#RSRSeesTheUSA Day 42: San Francisco, CA
Things that were on my list to check out in San Francisco:
the Sutro Bath ruins, which I still remember hearing about on an early 99% Invisible episode and wanted to check out ever since
826 Valencia’s Pirate Supply Store (you all know I love pirates, right?)
the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Hunky Jesus competition/drag show Easter gathering (thanks to a prime tip from Erica Gangsei
Check, check, and check, all in my first 6 hours in the city.
I say this not to brag about my perfect afternoon, but as a reminder of holding plans with flexibility.
Because here’s how this lovely afternoon came about.
I booked my San Francisco Airbnb this morning based on price and the availability of both a parking spot and a washer/dryer (I’m living out of one carry-on suitcase, and I’ve been hiking… gotta take advantage of all clothing washing opportunities). I couldn’t check in until an hour after I arrived in the city, so I thought I’d drive around and see if I could find parking near the Pirate Supply Store, if it was even open on Easter.
The store was open, and I happened to find a parking spot only a couple blocks away. So I started my SF visit with pirate nerdery that supports kids writing. Then I thought, I’ve got this prime parking spot, so I might as well wander a little. Meandering around several streets without direction (I don’t know this city at all, and my cell phone is almost out of data so I had it in airplane mode), I heard some event happening with amplified voices and crowd cheers, so I wandered toward it.
Guess what? It was the Hunky Jesus contest, because I was right next to Dolores Park where the Easter festivities were happening. So I stuck around and watched all kinds of fabulous Eastern get-ups that managed to combine nudity, fetish gear, fluffy bunny ears, unicorn horns, and elaborate fake flower arrangements. Alert: the winner of the contest was “Black Woman is God” Jesus, the official Hunky Jesus of 2022.
Then I headed off to my Airbnb, and discovered I’d booked myself into a place not at all far from the Sutro Baths, so what the hell… let’s go see them and watch the sunset over the ocean.
Walking through the park without directions led to finding birders watching an owl mother and her owlets in their nest, to watching a dog have zoomies on the beach, to exploring the Sutro Bath ruins and hearing ocean waves crash through caves when I poked around odd corners of the site.
All in all, this was a pretty magically serendipitous feeling welcome to the city.
I’m happy with how I travel alone partly because it can lead to experiences like this. I wandered where my curiosity took me. I asked folks what they were looking at up in those trees with their binoculars. I didn’t prepare too many itinerary stops or try to control all the variables so that each thing would feel like a bonus.
I like serendipity, and sometimes it happens best when I loosen the reins and welcome in whatever comes my way. It’s one of the easiest ways for me to be present in the moment, when these little bonus things happen. It flips the “isn’t that cool?!” switch in my brain without also flipping the “how does this compare?” switch or the “is this the best it could be?” switch.
Here’s to serendipity and the ability to roll with it and actively enjoy it when it comes.
