I was about ready to go home so I could watch the World Series, then the building started to shake for a good long time. A big, heavy bookcase in my office nearly fell over but I reached out with one hand to steady it while holding onto the door frame with the other. It was quite a ride.
From my office I could see the double decker Embarcadero freeway was still standing, but from the other side of the building the corner of the Golden State Bank Building facade on Front Street had scattered over Front Street (this property is now a McDonald's). One of the workers on the third floor peered out at the rubble through the open space that seconds ago was a wall. It was an incredible sight.
The elevators were stopped, so we evacuated using the fire escape -- a very long, narrow and claustrophobic descent. I was so happy to hit Sacramento Street. Then I walked home to my Russian Hill apartment - no Muni. The electrified busses were stopped in their tracks, a few on the steepest hills of the city. Muni drivers placed wooden wedges under the tires in case parking brakes failed. I also saw some families loading up their cars to get out of town.
My wife had just come back from The Price Club (now Costco) and had loaded the freezer with, among other things, a big bag of chicken parts. We still had natural gas so she made a huge pot of chicken stew that we distributed to the neighbors.
From our apartment building rooftop there was an awesome view of the Marina fires. Lombard Street, leading to the Golden Gate Bridge, was jammed with cars for about a full day. Electricity wasn't restored in our neighborhood until Thursday afternoon, but we had gas for cooking. And hot water -- solar heat!
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