JPG Magazine: Stories: Where I'm At: Fog City

Where I'm At

Fog City

bay bridge -> SF from yerba buena island (night)

By Ryan Darcey

14 September 2008

What city do you live in? What neighborhood?

I live on the corner of Haight & Masonic in Haight Ashbury, San Francisco.

What are some adjectives that describe your neighborhood?

foggy, hipster, stylish, musical, artistic, noisy, homeless, reminiscent, touristy, expensive

How long have you lived there, and what brought you there?

I've lived here for about a year and a half. I moved from Denton, Texas and grew up in Miller Place, Long Island before that.

I visited San Francisco for the first time about 2 years ago and fell in love within the first day. There was so much character in every neighborhood, building, apartment, coffee shop, bar, music venue...

On the first night I returned from my trip, I applied for jobs in the area and was out here within 2 months. I love all the personality this city has to offer. It's a place where people can feel comfortable exploring their individuality.

What is your favorite thing about this place? Your least favorite?

My favorite thing is the music scene. A lot of great bands come through here (Simian Mobile Disco, Cut Copy, Digitalism, Tokyo Police Club...)

My least favorite thing is how expensive it is to live here, but I suppose you get what you pay for.

Do you feel that you belong there?

For sure. I find more reasons every day.

What is the most common misconception about where you live?

I think the most common misconception is that the weather is bad. As far as I'm concerned, it's perfect. Never too hot, never too cold. If you need more sunshine, you can just cross one of the bridges or head south.

What is a special fact about your city that you have to live there to know?

Craig's List and Yelp own this city.

What aspect of your city do you secretly love?

Shopping on Haight Street. It's one of the biggest tourist traps in the city, but some of their stores are great (Villians, Wasteland, Shoe Biz, etc.)