I took the bus home and arrived as the streets of the Fillmore were being washed from two days of the annual Jazz Festival. It is a little eerie seeing wet streets empty ... no buses, no cars, nothing but the occasional security guard informing a local that they can't turn left or right. You would think that the security fences would provide a clue, but people still have to ask.
On Saturday, Mark and Avis joined Frank and me for a day of music, food and the hunt for jewelery! The usual crafts people were in attendance as were the margarita vendors (which according to the beer folk were watered down). One of the things that stood out this year was the photography people and the pictures that popped off the canvas. The music was fun and eclectic.
The Sounds of the Fillmore
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Sunday, June 25, 2006
A Tourist Update (June Part II)
View Pictures:
Our Participation
San Francisco in the month of June goes through a mini-transformation. Unlike Chinese New Years or some of the other major festivals, Market Street is lined with large rainbow flags that wave a subtle reminder of a prominent group in San Francisco. There are really three things that you, as a tourist, should try to experience if you are in San Francisco during the month of June: Tranny Shack, Pink Saturday and the Pride Parade & Celebration.
Frank asked why I would include this as part of the "Tourist Update" and all I can say is that if I was a tourist it would have been a week to remember. Here's why.
Our Participation
San Francisco in the month of June goes through a mini-transformation. Unlike Chinese New Years or some of the other major festivals, Market Street is lined with large rainbow flags that wave a subtle reminder of a prominent group in San Francisco. There are really three things that you, as a tourist, should try to experience if you are in San Francisco during the month of June: Tranny Shack, Pink Saturday and the Pride Parade & Celebration.
Tranny Shack
Tranny Shack is a weekly event held at The Stud, a bar located on the corner of 9th and Harrison St. For the truly adventurous, you could plan on dinner at Asia SF, where the hostesses are all gender illusionist's. The "girls" are so good that we had serious debate convincing Pamala that was technically being served by men. I digress. At Tranny Shack there is no question as to how these girls were brought into this world. Which raises the question ... are they trannies? Performers? or drag queens? I'm not sure how to answer, because the show starts at midnight with a rousing rendition of the Muppet Show introduction (it's time to get things started ...) and didn't end until 1:30 (yes, in the morning).
Now why would I recommend Tranny Shack for Pride when it takes place every Tuesday? Good question. Usually for Pride there is a special guest hostess and this year Lady Bunny stayed in New York and Chi Chi Larue filled in her heels and did a great job. She is known for her directoral efforts and can bring down the house with a rousing rendition of "Addicted to Port" to Robert Palmers "Addicted to Love" and commanded the stage as only a overweight man in a dress can do! And while Heklina seemed a bit subdued Diva Dan brought down the house with bad taste in his interpretation of a Missy Eliott song. FUNNY!!!! We ran into Diva Dan at the Pride celebration and a chance to get a picture (though Johnny failed to capture the fact that she is on 6 inch heels!).
Pink Saturday
Pink Saturday is really a "womyn's" day and is typically an event that really starts once the Dyke March arrives. in the Castro. The ladies start at Dolores Park and it true revolutionary style, refuse to request a permit. They, their motor bikes, accolytes and others arrive in the Castro and the party begins. The streets are blocked off and people wander and dance at any of the many outdoor stages that are built. I have to say that standing in line with a straight girl from Sacramento opened my eyes to the fact that the event is changing. Why would a straight couple travel from Sacramento and attend Pink Saturday? Then her friend stumbles out of the port-a-potty and proceeds to conduct a personal rendition of the rainbow flag of diversity by throwing up on the side of the port-a-potty wall. Frank and I decided that at this point ... it was time to go home.
PRIDE Parade & Celebration
My roommate ranks the noise of the Dykes on Bikes that start the Pride celebration (imagine 450 motorcycles racing past) as second only to the sound of the Blue Angels that visit us once a year as well! We missed the gyrls, having opted to enjoy breakfast at Squat & Gobble outdoor in the sun. Unlike last year, the weather played nice and we were appropriately sunscreened and ready to head down to the celebration.
We were not as concerned about seeing the actual parade but I did want to see Leslie Jordan on the main stage (Karen Walker's nemisis from Will & Grace). We jumped on the underground and encountered an entourage of French garb. Hmm. San Francisco. We decided to see more of the parade by walking against the progression. It helps to be over 6 feet tall! We saw our friend Joe, Lesley Jordan, Elvira (why was she in the parade?) the Barbary Coast Cloggers (see video) and walked past the Golden Gate Theater where Rent is going to open (interestingly, the movie Rent was filmed in part across the street!). People watching is always the most fun and once we got to the fundamentalists who were protesting and telling everyone that they were going to hell, we jumped underground and headed back to the Civic Center for the food (meat in a bowl!), ice cream and of course free entertainment.
The Pride Movie
Pride 101
My cousin was having a discussion with her sister and shot me an email inquiring my thoughts on Judy Garland. I wasn't entirely sure as to the motivation behind the question, so provided the following response:
Hmm. I think Judy Garland is dead. Other than that, I don't spend
much time thinking about her. I have, however, met her daughter Liza
Minelli at a CD signing and she seemed pleasant enough. Historically, the
death of Judy Garland was the last straw for some drag queens in New York
City. When the cops came to shut the bar down, the queens rose up (thus
the Stonewall Riots). This is also the reason that June is designated as
"PRIDE" month, because it was when the people rose and said 'we're not going to
take it anymore ... or something along that line.
