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“San Francisco has only one drawback; ‘tis hard to leave.” -Rudyard Kipling-
California ranks 41 out of 48 states surveyed in terms of church attendance (www.religionfacts.com/). Despite the state’s low religious ranking California is noted for having some of the grandest houses of worship in the country all of which are well attended. Californians are very spiritual people but they don’t attend church all that much.
There’s no State Department Advisory for the Sunshine State; it’s the United States for heaven’s sake; just use your head. Don’t go out at night unless with a group, don’t be dumb and put your wallet in your back pockets; easy pickings. I almost found out the hard way on a Roman bus when I had a run in with a Romani or Gypsy wire gang or let your purse dangle on your shoulder while walking or wear expensive cameras around your neck. Buy a smaller one and put it in your pocket! Reader don’t look like a tourist or an outsider. Like the padre told us one Sunday morning in a church throwing distance from Waikiki Beach in Honolulu; “Hawaii may be a paradise but it’s not Heaven;” same for pretty San Francisco; watch your step.
Reader you may recall a mini-series I wrote years back on the ‘Philippine-American War’ of the turn of the 19th century where I displayed vintage copies of American publications depicting the aftermath of that war; not pretty. On the cover of 1899 issue of ‘Jude Magazine’ there was a cartoon of then President William McKinley scrubbing a stereotypical Filipino child with the words, “Oh, you dirty boy.” The caption read, ‘The Filipino’s first bath.’ Racist publications showing non-whites as inferior, dirty, superstitious, immoral, violent were prevalent during that era along with rabid anti-Catholicism. Filipinos and other Asians were in the line of fire.
Legislatively speaking that evil era ended only recently with the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Strong shades of Jim Crowism is alive and kicking; just read the Yahoo posts whenever they run a race related article; San Francisco was as racist as the rest of the country in those days despite the city’s current reputation for extreme tolerance. Like the Jews and their tireless tugging on the global conscience regarding the Holocaust grave injustices committed against Filipinos and others should never be forgotten not for reasons of petty revenge or laying a guilt trip on the rest of the world but as perpetual reminders that decent people everywhere will never again stand silent while evil acts are perpetuated against Asians and other racial/ethnic minorities in the future.
SF has came a long way since the bad old days when Asian peoples were robbed, raped, kidnapped and beaten on the streets of San Francisco. That city’s Fil-Am community has a long and vibrant history some bad but mostly good. Tagalog is that city’s fourth language of choice after Chinese (Mandarin presumed) English and Spanish. For a complete listing of this year’s SF’s Fil-Am community events here’s some recommended sites; these websites are top heavy with all things Filipino.
* ‘San Francisco Filipino Events, Shows & Things to Do Events…”
* www.carouselpinow.com/events.html.
* www.sf.funcheap.com/filipino-cultural-fesitval-parade.sf
* ‘California Filipino American Community…
* Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco
* www.thesffc.com
* ‘The self-perpetuating elite of the Philippines/Inquirer…’
San Francisco has a well earned reputation for world class art treasures. Both are cities with a future. Reader if you have ready access to a computer or one of those hand held devices stop reading this and go to ‘San Francisco Past & Present Blended Images from 1906 and…’ These pictures are photographic art treasures. Vintage black & white images of the city by the Bay merged with colorized pictures of a modern San Francisco, is true artistry.
According to climatologists/seismologists California’s due for the ‘Big One’ soon. Another great leveling is inevitable. To see a pretty accurate scenario of how SF will look the day after the mega-quake and attendant tsunami hit go to ‘San Francisco Global Warming: City Gets Re-Imaged with a…’ Its’ scary but appears true to form.
To see the city’s imagined future from a more positive perspective Reader, you just might wanna’ check out ‘Future Pictures of San Francisco-Images Results.’ I got a real kick outta’ seeing my hometown through the eyes of people who’ve not yet been born. Its’ an experience of a kind peeking into the projected future. Nobody knows for sure what the new ages will bring save for the Almighty, but it feels good watching that distant scenario whizz by.
No. I’m not sorry I didn’t take the Alcatraz Prison tour. I’ve worked in prison ministry. I hate jails! Too many bad memories of relatives and former clients confined in those dark places but in case you’re interested the Alcatraz and sunset cruise combo package is a great way to see the Bay, cityscape, and the notorious prison. This tour is in high demand and departs from Pier 33 where you board a ferry for the ‘Rock.’ The trip includes a tour of the prison, sailing through the Bay, complementary drinks and an appetizer buffet. There’s a 45 minute audio tour ‘Doing Time’ featuring former guards and inmates. The ‘jail and sail’ tour takes half a day.
Flying to Frisco’s not a problem. Go online type what you want and BAM! Its’ all there; hit ‘Best Hotels in San Francisco…’ or www.ORBITZ.com/SanFrancisco for bargain basement specials. If you have cash to spread then by all means let those eagles fly; helps the local economy. When visiting SF stay at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins the city’s premiere hotel in my opinion. What I like about the MK is the place drips with class. Men in expensive suits, black ties, long gown wearing ladies and tuxedoes are de rigueur. I felt rich just being there. This hotel has an awesome Bay view! The ‘Top of the Mark’ is an ideal setting for nightcaps, fancy cocktails, meeting that significant other, and aforementioned the Bay view is out of this world. I did a walk through of Top of the Mark; didn’t buy anything; too expensive for my blood; if you got the cash check it out. Go to ‘Best Hotels San Francisco…’ at: www.ORBITZ.com/SanFrancisco. Reader if you’re like me and the silver spoon missed your mouth by a mile, go on line to ‘Hotels in San Francisco—cheap hotels in San Francisco’ at: www.booking.com/San-Francisco- Hotels.
Ever wanted to eavesdrop on person from another star system? Ever dreamt of peeking through a window at a homemaker cooking pot roast light years away? All these possibilities and more could be within the realm of possibility within our lifetime as deep space astronomy rapidly advances. ‘Searching for ET-The Seti@home Project’ will teach you how to locate exoplanets on nearby or distant star systems some of which may possibly host sentinent life. Enjoy your summer, drive carefully, don’t take a vacation from God; go to church. Peace and all things good. (vamaxwell@yahoo.com)