"IT
WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch
of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything
before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we
were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like
the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its
being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of
comparison only." A Tale Of
Two Cities By Charles Dickens 1859
These
words were used to describe France and England prior to the French
Revolution. They are just as relevant today in San Francisco.
The downtown area is geared up, gussied up, spit shined and ready for the
holidays. The trees are all up, my favorite again this year is the
tree in Neiman Marcus. The tree fills the entire four story foyer and
it made me feel like a toy waiting to be opened. After seeing the best
San Fran had to offer I drove down to the piers and salvage areas of the
city. These areas of the city don't seem to know it's holiday time.
