last night i drove up the 5 and listened to the debate and arrived and it was cold and i got to Mark’s house and had a great chat with his son. smart kid. no dummy.

then i walked to haight ashbury (only 5 blocks away) then walked down Haight remembering about a girl i used to make out with.

i kept thinking, did we have sex? but i dont think we ever did. she was always so uptight. one day i asked, why do you even have me over here, you hate me. she said, i like you more than anyone in this lousy town. and then we’d make out listening to sinatra.

at one point she moved to NYC and i visited her and she was sour to me there too. forget her name. but she was pretty and a great kisser.  (i didnt forget her name).

kept walking. people frowned at me with my cubs hat. whatever. theyre gonna give you a reason to frown. walked down market to where Valencia starts. they sure cleaned up that little ratty area under the freeway. and a few other spots. but one thing i noticed as i walked up through the Mission and eventually to Mission / 24th: lots of my favorite joints are still there.

for all the handwringing about gentrification and the dot comming of Frisco, so much has remained. sure there are some douchey coffee and taco joints, but many of the bars are still there, even the record stores. lots of my favorite food spots, little markets, little stores. all still here 20 years later.

if a Chinese Food & Donuts store in the heart of the Mission can survive on a very busy and valuable corner for 30+ years, then gentrification isn’t as bad as they say it is here.

frisco is a place that i have been coming to since i was a teenager. weirdly there is less change here than in the suburb where i grew up in Illinois. the only truly damning oh-fuck-you development was Whole Foods moving in where the Safeway used to be on Haight right by the Park.

ok now i have to take an Uber to the ballpark to watch my Cubbies sweep this shit.

and if they win, im gonna drive home tonight.