Shelter

The Tenderloin where I live is a great place to be. Why? Because it is centrally located, there is so much going on: many galleries, pubs, bars, clubs, restaurants..., many of my friends live just around the corner... and it is real. Compared to the story book reality that you get when you only stroll around other parts of San Francisco and towns like Stanford or Palo Alto life happens here.

What also makes it real are the crazy, prostitutes and homeless in the streets. I remember that I noticed the high amount of crazy and drugged people when I was living in DC but San Francisco is the Mekka of the homeless because of its mild weather conditions. They are hard to ignore due to the smell and their constant begging. When I was looking for an aquarium store last week I was actually so much in my own world that I actually handed a dollar to a girl. She looked older than she probably was, worn out, maybe a Prostitute, definitely on drugs and I just handed her a dollar... Oops.

Some beggars try to be funny by creating signs like "Why lie? I need a drink". At first it makes you smile. But then...? Tourist guide books advise you not to give any money to the homeless but rather donate it to organisations. Big organisations with a huge overhead that seem not to be able to handle the situation in San Francisco. I don't know if that's the right answer. I sometimes give away doggy bags whenever I am not able to finish my food in the restaurants.

I had a weird encounter at Walgreens (= German DM or Budni) a couple of weeks ago. A guy came to talk to me while I was looking for toiletteries. He complimented my braided hair from the other end of the aisle. I thanked him friendlily. He also came over to ask me if he could introduce himself to me. Well, I am trying not to be German here, so why not go with the flow? His hands were pretty dirty and I was about to learn why. He was apparently a famous DJ from Vegas who came to San Francisco and ended up camping in the parks. He continued to complain about the American Dream for a minute before he changed the topic abruptly. He told me was interested in Adult Dancing and Sex and then asked for my phone number. WTF. I shook my head and turned to the check-out. Crazy things can happen on a Saturday morning in the Tenderloin.