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SUNNY
FUNNY SAN FRANCISCO AND BEYOND (Pg.1)
Flower power may have faded, but the free spirit of "The City
at the end of the rainbow" lives on says Annette Jeffrey,
as she gives us just a few reasons to go west…
Shopping...
Whatever
your hearts' desire, SF probably has it in stock. From chic
malls bursting with designer tags, to eccentric speciality
outlets selling the unthinkable, it's all here. For a truly
Californian free-thinking free-spending experience try the
Haight-Ashbury and Mission neighbourhoods. The Summer of Luurve
began in Haight, and despite the odd professional hippie,
it's genuinely open hearted and creative place. Loads of superb
artwork, unusual jewelry and clothing and the best tie-dye
merchandise on the globe.
Talented
"body artists" will cheerfully transform you into a psychedelic
tiger, a tree, or whatever the Inner You fancies. (Potentially
liberating and very sensual.)
The
Mission has amazing second hand (thrift) stores: treasure
chests of books, music classic American togs, and infinite
oddities that you just have to have! Mellow vendors throw
in thought provoking conversations as you browse, so allow
plenty of time…
The
Food...
With
almost three and a half thousand eateries to choose from,
SF is a foodie heaven. Alongside joints that serve scran to
wacky to classify (this is California at its best…) there
are excellent veggie and vegan restaurants purveying imaginative
organic and macrobiotic fare. Californian Cuisine is the ultimate
philosophy food, intense in nutrition, flavour and positive
energy. Being the state of "the fruit and nuts…" (ha ha) California's
finest fast food comes in the form of delicious fresh produce.
Pistachios, almonds, and fat juicy orchard fruits are great
snacks to go. For me though, SF's best dishes come from the
bay, and I'd ditch the Wharf's chic brasseries for a seafood
shack on the sidewalk-rich steaming clam chowder served in
a sourdough bread bowl, a dish of oysters on ice, or an overflowing
tray of juicy shrimp smothered in fresh spicy tomato sauce.
Cheap,
wholesome, feel-good food to enjoy while you look out to sea.
The
Nightlife...
Live
music is a huge deal here. Rock, R&b, jazz, soul Latin American
dance music etc etc, blasts out of scores of venues across
the city. Even the smallest café usually has a Performers'
Corner. There is no shortage of clubs either, although they
may be more laid back than you'd expect. Sample a few of them
with the $34 Three Babes & a Bus Tour. For a more intimate
ambience, there are atmospheric bars and cafes in every neighbourhood,
one to match your every mood.
The
world famous SF gay scene is still very much alive and thriving,
stoically riding out the shattereing blow dealt it by AIDS.
Many gay spots welcome hetero couples, with acceptance being
the key to a very friendly set up.
Culture....
The
place is dripping with it. You're never far away from some
sort of performing art, and boundaries and preconceptions
are soon swept away. Experimental dance and theatre are endemic,
and world-class exhibitions, shows, orchestras, ballet and
opera are permanent residents. SF's own intrinsic culture
is irrepressibly celebratory, and so a thousand festivals
were born…June is Gay Festival month, and Halloween, the Summer
Solstice, and New Year predictably excessive affairs. Actually,
most weeks SF gives everyone some obscure reason to party
e.g. The Festival of The Stars/Moon/The Stiletto/The Aubergine.
Get the picture?
If
the pace of city life begins to take its toll, there are many
various escape routes…
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