Dancing in the Streets

I enjoy living in a city. The crowds and expense can get a bit overwhelming at times--especially for someone like myself who grew up in the rural Mid-West--but, the museums, amazing restaurants, boutiques, so on and so forth, win me over.

While I don't like crowds much, I am a huge fan of the unique amalgamation of people in cities. Explorations in San Francisco nearly always result in at least one hilarious and/or awesome interaction with a stranger.

Case in point:
Today, while waiting for the bus, Matt and I saw something nearly too good to be true. A man on a motorcycle, dressed to the nines in tough-guy-looking leather and helmet, pulls up to the intersection and stops at the traffic light. As he drives by, I hear vague pop music playing but can't tell where its coming from or identify the song. As Mr. Motorcycle is waiting for a green light, I realize that the music (very loud now that the rumble of the bike has stopped) is coming from his motorcycle's stereo. Then, I recognize the song--The Spice Girls hit "Say You'll Be There." He proceeded to dance and jive as he waited.

He quickly sped off, engine roaring, once the light changed, and left Matt and I laughing and smiling in his dust. Amazing.

I Turn My Camera On

I've been slowly exploring more of San Francisco and the Bay Area. Slowly only because my classes and research this past semester kept me quite busy. When I had free time, I just wanted to watch my latest Netflix movie and pass-out on the couch. Which is a shame, really, because I enjoy this area when I finally come out of hermit-mode.

With exams over, I'm back to my more active self. So, I have some pictures. Most of them are older, actually. I just never uploaded them--another example of my recluse tendencies under stress.

I went with some friends to Santa Cruz and Carmel during spring break:

A boat on some random pier

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. A bit touristy for my tastes, but people watching here was fun.

The waterfront in Carmel, California. If I'm somehow very wealthy when I retire, this could very well be where I end up.

An overly twee, but very delicious candy store in Carmel.

Matt and I also finally walked across the Golden Gate Bridge:

I wish I could credit great my great photo skills for this shot looking like it belongs on a postcard. But really, it's just hard to take bad pictures of somewhere like this.

The bridge really is an impressive structure.

Looking back on San Francisco from the bridge.

A few random shots:

One-Way Colour Tunnel by Olafur Eliasson at SFMOMA. I saw his full exhibit there this winter and meant to write a post about it, but never got around to it. Maybe this summer.

My and Matt's favorite local coffee shop, Farley's.

More pictures at my Flickr account.