Gazing out my window through the fog at the Golden Gate,
she languidly lifts her gray gossamer gown revealing her golden
thighs. It is not difficult to wax poetic about our city and
the many things there are to do and see here.
San Francisco is for me as one poet described, the
living center of my universe.
I have enjoyed my lazy days in North Beach,
still fragrant with its Italian ambiance, the cool blues
clubs on Upper Grant Avenue, ghosts of the beatniks and
the living poets carrying on outside the Trieste cafe
enjoying their Cappuccinos and Spritzers.
Love to see the dapper older Italian gentlemen
holding forth with each other, the tourist families and lovers, poetry
on the sidewalks, Kerouac Alley, people practicing Tai Chi in Washington
Square. Strolling along Grant Ave window-shopping the newest boutiques,
and again feeling grateful that some of my fondly remembered spots from
the past still have miraculously survived. Art Shows, poetry readings, other
cultural events, music in the park and clubs are a few of my favorite things
Nearby is Chinatown. It's narrow streets of discordant
sidewalks accompanied by the pungent odors of the unusual vegetables
in the abundant Chinese markets. Chinatown is full of novelties, lovely
linens, chinese Herbalists and exotic treasures from the Far East.
Near upscale Union St. and Chestnut St. is the majestic
Palace of Fine Arts with its swans and regal brides posing for their photos.
Although I usually avoid Fisherman Wharf, I did enjoy the blues
music at Lou`s on Jefferson St and am consistently mesmerized by the
talented man in the street creating his amazing name-paintings.
There are
many music festivals and happenings on the lush
greens in Golden Gate Park, which is an oasis for nature lovers
with its sublime Japanese Tea Garden, the lacey Conservatory of
Flowers and our truly splendid Strybing Arboretum.
San Francisco has all the museums and cultural attributes
one would expect in a world class city. My favorite Museum is
The Legion of Honor, set like a precious jewel in Lincoln Park.
And walking through Lincoln Park to the trail along the cliffs of
Lands End past the ruins of Sutro Baths is inspiring.
I have
walked this fair city up , up, up its many hills and down
its secret steps and alleyways. I have searched out its treasure
spots for many years and still continue to find more.
The plethora of languages, colors, cultures living together
within forty nine square miles, getting along quite well with each other.
Tolerance, freedom of expression, and gay exuberance mixing and blending
into a tapestry representing inhabitants from every corner of the world.
I relish all the different neighborhoods and there are so many different
ethnic restaurants that you can eat in a different country every night
for many,many days. Some of the countries are no longer on the
worlds maps but their excellent cuisine continues
thanks to the people who have come here.
My San Francisco struggles to remain the gracious and hospitable hostess
she is in spite of all the urban problems she has in common with all cities
in these times. I am grateful everyday I am still able to live here on
the edge of the continent where I first felt the heart of the world.
~ nicole, sfheart.com, (memoirs)
