San Francisco is My Home

07
Mar

San Francisco IS my home

Author: kris, Category: Seen

Carol Lloyd wrote an interesting column for today’s Surreal Estate, the Chronicle section whose name we all wish we’d thought of first. She wrote about a new book by Richard Florida called Who’s Your City which, according to Lloyd, says that “where you live still largely determines your destiny.”

The two points it makes about our area, from what I gather, are 1) that San Francisco will always be expensive because 2) San Francisco will always be an awesome place to live. (This is due to all kinds of factors: climate, the prevalence of alternative lifestyles, the large concentration of top scientists and creative-types, and so on. Obviously Florida doesn’t read the Chron, or he would know that all these advantages are counteracted by how often we apparently maim our own children. Whoops! Our bad!)

It all reminded me of a quotation from Frances Mayes, who wrote Under the Tuscan Sun and who also happens to be a San Francisco resident when she’s not living it up in Italia. She said “Where you are is who you are. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave.”

I am often struck, as I walk around this weird little wonderland of ours, by how much growing up in the Bay Area has shaped who I am. Because I grew up here, I recycle without thinking about it, I don’t own a television or a car, my social circle includes LGBT people and I know what LGBT stands for (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, if you’re wondering). When I want to play, I go to costume parties or board game nights, or I go to a Mochi Pet show, or I hike around in the mountains and rivers. When I want to work, I apply for jobs at non-profits, or, as now, I work for myself.

Also because I live here, I don’t blink at paying almost $1000 in rent each month, I know almost no black people, and children frighten and annoy me except in small doses.

My only point here is to marvel at how lucky I am, not just to live in a place like this but to be shaped by it. But enough about me. Next week we return to your regularly scheduled weekend roundup, and I may add some other weekly posts as well. (Weekly profiles? Weekly restaurant reviews?)

Also, even though I love it here, it would be cool to pay less rent. I’m just saying.

This image is from here.