Market Street (San Francisco)
Street in San Francisco, United States.
At a glance
| Source | Author | Role | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to Do Nothing — Reader’s Companion | Jenny Odell | turning point | After two men are killed by police, a small memorial procession down Market Street swells into a vast silent march. |
| How to Do Nothing — Reader’s Companion | Jenny Odell | setting | On the slow, crowded streetcar she studies faces on Market Street from a window seat, recalling Hockney’s slow scroll, and is overwhelmed by the life behind each face. |
How to Do Nothing — Jenny Odell (2019)
Source: How to Do Nothing — Reader’s Companion · How to Do Nothing · Readwise highlight
But as they proceeded down Market Street, they were unexpectedly joined by thousands of strikers, sympathizers, and spectators who silently marched alongside them.
- Role: turning point
- In the book: After two men are killed by police, a small memorial procession down Market Street swells into a vast silent march. The strike historian says this parade made the general strike inevitable, and 150,000 people walked off the job.
- Why it matters: The silent march is the turning point of the 1934 story, showing collective refusal made visible in public space.
How to Do Nothing — Jenny Odell (2019)
Source: How to Do Nothing — Reader’s Companion · How to Do Nothing · Readwise highlight
I took the F streetcar from Civic Center to the Ferry Building in San Francisco.
- Role: setting
- In the book: On the slow, crowded streetcar she studies faces on Market Street from a window seat, recalling Hockney’s slow scroll, and is overwhelmed by the life behind each face.
- Why it matters: The slow route enables the sustained looking that makes strangers real; it illustrates urban density as forced encounter.