The city by the bay is a city that likes to play. Sure we work hard, but come the weekend, we work even harder… at having fun. There are endless events available to attend in the 415, and you could spend every weekend of the year bouncing from event to event. I’ve always been a bit of a homebody, so this provides me with the best of both worlds. I can step out in the morning to watch friends race whaleboats on the bay, and feel like I’ve taken a legit five-hour vacation just by popping to another part of town. If I’m craving solitude, I can walk a half block to wander through Buena Vista Park, and feel like I’ve driven to the redwoods; it’s one of my favorite things about living here.
This past weekend was the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, one of the most popular free events in town. For three days, you can grab a blanket, pack a picnic, and bike to the park to hear some seriously talented musicians work their magic. The older I get though, the more difficult of a time I have dealing with large crowds. As a result, attending a free concert series that can receive over 750,000 visitors can be a bit of a challenge for me.
Not one to miss out on exciting business taking place not far from my doorstep, I decided to check it out on Friday afternoon, hoping the huge crowds would wait until the weekend to attend. We rode our bikes surrounded by the massive trees that line the park, and settled in to enjoy a super-duper-for-San-Francisco hot afternoon. The first few hours were the perfect blend of music, friends, amazing people watching, sunshine, and cold beers.
As the crowd started to swell for that evenings headliner I knew it was time for me to swim upstream, and leave the busy scene behind. I slowly pedaled back through the park, and headed up to one of my favorite spots in town, Alamo Square. The evening was still and warm from the afternoon rays, and I took a few minutes to sit with my eyes closed, simply enjoying the moment. I could hear wafts of music coming from the park, and it made me happy to know that near by, people were coming together to celebrate music, with their community.