Missing SF

Home is where the heart is.

I love you, San Francisco. And yet I have to leave for now.

I remember my first days here. Finally back in the land of the free and the happy. Europeans are crazy about you. Honestly, I was disappointed at first. I thought you'd be more beautiful. The charm of the TL does not strike the eyes of the stranger. But the more you open up to it, the more you get in return.

I will miss you, Angel's Café. We watched the World Cup soccer match against Argentina together at 6 in the morning. I drank 88 small lattes, one a day - I only had to order them in my first week though. Later, all of you knew what I wanted the minute I walked in. Same at Star Market liquor store. You could keep track of my drinking habits. I hope you didn't. Sometimes, you even opened up late for us to buy apple cider or joined us for a smoke on the roof.

SFSU - thanks a lot. I loved being FACULTY! The offices you provided me with really helped me focus on my thesis. I liked to joke around with all of you, no matter if it was the Security guys or the MBA program directors. And Yuli, you always made me crave Sushi. I will never forget that I tried my first Uni with you.

And here we are: San Francisco - you are my Sushi capitol! I have never eaten anything like this. Tekka - I will miss you especially. Also, the gluten-free frozen Pizza at Wholefoods and the ice-cream sandwiches, the beer tasting that Gluten Free Gluttons organized, the Tapioka buns I got separately toasted at Chez Maman, the best bacon in the whole world at Mission Beach Café and all the ciders I drank in the many bars on Polk Street and in the Mission.

Hayes Street, you remind me of my favorite area in Hamburg: die Schanze. Tenderloin, you are like Hamburg's Kiez. Doloroes Park - I will miss your swings at night and sunny spots with music during the days. I had a good time with Eric's friends at July 4. Lower and Upper Haight - I love your Hippie origin. You are so colorful. I loved walking through your streets although I almost never made it to Golden Gate Park before sunrise.

Blackheart. It all started with a drink at Hemlock - seeing all these beautifully decorated ppl. And the thought of getting my own personal SF memory stitched into my left side. Thanks Jörg and Cody, for the great design. Those were 2.5 intense hours that will last forever.

SF, you would not be home without the people (in anti-alphabetical order - cause there shouldn’t be an order):
Zach - thank you for showing me around that much. I enjoyed all the trips to Palo Alto, Berkeley and Half Moon Bay. Thanks for being gluten-free and forcing a couple of cultural hours into my uneducated European brain. I hope my thesis won't bore you.
Tuan - you are a social butterfly. Thanks for hooking me up with all these ppl and driving me around. I will miss my shotgun spot in your car, the cold and old coffees and the great music (and Eminem). But even more I will miss analyzing with you what's going on with everyone.
The guy - I will miss you. Thanks for being patient, posh and real. Thanks for the pizza, the rides, the songs, teaching me C and G on the guitar, and letting me bedhog. Weird that you left before me...
Sebastian - you have definitely been a crazy German and fun to go out with. I will see you anytime, anyplace...
Nate - hun, you are crazy and I am loving it. Glad to see you are ahead of things again and sorry for invading your place for so long. It has been a great home.
Michael - normal is boring, isn't it? We had a couple of fun night outs. However, sorry, for messing up that night. I have a hunch we will live in the same city again at some point.
Matt Drake - good luck with the campaign. I am sure you make a great supervisor of my district. I would vote for you if I could.
Keyatta - great events you hosted. I liked the combination of art and music with a little spice of craziness. I wish I knew someone like you in Hamburg - we could definitely need a little Key style over there.
Keiko and Ray - I love your studio and hope you keep going. You have an amazing taste! All the openings and events were inspiring. I think Tiny Inventions were my favorite. Take care of Einstein or feed him to your cat.
Kate - I am so happy I met you at the gluten-free beer tasting. Your website is amazing - keep going! Thanks for showing me all these gluten-free places and swamping waitresses together.
Julio - thanks for showing me the Gates of Hell at Stanford Campus. I got inspired and enjoyed studying with you.
Jörg - we had exciting eight days. Thanks for the butterfly design and reading my thesis. Hope you had as much fun at Alcatraz, Twitter and the Something Corporate concert as I did.
Johnny - Go abroad and pursue your dreams!
John, Peter, Vidya and the whole Tuantourage - yo, yo, yo!
Holy Jed - Thank you for fixing my computer and hooking me up with Silvio. You are a reliable friend. Good luck with your career - I am sure something exciting will show up soon!
Holly and Michael - you are an awesome couple. Thanks for all the fun nights at Kokoro’s and Holly for teaching me how to Dougie.
Google David - why sports? I would so join your social network start-up if it was focused on something more exciting... I am curious how it will go. Thanks for making me try the magical berries and showing me Nob Hill. You have a great taste. Magners is better than Strongbow though…
Flo - great place you work at. I liked our German Tatort sessions, the faith you had in the gluten-free Pizza we ordered and thanks again for taking me to the Giants game. Now that we know the rules, we should go more.
Eric - do you really exist? :) I loved spending time with you and wish the timing would have been a little better. When I move back here, I hope you will have found a daytime job so we could hang out more. In the meantime I am waiting for typewritten letters.
David - you are amazingly talented. I do not know you well but we definitely had a moment in your kitchen that was drowning in booze. I wish I could run into you in Germany as well as often as I do here.
Christoph - my ol' husband. I had a lot of fun driving through California with you. I hope you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for your patience with me (and the bedbugs). Hope you will be my ball date soon!
Calisto - you owe me a ride. I will be back as soon as you get your license! Thanks for making the nights more crazy.
Ben - you should go out more, man! Always good to have you around. Good luck with your sump.
Barry - great movie. I will watched it whenever I will miss San Francisco and then probably miss it even more... See you in London whenever you go!
Antje - thank you for being so refreshingly straight forward. Cheers for showing me the SF spots we both like. And for all the honest conversations that went far beyond small talk. I am curious to see where you end up and hope it's somewhere close.

It was also good to meet you, too, Jacob, Facebook Ben, Gustaf, Jason, Jordamn, Angela, Leika, Cassie, Ryan, Nat, Music for Animals, Dylan, Ryan, Ken, Asian Kat, Clarence, Carla, Silvio, Paul, Jessica, Justin, Futch, Marina, Thalea, Nikhil, Liz, Kent...

Flummi, Rosi. R.I.P.

Playlist:
Cee Lo Green - Fuck you
Eminem and Rihanna - Love the way you lie
Katy Perry - California Gurls (only if you listen to it all day in the radio during a California Road trip)
Plain White T's - Rhythm of Love and of course: Hey there Delialah
Rad Omen- Rad Anthem (YouTube video clip)
Something Corporate - Konstantine live
Timbaland - If we ever meet again
Train - Hey, Soul Sister

Watchlist:
7 Samurai
Inception
Medicine for Melancholy
Nichts bereuen
Something left, something taken
Southpark Season 14, Episode 4: You have Zero Friends
Tatort
The Social Network (theaters October 1)
Trueblood
Vertigo