenay Redis
We love our stone fireplace
Part of our Beats photograph collection
Photographer: Courtenay Redis
Our kitchen
Another view of our kitchen
Our entryway
Our bathroom
One of our art deco lamps
Photographer: Courtenay Redis
And another of our art deco lamps
Photographer: Courtenay Redis
Jake and Hayley at the Mac Pad
Jake and Hayley by the Cannery at Fishermans Wharf
Jake and Hayley at Aquatic Park with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background
Jake and Hayley near the top of Russian Hill, overlooking Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill
Jake and Hayley at Pac Bell Park for a Giants game
Jake and Hayley walking down Russian Hill (too bad these two broke up; they were a cute couple!)
The Buena Vista Cafe and a Cable Car at night
One of the talented bartenders at the Buena Vista Cafe, hard at work
Enjoying an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe
Riding the Cable Car on New Year's Eve!
A night view of the most beautiful city in the world
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Last Updated: Thursday, January 03, 2008 08:10:06 PM
Copyright © 2008 Carolyn M. Seefer, Diablo Valley College