The City by the Bay

Well I have been living and working in arguably the best city in the world for about 2 months now. Think I am a bit overdue for a recap. It has been an action packed 2 months: from crazy weekend nights and day parties, to free concerts in the park and a world series championship.

Working Life

Working up here has been great. We have an exceptional office location and I am just a 20-30 minute 3 mile bus ride away. I have always loved public transport and not having a car has yet to be an issue for me.

The SF Muni bus system has been stellar. Thanks to NextBus I have pretty much never missed a bus. I am definitely a back-of-the-bus sort of guy. I like the transport, and the certain encounters the bus offers, but other than that, I try to tune everything else out. The kids talking, the array of languages, the shuffling of newspapers. I can assure you my iPod is on and rockin loud. One of my biggest annoyances is when you get stuck with an aisle seat on a full bus. You are then smothered with people around you, occassionally getting their ass or crotch level with your head, not the most ideal of situations. However, when the bus is at capacity, seeing the faces of people at the bus stops as the bus goes by is priceless. I've always been a big people watcher, and with my iPod blaring, I'm all eyes and no ears. I constantly see women who lack time management putting their makeup on before work. Must require some skill because I haven't had too many smooth drivers, pretty sudden stop-and-go in my opinion. On almost any ride, either before or after work (not counting the homeless and drug dealers) 85% of people on the bus are consumed with their smartphones. Then there are those people that read books on the bus, the worst is when they are standing up and reading. As the bus passes thru Chinatown, it is almost like a New Years celebration as a sea of red plastic bags fill the seats. Can't say I blame them, I scope out the prices thru the bus window and I must say they are quite competitive.

Life outside the Cubicle

Not gonna lie, work nights are rough. By the time I get home and eat dinner, I am pretty shot. When the weather was warm and there was still daylight, I was pretty active after work. Recently in the rain and the new daylight savings, I find myself lacking major motivation. That is why when the weekends come around, it is time to shine. The weekends have been full of "back in college" days. Meeting up with old friends and having a great day/night of drinking. The scene, as I previously knew, is one of the best. Young, working/unemployed folk all looking to have a good time. Attractive looking crowd out there for sure. I think the local Safeway is a testament to that, named one of the best pick up spots in the Bay Area.

Anyhow, upcoming plans are to explore parts of this city I have never explored. It is so large, and with my unlimited bus ride pass, the possibilities are endless. I need to develop a game plan and purchase a new camera, but this will be achieved sooner than later. There is a reason why this city is one of the world's most heavily visited tourist destinations.

Big Events

The past two month will most likely rank as the best 2 months of the year for San Francisco. With the end of summer festivities and the Giants winning the World Series for the first time in San Francisco, it will be a time to remember.

I attended a few free concerts in Golden Gate park. The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival and the Power to the Peaceful festival. They may have been free, but the all-star lineups may have justified a 40-80 dollar ticket fee. But I think a free day out in the park is what makes it half the fun, in the addition to the BYOB.

Fleet Week was about a month ago, and for me, it is my favorite weekend of the year in the city. Hearin the Blue Angels roar by gets the adrenaline pumping. Coupled with beautiful weather and day drinking on top of apartment roofs, I don't believe there is a better combination.

The baseball season has finally came to an end, but the last 2 months seemed to always have something to do with the Giants. It may seem like a blur now, but the end of the regular season and the entire playoff series was an experience never to forget. Not being able to afford playoff tickets, I was lucky I worked so close to the ballpark. I was still able to feel the the energy and excitement of this special season. It was an expensive post season due to the my increase in bar attendance, but it was all worth it. I will never forget the times spent at Pedro's Cantina across from the park cheering on the Giants, or watching them win the series at City Hall. I will never forget the after party in the streets with champagne or the victory parade. Thank you Giants, that was an entertaining ride.

The city was full of Black and Orange and I was loving it. One of the nearby landmarks, Coit Tower, was lit up in special playoff colors in support for the home team.

Coming Up

- Troy Smith leads the San Francisco 49ers to the playoffs