I left my ability to function in New York in San Francisco, part 1

Thursday, May 28th:

When I left for San Francisco, I was convinced that I would find the time to write about my journey and subsequent adventures a couple times a day. The idea was to compare the city to New York and explore the reverence for the "old days" that the people of the "Bay" are rumored to have. New Yorkers seem to have it as well but not on a tangible level which is why everything is changing so quickly in the city that never sleeps. Boy was that a foolish thought! Time for writing was rare. Five days in the city on the bay was simultaneously intense and relaxing and as I sat in the airport waiting for a plane to L.A., I was already preparing for my return.

This was my second journey to the Bay area, and my first alone-- that last time, in 2001, I came with a girlfriend. I remember leaving, all those years ago, with the knowledge that I would be back, and that I would one day know what living here felt like. Well I returned, and though only for a short time, I can once again picture the life I might lead if I packed up and headed west.

The hardest part for a New Yorker of living, and even just visiting San Francisco, is laying all your troubles to the side. New Yorkers are hardwired for the hectic life of the Big Apple. We are always running around, rushing from one appointment to the next, and always, “time” is on our minds.

Out here, people are slloooowwwweerrrr. They take their time, seldom in a hurry and unfortunately, sometimes with little thought to the schedules of others. Some places force you to accept their cultural eccentricities to enjoy them. Without accepting the slow , easy going pace of the Bay area, it is very easy to get angry at people for messing with your time.

Personally, I have never been good with time. As a grad school professor once referred to it, “some people are never on time, they are in time.” One would think that I would fit in perfectly here, and for the first couple days I did. However, due to the shortness of my trip, there were many people I felt I needed to see and little time to cram them all in. On my third day I found myself stranded with people north of the city in the most beautiful of beach settings... but I needed to get back to the city ASAP and they weren't getting it. At a certain point, with my pleas going unheard, I snapped.

New York toughness is a byproduct of the high level of stress, and action in the city. If you aren't strong and competitive it is hard to succeed and survive. Unfortunately, in this case, my inability to fall into the Californian state of mind, coupled with my own frustration and feeling that I was being disrespected allowed my most New York side out.

In retrospect, I realize that much of the problems of that day had to do with the differences in how I approach time to how others do. While I should be a perfect fit for a city based on the concept of “In Time,” the circumstances of my visit, specifically the shortness of it, did not allow me to fully take in the experience. Luckily tickets are cheap these days and this time I am sure it will not take me another 8 years to return and try again...