Saturday, July 6, 2019

I WAS THERE

Even 40 years ago it was a corny song. OTOH, I was there back then and met and married in that city back then. I'm a 30+ navy man, son of a 30+ army man and I lived all over the US. I've lived everywhere but I still call this place 'the city'. And no, I lived 18 miles from New York City and I never refer to New York as the city. There was only one and no, it wasn't Topeka or Oklahoma City.

As with Paris and even London, I don't plan to go back. The City I remember is gone but good God was it good when it was there. I would BART over just to sit on the sidewalk cafe in Union Square to watch the women dressed to the nines walk by. I didn't really want one of them but God it was nice to sit there in the shade and watch them parade. There is nothing like it in metroparkcentralis.

7 comments:

SCOTTtheBADGER said...

Here in the Upper Midwest, " The Cities" are Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Tragically lost to the Left.

RHT447 said...

In the late '70's (after my Army hitch) I was living at my dad's place in the Oakland hills and attending college in Rocklin. I used park at the Rockridge BART station, then ride over to SF and get off at the Montgomery station. A few blocks one way was the San Francisco Gun Exchange. A few blocks the other way, and you could ride the cable cars all the way to Fisherman's Wharf. SF was a jewel then. I have no desire to see it now.

If you entered and exited the BART system at the same station, you could take a poor man's tour of the Bay Area for like 35 cents. Yeah, some of it was underground, but for 35 cents, what the hell.

capt fast said...

visited SF last month on "business" and yes, it's gone. I recall it was nice. Now, it reminds me of some west asia hell hole you couldn't pay me enough to napalm. it is that nasty.

HMS Defiant said...

we spent the night in Madison on the lake front. Not going to Somaliland America although we did pass through Lewsitown as we do every year and this time saw nary an african. Weird, or as we say now after watching too much Blue Bell, weirderer and weirderer

HMS Defiant said...

lived there for about 5 years, spent much of it out of the country but I'm glad I tried it. there's an infinite number of things one can do living as a bachelor knight in San Francisco. I gave it up at 42 but that was mostly a mistake. Still, got some good out of it even if she never calls and probably hates me to death. With daughters, one pretty much knows what they're thinking. They never hide their feelings.

HMS Defiant said...

Yep, feel the same way about my favorite city and London. I don't think I'll go back to visit either. We did the big drive around of our town today for about 4 hours. It is still good. What is not to like about a hardware store on 3 floors AND a basement! Drove home on the coast road. I call it the north coast, the native who is driving who was born here, scoffs.

Paul L. Quandt said...

I spent a fair amount of time in 'Frisco ( deliberate ) back in the 1970s. Yes, it was a nice place then. There is not enough money ( or anything else ) to induce me to go there ( or anywhere else in Commiefornia ) now.

Thanks for the post.
Paul L. Quandt