I was not entirely satisfied with my response so I tried to conduct an informal poll and was not satisfied with the answers. So I went to Wikipedia. What follows is what I call Pride 101.
Pride - a Wikipedia Definition
In June 1969, a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people
rioted following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. The late Miss Sylvia Rivera a transgender rights activist and founding member of both the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance is credited by many as the first to actually strike back at the police and in doing so, spark the rebellion. The Stonewall riots are generally considered to be the beginning of the modern gay rights movement, as it was the first time in modern history that a significant body of LGBT people resisted arrest. First year anniversary marches organized by other groups were also held in San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1970.
Brenda Howard known as the "Mother of Pride" an early leader of the Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activists Alliance in the early post-Stonewall era coordinated the first month anniversary rally and then the "Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day March" on June 28, 1970 to commemorate the first year anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. Howard also originated the idea for a week-long series of events around what is now known as Pride Day; this became the first of the extended annual LGBT Pride celebrations that are now held around the world.
In New York and Atlanta the annual day of celebration to commemorate the Stonewall Riot came to be called Gay Liberation Day; in San Francisco and Los Angeles it was called Gay Freedom Day. Both names spread as more and more cities and towns started holding similar celebrations.In the 1980s there was a major cultural shift in the Stonewall Riot
commemorations. The previous loosely organised, bottom-up marches and parades
were taken over by more organised and less radical elements of the gay
community. The marches began dropping "Liberation" and "Freedom" from their
names under pressure from more conservative members of the community, replacing them with the philosophy of "Gay Pride". The Greek lambda symbol and the pink triangle which had been revolutionary symbols of the Gay Liberation Movement were tidied up and incorporated into the Gay Pride, or Pride, movement,
providing some symbolic continuity with it's more radical beginnings.
Opposition
Within the gay community, some reject the notion of gay pride, perceiving therein an undue emphasis on sexual orientation and a lack of discretion and modesty to the
detriment of either public morals or the cause of gay rights; they propose to
soften strident activism in order to better integrate into the mainstream.
Others oppose gay pride on account of its identity politics, which run in
opposition to the ideals of an Enlightened liberal democracy. Many gay people
who are not heavily liberal believe that they are being excluded and ignored in
favor of the identification of gay society with political concepts they do not
agree with. Others see it as depreciative of the identity of the individual;
they say one's sexual orientation should not be one's quintessential defining
characteristic. It is not unusual to see small groups of religious
fundamentalists protesting at gay pride events.
Pride as an acronym: People Rejoicing In Diversity Everywhere
The Rainbow Flag
Color has long played an important role in our community's expression of pride. In Victorian England, for example, the color green was associated with homosexuality. The color purple (or, more accurately, lavender) became popularized as a symbol for pride in the late 1960s - a frequent post-Stonewall catchword for the gay community was "Purple Power". And, of course, there's the pink triangle. Although it was first used in Nazi Germany to identify gay males in concentration camps, the pink triangle only received widespread use as a gay pop icon in the early 1980s. But the most colorful of our symbols is the Rainbow Flag, and its rainbow of colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple - represents the diversity of our community.
The first Rainbow Flag was designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, a San Francisco artist, who created the flag in response to a local activist's call for the need of a community symbol. (This was before the pink triangle was popularly used as a symbol of pride.) Using the five-striped "Flag of the Race" as his inspiration, Baker designed a flag with eight stripes: pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
According to Baker, those colors represent:
pink = sexuality
red = life
orange = healing
yellow = sun
green = nature
blue = art
indigo = harmony
violet = spirit.
Baker dyed and sewed the material for the first flag himself - in the true spirit of Betsy Ross.
Baker soon approached San Francisco's Paramount Flag Company about mass producing and selling his "gay flag". Unfortunately, Baker had hand-dyed all the colors, and since the color "hot pink" was not commercially available, mass production of his eight-striped version became impossible. The flag was thus reduced to seven stripes.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
A Tourist Update - June (Part I)
View Pictures: Click here to view
June is Pride month is San Francisco. The rainbow flags wave from light poles lining the entire length of Market Street and the tourists are out in force. Not to judge ... but a little pride goes a long way and next Sunday will be full blown festivities, including the parade and the festival grounds.
This weekend we did a unique double feature for us ... two museums in two cities in one day.
The DeYoung Museum
Michelle, a friend of Frank's from work who calls me "D" (which I like), joined us for the trip. Our first stop was to head over and catch the Arts and Crafts exhibit at the DeYoung. Unfortunately, the museum is still new enough to be really popular and the exhibit is going to close soon. The displays were crowded and the baby's crying. I felt the Miller claustrophobia strike and moved at my own pace through the exhibit. Frank and Michelle took a little longer - then after a trip to the Tower we jumped back in the car and headed to Oakland.
The Oakland Museum of California
If you live on planet earth, you probably know that Disnelyand turned 50 last year. As part of the celebartion a special exhibit is on display. Behind the Magic - 50 years of Disneyland is an interesting exhibit and strangely enough had fewer children than the DeYoung. It was a fun exhibit and the audio tour, along with the pictures made for a good day.
