NEX-5 (16mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO200)

When on vacation we spend most of the time on the countryside. And this trip was not different. Beside our 24 hours in Las Vegas and the two days in San Francisco we were mostly in areas with a very low population density. We both lived in Vienna for almost 20 years before moving out and living in a small town. So in the past there was always a hunger for nature and it is still there but now we also enjoy to visit cities.

Vancouver is our favorite still but after this trip San Francisco is a strong number 2. A really great city and to me it is also different because before I have been to Vancouver for the first time I hardly have heard of Vancouver at all while San Francisco was always there thanks to the US film industry. So I knew that city before from the 70s ( The Streets of San Francisco ) to today ( Monk ). It is a great city and if I would live in the USA I think this would be the place or New York. I have never been there but it is on my list for so long. I’m worrying a little because if San Francisco is well known because of all the movies and TV series than how about New York! Still I want to see it and feel is personally. New York I’m coming!

Back to San Francisco now. When the shuttle truck from our RV rental picked us up early in the morning and went downtown to pick up other passengers we drove trough some not so nice looking streets with dark corners. We saw small groups of people standing on the corners looking somehow dangerous but I’m pretty confident that they were not. It’s just because it it strange to us and because I have seen all this crime on TV.

I have to say that we have never encountered a threatening situation when we were in the USA. Not a single one! The people we met were very friendly, open and helpful.

NEX-5 (16mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO200)

When visiting a major city in Europe it is hard work to see all the important sights like big cathedrals, castles or old towns. It’s hard to pass the great museums of the old masters because you are tired and you just want to sit in a cafe. When I was in London almost 20 years ago I spent a whole day in the National Gallery.

It’s great but now we enjoy just to walk through a city without taking to much care about the things you have to see. The city itself becomes the major attraction. To act like that is definitely easier in North America were the oldest buildings are about 200 years old. I have lived in older houses when I was living in Vienna! So without that burden we were free to enjoy the city and without a camera bag I was more looking like a citizen than a tourist.

I have only used the NEX 5 with the 16mm lens attached. When not taking pictures I had in a small sling shoulder bag I bought in a bag store. It is not a camera bag, it was cheap and looks cheap too. It also holds my wallet, my mobile phone and if needed a couple of paperbacks.  NEX-5 (16mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO200)
NEX-5 (16mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO200)
NEX-5 (16mm, f/6.3, 1/640 sec, ISO200)

They might have no old buildings but I love the new ones. I love skyscrapers. To walk through downtown San Francisco in the afternoon is magic. The skyscrapers act like gigantic mirrors and bounce the light in areas that would be in deep shade. So despite the sun is blocked most of the time there is still plenty of light.

NEX-5 (16mm, f/6.3, 1/320 sec, ISO200)

There are no internet cafes left because WLAN is everywhere. Problem is that we did not had a laptop so we had no access to the internet unless we went to an Apple store. I visited one in Santa Barbara and I visited this one in San Francisco too. I had only a Blackberry at that time and it was useless for the internet. My wife had no smartphone at all back than so we felt like dinosaurs somehow.

After coming back home I got myself a MacBook Pro instead of my PC. I thought it was time to make the jump. Most of the time I’m working on my photos and a Mac is better for that so I changed. I was a little nervous first but I can’t tell you how happy I am with my decision. I never looked back.

It was my plan to use the MacBook Pro on trips too but because it is rather big and expensive I got myself a 10 inch MacBook Air too. It’s a lot smaller and cheaper and it does not hold any sensitive data. You can never be sure that your laptop doesn’t get stolen and it is a better feeling that you won’t loose all your data if it happens.

So here is a top tipp: If you spend most of your time working on photos or websites get a Mac. Get the smallest MacBook Air. Of course it is more expensive and bigger than an image tank but an images tank does nothing but to hold your images. On some image tanks you can look at your images too but those are really pricey. A little more gets you a small laptop that is powerful enough to handle Lightroom and you have a laptop to make reservations on RV sites, hotels or ferries while on the road.