Pridejus niekam nereikalingus Vietnamo karo veteranus San Francisco knibzda benamiais. Pirmas dalykas, krentantis i akis mieste - kruvos bomzu, mieganciu pakampese, prasanciu pinigu, stumianciu vezimelius su visu gyvenimo turtu. Kai kurie, matyt, surije nemaza kieki smagiu preparatu jaunysteje, skraido padebesiais, sneka su nematomais biciuliais, rekia tusciai erdvei ar tiesiog voliojasi gatveje kukciodami. Dalis benamiu stiliovi, isradingi kostiumai, riedlentes pazastyje, tiuninguoti vezimeliai su magemis.
Antra - cia saltoka, miestas nuolat padengtas ruku, dienomis sildo saulute, bet vakare ir anksti ryte zvarboka.
Many young americans looking for free love and tons of acid came to San Francisco during hippy times. Of course it finished and hippies came back to as tv would call it normal life. Some just didn't want or couldn't and ended up homeless. Plus group of Vietnam veterans 'superpower' didn't give a fuck about and now San Francisco streets are occupied by hobos.
You can't not to notice it, they are everywhere anytime, on streets, in parks asking for money, sleeping on the pavements, pushing carts. I guess some of them had a fair share of acid - the freaks talking to imaginery friends, rolling on the ground crying, shouting nonsense are on every corner. They have style, some let's say costumes are funky and the carts are pimped up. One more thing - it's chilly here cause Frisco is covered in fog. At daytime the sun comes to help but late evening and early morning ask for warm clothes.
Eskursija pradejau alternatyviuose rajonuose - Haight gatveje, kurioje ir prasidejo Meiles revoliucija, ir Latin kaimynysteje. Kabinu aukso medali Haight gatvei, kur hipiu ne fontanai, bet smagios parduotuves/galerijos, jaukios kavines lipa viena kitai per galva. Sienos numargintos piesiniais, originaliausios, kokias esu mates parduotuviu vitrinos, senu vinilu piramides, vintage drabuziai ir mano begalinis dziaugsmas, palikus kreditine kortele hostelyje. Be krasto stiliovi, ne aviniskai madingi praeiviai, kruvos riedlentininku, dviratininku, simpatiskos mergaites ir iki smulkmenu podiumui pasiruose berniukai (San Francisco - geju sostine).
Pavartes ploksteles, prasiejau Auksniu vartu parku, kruvas turistu suviliojusiu Kalifornijos mokslu akademija, mane - nedidelemis skulpturomis, besislapstanciomis tarp medziu.
Toliau koju manksta i Latin rajona su ivairiu p.Amerikos tautu maisto uzeigomis, laisva dvasia, vel graffiti ant kiekvieno laisvo sienos centimetro, net baznycios sienos padengtos piesiniais.
San Francisco - Dirty Bird irasu kompanijos namai, o vienas pagrindiniu kompanijos veikeju, Claude von Stroke yra mano megstamas didzejus. Pora kartu jo setus atsokinejom Dubline, tad nedvejodamas pasukau i kluba Mezanine, kur Dirty Bird ta nakti sokdino vietinius reiverius. Pagaliau po penkiu ilgu menesiu klube grojo muzika, kuri man patinka, lankytojai kele aukstyn rankas ir trype kojomis. Claude von Stroke greiciausia praleidau atejes velokai. Beje, klubas uzsidaro 4 ryte, bet alkoholi pardavineja tik iki antros, todel zmones linksminasi kitomis priemonemis. Kaip bebutu keista nemazai apsivalge rugsties (turbut rado teveliu uzkasta lobi) ir tokie vaizdai, kaip iki puses nuogas vyrukas, rekiantis priesais veidrodi tulike, pasitaike daznai. Geras vakarelis:)
First place I visited was Haight street where Love revolution started many moons ago. Not many hippies around and record, vintage, funky clothes shops and cosy cafes took the place. The walls are covered with graffiti, rows of old vinyls, just a perfect place. People are so stylish, skateboarders, cute girls and San Francisco being gay capital oh so perfect boys.
I liked the place straight away. Short walk through Golden Gate park, home of California Academy of Sciences and small sculptures hiding between trees.
Latin neighborhood had the same feeling mixing latin food restaurants and art galleries. Again graffiti everywhere, even church walls are covered with it.