After a quick BBQ dinner in Jack London Square we headed back across the bay.
June is Pride month is San Francisco. The rainbow flags wave from light poles lining the entire length of Market Street and the tourists are out in force. Not to judge ... but a little pride goes a long way and next Sunday will be full blown festivities, including the parade and the festival grounds.
This weekend we did a unique double feature for us ... two museums in two cities in one day.
The DeYoung Museum
Michelle, a friend of Frank's from work who calls me "D" (which I like), joined us for the trip. Our first stop was to head over and catch the Arts and Crafts exhibit at the DeYoung. Unfortunately, the museum is still new enough to be really popular and the exhibit is going to close soon. The displays were crowded and the baby's crying. I felt the Miller claustrophobia strike and moved at my own pace through the exhibit. Frank and Michelle took a little longer - then after a trip to the Tower we jumped back in the car and headed to Oakland.
The Oakland Museum of California
If you live on planet earth, you probably know that Disnelyand turned 50 last year. As part of the celebartion a special exhibit is on display. Behind the Magic - 50 years of Disneyland is an interesting exhibit and strangely enough had fewer children than the DeYoung. It was a fun exhibit and the audio tour, along with the pictures made for a good day.
After a quick BBQ dinner in Jack London Square we headed back across the bay.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Walla Walla Revisited - Dad's 70th Birthday
Pictures: Click here to view
Near Death on the bus
Ahh, public transportation, always an adventure and always unexpected. I was supposed to meet Frank down at the Embarcadero with my luggage so we could take BART to Oakland airport. I waited patiently at the corner of Webster and Sacramento. The bus arrived and I paid my $1.50 and sat down on a seat with my legs straddling my bag. I was in one of the seats that face the inside of the bus and was also near the back exit. At this point, I'm mentally checked out, trying not to focus on what I may have or have not forgotten. Then the altercation.
A man tried to enter the bus and claimed to have a transfer. He looked as if he might be one of our special citizens and the bus driver started yelling at him. He would have to produce a transfer or get off of the bus. He has tried to pull this stunt in the past. At this point, the gentleman asked if the driver would apologize if he produced the transfer. Just show me the transfer. And he did. This is where the running dialogue strated. The crazy homeless guy started yelling about disrespect. As a public servent, the bus driver should be more respectful, or so said the crazy guy. Of course, it was a runing dialogue with the word "MotherF*****" every other word. The bus continued over cathedral hill and up nob hill.
About the time we were going to start down the hill into China Town, an older Italian guy gets on the bus and sits in the empty seat across from me and in front of the crazy guy. Our friend is still ranting and the Italian guy tells him to shut up. The crazy guy asks him what he's going to do make him stop.
Near Death on the bus
Ahh, public transportation, always an adventure and always unexpected. I was supposed to meet Frank down at the Embarcadero with my luggage so we could take BART to Oakland airport. I waited patiently at the corner of Webster and Sacramento. The bus arrived and I paid my $1.50 and sat down on a seat with my legs straddling my bag. I was in one of the seats that face the inside of the bus and was also near the back exit. At this point, I'm mentally checked out, trying not to focus on what I may have or have not forgotten. Then the altercation.
A man tried to enter the bus and claimed to have a transfer. He looked as if he might be one of our special citizens and the bus driver started yelling at him. He would have to produce a transfer or get off of the bus. He has tried to pull this stunt in the past. At this point, the gentleman asked if the driver would apologize if he produced the transfer. Just show me the transfer. And he did. This is where the running dialogue strated. The crazy homeless guy started yelling about disrespect. As a public servent, the bus driver should be more respectful, or so said the crazy guy. Of course, it was a runing dialogue with the word "MotherF*****" every other word. The bus continued over cathedral hill and up nob hill.
About the time we were going to start down the hill into China Town, an older Italian guy gets on the bus and sits in the empty seat across from me and in front of the crazy guy. Our friend is still ranting and the Italian guy tells him to shut up. The crazy guy asks him what he's going to do make him stop.
"Are you going to hit me?
"I'll hit you, you dumb MotherF**** if you don't shut up"
At this point the Italian guy stands up, turns around, grabs the bag of the guy and throws the off the bus. Words are exchanged and the Italian swings at the guy. He stumbles off the bus and at this point the bus driver gets out of his seat and heads to the back. Frank calls.
"How far away are you?"
"I can't talk. There's a fight on the bus."
"Really? Are you taking pictures?"
"People are swinging at each ... I'm not going to take any pictures!"
At this point, the homeless guy jumps back on the bus and swings at the Italian guy, whose head then snaps back and hits the window with a thud. His hat falls off and lands on the floor in front of two Asian school boys, dressed in school uniforms.
"What? You've never seen a man stand up for himself? Stop staring you dumb Motherf****ers."
The Italian guy got off two stops later and in his place sat an older gentleman who smelled like 30 day old urine. The people in the back of the bus started to comment on the fact that the Italian guy should not have engaged in a dialogue with the crazy guy who was obviously not all together in the all together. Me? I was thankful to get off the bus unscathed and to get on BART and head back to the sane world of Walla Walla.
