San Francisco - our street

Pocket park next block down

A few years ago I got on a train to I didn’t know where in San Francisco. When I got off at I still didn’t know where I started walking with a man I met at the train stop along an amazing street with wide sidewalks, trees, planters, a few pocket parks, and the usual array of 100+ year old Victorian houses and apartments. I was thinking that without a doubt this is one of the coolest streets I’d been on outside of just about every street in Berkeley. Now Leslie and I are sharing an apartment on that very street.

Looking out our window at a
neat little campsite

Sitting in the bay window about eight feet above the sidewalk, watching all the pretty people walking by… young people, old people, young lovers, old lovers, moms and dads, dads and dads, babies, toddlers, big kids, happy people, sad people, people in kilts (I think the guys who wear kilts are into domination), people in glitter, feathers, leather, tattoos, orange blue green purple mohawks, here come old flat-top he come groovin’ up slowly… San Francisco. A homeless man sets up every night outside our window. Very neat, leaves by 8am, never leaves a trace.

David in our apartment

Our place is in the Duboce Triangle, which is more or less part of the Castro. Perfect. We’re three blocks from David and Charles’ house; ½ block from the 37 bus to the Haight, Twin Peaks, Market; ½ block to the N Line (train) to Cole Valley, Ocean Beach, SF State, downtown; 1½ blocks to Duboce Park Café (tables on sidewalk, big open window, dogs, babies); less than 2 blocks to a man named Guy selling flowers on a shady corner four days a week. 

Ceremony for man named Feather who was murdered about
3 blocks from our apartment - Leslie in blue shirt

Street party on David's street 3 blocks from us

We’re a short walk to Thorough Breads (a very good bakery/coffee shop), Safeway, Whole Foods, Aardvark Used Books, the Apothecarium dispensary, Castro Farmers Market (Wednesday afternoons), Peets Coffee, Illy Coffee, Blue Bottle Coffee (What no Starbucks? No prob.), Anna at New Rosenberg’s Market, Castro Street, Warner Plaza (if you want to see a few older naked guys); ten minute walk to library; three blocks from (Lower) Haight; catch the 22 to The Mission; 24 to Noe Valley (sign on Noe Valley store – “Mention babies or puppies for 10% discount”); 37 to Haight and Twin Peaks; someone named Happymonk posting poems on utility poles; I mean it just goes on and on and on.