One of the byproducts of taking portraits around the city is that I’ve started building quite a mental library of emotional attachments to places I’ve been, simply for the fact that I bonded with someone in a certain location while I was taking their picture somewhere. So when I’m walking around Macondray Lane, I’ll always think of Kathryn. Or when I’m in Wentworth Alley, I’ll now always give a quiet hello to Travis. The Municipal Pier will always remind me of Helene.
This condemned building is over on the Central Waterfront, out by the Superfund Cleanup Sites. The building looked exactly like this the first time I took pictures of it (as above) and looked exactly the same just a week ago when I met Sonia and we walked around this part of town, her beloved Dogpatch.
I have to say that Sonia’s story is one of my favorites. I hope you’ll take a moment to read what she wrote, share it with your friends, tweet it, whatever. (You can read Sonia’s story here.) Then find the person you love most in your life and hug them, kiss them, tell them you love them.
Whenever I see this broken building again, I’ll do nothing but remember a beautiful love story.
Oh Julie, I’ll always remember you, too, when I go back to the Municipal Pier now!
Thank you, Helene! I love having these personal associations with my beloved city. I have come to love the Municipal Pier especially, thanks to you.
[...] to me, a day of small acts of human kindness occurred. I asked for people to follow some links from yesterday’s CALIBER post about a breast cancer survivor and new friend named Sonia. So many many of you did. It was the [...]