Silverwood
Silverwood is a small amusment park in Idaho outside of Spokane, WA. Frank and I flew Southwest airlines to Spokane and spent the night at my cousin Wally's. He and his son showed no mercy and whipped us at Yatzee! The next morning, after a unique version of the Dutch Baby, we met Mom and Dad and Julie and her family. It is a small park that was originally built around a train and old airplanes. The midway area of the park has expanded to include two great wooden rollercoasters and a few fun water rides. Considering the age and the height limits, it was a good day.
Silverwood is a small amusment park in Idaho outside of Spokane, WA. Frank and I flew Southwest airlines to Spokane and spent the night at my cousin Wally's. He and his son showed no mercy and whipped us at Yatzee! The next morning, after a unique version of the Dutch Baby, we met Mom and Dad and Julie and her family. It is a small park that was originally built around a train and old airplanes. The midway area of the park has expanded to include two great wooden rollercoasters and a few fun water rides. Considering the age and the height limits, it was a good day.
The following day, I got to pull Uncle duty and played in the water park before heading to Walla Walla for Dad's birthday party.
Dad's Birthday
Walla Walla is always an odd thing to experience as an adult. In many ways, it is the home of my youth and everything is very familiar. Now when I visit I see people with kids who are the age I was when I lived there. Of course, it doesn't help when your father is turning 70! I can remember when Dad was my age and 70 was a long ways away! Crazy. We had a good time with friends at a Mexican restaurant and then a family picnic on Saturday. Good times., especially when they came in and put the Sombrero on his head.
A Little History Tour of Walla Walla
Growing up in Walla Walla meant long bike rides out on the country roads. Bikes eventually changed to scooters and motorcycles, but some of the destinations remained the same. Fort Walla Walla is one of the destinations that is fun to visit and since it was Louis and Clark days the museum had special live performers, though Frank and I could not figure out how anyone would confuse the short puffy-haired blond women with glasses as Sacajewa.
Another destination that holds many memories is the Whitman Mission National park. Frank and I took the girls out for a walk after a movie and Taylor took an opportunity to lie down where Narcissa Whitman was shot. Then we walked on the Oregon Trail and decided that we were not fit enough to travel by foot 5 - 25 miles a day. Trying to wow the girls, I tried to boast about working with the guy who wrote the book for Version II of the Oregon Trail software. They are past the age where this has any meaning to them. Oh well. It was good to walk the trails again and I was glad that I could show Frank a few more sights.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Walking Tour - California Street
The local news was going crazy over the evacuation of San Francisco's City Hall. There were three suspicious bags identified. Translation, traffic snarls, helicopters and potential delays on MUNI. It has been awhile since I've had just a day to meander at a slower pace and Frank wanted to do lunch at the Hi Dive, a little restaurant that is quite deceiving from outside appearances, so I decided to walk.
California Street is one of those streets that cuts the city almost coast to coast and being located in the middle, I opted to walk and chronicle my walk street by street. We recently downloaded the new Dixie Chicks album, the V for Vendetta soundtrack and Erasure's acoustical album, Union Street. Grabbing my iPod and checking the recently downloaded option, I took the chicks and erasure out for a walk. Over the course of my day, I walked passed major San Francisco landmarks, rode the underground tram and took a bus to finish off my adventure.
Pacific Heights - Webster to Van Ness
Turning away from Fillmore, I headed east on foot toward the ferry building with the camera in hand. Because the area is situated west of Van Ness, many of the buildings are original from the time of the 1906 earthquake. The scars on the street were obviously put there by choice and not destroyed by God, but since the buildings are not worth millions and millions of dollars, I like to think of them as California Street's results of bad plastic surgery. My favorite house is the half house, rumored to be one of the Hearst daughter's home, where the gothic arches curve into a 70's architecture nightmare; classic tackiness at its best.
There are gorgeous homes, though I had to laugh when I passed a dead futon, a couple a side chairs and a broken desk sitting on the sidewalk. Now in the Castro, we would call putting such things on the street as San Francisco Recycling, because within five minutes, the stuff would be gone. Unfortunately, it takes a little longer for items to find new homes and clutter in Pacific Heights is always a little more noticeable. Doing the walk on foot, it is easier to notice all of the construction taking place and see the improvements taking shape. It was time for a little coffee, so I dropped into Peet's coffee, got in line behind a bald female Buddhist monk and got a small coffee.
Heading up Nob Hill - Polk Street to Powell
Probably one of the most distinguishing features of San Francisco is the cable car. Tourists love to hang off the cars and pretend they are in the middle of a swooping ride down one of our infamous hills ... the workers are not as excited. I walked past the stop and headed down to Polk Street. The helicopters were still circling City Hall to my right.
Polk Street is one of those transition areas that starts around Van Ness and continues a couple of blocks up to Hyde Street. The homeless, the crazy, the elderly and the ethnic mix with the slightly confused tourists who thought they were heading to Fisherman's Wharf but dead ended at Van Ness. I caught site of the anti-Chris Daly campaign. Elections in San Francisco are always interesting but our friend Chris Daly is a unique individual with only the best interests (his own) in mind as he serves the city.
Nearing the top of the hill, The Masonic Memorial Temple is on my right and Grace Cathedral is on my left. I wander over to take a picture of the door to Grace Cathedral and to watch a man meditating with a gong through the labrynth. Hmm. Time to head down California street, past the hotels and catch a glimpse of the bay bridge and the transamerica building.
