The streets have no shame

I typically walk to work looking up – it’s amazing what you’ll see/learn about the city if you just look up. For example, did you know that the Scientology Center is in the Transamerica Corporation Building? Or that in the right light Coit Tower looks like Darkwing Duck’s lair?

This week, though (mainly due to weird stains on the hems of my pants), I’ve been walking eyes down and have learned the streets are gross! Don’t worry, I’m not going to continue my 5^th grade diatribe (from the flight home from Orlando) relating the guttural sounding grates to anything.

Here are a few highlights from my eyes to ground walk to work:

• Broadway St. – every morning at 7:30am the street is scrubbed – I haven’t noticed this on any other street and find it rather odd that the one street where peoples “stuff” is encouraged all over inside the buildings (which one would think discourages excess dirtyage on the outside of the building), is the one street that gets a morning shower.
• China Town – the smells here speak for themselves and the streets are filled with truck un-loadings as workers bring pigs and ducks to the shops.
• Financial District – I’m always amazed how many cigarettes are scattered on the streets weaving in and out of the financial district. Those stock brokers and bankers must be stressed!

There are pretty parts, too. Sometimes I see flowers strewn on the corners of Mission left by vendors shutting down (I’m assuming vendors and not hopeless romantics wooing the city). Then there’s the odd tree or weed growing through the sidewalks – the city version of nature.