I have officially been in San Francisco long enough to have visitors! I have been entrusted with the role of showing people around my new backyard. I have evolved from tourist to tour guide.
My dear friend Emily came to visit and stayed with me for two weeks. During Emily's two week stay our wonderful mutual friend, Reese, came to stay for five days as well. It was so nice to have the company of good friends.
Among the must see attractions of San Francisco, we went to local farmer's markets, The Golden Gate Bridge, The Fisherman's Wharf, The Pier, Ghirardelli Square, Chinatown, downtown, all the neighborhoods and districts, parks, the beach, hiking at Mount Diablo and the Marin Headlands, nightlife, restaurants, and most memorable was our participation in San Francisco's 99th annual Bay to Breakers.
Bay to Breakers is a 12k race through the city as well as giant street parade of public intoxication, and costumed chaos of over 60,000 participants. The name Bay to Breakers comes from the fact that the race begins downtown adjacent to the San Francisco Bay and cuts westward through the city to the finish line at the Great Highway, adjacent to the Pacific where the "breakers" crash onto the beach.
The footrace starts early in the morning with registered participants that run for time and competition. Later the unregistered participants join the festivities in vulgar, extreme, and hilarious creative costumes, and some without, as the race is known for its many nude participants. Major city streets are shut down to allow the streaming crowd of city dwellers to mill through, wreaking havoc upon the town. It was one giant hanging cannabis cloud. Bay to Breakers makes Mardi Gras look like the Mickey Mouse Club.
People start drinking early in the morning and are soon rowdy, rapt, and trekking through San Francisco's streets with bottles of liquor in hand, pushing shopping carts full of beer, floats decorated extravagantly, and of course hauling kegs and sound systems blaring music. Reese, Emily and myself were dressed as "3 blind mice" and joined a group of my friends as we took to the streets at 9am with bottles of Vodka, Whisky, Champagne, and beer. We were drunk by 10am and hungover at 3pm. We marched the streets pointing out all of the madness, taking pictures with the wild costumes, laughing, and through out the event had a series of meeting up with friends and separating through the dense crowd.
It was incredible to share my first Bay to Breakers experience with two of my best friends, and of course the 59,997 others! I cant wait for next year's Bay to Breakers and the many other events that San Francisco is known for! Next month's event on my list: the two day long Gay Pride Parade!