The Financial District
Descending past China Town, the feel and the pace quicken. People are in a hurry and while I dressed like a sweaty tourist (i.e. cargo shorts and shirt), styles range from the full suit to the sloppy. I shouldn't be judgemental but how do these people get jobs? Channel good thoughts ... channel good thoughts. Montgomery street is hectic and then everything slows down. It is 11:30 and the people have not been released for lunch!
I give Frank and call, walk past the future home of the MUNI museum and situate myself beneath the Bow and Arrow installation in front of the GAP headquarters. It is quiet. People are starting to emerge from their offices. Some folks are jogging, obviously not tied to a job at the time of day and a few tourists have wandered past the ferry building. We are an odd collection of early birds, awaiting the rush of the lunch hour crowds. Frank picks me up and we head over to the Hi Dive, which from appearances should be more "Dive" than anything else. Suprisingly chic inside, we enjoyed burgers and caught site of a seal swimming in the bay, his head bopping up periodically. Frank had to go back to work and I needed to pick up a birthday card for my father and the best place for original cards is in the Castro.
MUNI Home
If you were to trace my route, it would look like a giant triangle. California to Market, Market to Castro, Castro to California. Not a bad day. The MUNI underground is always an adventure and surprisingly crowded at that time of day. I boarder, found a seat and a young clean cut man got on and sat across from me. Now, unlike the pierced goth financial district workers, this man had a clean hair cut, was freshly shaved, wore brown khaki pants and had a pressed white shirt. And then the MUNI car started to move. My boy lit up like a Republican getting a free blow job on a business trip from the hot chick in the office. He giggled. He chirped. He swayed back and forth, clapping his hands together. Again, I felt bad for being judgemental, but his joy was a bit much and it didn't stop. The train light from the next train got him to jump up and down. Needless to say, I was glad when my stop appeared and I was able to exit the free entertainment. Of course, I was entering the Castro, another area known for free entertainment!
I was on a mission and quickly secured the cards, then got on the 24 Divisadero home. Many babies are cute, some are not, but mothers who tease their children, who then elicit great cries of agony are REALLY NOT CUTE!!!!! Isn't it fun to put a cracker in front of the baby and then pull it away when he reaches for it? Isn't it cute? Isn't it? Who wants a cracker? Who? Ooh. You need to be faster? Who wants a cracker? Now why are you crying? Shut up? You're not going to get a cracker by making all that noise!
I realize elections are just a few months away, but if someone, anyone, would run on the platform that in order to raise a child, you must A) go to a parenting class (and pass) and B) have the child put up for adoption if the parent is unfit ... I would vote for them. There are more regulations on adopting a cat from the SPCA than there are to have a child. Crazy. But what do I know? It was a full afternoon and my Irish nose is all the shinier for the adventure.
6 Minute Review
Here are pictures and the Dixie Chicks.
California Street is one of those streets that cuts the city almost coast to coast and being located in the middle, I opted to walk and chronicle my walk street by street. We recently downloaded the new Dixie Chicks album, the V for Vendetta soundtrack and Erasure's acoustical album, Union Street. Grabbing my iPod and checking the recently downloaded option, I took the chicks and erasure out for a walk. Over the course of my day, I walked passed major San Francisco landmarks, rode the underground tram and took a bus to finish off my adventure.
Pacific Heights - Webster to Van Ness
Turning away from Fillmore, I headed east on foot toward the ferry building with the camera in hand. Because the area is situated west of Van Ness, many of the buildings are original from the time of the 1906 earthquake. The scars on the street were obviously put there by choice and not destroyed by God, but since the buildings are not worth millions and millions of dollars, I like to think of them as California Street's results of bad plastic surgery. My favorite house is the half house, rumored to be one of the Hearst daughter's home, where the gothic arches curve into a 70's architecture nightmare; classic tackiness at its best.
There are gorgeous homes, though I had to laugh when I passed a dead futon, a couple a side chairs and a broken desk sitting on the sidewalk. Now in the Castro, we would call putting such things on the street as San Francisco Recycling, because within five minutes, the stuff would be gone. Unfortunately, it takes a little longer for items to find new homes and clutter in Pacific Heights is always a little more noticeable. Doing the walk on foot, it is easier to notice all of the construction taking place and see the improvements taking shape. It was time for a little coffee, so I dropped into Peet's coffee, got in line behind a bald female Buddhist monk and got a small coffee.
Heading up Nob Hill - Polk Street to Powell
Probably one of the most distinguishing features of San Francisco is the cable car. Tourists love to hang off the cars and pretend they are in the middle of a swooping ride down one of our infamous hills ... the workers are not as excited. I walked past the stop and headed down to Polk Street. The helicopters were still circling City Hall to my right.
Polk Street is one of those transition areas that starts around Van Ness and continues a couple of blocks up to Hyde Street. The homeless, the crazy, the elderly and the ethnic mix with the slightly confused tourists who thought they were heading to Fisherman's Wharf but dead ended at Van Ness. I caught site of the anti-Chris Daly campaign. Elections in San Francisco are always interesting but our friend Chris Daly is a unique individual with only the best interests (his own) in mind as he serves the city.
