More Cali, more excuses

I must admit I've been lax in updating because I place all this pressure on myself to be pithy and funny and include links-o-plenty, but I'm still not savvy enough with the HTML for linkage to be second-nature, so I have to think a whole lot when i put in links and then I talk myself out of posting at all. There, I confessed. I'm an HTML dolt. Mock me. Now that's done, more Cali-time: On Monday afternoon, we went on something of a wild goose chase, exploring the Castro and the Mission District. I think I had it in my head that these 'hoods would be like in NYC or Paris, where you can just wander around and window shop and soak up the vibe. In the Castro, you kinda can. But I was following a walking tour in our guidebook that sorely under-reperesented distances (not to mention the interesting sight-to-long-ass-trek-to-see-it ratio). The Mission is pretty sprawling and, in places, not so safe. We ended up walking (and walking...and walking...) on a too-long trek to find Balmy Alley. It's a nearly hidden alley way that's just covered in murals, most of them done by female artists. While lots of places in the neighborhood boast cool murals, Balmy Alley is particularly neat, as it's unexpected beauty, just right there on somebody's garage and back fence. It feels joyful and spontaneous and heartfelt. Later, we heard on the news that this part of San Fran is embroiled in a really awful gang battle and we sashayed right through the middle of the worst of it. Um, oops. After that long trek, we trudged for lots of blocks (no cabs to be found in this part of town) to find Blowfish Sushi, with its blessed, blessed air conditioning, delicious sushi and groovy manga-laden decor. Sometimes, it's the littlest things that make such a difference.