The young and the restless

"I think San Francisco is the best place in the world for an easy life." -Imogen Cunningham


For as long as I can remember, I never imagined myself living in one place. I have always loved to travel, and being a woman on the go seemed like the perfect option. As much as I adore my parents, I never saw myself growing in Oklahoma, and I certainly never thought about calling one place home. That is, until, I fell in love with San Francisco.

The first time I traveled to the city was with my mom for my 20th birthday. Immediately, I knew this was a place I was capable of spending the rest of my life. My dad used to joke that every place I traveled to was my new favorite city, and a place I saw myself living. Of course, he was right, but something about San Francisco stuck with me.

I have been in the city almost a week now, and I have to say, the people and the places constantly amaze me. I have this innate fascination for everything the city has to offer. I wake up every day wondering what I will see next, and who I will meet along the way.

In my quest for something different, I am trying to give myself a new perspective. I have stopped planning... Well, I've stopped planning the way I normally would. I give myself an area I would like to explore, and I set out to do just that.

Today, I successfully conquered the public transportation system in my venture to find something out of the ordinary. I'm not talking about riding the Cable Cars; anyone can figure that one out. No; I am talking about riding the bus. I hopped on the #38 bus at the cross streets of Geary and Taylor, and I rode it about 15 blocks to Steiner. Since I've never lived a city like this, and the public transportation system is virtually nonexistent in my home state, I wasn't sure how it would go. Luckily, I have the ability to effectively read a map, so I felt fairly confident I could handle it. When I got off the bus, I walked 7 blocks south, where I found myself at the corner of Alamo Square.

Alamo Square sits on top of a hill, giving people one of the best views in the city. Although tourists usually come through the area to see the houses of the "Painted Ladies," (also known as Postcard Row), the park is mostly filled with locals who come to walk their dogs or eat lunch. Since the park is on the west of town, it is not nearly as crowded as Washington Square in North Beach (Little Italy). Crowded or not, Alamo Square is one of my favorite places to be.

After sitting in the park for a while, the wind got the best of me, so I decided to move downhill as I made my way toward the Haight district. The Haight area is best known as the epicenter of hippie culture, the most famous youth movement in history. In the 60s, people could walk down the streets and run into people like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, or the band Grateful Dead.

To this day, the area is full of young, creative people "fused together by a shared pursuit- re-imagining what society could be. Teenage runaways still gravitate to Haight Street looking for peace, love, and understanding (TimeOut San Francisco)." Until now, the only time I spent in the Haight area was passing through on a bus during a tour of the city with my mom. Today, surrounded by young artists, musicians, and writers, I felt like I was a part of it. In the area, it is nearly impossible to feel trapped. Today, I felt free. I could breathe, which led me to realize I am accomplishing what I set out to do: find myself. This is the place to be inspired. This is a place where it is safe to dream, without fear of outside judgment.

Although I marveled at the area, my hunger got the best of me, so I stopped to eat lunch at Eddie's Cafe off Divisadero in Lower Haight.

On this cold day, a cup of coffee in a tiny restaurant fit the bill. The place could probably hold 25-30 customers, at best. Eddie's is a place where, like the bar in Cheers, everybody knows your name. Their unofficial mission: to get the customer in, serve them coffee or breakfast (any time of day), and get them out. The employees are efficient, and they genuinely care about their customers. In large cities, it is often hard to find community friendly places, that are in it for the people instead of the money, but Eddie's does just that.

After taking a few minutes to relax, I left Eddie's and made my way to the center of it all: the cross streets of Haight-Ashbury. The livelihood along these blocks comes from stores that sell hand-blown glass, smoking paraphernalia, edgy clothing, and vinyl records. I quickly found the vintage stores I had long heard about: Ambiance, Positively Haight, and Buffalo Exchange, where I bought a colorful scarf and a purple-studded-fur clutch purse for a total of $20.00.

These are not your average Goodwill thrift stores seen in the Midwest. These are the places where celebrity stylists and fashion editors find those pieces we all see in magazines labeled "vintage." These are the pieces we could never get our hands on... the pieces we all long for.

I quickly realized I could spend days in the Haight district, which is why I decided to leave. I had wandered into the area out of curiosity, not realizing I would feel so connected. I was getting caught up in my surroundings, and I was not sure I would be able to get myself back home. After taking a quick look at the map, I got on the #71 bus and rode the 25 blocks or so down Market Street. I saw the famed Orpheum Theater (where I hope to see Wicked sometime before I leave) and many other sights I recognized near the Civic Center and City Hall (where Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe). I exited the bus at Powell and Market Streets (where the Cable Cars turnaround), and I walked the two blocks back to my summer home.

At the end of the day, I realized I hadn't given myself enough credit. Even though I had navigated the streets alone once before (well, technically with my mother in tow, but she couldn't read a map to save her life), I was apprehensive about doing the same on my own. Ultimately, I made it safely to and back from a place where the streets are not labeled on my tourist map... A place I know I will find myself again and again... A place only the young (and the restless tourists) go to breathe, perhaps buy a vintage scarf, and dream.