Mission Dolores

Today is Veteran's Day in the US, so banks, some companies and government offices are closed. Having a free day, I decided to check off one of my photography to-do's by visiting Mission Dolores, San Francisco's oldest intact building. The mission is part of the chain of missions spanning California known as El Camino Real. The Wiki about the mission is quite informative. The picture above is of the adobe mission. Next to this is the basilica. It's somewhat confusing if you ask me.

One of reasons I wanted to visit the mission is that it's featured in Hitchcock's film "Vertigo". There's a scene where Kim Novak visits the cemetery at the mission and places flowers on the grave of a fictional "Carlota Valdes". Vertigo is a great film if you want to see San Francisco at its best. I wish I had Jimmy Stewart's apartment in the film 900 Lombard Street at Jones. He had a view of Coit Tower from his living room! Click here for a list of filming locations for Vertigo.