It was bound to happen sooner or later. A few Friday ago, I was heading off to work, and since I was running late, I decided to drive to work. Big mistake. Trying to find a parking spot in the Castro on a Friday afternoon/early evening is like trying to find that proverbial needle in a haystack. The probability of getting struck by lightning three times in a row is probably bigger.
After driving around for 30 minutes, I finally found a spot on 18th Street, just past Church. To my horror, when I got off work, I couldn't find my car! For a while, I was on denial, thinking that I must've parked somewhere else. Then I got melodramatic, thinking that my car got stolen. The grim reality finally set in; as I looked up, covered up by the trees, a sign read: "Tow-Away Zone: No Parking from 4-6pm".
To make myself feel better, I met up with my usual Chouchou's cohorts Kat and Meghan, and ate and drank my sorrows away; there's nothing better than their freshly baked pies, and if their pies couldn't have made me feel good, I don't know what could have. And let me tell you, that was the tastiest $368 (towing+ticket+taxi) piece of pie I've ever eaten.
As I told them my sad story, we got to talking about how we all have gotten towed and that getting towed is one of those "rites of passage" of being a San Franciscan. This got me thinking: what other experiences are uniquely San Franciscan? You know you have lived in San Francisco when:
You've gotten a parking ticket
Yeah, I know, you can get a ticket anywhere, and not just in San Francisco but I swear, I think the meter enforcers in the city are on top of it like no other. Either that or I'm just extremely unlucky. Once, I parked in a meter and had put enough coins for an hour. When I got back an hour and 5 minutes later, there it was, my little $50 present, stuck in my windshield wiper, and no, it's not a flier for an underground rave. At least, I haven't gotten the "curb ticket" or the "street cleaning ticket" that I know a lot of people have gotten. My friend Jan got ticketed while she was in front of her house.
She tried to contest it, to no avail. Well, I guess that taught her an expensive lesson.
You've spent an afternoon with the homeless, the yuppies, les
artistes, the drug addicts, the octogenarians and the trendsetters, all in one place, and you enjoyed it.
Of course, I'm talking about spending a lazy Saturday afternoon at Dolores Park. You'll see people with their picnic baskets and blankets, paper-bag-covered refreshments in tow and enjoying the sun. And afterwards, walking down to Bi-rite for some delicious ice cream!
You've walked across Golden Gate Bridge
Ah yes, the quintessential symbol of San Francisco, the bridge that launched millions of tourists' sails. As tourist-y as it sounds, the 1.7 mile walk is a refreshing way to experience the "bridge" experience. As an added bonus, you can park on the San Francisco side, walk across and enjoy the San Francisco view from the Marin side, and not have to pay for the toll!
You've spent a whole summer wearing a sweater
My friends Heather and William found this out the hard way last summer. Visitors from Detroit, they had this outrageous idea that California is warm, so they've packed only summer clothing. For the most part, they were correct. Before heading out to San Francisco, they spent a few days in San Diego and LA, and they got to experience what the California Sun feels like. Alas, they didn't have such luck when they got here. They ended up buying overly-priced "San Francisco" hoodies at the airport so that they wouldn't freeze to death.
You've eaten a carne asada burrito at El Farolito's
Our softball team goes here after our games. By far, this is the best Mexican food I've had in the city, and it goes toe-to-toe with San Diego's best. Their meat is pretty good, and the prices are reasonably affordable.
You've participated in Bay-to-Breakers/Castro Block Party/Stern Grove Concerts.
These kinds of events make you realize what a unique city San Francisco is. Bay-to-Breakers is a riotous concoction, a perfect blend of zany and outrageous, and it brings out the creative juices out of its participants. I had a few favorites from last year, including the "red-plastic-cup" group and the purple float with a DJ spinning some pumping dance music. With the "no-alcohol" rule, we'll see how tame this year's B2B will be, though I must say, that in the past, they said they were going to crack down on the au naturelles, but the cracks are still visible. In the summer, coinciding with the PRIDE weekend, Castro has a huge block party capping off the Dykes in Bikes parade on Saturday. All sorts of people come out for this event, and the streets are filled with happy people dancing their hearts out. Also in the summer, Stern Grove in Golden Gate Park hosts free concerts in the weekends. This year, I'm excited to see Roberta Flack and Les Nubians perform.
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