23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest The American Experience
Break the grid

In the Sunset District of San Francisco, the city’s iconic grid stretches toward the horizon in perfect repetition—an urban fabric shaped by American ideals of order, expansion, and everyday life. At its center, a single monumental structure interrupts the pattern, revealing how infrastructure and human ambition reshape the landscape. Seen from above, “Break the Grid” explores the tension between uniformity and disruption that defines many American cities, where vast neighborhoods meet the forces that power them.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2025
Date Uploaded: 12.2025
Photo Location: San Francisco, California, United States of America
Copyright: © Alex Visbal