San Francisco

Clang, clang, clang went the trolley. Ding, ding, ding went the bell. From our perch at the top of Nob hill those are the most consistent sounds emanating from San Francisco. That and the loud sirens that Joop has timed to be hourly. It is a busy city. The most densely populated after New York. You don’t think that because from our perch you can see ocean on several sides and the buildings don’t seem too imposing because a lot of them are old and their ornateness seems to preclude lots of inhabitants, they simply seem to exist by themselves, as if they too are inhabitants and personalities.
There is only going to be this one blog from San Francisco. I seem to have taken too much time to adapt to be able to write. At first it was musing on the whole urban experience. That is almost too much to dissect and write about. It is just there. You don’t realize how it affects you until you are out of it. The guy that sold Joop shoes from Macy’s had just moved back here from Seattle. I asked him how he finds the two cities. He said that San Francisco is an adjustment because it is so urban. I was shocked by that. In a way Seattle seemed more urban to me.
The Fairmont we are staying in is the first Fairmont – the eponymous Fairmont. Built by a Fair on the mount in San Fran. How do you like that? As it goes, it is not the caliber of the others we have stayed at – no coffee makers, no kettles, no little café for takeout coffee. Very bare bones. And the attitude of most of the workers is impatience. Too many tourists tire people out. And if you don’t have to try and they still come it seems to make you irritable. A simple question like how many ounces in your martinis – causes quite the kerfuffle. It ranges from just raised eyebrows to complete insouciance – how could they possibly know they simply free pour – as if to quantify one waitress added “for 12 seconds” as if that was a measure. No body really seems to care. Don’t even get Joop started on his experience trying to get me a takeout Americano. We have had to move 3 times within the hotel. The first time because the window was blocked by a cement balustrade. I felt we would end up like the polar bears at the Calgary zoo – pacing with an obsessiveness that is barely touched by SSRIs. It is difficult to function if you can’t see out for a week. The second suite was nice but paper thin walls. We were privy to too much information about all the neighboring inhabitants. This last suite is in the newer (1960’s) tower on the 17th floor and afforded us a beautiful view of presidential hopeful Rudi Gulliani as he entertained at the $5300 per night penthouse. There is not a lack of renters for this suite – every night a party with strobe lights etc. Lots of corporate Christmas parties I imagine. But all in all I have like the hotel. It has a lovely ornate lobby and I like the perch in the city. To go anywhere is a massive hike down and then back up. The steepness the likes we wouldn’t see at home because any ice and it would be over – completely over. As Joop likes to say at night the paratroopers(tourists) descend from their point on Nob hill and fan out over the city to all of the restaurants. It does feel like that. I imagined all of their parachutes strings webbing the streets in streams.
We have taken in a couple of museums. (musea?) The first was the modern art. Quite the ruse. A fan oscillating on a cord above your head as you enter, followed by this photographer from Vancouver who was almost convincing as he expounded on his method in a video. Apparently he is a photographer who walks the city in search of beautiful images without a camera. He then photographs it in his mind and then maybe years later recreates the image with actors, sets etc. And apparently the poignancy of the initial moment is even more intensified by this method. Enough to garner tons of notoriety, money etc. An interesting Danish artist with a frozen car. We went to the fine arts museum today. A huge walk followed by a long bus ride and then another huge walk. Unbelievable paintings. I nearly collapsed with toe pain on the way home. I am becoming exhausted from all of this walking around SF. What if I didn’t have a car? Life is so much more difficult. Your whole life would be spent finding shoes that don’t hurt. Not that my life isn’t already spent that way but the imperative is so much greater when you have to descend death defying slopes. We are attending our favorite restaurant tonight as a farewell dinner. The type that makes foam out of flavors etc. Joop is quite insistent that we go to this restaurant one more time. Frankly I am surprised. I thought it would be something that I would demand not him. I am sad that I have not bought anything uniquely SF. In truth we have not shopped much. I have wept in the Britex fabric store. The same store in which the metrosex satchel got wild acclaim. How many other fabric stores have a list of famous patrons I wonder? I thought how unjust that a fabric lover such as myself is denied exposure to such beautiful fabrics and accoutrements. I hustled up the four flights of stairs holding my two huge Old Navy bags in my hand and bought the four pieces of fabric that I had been coveting. Dripping with sweat, the whole transaction took 10 minutes, enough time for Joop to frequent the Macy’s mens store again. I think the saleswomen at the fabric store were a bit in awe with my speed and decisiveness. The things that I wanted to buy are actually quite stupid – a metal post card holder that is too long for my suitcase, a 10” LCD tv in the shape of a race car. What has come over me? My only purchases of significance for me have been two red coats from Sausalito.
We rented a car one day, a tremendous respite from all of the walking. We drove to a beach – Stinton just north of Sausalito. It was so relaxing being away from the city. It made me realize the insidious stress you are under and don’t realize it until you are away. We happened upon a dear little costal town Bolinas. It is the only old car graveyard in California. What I mean is that for the first time we saw cars that were older than 5 years. It does make you wonder where all the wealth comes from.
I will be sad to leave. While we were here the sky was bright blue everyday and the temp was around 13. It was lovely. Despite my complaints I loved the freedom to walk and my lungs were very clear here. I think because there is no molding deciduous leaves. For me mold is a big allergen, bigger I guess than urban pollution. Who would have thought. Now back to Christmas preps. I hope I get in the spirit soon. I am excited to see my boy and all of the animals.