For me, there is something magical about San Francisco! Every since I was a child and our parents would take my two brothers and me into the “The City”, I would feel a wonderful vibration start to flow through my body. When you are from Northern California like I am, you call San Francisco “The City” and everyone knows which city you mean. When you are from anywhere else, you don’t seem to have the same reverence for her as we locals do and call this wonderful lady things like “Frisco” or “San Fran”. We beg of you, please don’t! If San Francisco is too much of a mouthful, she would love to be called “The City”. It was more than excitement that came over me as we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, it was like the feeling you get when you are going to see a favorite aunt or friend you have not seen for a very long time; someone you love and always feel good around. That’s “The City” to me!
The electric feeling may come from the layers of good times I have had since childhood. Beginning with the trips to Golden Gate Park’s museums, amazing flower gardens, lakes, picnic groves, and trails or the Japanese Tea Garden with their tall bridges and Zen-like gardens but most of all the jasmine tea and almond cookies. Later, in my high school years, I would go into the city for dance lessons and with my voice teacher Peggy to the San Francisco Opera House. I remember standing (SRO) through my first opera, Tristan and Isolde, a rather heavy German opera compared to the light, playful arias of Italian composer Puccini. But it was grand and I was mesmerized!
Now my husband and I enjoy going to San Francisco right before Christmas each year and the city has taken on an adult kind of magic for me; all bejeweled in twinkly white lights, with the perfect amount of chill in the air, shopping and best of all, eating. Eating my way through San Francisco is one of my favorite things! Restaurants that are old friends like Sears Fine Foods for breakfast since 1938 (love their hash browns!), Tadich Grill since 1849 (for the best Ciopinno, with bib, and sour dough bread!) and The Buena Vista since 1916 (for the world famous Irish Coffee!) and restaurants that are new friends, a few “new to us” ones each trip too. I am in foodie heaven when I am in San Francisco!
We tried to capture a bit of the magic, like bottling it up so we can take it out and savor it again later, in a video my husband David compiled from his videos and my pictures. I hope you can feel some of the excitement that is San Francisco and one day treat yourself to this stunning city by the bay. I certainly leave a little of my heart in San Francisco each time but it is always there waiting for me when I return.
