Time After Time - Embarcadero Center Chase
In Stevenson’s Hyatt Regency hotel room Herbert announces that he has pursued him through time in order to turn him in. A scuffle breaks out - Stevenson flees, Herbert in close pursuit.
Then … They find themselves each in side-by-side elevators heading down to the hotel lobby.
… and Now, this is the same view today should one crane up from the hotel’s lowest floor. Three of the elevators are visible from this vantage point (there’s two more, one around either side). The elevators have been replaced, now without external strip lights.
Then … Herbert makes the wrong choice trying to run down the up escalator in the lobby as Stevenson forces his way down the other.
… and Now, they have been updated, but the escalators are still there. Citysleuth got tired of waiting for two elevators to be here at the same time for the perfect match to the ‘Then’ image above. He was experiencing random motion watching them go up and down.
The chase continues through the adjacent Embarcadero Center complex of high-rise office buildings, shown here in this map. (When the movie was filmed Four Embarcadero Center was not yet built).
Then … Stevenson runs out of the hotel; here he’s on the Promenade level of Three Embarcadero Center.
… and Now, he was running towards the footbridge that connects to Two Embarcadero Center.
Then … He flees across that footbridge.
… and Now, the bridge, crossing Davis Street, hasn’t changed; the planters, though similar at first sight, have slightly different bases.
Then … Which way did he go - across the footbridge or down the circular staircase that spirals down on either side of him?
… and Now, the same view, looking from the east side of the footbridge towards Two Embarcadero Center.
Then … Stevenson descends the footbridge steps leading to Two Embarcadero Center.
… and Now, there’s a little more greenery today.
Then … Instead of crossing the footbridge Herbert runs down the circular stairway to the Street level.
… and Now, there’s now a large fern shrub planted where the flowers used to be.
Then … Now Herbert is on the Lobby level of One Embarcadero Center running past stainless steel sculptures. The cylindrical one on the left will be seen again a couple of times as the chase unfolds - it bisects the Center’s three pedestrian levels and beyond to a height of 82 feet.
… and Now, those sculptures, created in 1971 by Swiss artist Willi Gutmann, are still there but the surround has since been ‘modernized’.