San Francisco - The Minimoon

Looking down from Twin Peaks

When Alex and I moved stateside, I hadn't quite foreseen him showing me around a place in my country that I had never before visited. I had also never imagined that my "honeymoon" would be spent literally in the world's gayest city - oh the irony! At long last reaching our end of the Pacific Coast Highway having passed towering redwoods and magnificent, sun drenched beaches, we arrived at the City by the Bay.

San Francisco was everything I had imagined it to be: a sophisticated, bustling, "east-coast" city plopped in California's majestic scenery. Long streets lined with row houses and mom n'pop stores crawled up and down steep hills, zigzagging through the sometimes non-symetrical landscapes. Huge flower beds, small palm trees, and everything in between were blocks from each other. The chilly air (for summer) smelled so fresh I could not help but think of the thick clouds of "smug" from South Park being carried away in the easterly winds. 

The city's imperial majesty become more evident with every turn winding our way to the scenic overview on Twin Peaks. I could barely contain my excitement to begin our urban exploration. My eyes beamed with endless possibilities; meanwhile, the my arms got rather chilly (I guess Mark Twain was right about summers in San Francisco). Place by place, Alex navigated us to famous landmarks and hidden gems, and everything in between. 

My favorite hidden gem was the nonchalant mural-covered Clarion Alley. Tucked away in the Mission district, the alley is famous (in small circles) for colorful murals depicting everyday life from around the world as well as social/political struggles.

The site-seeing binge continued as we made our way to Alamo Square to relive the opening montage for "Full House." Unfortunately, I never watched the show and frankly Alamo Park wasn't quite what I imagined it would look like. Nonetheless after making several laps around the park trying to find a parking spot big enough for the Cadillac Escalade (tip: San Francisco is not SUV friendly) we at last stood before the famous Seven Painted Ladies. Truthfully, there isn't anything particularly unique about them beside the fact that were painted together and remain an iconic tv backdrop. Their values tell a different story - the last one sold for $3.1 million after being purchased in 1975 for a mere $65,000. That's a good return on investment!

Seven Painted Ladies

We walked through gardens and around ponds while admiring the magnificent columns and domes of the Palace of Fine Art. We were definitely in an upscale area of San Francisco. Along the waterfront were many luxurious mansions - I guessed not a single one was less than $4 million. 

Palace of Fine Art

Drove to Berkley to drop off bags, meet alexs friend, etc. Came back and dropped us off in town. We walked over to Golden Gate park to the Botanical Gardens. The Conservatory of Flowers was closed, but the exterior was dotted with gorgeous flower beds. Zigzagging though the park we visited the national AIDS memorial grove. 

Conservatory of Flowers

That evening we went to a special night time event at the Academy of Science. Tons of young people come (21 and up) to explore the exhibits, socialize, while enjoying delicious specialty cocktails from bars scattered though out the museum. In the center of the museum was an enclosed rainforest with a spiral walkway encapsulating it so people could see the different levels. It was hot as hell in there compared to the rest of building and surely outside). Alexs friend from Beijing Patrick met us there (he had been at our wedding). I was so happy to see him, and for the first time since we moved to the US, felt comfortable that our friendships truly transcended continents and that we would always be able to see someone we knew. 

My favorite feature of the museum was the earthquake simulator. Sorry, no drinks allowed inside (so we went one at a time). a full size house sat on a shaking mechanism as the tour guide explained what would happen. THere would be three earthquake simulations, starting with a mild one and increasing to a 7.8 (estimate of 1906 san fran quake). The tumbling and shaking knocked me off my feet. Secretly, I hoped that I could experience a San Fran earthquake during my visit. Little did I realize that two nights later, my wish would come true. 

