Scotty Tails Madeline
I actually don't think New Yorkers are rude, exactly, so much as that the sheer density of people in the city cause an individual to have to be gruff in order to just get to work on time. I'm used to people being nicer outside of New York, especially when going to New England. Yet the type of "nice" one finds in, say, Maine, is this sort of eerie Stepford reality that just makes me nervous. Deep down, every urbanite feels that a town can't really be that happy unless everybody there is a somehow "off" (which is a cornerstone premise of the horror genre).
People are nicer in San Francisco, but not in that haunted Norman Rockwell conformist manner. As befits its reputation, the city is quite laid back, but there is an earnestness to it that stems from a very different place, as there isn't much in the way of "conformity" here. Yes, there are those who will dress and behave in more conservative manner than others, but the very atmosphere of this place allows for any kind of freak, and seems to breed a sense of personal contentment that you don't find elsewhere (and that can be something of a double-edged sword for much of its population).
It is not difficult to see why so many filmmakers have been inspired to make movies here. There is something rather unreal about the way this city sits upon its terrain; the sheer ingenuity on display for getting a building to sit and be accessible on inclines so steep they can barely be walked without rock-climibing equipment. However, when one reaches a the crest of a hill they are invariably rewarded with a breathtaking view of more of the city, rising and falling before and behind. Every street corner is somehow a reminder of where you are.
The food here has thus far all been quite fantastic, if a bit expensive.
- Things we've done so far:
- San Francisco Giants versus the Colorado Rockies: a pitching match; only three runs were scored the whole game. The game deciding run for the Giants was scored at the top of the eighth inning. The Giants have done decently this season, so there was a lot of excitement and rowdiness in our bleacher seats.
- Golden Gate Park is quite pretty. I particularly enjoyed the Rose Garden, where I can honestly say that I stopped to smell the flowers. Literally.
- I went shopping at the famed Amoeba Records and found one of my holy grails! An LP of John Barry's original score tracks for Walkabout, among with a few other things of some interest. I'm not sure how I'm going to get all of this vinyl (and a few laserdiscs, including the original version of Touch of Evil with Henry Mancini's propulsive main title intact) back across the country, though it has been suggested to me that I mail it to msyelf.
- Haight Street is exactly what you expect it to be. There are the hippie clothing shops, a few hippie/preppie chain stores, tons of smoke shops, great restaurants and bars (if you're ever there, try the house punch at Hobson's Choice). There are people that have been walking around that neighborhood for decades there, and many younger people that just adapt into that culture. There is a greater percentage of the more extreme types here and in Golden Gate Park, and they're something to see.