A Random Walk down San Francisco
I took a stroll in SF this President’s Day weekend —my first true walk to discover this city. Here’s all that happened,
Walk Down 4th Street
The Caltrain chugged into San Francisco station at ~10.15AM. I haven’t eaten anything since the last night’s dinner so I’m dying to run down 4th Street and sit at the bar at Mel’s Drive-In.
After tagging my Clipper card at the station to pay the fare — I start walking down 4th Street.
Straight off the bat, I start to see some of the sadder aspects of the city — the trash strewn on the streets and the homeless people. Most of them wearing dirt jackets/woollen cloths, munching on a Banana, a Burger King packet thrown away nearby close to their tent. One guy was throwing a tantrum(& his coat) and acting all weird on Bryant St. This was interesting to me because it’s the first time I am seeing this live. I’d only seen this on TV until now. But it was just a trailer for what was to come later(read on below).
Mel’s Drive-In
I have a list of ~30–40 places bookmarked in Google Maps — all popular(& some not so popular gems) restaurants, shops, SF-esque places to explore while in the city. I found out about Mel’s via a subreddit dedicated to SF.
In the few months that I’ve been in this country(mostly in California), the times when I felt I truly was in America were in Diners. This to me is quentessential American experience. I’ve only eaten at Diners about 2–3 times so far(there’s not a lot in the Bay Area — unfortunately).
But I’ve made it a vow to always explore local Diners wherever I go in the US. And I suggest you do the same if you want an “American” experience. Oh, and try to get a seat at the bar — that it makes it more “American”, trust me.
Now for the best part,
YUM YUM YUM!
Hands down the best Fries I’ve ever had. They were crunchy yet soft — fried to perfection. This is how a good fries can give you happiness — when they’re done just right. They also had some coriander leaves(I think) sprinkled on top. That made it visually more WOW! Despite what the menu says, the Burger was a side-dish here. The Coffee is a classic diner drink you must have along with your meal. They give you cream cups if you like a little milk in your coffee.
I made it a point to thank the cook who prepared it, he smiled, the waitress smiled. Everybody was happy.
Walk to Tommy’s Joynt…through Tenderloin
Tommy's, located at Van Ness & Geary - is another historic, classic, SF place to visit. But I didn’t eat anything here. I was so full of Mel's brunch that even the long walk from 4th to Geary didn’t burn all the food away.
But I did observe some small but interesting things along the way. For instance, I noticed steam coming out of a sewage opening in the road. It felt thick on my hands. I later learnt that the temperature difference between the outside cold air and the warmer air in the sewage tunnels underground leads to this steam effect. Even this feels unique to SF now(although I’m sure New York and other cold cities would have this too). Now I cannot imagine an SF street scene without having steam come out of a sewage in some corner!
Yet another thing I saw that attracted me immediately…a quote. “There’s no strangers here, just friends we haven’t met yet”. With a quote like that hanging outside, I had to check out the place. Turns out it was Coles Hardware, a popular hardware store chain in SF. There was nothing useful for me to buy, but I liked the quote. I will remember it 🙂
The walking path from Mel’s to Tommy’s goes via Tenderloin - notorious for its homelessness and crime. I saw lots of poor people with tents, some of them clearly not in their senses, probably under influence just loitering around. There was no real threat or danger to me, these people didn’t mean any harm or violence. But it was surreal to actually see all this.
There was a big line leading to what I think was a volunteer-driven food & water service. Some volunteers were handing out food packets to homeless people who couldn’t afford it. Some of the people were standing nearby, and eating there. The lady at the head of the queue started walking towards the counter when a volunteer had to kindly ask her to wait as her turn hadn't come yet. I walked along…
What do I feel when I see all this homelessness? I feel a sense of wasted potential & talent. I imagine what if one of these homeless people were given the chance to learn a subject(say, physics) and do something in this field. If they work hard enough, they might be teaching at a big college and contributing to the education of many students. Or imagine if one of them would have made a wonderful lawyer. Imagine all the wasted potential we as a society are missing out on.
But then again, I am too small to fully grasp these “ideas”. Maybe this is a zero-sum game, if I have to make it in life and get a good job, somebody else has to lose that job. If some people are living good lives and enjoying good food(& getting to write about it), somebody else must suffer by being poor and homeless. After all, there is limited money in the world, how are you going to ensure everyone gets an equal or honest share? Some people will get more than others, right?
