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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Reasons I love SF: Holidays

It's nearing my time to leave San Francisco although I don't know when exactly or for how long. I do know I want to head south and try my hand at living in L.A. where the sun shines more and where I know I can feed my soul regularly with "hardcore Israeli wellness" as one of my friend's calls it. This impending transition makes me nostalgic for the City I haven't left yet so, I thought I'd start logging some blogging hours focusing on all the reasons I love San Francisco.

The first reason goes along with the season; namely, San Francisco knows how to do the Holidays. This is kind of funny coming from me, a self-proclaimed end of year hater. But, I must admit, maybe it's the move or just that I'm growing up, this city loves a celebration and decorations and its people (and even those that drive across a bridge or up a Peninsula to get here). And, that's making me love the holidays, this year. I've lived in the Bay Area almost my whole life and in San Francisco for going on eleven years and so, have had the joy of watching the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker both when I was younger and with my nieces more recently when they were around the same age that I was when I first saw it. The War Memorial Opera House is amazing and the show itself transported me into that make believe story every time.

This year, my parents came to visit the first weekend in December, which was a treat. Although the inhospitable conditions (i.e. rain) were...wet, we soaked in the holiday sights visiting the tree in Union Square, the windows at Macy's with the kittens and puppies that I always want to take home, and just looking in store windows downtown and at decorated cable cars. For the first time, we saw A Christmas Carol at the ACT, one of my dad's favorite Christmas stories of all time. This rendition was fabulous and tradition-worthy for sure with its large cast of ACT favorites and children from all over the Bay Area. After a busy rain-soaked day and catching a great non-holiday movie, we went to Fish & Farm, a delicious restaurant that serves local, seasonal organic food, and piled my plate high with scrumptious meat. Thankfully, it was warm and dry and along with the great food, they served up festive holiday music, great service, and a beautiful tree in the hotel lobby next door.

And, now neighbors up and down my street are beginning to put up their holiday decorations. Another of my favorite San Francisco holiday pastimes is window-gawking at the decor being hung in the neighborhoods. Dwellers make their spaces festive and the business districts of each neighborhood put up white or colored lights in the trees. Last weekend I even decorated a little tree that my brother's girlfriend made last year. It all makes me want to turn on Ella Fitzgerald singing the Christmas hits and snuggle up by my fireplace (although I'll have to make do with candles instead of actual log flames).


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