BLUE ON BLUE or “THE SOUTH OF MARKET BLUES”

BLUE ON BLUE or “THE SOUTH OF MARKET BLUES”

     I had a strange experience the other day. I happened to spend a little time south of Market, in the areas of Mission and Main, Howard and Beale, then further down to St. Pat’s, as well as Rincon Hill. Now, I pretty much grew up in the city and later did a lot of work “south of the slot” but I have to tell you, I felt so much like an alien…or perhaps as a San Franciscan in alien territory. I didn’t recognize the places I visited. Many of the old “landmarks” (perhaps most) are gone, buildings from decades ago, shops, eateries, replaced by towers of glass, most of them blue or green it would seem, that have climbed into the sky over just the past few years. I remember enjoying the feel of the sun as I used to walk down Howard Street, where now there is no sun but for brief moments. And I didn’t recognize the people…they didn’t appear to be San Franciscans but some weird conglomeration of people in strange clothes – men in beards with unusual haircuts, wearing tight jeans, colored sneakers, sport coats that too short and too tight, and carrying “man bags”, and women dressed in equally bizarre “fashions.” And all the while, as they walked (not talked) they had their heads bowed to the electronic devices they held in their hands…those heads connected by some umbilical cord of fine wire…oblivious to the world around them.

     No I definitely felt alien; yet, almost magically, when I crossed back over Market, to the west, there were things that made me feel at home again. Buildings I recognized, people I recognized, shops and bars I recognized. It was strange. Just strange!

(Originally published on March 23, 2016)




© 2016 and 2018 by Hayato Tokugawa. All rights reserved.