Boy do I love this town! Yes, it ain’t what it was in the ’50s (what is?), but it’s got so much. A lot of it having to do with the town’s Feng Shui, perched as it is on the northern edge of the huge Monterey Bay (Monterey is at the southern edge). There’s a clarity in the air from the ocean. Colors vibrant. That extra warmth we don’t have in the San Francisco zone that allows for the occasional avocado tree, and better corn and tomatoes.
This temple or whatever has been here (West Cliff Drive neighborhood) for at least 60 years.
There’s that Southern Cal vibe. I’ve always felt that southern California starts in South San Francisco. The further south you go, the warmer things get, and the looser. It’s just more relaxed. More fun where the livin’ is easy. Skateboarders flying all over town. Surfers out everywhere yesterday. A town of serious cycling. This morning I’m at the ultra-cool Verve Roasters, 816 41st Ave, serious barista folk, good wi-fi connection (pic below). That’s a Hungarian wild cherry pastry there. In same block on 41st is the Cliff Cafe, great breakfast, the Freeline Surf Shop, The Santa Cruz Skate Shop, Pink Godzilla Sushi — lively hood just a few blocks from the Hook.
Just before I did the slide show, along came 100s of cyclists down Valencia, turning on to 21st St. Boisterous, friendly, loud. I’d never seen “Critical Mass” before. Worldwide now, started in SF 1982.
“What is Critical Mass?
Critical Mass is a mass bicycle ride that takes place on the last Friday of each month in cities around the world. Everyone is invited! No one is in charge! Bring your bike!”
https://www.sfcriticalmass.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass
Doorway on 21st Street. I love wandering the city with camera. Country hick: “Wow! Look at that!”
I think San Francisco is culturally rich right now.
We had such a great day Wednesday. Country hicks in Big City. We started out at Trouble Coffee, out at the beach, my favorite caffeine cafe on the planet, went over to Mollusk Surf Shop, my fave surf shop (which has a wonderful collection of art books for sale along with surfboards and wetsuits), then down to the unique Gravel & Gold in the Mission, where Lesley’s been selling hand woven shawls (and I’m going to do a Tiny Homes slide show February 24th), Lesley went to fabric and clothing stores, I roamed and shot photos. In the normal course of my day I may see a dozen people. In the city I see 1000s. I stalk with my camera, hunting. So much going on, the city is culturally vibrant, exciting these days. Having grown up there gives my visits special meaning.
Above and below: Mollusk Surf Shop
It kills me to do such dumb layout as the above, but I don’t know my HTML (and don’t think I’d want to spend all the time necessary to craft it the way I want it to appear). What I need is a drag-and-drop setup so I can do a paper-type layout. Any suggestions? I need quick and dirty, because I want to minimize computer time.
“Did you know that Milan is one of the most polluted cities in Italy? Apparently urban sprawl and increased emissions are major causes for slumping air quality in the international fashion capital. So Italian architect Stefano Boeri has formulated an unusual plan to give the city back what it’s lacking: namely, some greenery.
Bosco Verticale is Italian for ‘Vertical Forest.’ The project took inspiration from traditional Italian towers covered in ivy. Boeri has simply multiplied the amount of foliage to a dramatic degree, envisioning residential buildings that resemble tall boxy trees. Each apartment unit has a balcony attached, with a lush garden enveloping the structure. The two towers will provide roots for 900 trees, as well as plenty of shrubbery and other floral vegetation. Their footprint, when flattened, is equal to 10,000 square meters of forest. Bosco Verticale provides a plan to make reforestation possible within the confines of a developed city.…”
(The above is a rendering, but the project is well underway.)
https://thecreatorsproject.com/blog/the-worlds-first-vertical-forest-is-growing-sky-high
I’m at Ritual Roasters on Valencia Street. I used to totally love the place, great baristas (creme, crema), great baked goods, sunny side of street Mission district location, rockin’ wi-fi (no password required, why don’t more places do this I mean, c’mon…). Then it got redesigned, I didn’t like as well, but this morning it seems in another incarnation. Four elegant (all tall) counter people, every one of them with something going. Creamy creme-y latte, flaky almond croissant, AND this great music, sounded like a real hot singer doing an Elvis cover, say like Lyle Lovett doing “Stand By Your Man.” No, I was told, this was early Elvis. It’s really pure. I just ordered a CD of “Elvis at Sun”, and what looks to be a great compilation of DVD footage and CDs: https://www.amazon.com/Presley-Elvis-At-Sun-Records/dp/B003D4D2QO/ref=sr_1_1_vod_1_pur?ie=UTF8&qid=1321209228&sr=8-1
And took a chance and bought a vinyl lp (AmazonUK) titled “The Sun Years LP – Elvis Presley” for about $22 delivered. No description of it. I’m about to look for a good turntable. I’m glad I didn’t throw out my LPs. Hey, there’s a quality in vinyl beyond what digital can do…duh! One of these days I’m going to write an article about all the ways that people are discovering the good in the old. Finding the right balance…
I love this city!
…There’s a juice stand in one of the busiest parts of the city that is 24 sq. ft. The rent? $30,000 per month…The night after I stayed at the printers’ plant, I couldn’t find a hotel room on the internet to save my soul, other than ones for $400, $600 a night. Trevor, a HK native, has a group of about 100 friends that are connected by an app called Whatsapp, so he put out a message. He got about 10 replies and I found a room…Sign on a bus: “No matter how far you go, remember where you are from.” This could refer not only to geographical, but occupational…Hong Kong is vertical; they have just filled in a big section of the bay down by the convention center for more high-rises…The 3 most expensive cities in the world for real estate and rentals are London, Tokyo, and HK; a 1000 sq. ft. condo here is like $800,000…Food is actually cheap if you eat at local restaurants; just had excellent sushi meal for $15.00; dinner last night (slices of smoked duck in broth with rice noodles for breakfast, was $7…weather in summer here is hot and humid, but unlike Rome (“Dog Days”), the city stays as crowded as ever…Streets are actually pretty clean, although there are sewer smells; the city is growing too fast…There are tons of shoe stores; been wearing my Sanuk surfer shoes the entire trip…What they call “hot coffee,” or HK coffee is strong dark coffee with canned milk, v. good…Yesterday I had soup with noodles and slices of abalone…I’ve got the subway figured out; you buy a card that you swipe upon entering — when you exit, you swipe again and it knows how far you’ve gone and deducts appropriate amount; subway system is brilliant: clean, trains run frequently (every minute at rush hours), are clean, air conditioned. I got so I felt pretty clever making my way around…Had glass of iced coconut juice yesterday while roaming…
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This temple or whatever has been here (West Cliff Drive neighborhood) for at least 60 years.
