The Best Part of Sanf Francisco is…

This is a special even in San Francisco called, “Tuesday.”

San Francisco, is one of my favorite cities to visit. Whether you like it or not, you can’t deny it is at least interesting. This news clip kind of sums it up: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2012/11/06/dnt-ca-proposed-nudist-ban.kgo.

Basically the city is fighting a group of people who feel it is their inalienable right to hang out naked, in the middle of the day, in the middle of a popular lunching spot. (Ironically the city supervisor who is trying to ban the public nudity is named Scott Weiner. I do apologize for being a four-year old at heart but I had to point that out.) Now in any other city, maybe you could debate with the cops as they haul you away, but I am not sure that it would get you anywhere. In San Francisco though, it’s actually brought before city council for civic discourse. What’s even more amazing about it, is that the city is not even trying to ban nudity all the time. It’s still okay at parades and special events, they just don’t want everybody naked all the time.

I do have to admit that on at least one  visit to San Fran, (I think I was witnessing the critical mass bike ride at the time), I was privy to seeing a naked man freely roaming the streets. It was a little bit of a shock, but to be fair, he had a lot to be proud of (he was riding a unicycle and a pogostick at the same time, if you know what I mean). If I was sporting his equipment, I too would probably lobby for nudity all the time as well. If you are going to San Francisco, you can’t be shocked about seeing a naked person. You just have to be mentally prepared. There is about a 60 percent chance that you are going to see a naked person on your visit. There is about a 90 percent chance that naked person will be a fat old guy. Just accept it and enjoy some scan’t beourdough bread, sea lions and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Now this blog is technically supposed to be about airports. air travel etc., so I have to tie it in somehow. In a city that so staunchly defends freedom of expression, you would expect a certain aesthetically pleasing, artfulness about it and you would be right. From the visual displays of modern art and architecture, to the quant turn of the century row houses, the literary history, to the many excellent cuisines, craftbrews and cafe’s, the city is very pleasing to the senses. It is a place where you can be carried to the heavens in sensual bliss (only to be brought back by an aggressive homeless person and the smell of garbage.)

I will spend a good hour riding the walkway back and forth, feeling bad for all of those suckers who have to be somewhere.” Really? Quit the rat race! This is the “where” you need to “be!”

The San Francisco Airport is an extension of the city itself. You have delicious restaurants, art on display, book stores, cafes, and craft beers all without the homeless people, garbage, and Giants fans (there may be some, but not in concentrated numbers). So really the airport is better than the city. Don’t even go to the city, just visit the airport. I have to hang out in a lot of airports and if I had to pick one, San Francisco would be high on my list. Oh they also have free wi-fi. So instead of having to ride the BART and “see” Chinatown, you can just sit in the comfort of the airport and Google images.

There are so many great things about the San Fran airport that I will probably have to do three more posts on it. Before I finish this post I must reveal the very best part of visiting the SFO airport (and maybe San Francisco in general; Alcatraz included): The bouncy walkways. In the airport they have bouncy moving walkways that feel like you are walking on a trampoline. People stop on them and you don’t even blame them. Grown men in business suits bob up and down and exclaim, “They bounce!” Then giggle to themselves, during presentations later in the day. When their CEO’s ask, “What’s so funny?” The simply say they were in the SFO airport and the CEO jumps up in excitement, “The bouncy walkways? Aren’t they fantastic? Why don’t we pave the world in bouncy walkways? For free!”

So there it is, the best part of San Francisco is the airport, and the best part of the airport is the bouncy walkways. Oh and there are no naked guys hanging out inside security. Mostly no naked guys. You can’t blame an occasional pilot, who has had to spend three hours in an airport bouncing on walkways for fun, for spicing things up.

Have you been to San Francisco? Are you from there? What are some of your favorite things about it? What are some of your least favorite? I want to know!