Nearing the top of the hill, The Masonic Memorial Temple is on my right and Grace Cathedral is on my left. I wander over to take a picture of the door to Grace Cathedral and to watch a man meditating with a gong through the labrynth. Hmm. Time to head down California street, past the hotels and catch a glimpse of the bay bridge and the transamerica building.
The Financial District
Descending past China Town, the feel and the pace quicken. People are in a hurry and while I dressed like a sweaty tourist (i.e. cargo shorts and shirt), styles range from the full suit to the sloppy. I shouldn't be judgemental but how do these people get jobs? Channel good thoughts ... channel good thoughts. Montgomery street is hectic and then everything slows down. It is 11:30 and the people have not been released for lunch!
I give Frank and call, walk past the future home of the MUNI museum and situate myself beneath the Bow and Arrow installation in front of the GAP headquarters. It is quiet. People are starting to emerge from their offices. Some folks are jogging, obviously not tied to a job at the time of day and a few tourists have wandered past the ferry building. We are an odd collection of early birds, awaiting the rush of the lunch hour crowds. Frank picks me up and we head over to the Hi Dive, which from appearances should be more "Dive" than anything else. Suprisingly chic inside, we enjoyed burgers and caught site of a seal swimming in the bay, his head bopping up periodically. Frank had to go back to work and I needed to pick up a birthday card for my father and the best place for original cards is in the Castro.
MUNI Home
If you were to trace my route, it would look like a giant triangle. California to Market, Market to Castro, Castro to California. Not a bad day. The MUNI underground is always an adventure and surprisingly crowded at that time of day. I boarder, found a seat and a young clean cut man got on and sat across from me. Now, unlike the pierced goth financial district workers, this man had a clean hair cut, was freshly shaved, wore brown khaki pants and had a pressed white shirt. And then the MUNI car started to move. My boy lit up like a Republican getting a free blow job on a business trip from the hot chick in the office. He giggled. He chirped. He swayed back and forth, clapping his hands together. Again, I felt bad for being judgemental, but his joy was a bit much and it didn't stop. The train light from the next train got him to jump up and down. Needless to say, I was glad when my stop appeared and I was able to exit the free entertainment. Of course, I was entering the Castro, another area known for free entertainment!
I was on a mission and quickly secured the cards, then got on the 24 Divisadero home. Many babies are cute, some are not, but mothers who tease their children, who then elicit great cries of agony are REALLY NOT CUTE!!!!! Isn't it fun to put a cracker in front of the baby and then pull it away when he reaches for it? Isn't it cute? Isn't it? Who wants a cracker? Who? Ooh. You need to be faster? Who wants a cracker? Now why are you crying? Shut up? You're not going to get a cracker by making all that noise!
I realize elections are just a few months away, but if someone, anyone, would run on the platform that in order to raise a child, you must A) go to a parenting class (and pass) and B) have the child put up for adoption if the parent is unfit ... I would vote for them. There are more regulations on adopting a cat from the SPCA than there are to have a child. Crazy. But what do I know? It was a full afternoon and my Irish nose is all the shinier for the adventure.
6 Minute Review
Here are pictures and the Dixie Chicks.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
The Tourist Update - May
Built before I was born ... the Golden Gate Bridge is one of those icons that symbolize San Francisco. And since this is the opening weekend of X-Men III and Magneto destroys the bridge and moves it to Alcatraz, we thought it might be a good day to take a drive across the bay. For those of you who are unable to distinguish between fantasy and fiction ... the bridge is still there!
My friend Jens Peter from Denmark is in town for a conference so we took a little day trip across the bridge, over to the light house at Point Bonita and then had lunch in Tiburon. It was sunny and bright and my nose is a rosy pink. My father would be proud. We did not go straight to the lighthouse, opting to stop at the bunker at the top of the hill. A word of warning, the outhouses are not maintained and I swear there are remnants from the time when the darn things were installed. NASTY.
On our way to the lighthouse, Frank spotted a "celebrity" - a celebrity from the first Real World New York series on MTV. Norm is featured at the end of the You Tube clip below. Considering the fact that the celebrity was also sighted the day before at breakfast, one can only assume that he was doing the tourist thing like us. Small city.
It was a gorgeous day and very little wind. After a quick tour, we headed to Tiburon to have lunch at Sam's out on the deck, but it seems that many other people had the same idea and we didn't feel like waiting 90 minutes to get a sandwich. It was off to Guaymas for some traditional Mexican food and some nasty people in line. I'm always amused at how bent out of shape people get. There we were waiting to put our names in and two bicyclists were steaming because two other people just walked in and sat down in the bar area at a free table. The injustice. The bitchy little woman was steaming and when told politely by the hostess that it would be 30 minutes ... informed the whipped man she was with that they should eat someplace else. Ooh, such punishment. We had lunch on the roof deck and thoroughly enjoyed our meal and I have to admit that I'm glad psycho woman wasn't there because I'm in a mood to get into other people's business!!!
The video has a few issues ... I've been playing with some new software and somehow cannot remove the country folk music I added ... things to learn.
My friend Jens Peter from Denmark is in town for a conference so we took a little day trip across the bridge, over to the light house at Point Bonita and then had lunch in Tiburon. It was sunny and bright and my nose is a rosy pink. My father would be proud. We did not go straight to the lighthouse, opting to stop at the bunker at the top of the hill. A word of warning, the outhouses are not maintained and I swear there are remnants from the time when the darn things were installed. NASTY.
