California, USA

Moody San Francisco on a Rainy Day

Catherine Sweeney
March 29, 2012

When it rains in San Francisco, we get moody

A rainy day can intensify moods and emotions. If you’re in love, a rain can be wonderfully romantic. If you’re sad or heartbroken, it’s painfully bitter cold. If you’re nostalgic, it can bring a tear to your eye. Or maybe you just find rainy days to be an inconvenience.

San Francisco in the rain

Moody San Francisco in the rain

On my way to a meeting in San Francisco’s financial district Tuesday night, I was compelled to take a few photos even though it meant an awkward juggling of umbrella, computer bag and camera.

San Francisco in the rain

Waiting for the bus

I think that a good rain helps to make a city interesting and edgy while it creates a veil of anonymity.

San Francisco in the rain

Workers in San Francisco dealing with the rain

As you’re doing the umbrella dance (my name for the raising and lowering of umbrellas to avoid collisions with others while walking on a city sidewalk), nobody is really paying attention to you. Everyone’s into their own mood.

San Francisco in the rain

Through rain, sleet and snow…

If the rainy day photos have put you in the mood for something brighter and drier, you might want to check out my blog post about my solo road trip from San Francisco to Phoenix:  The Heat Was Hot: My desert road trip.

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45 thoughts on “Moody San Francisco on a Rainy Day”

  3. Lisa

    Your photos are great but I do count myself in the group that finds rain to be a bit of an inconvenience – and if it’s cold and rainy then I’m miserable! 🙂 Love the first couple of shots – I don’t think I appreciated just how steep the San Francisco hills are.

    1. Cathy Post author

      Thank you! I don’t like the traffic jams that rains can cause, but I like a good walk in the rain sometimes.

    1. Cathy Post author

      That’s true — especially navigating some of those hills or taking a sightseeing bus or boat tour.

  6. Steve

    Once I’m there, I don’t really care what the weather is. I just love being in San Francisco. On the other hand, if I’m trying to get in or out of the city, the rain and fog is a huge inconvenience. Can’t count how many times I’ve been delayed going through that airport.
    Your pictures SO make me want to go back though.

  8. Andrew Graeme Gould

    Great to hear the music while scrolling down through your shots here, Cathy! Very interesting to see one of my favourite cities, San Francisco, through your eyes like this!

    1. Cathy Post author

      Thanks. So glad you listened to the music, too. I like associating music with photos.

  9. Sabrina

    I think I’m one of these people who finds rain mostly inconvenient, but you’re right it can make a sad day even more sad. The reflections of the light in your pics are my favorite parts of the pictures. Gives them realy something interesting!

    1. Cathy Post author

      Thanks for mentioning the reflections of light in the photos — I was so happy to capture them! 🙂

    1. Cathy Post author

      I don’t usually think about it either, but for some reason I went right for the camera after leaving the BART station.

    1. Cathy Post author

      I didn’t know that about Munich. I wonder how it compares to places like Seattle.

  14. Abby

    I love the rain. It sets the best mood! I grew up in Florida and moved to Vegas from the tropics… Now that I live in the desert, I miss that.

    1. Cathy Post author

      Something to be said for the moods created by all kinds of weather. I love the hot, dry desert, too.

  16. Anwar

    I guess I never really think about the “umbrella dance” it just seems so instinctive now. The winters in San Fran are interesting often due to the rain there. I hope it didn’t rain too much though.

    1. Cathy Post author

      I don’t know why that phrase just kind of sticks in my head. It first occurred to me in NYC on Fifth Avenue in the rain as I watched all the umbrellas in front of me constantly moving up and down — as if to music.

    1. Cathy Post author

      Thanks, Angela. I admit that I was surprised that these turned out as well as they did.

  18. insideJourneys

    You’re pretty adept at handling umbrella, camera and computer bag, Cathy! These are some fabulous shots. Hope you weren’t too wet when you got to your meeting. Great sound effects in that song. I didn’t remember that part at all.
    We had a beautiful shower here yesterday – lasted about an hour. I love the smell of the earth after a drenching shower. It’s like it’s been freshly tilled.

    1. Cathy Post author

      Thanks very much. Yeah, the bottom of my pants were pretty soaked, but otherwise I arrived in meeting-appropriate condition.

  19. Leslie (Downtown Traveler)

    Sometimes rain creates the best photos! Love the look of stormy skies 🙂

  20. Jenna

    I love the photo of all the people holding umbrellas. We have sure had a lot of rain lately but really needed it, didn’t we?!

    1. Cathy Post author

      Thanks, Jenna. That’s one I really liked, too. We really have needed the rain — glad it finally came!

  21. Jackie Smith

    It looks like Seattle! It looks like Seattle has for the last year. . .or so it seems! Nice photos, especially considering you were juggling an umbrella.

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  23. Fida

    Wow, looks like SFO and Vancouver have quite a few things in common, but I bet Vancouver is a lil wetter 🙂 But it does not diminish the good things. I am absolutely with you but wouldn’t have been able to express it so adequately: ” I think that a good rain helps to make a city interesting and edgy while it creates a veil of anonymity.”

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