I haven’t been blogging or writing much lately. The reason: the heat. The heat steals all my ambition and leaves me longing for short days and long nights, the rain, the fog and particularly the drizzle. Even when a cool breeze is blowing, being outside this time of year requires pockets full of Kleenex. Allergy medicine only renders me more useless. However today is Thursday Doors and so I have roused myself sufficiently to finally move on from Janis Joplin.
This is the entrance to American Conservatory Theater (ACT), also known as the Geary, in downtown San Francisco. It’s a non-profit theater and acting school which has launched the successful careers of innumerable actors since it was built in 1910. The doors are not that fancy unless you look at the detailing around the portico.
The Curran Theater is right next door.
This theater hosts commercially successful plays and musicals whereas the ACT focuses on pieces that are meant to be discussed and analyzed. There are, of course, hundreds of theaters in San Francisco but these two along with the Orpheum (which is further down Market Street) are the biggies. Of course, we were in the City to see a play so finding these theaters and their doors was something I expected to do. No surprise there. However it’s always the unexpected that is the most fun to share.
Like a plane forming a heart over Union Square. I have no idea why. A marriage proposal?
And then after lunch we stumbled upon this interesting “window”?
A peace sign made of license plates. On the other side of the wall is this most unusual conference room.
Sure beats the conference rooms where I spent way too many hours of my life. I don’t know why CEOs think something creative is going to come out of a boring, drab room with no windows but they do. We would not have discovered these two delightful places had I not had to pee. They were both in the basement of the hotel/restaurant where we’d chosen to have lunch: The Zeppelin.
If the heat’s not getting you down (or even if it is) head on over to Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors event. Perhaps someone else has stumbled onto something unique while trying to find a place to pee.
Saying Nothing in Particular 
Fab peace window.
I feel you with the heat. Ugh. Thanks for rousing yourself for this episode of #ThursdayDoors, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have seen a heart in the sky 🙂
We arrived just in the nick of time – the heart blew away moments after the pilot drew it in the sky. There was so much going on in the City that day that not too many people even noticed it.
The surroundings of that first set of doors are what stand out. I’m pretty sure we walked past this when we were last in SF a few years ago. I’m with you on the heat, too. I’m very thankful for AC, even though I don’t keep it set too low. I don’t like to shiver, either, and I take a workout jacket with me for going into grocery stores. 🙂
janet
We don’t have AC – we depend on the fog! I always take a sweater to the grocery too. Especially if I’m planning to buy frozen food.
Yes, the frozen food section is the worst!!
Try using a nasal spray with Beclometasone Dipropionate in for your hay fever. Suffered for years until I tried this, works wonders for me!
Thanks!
I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.
Quite true!
I love how you tell us straight up how you discovered the Peace (☮) sign window and the “Far Out!” Conference room, Jan!
I liked the elaborate azure blue with gold designs on the portico of the ACT.
The Curran Theatre is so gorgeous and my favorite parts are the little stages with large urns set in the two sides of the building.
(. . . or mini balconies or alcoves . . .searching for the word to describe these!) The heart sky design was like another “sign!” ~ The Peace and Love tour by Jan, Thursday Doors. 🕊❤
Alcoves I think is the right word. The Curran sustained earthquake damage and just recently reopened. Peace and Love tour is definitely a better title for this post! Why wasn’t I that clever!
I love the licence plate peace sign, Jan. Great photos and a great post.
Yeah – it’s a shame the sign isn’t out where more people can enjoy it.
If you like bad weather, do come to the UK. :)))
Yeah, I guess I should!
I love it when I find something interesting when I’m least expecting it. A peace sign made from old car licence plates isn’t an obvious combination – at least in my mind – but it really works 🙂
Hope you get some relief from the heat. From my end, it’s … raining. On a positive note, everything is so green and lush looking. My garden has never looked this gorgeous.
Thank you! The license plates were from all over the US so it kind of makes sense. The fog eventually returns – it’s just been an abnormally warm summer.
Meanwhile we are getting an unusual amount of rain. So. Much. Rain.
I’m tickled pink that you liked the title you could have used, Jan. 😉
I didn’t realize about the recent earthquake damage, Jan. I’m glad they were able to repair the Curran Theater. So lovely!
The heat is dangerous so people should be careful, plenty of hydration. Hope you are doing better, Jan. Maybe it rained and helped with lowering the temperature. . . 🌧⛈🌧
Wow – so original.
Yeah, you and Tom will have to check it out the next time you’re down in the City!