Chinatown, San Francisco Dec. 7th, 2021

I was invited to join my sister & brother-in-law to visit with my great-niece, who was here from Jerusalem. We arranged to meet at The Lucky Creation Vegetarian Restaurant near the Cable Car Museum on Washington Street in San Francisco’s Chinatown. They were going to start the day at Fisherman’s Wharf & take the cable car up. Meital didn’t remember ever being on a San Francisco cable car. I parked at the Vallejo Street Garage & meandered toward Columbus Avenue. There were so many alleys, murals, storefronts, foodstuffs, people, signs & building details to observe & photograph. We met as I walked down Grant Avenue & they up.

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From the Vallejo Street Parking Garage

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"Auspicious Clouds/Heavy Fog" c. 2018 by Michael Arcega, born 1973, Philipines. On my last visit I took a photo of one of Arcega’s benches on the other side of Broadway.

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Taiwan, Republic of China, flags.

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National Flag of the People's Republic of China, together with the US flag.

Don't miss the iconic martini glass. It's over the BUDDHA Lounge entrance.

How it looked at night during our Dec. 2018 Neon Walking Tour of Chinatown.

National Flag of the People's Republic of China.

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I checked out their custard tarts to return after for dessert. They were four forlorn looking tarts on a tray. I knew I'd find another bakery later.

In 2018 the fabulous neon sign wasn't working. It might be now.

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"Sadie Barnette: Inheritance" at Jessica Silverman art gallery.

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We were aiming here for lunch. "Small Chinatown restaurant serving inventive vegetarian cuisine including mock meats."

Lucky Creation Vegetarian Restaurant

Lucky Creation Vegetarian Restaurant. We all agreed that the best dish was the Bean Gluten with black bean sauce chow mein, over wok fried noodles.

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That's a lot of units in that building & quite a step to remember about when exiting.

“Noted for being the oldest alley in San Francisco, Ross was infamous back in the Barbary Coast days as a hotspot for gambling and brothels. Today it’s used by many locals to cut through the neighborhood without having to trudge Grant or Stockton. Murals showcasing daily life of the Chinese-American community can be seen on the walls.”

“The alley was also featured in Steven Spielberg’s problematic Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, a movie that due to racist caricatures has not held up well over time.”