Maritime Park and Alcatraz

Took BaRT downtown for lunch the next day, hung off the side of a trolley (a woman gave us two day passes for free) heading to Lombard Street with its eight hairpin turns. I can't imagine how annoyed the residents must get with the ridiculous line to drive down; stairs suited our courteous selves just fine. We continued to walk down to Fisherman's Wharf for some much needed seafood. Maritime Park had several boats on display, from house boats to schooners. By now the wind was howling and boy was it chilly. We quickly left the waterside for warmer corridors. At Pier 39 we ate some snacks, perused the shops, and witnessed a mass of sea lions lazily resting on an abandoned dock. 

Über was quick to pick us up and whisk us over to the Castro - ground zero of the west coast Gay rights movement. I imagined Harvey Milk walking standing on a soap box on the corner rallying his "recruits" as they prepared to march to City Hall. What surprised me most was that Castro appeared no different than any other city neighborhood. Residents went about their daily business - passing in and out of shops, walking dogs, strolling with kids. THe only noticeable difference were all the rainbow flags and more same-sex couples. The point was they were ordinary. Gay rights isn't about receiving special treatment, rather proponents seek acceptance for being just as plain and boring as everyone else. 

Early that evening we met our host at what was hands down the best Chinese restaurant I have ever dined at in America. Nothing like Spicy Sichuan to sweat the chill out of your bones. We returned to the Castro to meet another of Alex's friends at a hip new club. 

Our last day we scooted up to Napa for - you guessed it - Wine Tasting. Vineyard after vineyard was swamped with tourists. The spectacular rollings hills covered by vast lines of grapevines separated by golden colored grasses, breathtaking as they were, were unable to compensate for the over commercialization of the vineyards. The uber posh Darioush Winery (reservation required) was over the top - granted, it was designed to be a replica of Ancient Persia's Persepolis Palace. We foolishly hoped to find some bargain tastings but sadly most were pretty expensive. In the future it would be better to forgo Napa and hit up Sonoma instead. 

The far-less congested scenic route back to San Francisco was blanketed in warm unobstructed sunshine. We raced towards the Headlands State Park to see the Golden Gate Bridge before the sunset, and more importantly, before the natural air conditioning [clouds/fog] moved in. Winding up the the hills looking for a convenient place to park offered sweeping views of the city, bay, and mighty Pacific. Luck was on our side when a spot opened up smack dab in the premier scenic overlook in San Francisco. 

That evening we attended a Miles Electric concert with Etienne Charles at the SFJAZZ Center, considered the first performing arts center exclusively devoted to Jazz music. Eleven musicians on varying instruments jammed the night away across a chaotic smorgasbord of beats and sounds. I wasn't as impressed perhaps as other audience members by these once misfits groomed by jazz legend Miles Davis. Considering the performance sought to reflect Miles' style in the 60s and 80s, I dare say there's a reason it isn't well known! 

With Mr. & Mrs. GAPA

At the end of our mini moon we celebrated by attending a huge gay charity party hosted by Mr. and Mrs. GAPA (Gay Asian Pacific Alliance), the foundation which helps thousands of LGBT Asians in the United States and abroad. Meeting us at the sailor-themed party was a Taiwanese friend from VMI who had recently moved to the bay area. We laughed historically watching old men hitting on young asian guys, their body language screaming "hands-off - I saw him first!" I felt bad for the 'victims' yet in all fairness the didn't seem to mind the attention. 

Gay San Francisco was not what I expected it to be - in a good way. As an east coast native, I figured San Francisco would be a bigger, gayer version of New York City. But there weren't tons of bars and nightclubs. There weren't flamboyant men parading up and down the streets beneath seas of rainbow flags. Instead, I found a city full of ordinary gays whose sole desire was to live their ordinary lives as normal families accepted by and participating in their communities. 

Fatigued from the long day, we happily crawled into bed for a much needed sojourn of uninterrupted sleep - or so we thought. Sunday August 24, 3:20am - I awoke to the violent shaking of the 6.0 quake. My dark desire to experience a San Francisco earthquake was fulfilled; if only I actually believed in coincidences.