On our way to the lighthouse, Frank spotted a "celebrity" - a celebrity from the first Real World New York series on MTV. Norm is featured at the end of the You Tube clip below. Considering the fact that the celebrity was also sighted the day before at breakfast, one can only assume that he was doing the tourist thing like us. Small city.
It was a gorgeous day and very little wind. After a quick tour, we headed to Tiburon to have lunch at Sam's out on the deck, but it seems that many other people had the same idea and we didn't feel like waiting 90 minutes to get a sandwich. It was off to Guaymas for some traditional Mexican food and some nasty people in line. I'm always amused at how bent out of shape people get. There we were waiting to put our names in and two bicyclists were steaming because two other people just walked in and sat down in the bar area at a free table. The injustice. The bitchy little woman was steaming and when told politely by the hostess that it would be 30 minutes ... informed the whipped man she was with that they should eat someplace else. Ooh, such punishment. We had lunch on the roof deck and thoroughly enjoyed our meal and I have to admit that I'm glad psycho woman wasn't there because I'm in a mood to get into other people's business!!!
The video has a few issues ... I've been playing with some new software and somehow cannot remove the country folk music I added ... things to learn.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Boys Bowling Night II
Have you ever wanted a little time to bowl with your friends? Maybe have a beer? Pizza? Karaoke? Then you may want to spend an evening at Sierra Bowl in Serramonte, Ca.
Friends of John organized a night of bowling and besides a pair of ripped pants and an aching back the following day, a good time was had by all. I'm looking forward to Boys Bowling Night III.
Friends of John organized a night of bowling and besides a pair of ripped pants and an aching back the following day, a good time was had by all. I'm looking forward to Boys Bowling Night III.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
The Tourist Update - April
View Photos: Click Here
What with Easter and the trip to Texas, we barely squeezed in our tourist event for the month of April. It actually turned out to be a Two-fer. Our first event was to head over to the Legion of Honor to see the photo retrospective of San Francisco 1906 and 2006. A very interesting exhibit. That was Saturday.
On Sunday, we picked up Joey and directed the little Ford Focus South on Skyline Boulevard. I was swayed by the following from Via Magazine.
What with Easter and the trip to Texas, we barely squeezed in our tourist event for the month of April. It actually turned out to be a Two-fer. Our first event was to head over to the Legion of Honor to see the photo retrospective of San Francisco 1906 and 2006. A very interesting exhibit. That was Saturday.
On Sunday, we picked up Joey and directed the little Ford Focus South on Skyline Boulevard. I was swayed by the following from Via Magazine.
Every day a hundred thousand drivers on Interstate 280, south of San Francisco, look west to a loft Santa Cruz Mountain ridge, then zip past the easy access to it at Highway 92. Here's what they miss: redwoods, wildflowers, and stunning roadside vistas on Skyline Boulevard, or Highway 35, as it follows the ridgetop south to Saratoga. To best enjoy the sites, allow four hours.
- Via Magazine
I'm always game for trying something new and a little road trip sounded like fun, especially since with the way gas has been going up, I may not be able to afford anything other than the drive to work!
Our first stop was to miss the El Corte De Madera Creek Open Space Reserve. We drove on the winding drive and missed the stop. Oops. We were hungry so made our way with the bikers to Alice's Restaurant. This roadhouse diner is a popular lunch spot for hungry hikers, battered mountain cyclists, and tattooed bikers.
Following brunch, we took VIA's recommendation and enjoyed the sweeping views and delicious wine tastings at the Thomas Fogarty Winery. Just across the highway was the road down to the Yerba Buena Nursery. Described as part nursury, part botanic garden, Yerba Buena specializes in native California plants. We strolled along the paths lined with redwoods, oaks and cypresses. Aside from the weeds ... I mean the Iris, it was lovely.
Our final stop of the day was at the Castle Rock State Park. The lot was full, so we parked on the side of the road. It was a short hike down to the falls and we got the opportunity to watch people rapel over the cliff, just to climb back up. Sysyphous would be proud!
This was an excellent day trip and one I would do again, though a day trip to Pinnacles National park is next on the agenda. I want to play with the bats.
Texas Redeaux
View Photos: Click Here
If Francis Ford Coppola can return to one of the Apolcalypse Now, why can't I revisit Texas? For the faithful, it was a little email regarding the children of Ft. Worth begging for money that started Dougan's World two years ago. Simply stated, we had a good time.
Frank and I were headed to Ft. Worth to spend Easter with his sister and her family and to spend time with his friends Kay and Sylvia. Kay had tickets to Bill Maher (let the liberals get a little legitimate Bush bashing) in concert. It worked out well and we enjoyed dining out, a little side trip to a Western Town and of course the cats. Sylvia's is the most persistently friendly and Kay's, while aloof, did agree to stay in the room while we visited.
Oh the stories ... Oh the lack of time!
If Francis Ford Coppola can return to one of the Apolcalypse Now, why can't I revisit Texas? For the faithful, it was a little email regarding the children of Ft. Worth begging for money that started Dougan's World two years ago. Simply stated, we had a good time.
