I Left my Heart {at Hyde and Lombard Street} in San Francisco

As a captured audience inside the Terminal 2 at the SFO International Airport waiting for my return flight to Las Vegas, I found a rack full of "I left my heart in San Francisco" postcards. Outgoing postcard US-3373240 to Ukraine was one of those that I obligatorily purchased.

The card shows a section of Lombard Street in the Russian Hill neighborhood, a one-way block between Hyde Street and Leavenworth Street, known as the crookedest street in the world with eight sharp turns.

That section of Lombard Street used to be a straight, cobblestone street with a 27% grade which was too steep for most cars. The turns were built in 1922 so that people could drive up and down the hill, until the street was made one-way downhill in 1939. The street was paved with red bricks and about 250 steps were built on each side of the street to accommodate pedestrians.

Now, during the peak tourist season in summer, there are as many as 350 cars driving down the street each hour. However, it was not a popular tourist destination until the late 1950s. I drove down the street twice during my previous visit to San Francisco in 1999. This time, I took the Powell-Hyde cable car to the top of this block earlier today, and took the steps down to Leavenworth Street.

State Street, Chicago

Postfcard US-3133042 to Russia was a linen vintage postcard with a view of State Street, Chicago, Illinois in the 1940s. State Street became a shopping destination during the 1900s. It was mentioned in the song "Chicago,"  made famous by Frank Sinatra where Frank sung "On State Street that great street, I'd just like to say: They do things that they never do on Broadway.They have the time, the time of their life." State Street is the location of many landmarks buildings.

A Street Cat in Dallas

Postcard US-2882828 to the Netherlands shows a street cat that I met in Dallas, Texas in 2010. She had just given birth to several kittens and shown up at the balcony of my friend's house where I was staying. Being a street cat, she looked healthy and clean, alert and guarded yet full of energy and curiosity.

The summer 2010 in Dallas was hot and the high temperature in early July was between 90°F or 32°C and 95°F or 35°C. I put out some food and water and a litter box but otherwise kept distance. However, she was friendly and let me to take her picture up close. For the next couple of weeks, we kept each other company and I enjoyed to watch her kitten grow by day. I named her Misty because of her misty eyes. She brought breeze to me in a brutal summer and showed me how to survive on the tough street and yet not to lose hope and trust in people.

When the time came for me to leave town, I wish I could have taken her and her kittens with me. I bought some more can food and asked my friend to keep feeding them. However, my friend reported that they no longer showed up once I left.

I have been wondering how she has been ever since. With her positive impact on me, she can be proud of herself as a street cat. The photo was taken on July 8, 2010.

You can purchase the postcard and personalized postage stamps featuring Misty from Zazzle.

Perm, Russia

Postcard RU-2041729 from Russia shows the city streets after rain in Perm. the administrative center of Perm Krai, Russia. It is located on the banks of the Kama River in the European part of Russia near the Ural Mountains. According to the 2010 Census, its population is just a little under 1 million.

Perm's history can be traced back as far as the village of Yegoshikha in 1647. The current city was found in 1723. During the Soviet period, it grew as a major industrial city. Almost 80% of people in the city are employed in manufacturing. Currently the city is a major administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center.

New Orleans Streetcar

Postcard US-1720411 shows a red streetcar on the Canal Street Line near downtown New Orleans, LA on September 6, 2010. There are currently three additional operating streetcar lines in New Orleans: The St. Charles Avenue Line, the Riverfront Line, and the Loyola Avenue Line. The St. Charles Avenue Line is the longest of the four and the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world since the first half of the 19th century in 1830s, only interrupted by Hurricane Katrina between August 2005 and December 2006.