Edith Salvatore – 17th Hole, Lincoln Golf Course

The next portrait from an ongoing personal project.

Native Sons and Daughters is a photo series that tells a story of the people that live in the city in which they grew up. Each subject chooses a portrait location that is meaningful to them in some way and represents their own connection to the city.

Edith chose to have her portrait at the Lincoln Park Golf Course at the 17th Hole. Lincoln Park Golf Course, named after President Lincoln, is known by locals for its reasonable fees but also for its majestic views of the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Bridge. Golf has been played at this San Francisco location since 1902 and expanded into a full 18-hole course in 1917.

I grew up in the Outer Richmond, right on the Geary bus line. This is why I think I hardly ever feel earthquakes – my bedroom shook every fifteen-to-twenty minutes from the bus passing by my whole childhood. I’m used to it! With the exception of the three years I lived on campus at UC Santa Cruz, I have never left my zip code – my childhood was spent on Geary and 35th and I attended all neighborhood schools – Lafayette Elementary on Anza, Presidio Middle School on 30th, and Washington High School. My first grown-up apartment was on 34th and Clement, followed by a flat on Fulton and now a house out by the beach on 45th. I am a fan of the fog, Chinese food, and ample parking – who could ask for anything more?

I loved growing up in the Richmond District – it had all the advantages of the City (diversity, great food, Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, easy access to City attractions via Muni) while retaining some suburban appeal of decent parking and parks and playgrounds. When I found out I was pregnant with triplets, I hoped to be able to raise them in that same environment and, so far, I have. I love that they squeal for the bridge whenever they catch a glimpse of it out a car window or see it depicted on a sign and that they think their house is called “San Francisco”. A second generation of “natives” who love where they’re growing up!

I chose the tee and green at the 17th hole of the Lincoln Park Golf Course because I have always considered this my secret spot to impress tourists. Whenever anyone came to visit and we took them for a drive around town, we’d make sure to stop by and show them this “secret” perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge. In school, we would walk our dog down to Lincoln Park, down the hidden walkway along the side of the golf course, and across El Camino del Mar to run around at the vista point (which has changed so much over the past four decades!)

It’s also a great spot to see fireworks without the crowds of the waterfront. Of course, that is subject to San Francisco weather. I remember being told the story growing up that in the summer of 1976, when my younger brother was just two weeks old, my father took me out to this spot to watch the big bi-centennial fireworks in typical July fog. While my mother and the baby stayed home and watched spectacular fireworks on TV, my father held me on his shoulders as I oohed and ahhed at the “pink fog” and “green fog” and “blue fog”. Growing up in the Outer Richmond, that’s what fireworks are supposed to look like, right?

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