Scenery battle 3-3: San Francisco vs. Bellingham, WA

[bartonizer]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

Uhm, can someone post Bellingham pictures from a regular camera? All the pictures Ive found come from drones or from a boat, and captured with a large camera.
Any iPhone pictures of Bellingham? I'd like to see some before I vote
I know phones do the opposite, they shrink detail, but they're closer to reality than these photos I'm seeing from Google.

Usually, I'd suggest hopping on Instagram and looking it up by hashtag, but they're temporarily disabling features in an effort to limit political misinformation. But you can still look up individual accounts.

While my account is in no way limited to Bellingham alone, as a resident of the 'ham I have a lot of pictures in my gallery. Here's my handle: https://www.instagram.com/bartonizer/.

And here are a few recent shots from my iphone:

Boardwalk and S. Bay Trail: https://www.instagram.com/p/CB1EGYsJnp-/

North Bellingham/Marietta: https://www.instagram.com/p/CC4jC0QpXTk/

Taylor Dock and Boardwalk: https://www.instagram.com/p/CELSAtEpB3B/

Lake Whatcom: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHb-ziap_yj/

South Bay Trail: https://www.instagram.com/p/CEZQHZXpwLJ/

Lake Padden: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHaf8KmJoAU/

View from bluffs downtown: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHWoKIUJ7Oq/

Whatcom Falls Park: https://www.instagram.com/p/CG6YNVZJBsF/

Waterfront: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGzuQbbpxjP/

Interurban Trail: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFcqbAWpGBV/

Clark's Point: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFZhvTqpdVK/

Downtown view from Waterfront Trail: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDzR5O0pvpF/

Seal Rock, Chuckanut Bay: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDpu1bIJVBb/

Bellingham Bay, San Juan Islands: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDfiaAtJVFX/

Mt. Shuksan (1 hr.): https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ITm5TJ9NC/

Mt. Baker (1 hr.): https://www.instagram.com/p/CEjpsT7plQc/


And while this is slickly done and features drone footage from the area (Mt. Baker, Chuckanut Drive), it's definitely worth watching: Above Bellingham: https://vimeo.com/195260295

Enjoy!

[mooguy]

Bellingham is actually quite a pretty and pleasant city with a vibrant downtown.

[Guineas]

This is kind of a random comparison. I like Bellingham a lot, but why not compare SF with Seattle for natural beauty as two larger urban metros?

[kimumingyu]

Originally Posted by MrJester

San Francisco because it has the natural wonders of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Oakland Bay Bridge, and the magnificent skyline, including the Salesforce tower!

Those aren't natural wonders...

Chile, anyway, Bellingham has more beauty than SF, although SF is no slouch.

[dontbelievehim]

Thanks for the photos, Barton. Lovely stuff
I clicked through most of them and it helped me make up my mind. I think at the ground level, I prefer SF, but for the metro, I'd probably vote for Bellingham. SF's hills are too enchanting to go against.

[Vincent_Adultman]

Originally Posted by PolarSeltzer

I'll take the 'Ham!

Do people really call Bellingham that?

[bartonizer]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

Thanks for the photos, Barton. Lovely stuff
I clicked through most of them and it helped me make up my mind. I think at the ground level, I prefer SF, but for the metro, I'd probably vote for Bellingham. SF's hills are too enchanting to go against.

Thanks! I hear you, and probably even agree- SF is hard to beat for street level views- the steep hills and vistas in many directions are obviously amazing. It's worth mentioning, though, that many of the pics I've posted are probably assumed to be in the "metro" -Whatcom Falls, Lake Whatcom, Lake Padden Chuckanut Mountain, etc. when they are actually in the city or immediately adjacent to it. I mean, we literally have things like old-growth forests and a world class mountain bike trail system accessible through our neighborhoods, and Bham is the only place where the Cascades technically meet the sea.

Overall, this is a peculiar matchup, though. Such different places and an apples to oranges comparison, really, between a dense, vibrant major city on steep hills on a peninsula- and a small, gentrifying college town filled with outdoor enthusiasts and surrounded by natural wonders. I would really think that Seattle vs. San Fran would make more sense here.

To your point, there are more jaw-dropping views IN SF- much of the city Bellingham is actually relatively flat (with ridges on the south and east sides). This makes for much easier walking and biking, though it takes away from the views. But overall the fact that I can get to most of the scenery I posted in substantially less time than it would take to get across a city like SF is a big plus for me. Two totally different experiences, to say the least.

Anyway, glad you like the pics!

[bartonizer]

Originally Posted by Vincent_Adultman

Do people really call Bellingham that?

Yep, people in Bellingham refer to it as "the Ham" - and residents are called Bellinghamsters. FWIW, the nickname for Bellingham is "the City of Subdued Excitement."