SAN FRANCISCO CHINATOWN // SEPTEMBER 2021

It was a blindingly bright day. It was hot. But gosh darn it, nothing was going to stop me from spending a day wandering San Francisco’s Chinatown.

There was something interesting around every corner, even if it was just shadows falling in an alley. There were smells of delicious food, sounds of everyday business and lovely music floating here and there.

Morning shadows on a teal and mint painted building exterior.
Two storefronts squished right next to each other.
Tan and black checkerboard tile decorates a storefront made of windows and green wooden trim.
A street light is fashioned to look like a lantern with a dragon holding it up.
Colorful lanterns hang from a fire escape.
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory
A string of red lanterns span across the street, attaching to an old brick building.
A metal grate door stands ajar. The storefront is painted bright yellow.
An alley storefront door is flanked by two red placards.
Mahjong tiles are painted on a heavily shadowed teal wall.
Two different grates protect locked doors.
A string of faded red silk lanterns attach to a teal framed window.
Harsh sun creates strong shadows on an orange building. There are multiple fire escapes and verandas.
Storefront signs layer over each other.
Densely packed storefront signs.
Hundreds of small Taiwanese and American flags are strung across the street, anchored to buildings on either side.
A fire escape casts strong striped shadows in the alley.
The Bay Bridge can be seen in the distance, looking down a main Chinatown street.
Where Chinatown and downtown meet.
Three colorful lanterns hang in front of orange painted fire escapes.
Colorful storefront signs layer down the sidewalk.
Red lanterns wave gently in the breeze.
Red and gold decorations hang randomly in an alley.
An alley wall is completely covered in colorful envelopes.