Hints of San Francisco

From "Desolation Angels" by Kerouac:

It's the bridge that counts, the coming-into-San Francisco on that Oakland-Bay Bridge, over waters which are faintly ruffled by oceangoing Orient ships and ferries, over waters that are like taking you to some other shore, it had always been like that when I lived in Berkeley - after a night of drinking, or two, in the city, bing, the old F-train'd take me barreling across the waters back to that other shore of peace and contentment - We'd (Irwin and I) discuss the Void as we crossed - It's seeing the rooftops of Frisco that makes you excited and believe, the big downtown hulk of buildings, Standard Oil's flying red horse, Montgomery Street highbuildings, Hotel St. Francis, the hills, magic Telegraph with her Coit-top, magic Russian, magic Nob, and magic Mission beyond with the cross of all sorrows I'd seen long ago in a purple sunset with Cody on a little railroad bridge - San Francisco, North Beach, Chinatown, Market Street, the bars, the Bay-Oom, the Bell Hotel, the wine, the alleys, the poorboys, Third Street, poets, painters, Buddhists, bums, junkies, girls, millionaires, MG's, the whole fabulous movie of San Francisco seen from the bus or train on the Bridge coming in, the tug at your heart like New York -
And they're all there, my friends, somewhere in those little toystreets, and when they see me the angel'll smile - That's not so bad - Desolation aint so bad-




Maybe just reading about romantic Frisco puts me in the mindset. It's not that the Apple is any less romantic, just less personal. I miss my close friends. Road trip to the Catskills soon with Scatini. Need a vacation.