San Francisco, city of contrast
San Francisco’s downtown in the shadow of Crissy Field.
The beauty of contrast.
What a difference a block makes – San Francisco is small in geographic footprint, but large in range of experiences. You can walk from an oceanside city park to a multi-million dollar mansion to a gritty sports bar in a matter of minutes. It also means our rough edges – that everyone loves to talk about and every city has – are easier to encounter, our problems aren’t hidden away where no one has to look at them.
I love the juxtaposition – it feels like you’re experiencing very real yet magical life at every moment.
The grungy beer bars of Lower Haight are a mere four blocks (and a wee hill) from the craft cocktails and artisan coffee of Hayes Valley – and you can wear the same outfit to both. We drink during the day. You have to walk past three coffee shops to get to the one with the perfect blend (they’re all uphill, everything is uphill). You also have to walk past the grime to get to the beauty sometimes, and it’s always worth it. It’s a city of options and contrast, yet every inch is welcoming, no matter who you are or what you’re looking for.
And everything has an epic view. I take photos from my doctor’s office window or the 45 bus as it goes over the hill at Jones Street or the wine bar with the good pours where the cable car goes by and from every single sunrise run that I do. It never stops being awesome, and it’s everywhere. It’s a city full of accidental and unplanned greatness.
That’s why I love to wander. You never know what the next hill will bring. Spoiler: another hill.
And it’s easy to wander in San Francisco. It’s never too hot to walk forever, and the wind you might encounter is easily solved with the ever-present layer. You need one outfit in SF – lightweight pants, closed-toe shoes, short-sleeve shirt, vest or light sweater, jacket. Easiest adventure you’ll ever pack for. San Francisco is very much come-as-you-are, and always a reasonable temperature. Wear a tutu or blazer, no one cares.
When mainstream media talks about San Francisco, they talk about Union Square and homelessness, but that’s not my San Francisco. My San Francisco is taking your jacket on and off as you pop out of a Presidio trail into the Inner Richmond to have friendly people serve you really good food. It’s exploring until you need a break and duck into the lounge that has existed on that corner for 50 years, and the same woman is still tending bar. It’s the people you meet and the places you notice while you just explore. That’s what everyone should get to see.