The Black Sword in the Richmond District

Day 3 in the City of Saint Francis

PART ONE

I'm a solar powered individual.... The Sun comes up and I'm up too. So I drag my sorry carcass outta bed, plug in and charge the mobile devices, and then shower. I check the house.... Steve forgot the hoses. I hate to call him so early in the morning but they gotta be moved for the gardener to mow. Poor Steve sounds so groggy but faithfully answers, begins to profusely apologize and I try to reassure him it's OK. We work it all out that morning and I thank him for taking care of my place again... Here's a secret, Steve's actually a super hero incognito.... Ssshhhh. No telling!

E.F. and company are still asleep so I leave a note and head out for breakfast a couple blocks away at Eddies Breakfast place on Divisidero. E.F. and I eat there plenty of times. Good eats, nice conversation, close, and reasonable prices. You can't lose there. I strike up a conversation with a guy at the counter named Ronnie. It turns out he's a youth counselor for troubled you and we get into the whole education in California topic. I have a great time asking him questions about The City then say good bye and jet on down to the Richmond District to explore on my own.

I catch the 38L line and settle in for the ride. This is one of those accordion buses that makes limited stops. I get out my iPhone and start looking at maps and decide to stop somewhere around 40th Ave. to start my explorations around Geary. It turns out that once you get past 27th on Geary it's mostly residential so I stop at 33rd and start walking down Geary. Around 26th I decide to take a side trip and start walking down Clement street. At first it seems residential but then another street filled with business, restaurants, and shops materializes before my eyes. "Cool. I've never been down this part of the Richmond. My first new discovery." It's a blast walking when I realize two things... 1. I need to write about yesterday and 2. I need to start the blog for today! I settle into this little cafe called Angelos's Cafe. A cup of coffee and a nice table to sit at and I start writing. Life is good.

PART TWO

So I've trekked my way back up Geary to 26th Ave. and the back and legs are telling me to take it easy and sit down again. On the corner is a coffee house so I stop to sit and write. Billy Joel's "Piano Man" is playing on the radio and there's a grand upright piano in the place... Yup, this is a good place to stop. I think it's time to avail myself of those two Aleave tablets so I can keep trekking along.

Walking down Clement was cool and I made it as far as Presidio Park before I decided to S-walk my way up and down Geary again. The walk down this part of the Richmond strikes several chords in my head... First, it seems that the Asian cultures are ubiquitous in San Francisco ( as it should be) but pit hits me in a way that I don't think I've every been conscious of before. As I talked with my friends yesterday and other people I've met today, one of the hallmarks of The City is how diverse the languages and cultures seem to be. It is hitting me as the most intriguing of mixed salads of urban living I've ever been privy to experience.

The second thing that strikes a chord is how distinct the individual areas seem to be. Some have a similar SF flare but the spice of the neighborhood is distinct and unique. I know I don't hear most people talk about this area so that's one of the things that brought me out here today. As I continued the walk, I realized I'd left my good writing pens at home. As luck or chance would have it, I come upon a small stationary and office supply store on Geary called Gables Office Supply. "Hey, what the he'll, this is kismet." and I go in. After a quick stroll and not seeing the good pens, I ask the proprietor and he points them out to me. I grab a couple good Uniball black pens, go to the counter to pay for them, and strike up a friendly conversation with the owner. He asks me where I'm from and I tell him of my exploring of the city's neighborhoods. I get some great info on where to go in the Richmond. Then, as chance would favor it,, he gives me directions to Green Apple Books. Well hello! That's like pointing out a pile of candy to a fat kid. Yeah! After this stop to rest,I'm off to bibliophile heaven.... Later.

So I make my way eventually back to 15th and Clement after walking down both sides of Geary and then I'm off to see the rest of this part of the Richmond. It's too bad that more people don't know more about this part of San Francisco. I'm sure the natives do and perhaps they like the situation like this because it's striking me that this is almost a suburban environ for S.F. Quiet, bedroom like, and probably a fairly nice to have kids. The shops are mostly groceries and a number of different shops but one that struck me was the place that had action figures of Japanese and Hollywood Hero figures.... I know about a hundred 8th grade boys who would go out of their minds there. I actually liked this one of the Kendo fighter since that was one of the martial arts I studied. I make it to Green Apple Books and Music eventually and, yep, I'm in heaven.... So many books is this mindless mantra that keeps playing in my mind over and over. I spend about an hour there until I realize that my back and feet just don't seem to be able to take it any more. I gotta find a place to sit down.

I mozie on down the road and feel very fortunate to find a great Turkish restaurant on Clement and 5th Ave. known as Troya. The waiter is there immediately and I ask if they have Turkish Coffee. He smiles a delightful grin and says yes. I must seem like a kid because I guess the way I asked for it delighted him to give a little chuckle. It is a welcome respite as I finally have some time to rest and write and eat since I suddenly realize that I haven't eaten for hours in any substantial way. I have a lentil soup and a meatball wrap that is just wonderful and now I feel like a human again. Finally I realize it's starting to get damned breezy and figure I better work my way over to Geary again to catch the 38L bus.

I walk to the end of Clement and turn right on Arguello to get to Geary. I start walking down Geary looking for a bus stop for the 38L. I keep walking... and walking... and walking. I'm tired but there's a kind of rhythm I've gotten into. I keep truckin'... Before I know it I'm at Geary and Masonic and then stop to look at the Muni map. Oh Hell! I'm only 3 blocks from Divisidero! I might as well just finish walking back to E.F.'s place. I get back at a quarter to 4 and Dena and Dorothy are home. The exploration for the day is done.