Finally I went to the club playing the music I like, long five months. San Francisco is a home of Dirty Bird records company and the main guy there - Claude von Stroke is one of my favourite djs. The club Mezanine where Dirty Bird hosted the night closes at 4 am but they stop finishing alcohol at 2. So people take drugs, loads of it actually:) I never saw so many people on acid in a club and the half naked guy shouting at the mirror in bathrooms wasn't the worst one.
Atsigaves po vakarelio, dvi dienas klaidziojau pakrante, uzsukdamas i salutines gatveles. Zmones tvirtina, kad San Francisco - graziausias miestas JAV, as pritardamas linkcioju galva. I dangu besiropsiancios gatves, aptriuse, zavingi pastatai, anikvariniai tramvajai.
Savaitgali pakrante pergrusta sveciais ir vietiniais, perkanciais organini maista gatves turguje, drasuoliais, plaukiojanciais saltame vandenyje, gulinejanciais ant smeliuko, gatves muzikantais, tampanciais stygas, musanciais bugnus bei maiganciais akardeono klavisus.
Turistai sturmuoja Fishermans Wharf kaimynyste, as pasistengiau ja prabegti kuo greiciau. Pagrindine atrakcija - Auksiniu vartu tiltas, kuri pasiekiau antros, pajurio zygio dienos viduryje.
Tiltas San Francisco puseje apsirukes mirtinai, sunku ka nors izvelgti. Perejus auksametali, saule apglebia tvirtas konstrukcijas, spindintis vanduo isitempes vaidina fona.
Grizes atgal, kopiau i apzvalgos aikstele, medinius laiptelius supo miela, turtingu buratinu kaimyste. Cia ex hiparikai, kiekviena ryta gerdami organine kava, dziaugiasi laiku nusikirpe plaukus.
People say San Francisco is the most beautiful city in USA and I can't agree more. Hilly streets, old, colourful houses, vintage tram cars.
For two days I explored San Francisco bay turning to narrow side streets time to time. Locals buying organic food on the street market, musicians playing feel good music, tourists in Fihsermans Wharf where I spent just ten minutes.
On the second day I reached Golden Gate Bridge.
Couldn't see a thing from San Francisco side because of the fog but on the other side sun was playing with orange constructions.
On my way back to hostel had to climb millions of steps to Coit tower for a view, the houses surrounding steps are amazing, wouldn't mind to move there, just need to buy a lottery ticket first and win a jackpot.
Hostelis, kuriame apsistojau, pastatytas strategineje vietoje - tarp Chinatown ir North Beach rajonu. Kinieciu diaspora San Francisco - didziausia pasaulyje uz Azijos ribu. Cia daugiau restoranu nei siauru akiu savininku Lietuvoje.
Daugybe parduotuviu, dirbtuveliu, sventyklu ir vietu skaniai bei nebrangiai pavalgyti. North Beach - italu rajonas su visais privalomais atributais pridedant idomius knygynus ir bliuzo barus.
Geras hostelis, brangus, bet dalinantis nemokama interneta, pusrycius, vakariene tris kartus per savaite, gyvo garso koncerta sekmadieni bei gera nuotaika. Atsizvelgiant, kad isejus pro duris patenki tiesiai i raudonuju zibintu gatve - jau po devintos vakaro gali rukyti ir gerti alu iki paryciu didziuliame kambaryje/saleje.
The hostel I'm staying in is between Chinatown and North Beach. There are more chinese in San Francisco than anywhere else outside Asia. Fortunes cookies were invented in Frisco and Chinatown is buzzing.
North Beach is italian neighborhood, not only pasta around mind you, here they have retro bookshops and blues bars too.
The hostel is on the red light district street and the doors are closed at 9 pm but you can smoke and drink beer till early morning in big ballroom inside.
Amerikoje visur kisamas Jacksonas, marskineliai Harlemo gatvese, telikas Las Vegaso viesbutyje. Kai vaikinukas dar turejo daugiau kaip puse nosies i pasauli paleido geros pop muzikos. Sitam kuriniui paklausyti i svecius porai tauriu vyno siulau pasikviesti saule ir skambu garsa.
Graffiti again, this time on tiny side street of Latin neighborhood. That's how they do it!
