Ghetto Smart

This is actually in the heart of the financial district in San Francisco — hardly a ghetto. An alley off 2nd street just south of Market always has plenty of parking on weekends because it takes about 3 quarters a minute to keep the meter happy. This doesn't really look like genuine spontaneous grafitti but some sort of commisioned art — it's pretty carefully applied and really vibrant. It reflects powerfully in the car's flanks.

View from a City Car

The Smart car generally garners rave reviews as a "City Car", a designation that usually refers to its compact dimensions that allow ease of handling and parking. But what about the view upwards? Cities are defined by their density – which require going vertical. A convertible is the only way to really enjoy a city like San Francisco where much of the view is above your windshield. Here's a view through the open top of one of my favorite buildings downtown: the Neo-Gothic PacBell Building – an architectural masterpiece completed in 1925.

Electric Smart

People often assume my Smart car is electrically powered. I'm routinely asked how far it goes on a charge, sometimes even while I'm filling up at a gas station! But there are real electric Smarts in various stages of development, using several different technologies. A current pilot project in London involving two Smarts has been put into municipal duty - as police cars. It reportedly has a top speed of 60 and a range of 70 miles - not the stuff of high-speed chases. Here's one captured by the the irrepressible Frode Hegland of HyperWords fame. 

Curiously it's modeled on the previous generation model – the 450 – which I actually think looks sleeker (relatively) and has a better resolved design than the current, USA-legal Smart car.

Bolinas

The reluctant town of Bolinas sits just north of Stinson Beach, and couldn't be more different. It's infamous for its feisty, isolationist-minded residents who continue to resist having any kind of signage identifying the town from the main road - you have to know to hang a left on an unmarked, wooded turnoff. What you'll find is a rundown, backward community that tries hard to avoid their town turning into a yuppie tourist haunt. They have charmingly succeeded. A pleasant diversion, a collection of dilapidated Victorian wooden buildings, and a great beach.

Sunset in Alameda

We had a picnic watching the sunset by the bay on an unusually calm day. A little point of land off Alameda island rather grandly named Ballena Bay Waterfront Breakwater has stunning views across to San Francisco. Surprisingly warm for February - we had the car's top down well into the evening. Drove around the old decomissioned base to the spot where the Navy has a few of their vessels stored. The light was remarkable and the water was like glass - great reflections.