I have been to San Francisco twice now since arriving here. The first time I went I was sent on a mission to get specialty make up for a final project my daughter is doing (she is a student at California College of the Arts). The BART system, the metro system for The Bay area, is ridiculously easy to use, so I did not get lost but it seemed to me that the store was closed up when I got there. And then I could feel my blood sugar dropping, so I decided I had better get something to eat and then deal with the makeup store.
I started wandering. This was on 13th St., on the edge of The Mission, and a rather sad part of town. Also apparently an area where no one eats I decided as I walked block after block with no sign of food in sight. I headed for an enormous golden dome that was visible behind some high rises, and within a few blocks came upon a gorgeous building with a sweeping promenade. Seeming as large as the building itself was the most enormous brass sculpture of some kind of Hindi deity with eight arms in the center of the plaza. Incredible! What was this doing in front of what I now know to be the City Hall of San Fancisco? More on that later. Back to my rapidly dropping blood sugar, as there is a good travel tip hidden in this story.
I looked around a bit desperately at the imposing buildings, seeing not one scrap of food. It seems civil servants no longer are allowed to eat lunch. And then I saw the sign for the Asian Art Museum - aha! Travel Tip: if you find yourself in a museum or financial district, look for the largetst museum, and ask if they have a cafe...usually they do. This one did!! Ahhh, that saved me.
Not much more to tell from this story other than what I saw when I caught the commuter bus back to my ridiculously wonderful house sit. Revelation: people in San Francisco line up to catch their buses...in single file! Almost too much to fathom for this traveler who has been pummeled in bus and train lines around the world. Oh, and according to my artist daughter, the brass sculpture is from Sri Lanka, a gift from the Sister City there.
My next trip to SF was more purposeful. I went to find the hub of independent bookstores that cluster on Valencia St., in the heart of the Mission District. From the minute I stepped out of the BART station, I felt the difference: latino music was playing, lots of Spanish spoken, vivid and fresh murals on the walls. A man had his garage door up, and his entire garage was filled with original artwork.
I wandered in bliss up Valencia St. There seemed to be a coffee shop on every corner, and in Borderlands bookstore, I spent an hour perusing Edward Gorey books to my hearts content. The shopkeeper informed me that they did not have any author events through the holidays, because "here in San Francisco people love to do their shopping in independently owned stores", and it was about to get busy with holiday shoppers.
I floated out the door and meandered up the sidewalk, pausing by a shop that seemed so mysterious I almost didn't enter. The walls were forest green, the ceiling deep blue, and one entire wall was old rough lumber that looked like barge board. I have heard that ships used to sail around the Southern tip of Latin America, picking up cargo and passengers seeking riches during the Gold Rush, and ending in San Francisco. The boats were abandoned in the harbor, and broken down to make into houses.
However those rough boards came to cover the 15 ft. high wall, what drew me in was that I really hate to feel intimidated by anything. All I could see in the shop were some men, and a bunch of rusted artifacts. Was this a store? I felt like maybe I shouldn't go in there, like maybe it was a club and I wouldn't know the right hand signals. So of course I went in.
There were old steam radiators made into a table; rusted metal tools; old chairs..honestly I have no idea what they sell in there. But I couldn't care less, because as I stepped in, I heard rambunctious piano music from the back. Sure enough they had a live musician merrily tapping out ragtime, then flowing into some melodious wonder. I sank into a large bamboo throne at the back of the room, and blessed the store that seemed more like a bar without alcohol or cover charges. If you should feel so inclined, go to their website at www.viracochasf.com. And if you figure out what it is they sell, please drop me a line.
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