Finding Love in San Francisco
Opinions of finding romance in San Francisco diverge wildly. This city is known as Israel for gay men and there is often an expectation that love will be found, a sort of cold calculus when you look at the numbers. Certain on-line applications like OkCupid, Grindr and Adam4Adam have gained prominence but these all carry a frustrating degree of separation. Fear not, fair lads, for west coasters love to hike. There are several hiking clubs in the Bay Area that venture out of the weekends (most rendezvous at the Starbucks/Safeway parking lot on Market in the Castro/Duboce Triangle). What's great about hiking is that about 40 men will hit the trail and it becomes almost like an interpretative dance of lingering and picking up the pace. People naturally alter their walking speed in a good or struggling conversation so you're never stuck with the same person unless you want to be.
I accompanied a friend to go on the 3rd Saturday Hiking Group and we woke up at 7 a.m. (are these people masochists?) to hit one of the mountains in Pacifica. Other options include the Second Saturday Hiking Bears of the East Bay, a version, according to one source, that involves a lecture on nature and geography. I wondered if the two Saturday hiking groups duke it out like the Jets and the Sharks.
For the more cerebral, plenty of book clubs abound. One resource is a social/club calendar called SF Station that lists two dozen active book clubs. Volunteering, too, is a superb way to meet like-minded folks. Some great ones to check out are PAWS, an organization that helps sick and disabled people support their pets and Friends of the Urban Forest, a brainy outfit of do-gooder, tree-huggers. Don't forget Gay4Good, a fun monthly get-together where a bunch of gays help out different local organizations.
My man from South America gets a kick out of all this North-American busy-ness. Mauricio says that Chileans don't venture out much from their families and tribes whereas we Americans, especially in San Francisco, are very adept at forming groups of individuals to tackle an issue be it crime, civil rights or social isolation. Americans love throwing mixers. It's one of our best qualities.
Some people say that it is much easier to find a lover in San Francisco than to find a friend. Romance, methinks, has a fiery, volatile effect where you can develop quick intimacy. Friendships, without that physical bliss, need more time and nurturing. Whoever you are looking for, sometimes just being quietly open to possibilities is the secret ingredient. It's nice to have all this social/romantic scaffolding but it's much nicer to bump into someone as you're rushing off the streetcar.
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These photos of monkeys having dinner was taken from a storefront in Duboce Triangle.
I accompanied a friend to go on the 3rd Saturday Hiking Group and we woke up at 7 a.m. (are these people masochists?) to hit one of the mountains in Pacifica. Other options include the Second Saturday Hiking Bears of the East Bay, a version, according to one source, that involves a lecture on nature and geography. I wondered if the two Saturday hiking groups duke it out like the Jets and the Sharks.
For the more cerebral, plenty of book clubs abound. One resource is a social/club calendar called SF Station that lists two dozen active book clubs. Volunteering, too, is a superb way to meet like-minded folks. Some great ones to check out are PAWS, an organization that helps sick and disabled people support their pets and Friends of the Urban Forest, a brainy outfit of do-gooder, tree-huggers. Don't forget Gay4Good, a fun monthly get-together where a bunch of gays help out different local organizations.
My man from South America gets a kick out of all this North-American busy-ness. Mauricio says that Chileans don't venture out much from their families and tribes whereas we Americans, especially in San Francisco, are very adept at forming groups of individuals to tackle an issue be it crime, civil rights or social isolation. Americans love throwing mixers. It's one of our best qualities.
Some people say that it is much easier to find a lover in San Francisco than to find a friend. Romance, methinks, has a fiery, volatile effect where you can develop quick intimacy. Friendships, without that physical bliss, need more time and nurturing. Whoever you are looking for, sometimes just being quietly open to possibilities is the secret ingredient. It's nice to have all this social/romantic scaffolding but it's much nicer to bump into someone as you're rushing off the streetcar.
These photos of monkeys having dinner was taken from a storefront in Duboce Triangle.
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