Union Square


I did some major damage in Union Square two days ago. It’s a little too close for comfort, or, at least the comfort of my wallet. Some positive job hunting news came down the line and thus that opened the penned up flood of consumerism. Oh, how I want to mix up a few more metaphors to express the feeling of denying oneself little baubles.

I now identify with the people of Union Square, Ladies Who Lunch, Foriegners who have the exchanges on their side, and local joes working at the mall. I tempted fate that first day (Tues?) by having a hot dog, madly eating it for a block, then suffering for hours afterward, from who knows what, probably eating fast and walking. My feet were super sore from all the slow walking, and loopey routes from one store to the next. Summer and shopping are kind of at odds since all the stores want to sell you stuff, but you are wearing only tshirts and jeans. Luckily it’s almost back to school so sweaters and jeans are happening, and that’s my outfit.

I should talk more about the beauty of the buildings, how this is a pretty city, how on my walk I met lots of cute characters, but in reality it was all about me, and my apartment, and getting a new wardrobe. There were funny decisions you make, like “no i’m not going to buy this 300$ Puma sports jacket” and yet drop $350 (gulp) on a sheet set.

Found a great cafe downtown, on a research project that started when a friend showed me Ritual Coffee Roasters and dared me to find a better one. Ritual has free wireless and big library desks (as well as teeming with dot-com scenesters). So this is Golden Gate Perk, not related to Friends, or to Golden Gate Park or the Bridge, both of which are about 2 miles away. Good location: on Bush at Kearny (tick), free wireless (tick), very nice ambiance (tick), including fresh little flowers on the table (awwwww). I had lined up two friends dates that afternoon and evening but after sitting in a cafe drinking soy latte… a soy bomb and puts you to sleep, contrary to the espresso… and had aching feet, I had no energy for a beer. That’s right, no energy to sit in a bar and have a beer. Amazing.

I went back to the scene of the crime today. Got on the 30 Stockton, rode it (so dangerous and quick!) through Chinatown and through the Stockton Bridge, right to Union Square. I ascended one of those “houses of pain”- old buildings that have all therapists and dentists, and was obliged out of a meeting because of some insurance brou-haha. Then, random meandering to gym. The day was glorious, sunny, and with no rush or places to be everyone seemed on summer vacation. Walked up Market street to Yerba Buena park, where Swiss musicians were playing these very long instruments, and yodelling, oh, and playing the chromatic accordian, what a super amazing instrument.(finaly found it, the alphorn, the national instrument of Switzerland! Thanks Jamie for the help researching.) The ride home was uneventful except for that similar kind of relief walkign home around 5pm, down Columbus. I thought of getting dim sum in Chinatown but didn’t think of this until after I left the good neighborhood (on Stockton right after the tunnel). Then, thought of a cafe at Cafe Roma but realized I was dithering on what to order, so passed it up. Bought some amazing lychees, though, in Chinatown and they are in perfect condition right now. cost: 30 cents for 4! So the good news, SF can be done under 20$ (as in Rachel Ray):
breakfast: at home
lunch: “small” pad thai at rincon court and diet coke, $5.15. I say small because it was huge.
snack: grapefruit soda, 1$
movie: 8$
snack: 30cents
dinner: home.
OK, if you rule out the evening costs (ahem) then it’s always cheap. But there’s a point somewhere, that I lost… right, $14.45, and if I had splurged on dim sum that would have gone up a whole two dollars!