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19 September 2010
San Francisco 2010
The City by the Bay has to be about the most marvelous city in the world. It is by no means perfect, but it has a head start just through its geographical setting alone. Then there is the pioneering history, and, more recently, its decidedly liberal political orientation. And it appears to be a city that works; it functions as a livable space that can be elegant, can be funky, can be – when the sun shines – purely magical, and can be – with its fog and chill – something alien and even forlorn. For me, it is also nostalgic and brings back so much of my youth and memories of freedom and abandon, discovery and enchantment – pitting, as I walk the same areas I did many a year ago, an immediate distance and acute awareness of what is lost and no more. I once had a great fondness for the Edwardian houses, but now when I see them, I find myself overwhelmed with the feeling that dealing with their over-painted oldness is not something I would ever want to take on again. Being a landlord in San Francisco is a hideous undertaking, and I can at least rejoice in being free from it.
Leaving the Ridge, Stef and Gary was painful, but we reached EssEff late afternoon during a new moon. Whatever exhaustion there might have been quickly evaporated with the martinis Rosalie prepared for us. In fact, Rosalie had made me my very first martini many, many years ago when she and Bill lived in a high rise in this same Golden Gateway Center. Her townhouse now, where she has lived for something like the past twenty-five years, is doubtlessly the best residence of all in the complex – with garden space on two sides, light from three, a view of Coit Tower, a Safeway one block away, and the convenience of downtown, China Town and North Beach virtually at her doorstep. Two floors, three bedrooms and filled with a fabulous collection of art. A lovely meal followed the martinis, and we were also able to enjoy both Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann.
The following day both Richard and I got our shoes cleaned and shined and recovered from Black Rock souvenirs. Then we met up with Richard Carrazza, visited some of our favourite places in and around the Castro before a salmon dinner back at Rosy's with her neighbours Dick and Bill and her roommate Leslie. The next day we went for Irish coffees at the Buena Vista Café with both Rosalie and Saint Lynne. And the rest of our time in San Francisco was spent doing similar things. We have shopped twice at the Saturday farmers' market next to the Ferry Building. Went to dinner with Don and Robert at the Ristorante Allegro in the Hayes Valley, Had dinner with Ted and Andi at Coco500 south of Market, had another dinner at Sunflower, a Vietnamese restaurant, with Richard C. and Matt & Kevin, and went to Helmond's with Rosy on Van Ness (an Afghani restaurant owned by a brother of Hamid Karzai). All these meals were excellent. For non-restaurant meals, we had an evening at Becky's in Oakland with Rosalie, Leonard, Peggy, Peter & Jason, Thorn & Jonathan, Becky's son Will and, briefly, Peggy's daughter Zoe. There was also a luncheon at Paul's in Berkeley with Darryl, Judy and Tom Holland, Diane Johnson, and Bill & Jim. And a dinner at home with Rosie and her best friend Mic. These occasions all effortlessly reached stratospheric heights.
Otherwise, not to leave Black Rock City too far behind, we had a brownie day with Richard C. and a 'something else' day for my birthday starting in Golden Gate Park on Strawberry Hill, visiting the Japanese Tea Garden, the stunningly impressive Dahlia Garden next to the Conservatory of Flowers, a walk through memory lane on Haight Street, sunset behind Golden Gate Bridge from Fisherman's Wharf, and dinner followed this time by a decaffeinated Irish coffee at the Buena Vista.
There was also a beautiful day spent at the San Francisco Zoo with our daughters Iana and Mechelle and granddaughters Piper Kincaid and Dylan Rose. Such wondrous energy displayed by the little ones and such admirable patience and endurance by their parents. A highlight for me, besides the first appearance when we arrived of a giraffe gliding along through the fog, was when Piper wanted me to sit next to her on the back seat of the car when we left the zoo. We love our Santa Rosa family and had a perfect time with them in San Francisco.
And with our dance card filled and time running out all too quickly, Rosalie suggested a party for those we could not see otherwise and those we needed to see a second time. And she did virtually everything, and on the day before we left our beloved city and our beloved Rosy, we had an afternoon and early evening gathering for Don, Robert, John, the Saint, Wylie, Paul, Darryl, Richard C., Pennell, Prudence and her friend Marie. The foods could not have been better and were only out-shown by the company. It was a lovely coda to an extraordinarily lovely stay in this golden city and all the golden people we are so privileged to know here.