Travel Buggy: City Lights Bookstore

Not knowing my way around San Francisco, I had no idea how to get to this bookstore. On a return trip to our hotel via Chinatown, I spotted City Lights Booksellers, and was pleased that the bookshop was within walking distance of Union Square. I was hell-bent on visiting the store the following day,

Iconic is a appropriate description of City Lights. I found navigating San Francisco streets weren't the easiest streets to  navigate and within a short amount of time, I was lost. Keeping the mission in mind, I asked four people how to get to the store, and every one of those pleasant folks gave me directions to City Lights. The first man said, "I haven't been in that bookstore in 30 years!" The fourth man said, "I'm headed in that direction. I'll walk you there." This place must have been as famous as the Golden Gate Bridge! I thought how easy it was to fall in love with San Francisco -- from its ain't sweatin' it vibe to its mesmerizing terrain to its delicious food! And I had even found a wellness shop!

City Lights reminded me of the bookstores found in 60's and 70's -- crammed with books for those who want to know about the history of human beings that suffered under bullwhips swung by human traffickers, the US military's attempts to clear out indigenous populations, and whims of those who saw labor unions as forces that undercut profits. I saw popular titles, but time was limited. Had I more time to spare, I would have walked away with more books than Zora Neale Hurston's Baracoon, Thich Nhat Hahn's The Art of Communication, and Justice Malala's The Plot to Save South Africa. A tee shirt from this book shop made as good a souvenir as any. According to the bookmark that accompanied my purchase, City Lights celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, and they'll post what they have in store on social media.. 

 

Travel Buggy: San Francisco

 

(If you look closely at the photo and to the right from the passenger's point of view, you'll see the iconic Golden Gate Bridge semi-concealed by mist. This business trip for Hubby was a pleasure trip for this twitchy travel buggy)

Roughly twelve years ago, San Francisco's vibrancy and trappings of wealth bewitched me. The smell of money and self-indulgence perfumed Union Square's air. This district hosted retailers with names like Armani and Burberry. Feeling giddy in a carnival of splendor and glamour, oh how I wished I could afford to live in San Francisco. 

About a week ago, I wrinkled my nose at the stench in Union Square. The place smelled like a public urinal-- and I witnessed one denizen's treating a corner in a vacant storefront as such.  A noticeable amount of storefronts lay grey and vacant. Macy's retained its elegant wine bar on the 3rd level of its handsome building, but at street level of this community, the homeless had staked out litter-strewn territories. Some of the homeless population seemed to have minds wrecked by pathological racism, all-consuming madness, and the rage fueled by despair. Perhaps the rumors of the wealthy fleeing the city were true. But who could blame them? Who wanted to be stalked by a predator who had reckoned the easiest route to a fast buck was to hide among the homeless and get a bead on an unwary pedestrian with a fat purse? San Francisco possessed mesmerizing terrain and spellbinding architecture, but who would pay such a high price to live in a place inhabited by cut-throats and thieves? 

The city held on to some of its jewels, though. Along Chinatown's main strip for tourists, I stumbled across a wellness shop that sold kimonos, wellness books, and crystal bundles. I'm not sure if the palo santo was genuine, but the bundles consisted of a crystal bound to a palo santo stick. Dried flowers decorated the stick. The sales rep explained that the flowers were strictly for decoration, and only the stick was to be burned. Why not? I bought a bundle with a clear quartz crystal, an amethyst crystal, and a deck called "Calm the Chaos."  The deck provided tips and meaningful advice on de-stressing -- something a traveler might need after being considered a potential easy mark by a tattooed, ill-kept joker who seemed pissed that a traveler might have one more nickel than he the joker carried.  We stayed at the Grand Hyatt which possessed delicious food and excellent customer service. Fortunately, not every eatery found in the district demands such a rich price for its meals, and with a bit of planning and research, a visitor to San Francisco may squeeze in three meals a day.