Tommy’s Joynt
Anyways….I made it to Tommy’s. As much as I wanted to go inside and explore it. I was tired from the walking(thanks to the steep streets I had to walk through on the way), but the heavy brunch I had at Mel’s is what made me choose to not eat. Even from the outside its walls have colorful paintings. The spelling of “joynt” is also quirky. The vibe is unique from anything I’ve experienced so far. I’ll definitely come here prepared, on an empty stomach.
The Green Arcade - Bookstore
I decided to go to Mission Dolores. I explored the public transit options on my phone. Then I noticed it’s only a 40-minute walk. Why not!? Let’s walk…I have time to kill afterall.
It’s easy to memorize the walking directions - south along Van Ness until you hit Market. Go along Market until you hit Dolores. Then go along Dolores until you hit the park. Van Ness -> Market -> Dolores. I don’t need to check my phone ever again to be sure along the way.
But I had to stop at The Green Arcade. Some of my favorite pastimes are to waste my time at a bookstore. I like to explore books and get a taste for them. This is what Kindle and other digital devices don’t give you. You can’t get a taste of a book. You have to take it out and read a few pages. The bookstore atmosphere adds to the exploration and “tasting”.
Ironically, I read a book that was Anti-Amazon(at least the few pages I read were). The few pages I randomly read were arguing about how Amazon has taken over the entire book business by playing the role of Publisher + Distributor + Seller + Printer, etc. Nobody else gets a slice of the pie. Many people and small businesses have been thrown out the window in this scenario. It was an honest take. I do enjoy browsing products at a physical retail outlet as opposed to buying from an online app - esp. When it comes to shoes and clothes. I don’t like buying them online even today.
Anyways, after spending almost 40 minutes at the place it was time to resume my journey down to Mission Dolores.
Mission Dolores
LoLI was told that this is where San Francisco’s hippie, vibrant culture comes alive on sunny days in the afternoons. My timing was perfect. It was sunny & clear, and it was afternoon.
The park is huuuge. There are tennis courts in the north, a big flat area for playing or hosting events & outdoor BBQs(I guess), but it was fenced off so I guess it needs to be reserved or something. But then, there’s a huge slope area south of this field that was filled with so many people. Most of them are lying on the floor reading a book or smoking a joint or talking to their friends. The place did have a strong odor. I felt like I was at Woodstock ‘69. Only thing missing was Jimi Hendrix setting his guitar on fire. If there was a music system at the park, it would probably play Stayin Alive by the Bee Gees - I just felt like that was an appropriate song for the vibe I felt when I laid down there for a while.
I remember the group next to me. While I didn’t hear every single word exactly, I remember the girl discussing how she was making more money than her partner and that he might actually get a job with a higher salary than her. They were discussing the irony of “her” being worried about him making more than her. I listened for a while, then I shut my ears to just enjoy the sunlight.
There was a loud engine buzz for a couple of minutes, I kept looking around the park, until I realized the source. A bunch of motorcyclists doing wheelies. Their bike was similar to the Sanchez in Vice City. I just got my M1(motorcycle license in the US), I might try that on a Royal Enfield pretty soon!
I then walked along the path parallel to the tram tracks and I noticed a graffiti sign: “4 inches is long enough”. Whoever wrote this, I hope his girlfriend(& every other girlfriend in the world) realizes this. Oh and by the way, one of the Sanchez motorcyclists actually rode along the track back & forth a couple of times. This truly is a free country!
End of the Journey
I wanted to do a couple of more things there. Tartine Bakery nearby - I’ve heard it has some of the best breads. It was a 2-minute walk from where I was. But I actually came to SF to do some house-hunting. My appointment time at Richmond was nearing. So I chose to catch a bus to Richmond(no more walking), check out the house, talk to the agent and take the next Caltrain back home.
Overall, this was the route I walked. It’s not the longest I’ve done, but it certainly felt tiring due to the steep hills. How the heck did they even build the city on such hills!?
Despite all the observations I wrote about here, there aren’t many pics. I only took three photos - the brunch at Mel’s, the skyline from Dolores Park, and a boyfriend broadcasting a personal message to his girlfriend. This was deliberate. I’d rather keep those observations in my memory and enjoy the moment. Only in moments that took me by surprise would I get my phone out. I’m glad I did that.
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