Fishermen’s Grotto in San Francisco, California | April 1979 & May 2015
Excerpt from my grandmother’s travel journal on April 27, 1979: “The wharf was just getting alive, stores and boutiques opening slowly, like everything else – no hussle. Wax museum, Chinese and other restaurant, seafood in every form, baskets of giant crabs all over.”
During my very first night in San Francisco, I happened to show my grandfather’s photo of a scene at Fishermen’s Grotto in 1979 to a waiter who worked there. He immediately told me that he knew the man in the photo and, in fact, he had just finished working and was sitting at the bar. We met, pointed out things that had changed since 1979, and then had him stand in the same spot for this photo. I’d say the first night was a success!