Fran SanCisco
My friend Craig has made it out to San Francisco safely and soundly. I’m glad to hear he’s out there and enjoying himself. SF is such an odd place. I mean, in one sense, it’s romantic and is full of all these romantic notions about how life was, how it should be, and what it should become. In the 60’s, it was the heart of the hippie generation. The free love, good acid, hard rock scene, it was all there. Headquartered in SF. Then it blossomed into a western financial capitol with a diverse cultural background. Next, the dot commers show up and trash the place. Still it’s got a certain aura about it that’s strange. I can remember walking downtown, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city, but still feeling relaxed, like the remainder of California. It’s vibrant yet relaxed. Cultured yet friendly and down-to-earth. It’s a mixture of everything that blends into a grand nothing.
For some reason, you think that, when you show up in California, you are going to be surrounded with movie stars, bright lights, and all kinds of excitement. SF also has the allure of the ocean. You can smell the salt from the water in many places throughout the city. It’s a different kind of California, with a lot of immigrants, huge traffic problems, too many yuppies, a sordid history, but still somehow the city has emerged as a winner. I guess you could say it at least broke even. And it didn’t even know it was in the game. That’s pretty good for rotten odds, bad luck, and too many computer programmers, wouldn’t you say?
Calla lillies…the gay scene…..the Chinese restaurants….the Pier……BART……Alameda……The wharf……The Height…..Leaving your heart…..finding yourself…..It’s all there, more or less. A little shaky, a little shaded, a little tarnished, but still surviving and somehow doing somewhat better than just “getting by.”
Sound familiar?
Until next time, this is Carol, the Carol in “Carol’s Little World” signing off.
