Your mom and I appreciate the random opportunity to do something we likely never would have if it weren't for a friend of ours inviting us. The "Sunset Art and Music Picnic" on Treasure Island today is a perfect example. We let Nate and his girlfriend Sarah show us around this and some of the places they like in San Francisco, and it was great.
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| Sarah is as sweet as they come. |
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| The festival was on Treasure Island, a man-made island in the Bay with great views of the city. Treasure Island has an interesting history, starting as a spectacle for the World Expo. |
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| When we asked Nate and Sarah what kind of music would be on, they said, "Electronic." DJ's spun together beats and the highly eccentric, hippie-like crowd really got into it. |
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| We were there early (sneaking in without paying the cover charge), but it filled up quickly. The place was constantly pulsing with the heavy bass of techno beats. Marijuana smoke filled the air in lots of pockets, and the crowd was remarkably cheery and friendly. It was a cool vibe. |
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| You'll have to look close to see your mom and Sarah in there. |
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| Part of the history of Treasure Island included operating as a Naval Base. Soldiers here took off from here to head to Vietnam. There were many decommissioned barracks like this one. |
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| Nate could have stayed all day, but we dragged him away to go into the city a bit. Sarah took us to her favorite place to get big burritos. |
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| I always marvel at the character of San Francisco. This van was tucked into an alley along our walk through the Mission District and Delores Heights. It's probably a community staple. |
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| This beautiful work of spray paint was taller than me on the side of a building down another alley. This town, and especially this area of it, is heavily influenced by counter-culture and alternative art and history. |
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| Nate was on the prowl for something or other, and he stopped by a couple of makeshift garage sales checking out the totally random and miscellaneous wares strewn about. |
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| Then they led us to Ritual Coffee Roasters, and I had a cup of fancy Costa Rican fair-trade coffee. It was actually pretty remarkable. I don't usually drink coffee black, but this stuff was incredibly smooth, flavorful, and rich without a hint of any sweetener or cream of any kind. |
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| They are cute. She's a great girl and handles his adventurous, spontaneous, care-free spirit incredibly well. |
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| Our contribution to the day was a last call at Bi-Rite Creamery, home of the best salted caramel ice cream I've ever tasted. We waited in the long line and then made our way home exhausted. |
