Chinatown and Little Italy

A lovely walk through Chinatown today. And it's the day of the New Year's parade too. I didn't get caught up in the crowds though, thank God. L. and I were walking toward North Beach (aka Little Italy). That's her "beat" for journalism class. We ate philly cheese steak sandwiches and then had gelato. Heaven.

Going out last night with L., our UC Davis friend (N.), and her bf made me realize how much I'm missing out on San Francisco's city life. I'm not much of a partier or clubber or anything (you should already know that though), but I do like to experience things that may not seem like a big deal, but are very valuable to me. SF is so beautiful at night. I took the camera I got for Christmas, my Smena, and took some pictures. We ate at North Beach Pizza and walked around Little Italy for a bit. The lights, the people out and about, the smell of food--it was so wonderful to take in.

Of course, I can't do this all the time. I am a poor student! Muni tickets are higher now, and it's a real turn-off to go into the city unless I have a good enough reason (I need to buy something). At least I'm a good money manager though--I put away all my money, and I can be really frugal at times. I allow myself $50/month for anything I need that's not food, and I spent it all today!

At H&M, I bought a bag. At Forever 21, I bought 2 really cute blouses that are vintagey and just my style. I was not surprised that there were a lot of them on the racks--everyone else likes those tunic style tank tops and shirts that are stripey and weird and close-fitting. I swear, sometimes I think that some of my clothing came straight from the 30s or 40s. Some of them, not all of them. I like classic pieces. Anything trendy just seems so fleeting. Oh my gosh, these at the most 15 year olds were in front of me in the line at the dressing room in Forever 21. They were wearing so much make-up I wanted to gag. They wore more make-up on their faces than I have ever worn in my entire lifetime. It made me really sad. I'm not a huge fan of make-up. I like looking natural. Okay, enough fashion and make-up. I also bought ink for my fountain pen.

Oh yeah, beautiful things I experienced today. A section of Grant (which is in Chinatown) was blocked off for the New Year's celebration, but L. and I decided to walk through it anyway just until we hit Sacramento. Crowded, which is horrrible, but there were so many things going on at the same time you wish that your eyes and ears and nose could witness everything and still be able to process it, store it, and save it for later. There were children in strollers, moms and dads and couples holding hands. A little girl let go of her balloon, and it floated away. I got a nasty wiff of dried fish and herbal stuff and then the lovely smell of freshly baked breads all within a city block.

But this trumps all. I was heading back by myself--L. stayed in North Beach to interview the locals. I got out my quarters to pay my MUNI fare to the lady behind the booth. I was in the turn stile right in front of her, and there's a display that says how much to pay. An adult is $1.50 and a child (5 to 17 years old) is $0.50. She puts how much to pay according to the person in the turnstile.

I paid 50 cents. I didn't look at her--maybe she'd change her mind and make me pay the adult fare. I put in two out of the six quarters that were already in my hand into the slot, got my pass, and walked away. I went slowly toward the stairs and turned around to look at the lady in the booth. She kept doing her job, watching people pay their fares and get their tickets. I was ecstatic. I am as young-looking as a 17 year old. The best compliment ever. And I saved a dollar. I then kept it and bought some Red Vines when I came home. Yum.

In a related story, L. is turning 20 tomorrow!