Frank and I were headed to Ft. Worth to spend Easter with his sister and her family and to spend time with his friends Kay and Sylvia. Kay had tickets to Bill Maher (let the liberals get a little legitimate Bush bashing) in concert. It worked out well and we enjoyed dining out, a little side trip to a Western Town and of course the cats. Sylvia's is the most persistently friendly and Kay's, while aloof, did agree to stay in the room while we visited.
Oh the stories ... Oh the lack of time!
A Little Place Called Daytona
View Photos: Click Here
If seems as if I was going to have to simple move to Florida and stop the commute. Frank and I went out for President's Day weekend, prior to my spending a week in St. Petersburg for work. Then I was back in about a month for a conference in Orlando. Things worked out and I was able to spend the weekend with Miss Kris and even got a chance to step on the track in Daytona!
We spent a little time in Downtown Disney, saw La Nouba (F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!) and then spent a bit of time wandering the flea market, playing on the beach and enjoying fabulous meals. Good times ... now, how do we get the girl back to the West coast?
If seems as if I was going to have to simple move to Florida and stop the commute. Frank and I went out for President's Day weekend, prior to my spending a week in St. Petersburg for work. Then I was back in about a month for a conference in Orlando. Things worked out and I was able to spend the weekend with Miss Kris and even got a chance to step on the track in Daytona!
We spent a little time in Downtown Disney, saw La Nouba (F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!) and then spent a bit of time wandering the flea market, playing on the beach and enjoying fabulous meals. Good times ... now, how do we get the girl back to the West coast?
Sunday, March 19, 2006
The Tourist Update - March
Planned in 1938 to show of San Francisco, the 49-Mile Drive provides visitors with an overview of San Francisco's scenic attractions and historic highlights. The markers are easy to spot, marked by a blue and white seagull signs that lead you through the winding city route. I can assume that traffic wasn't such an issue as it is today and at one point included Coit Tower and the curvy part of Lombard Street.The entire time I've lived here I've never driven the route and thought it would be a good thing to do on a lazy Saturday, especially since God gave us realy sunshine instead of the liquid sunshine we've been enjoying for the past week or so.
A quick Internet search provided a map (required) and we jumped in the car, rolled down the windows and headed to the starting point, City Hall. According to the information on the web, we were supposed to allow 4 to 5 hours to complete the journey. We assumed that it would not take us as long, since we were not going to make unnecessary stops (bathroom stops excluded). If you take the time to view the pictures, you'll note that 90% are taken from the car.
Driving in San Francisco can be a challenge and while the signs are fairly easy to follow, they don't always give you a lot of warning and the map came in handy for those unexpected detours which occured throughout the afternoon. Our first detour occured at City Hall where we encountered the anti-war demonstration to mark the third anniversary of the Iraq conflict. The Civic Center area is impressive but the route quickly skirted into the Tenderloin and the area now labled "Little Saigon." Sketchy is a good word to describe the area and one had to wonder what it looked like in 1938.
From there we drove through Cathedral Hill and made a short tour of Japan Town where the signs are posted in English and Japanese. The drive down to Union Square and China Town were easy to follow and then we headed up to Grace Cathedral and the second of our detours. My clutch was enjoying the hilly start and stop and we wondered whether there was a big truck convention because there seemed to more than a usual number of inappropriately sized vehicles on the road with bumper stickers like "Real Men Drive Fords" and "Bush/Cheney." We were supposed to drop down Clay to get to North Beach but a cop blocked the street and we had to figure out how to get back on track off of Powell St. when there are no left turns. This is where being a local came in handy. A couple of turns and we were back in traffic and stuck behind a tour bus.
We didn't move for ten minutes and a large woman in a VW bug chatted with us and crossed three lanes of traffic to head over a couple of streets. We followed, thinking that there must have been an accident. Nope. A funeral and apparently a large one that included a band, though Frank thinks the two groups were not connected. At this point the coffee from the morning was starting to say hello and I had options of pulling over and playing homeless on the street. Luckily, the cops cleared and we were back on track and heading up Grant street where with Doris Day parking stopped in front of the French Italian Bakery from a couple of bear claws and a bathroom break.
Surprisingly, the tour through North Beach was more of a skirt the edges of North Beach and did not include a drive by of Washington Square or the main drag. Oh well, we had Fisherman's Wharf to drive by and the Marina Green. This is where we picked up some time and really enjoyed the guided drive throuh the Presidio and a short stop at Baker beach.
From here we wandered past the Legion of Honor, the Cliff House and Lake Merced. The path through Golden Gate park did not seem as up to date and we created our own path and made it up to Twin Peaks. The interesting part of the drive is the trying to figure out why the choices to include certain streets were included and how people without a map could do it without a map. It was at this point that we realized that Frank pretty much lives on one part of the route and we could have started at his house and ended at his place.
Aside from Dolores Cathedral and Dolores Park the end of the Scenic Drive seemed a bit contrived. Originally, the drive included a trip on the Bay Bridge and a stop at Treasure Island. Now, you end up on the Embarcadero and wander through a bit more of downtown before working your way back to City Hall. At this point, we've spend a good four plus hours in the car and I was glad to see the garage door opening on California Street. It was a full day and we can say we've marked another tourist option off of our list of things to do.
Pictures: Click to View
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)