Tour Bus Fantasy

Yesterday, Pat,  a co-volunteer at the Food Pantry mentioned yesterday that she was going to take a discounted Gray Line tour of San Francisco today.  "Oh, me, too!"  I thought.  "I want to go."

Then I thought, hell, this is stupid! I was born in San Francisco and have lived near the city my entire life.  I find tourists there annoying,  underdressed for the weather and a nuisance when they stop dead on sidewalks in front of me to consult maps.

But last week when  I was in  San Francisco to go to a quilt show,  I noticed a red double-decker bus full of tourists on Mission Street, obviously a sightseeing tour.  I was envious.  I want to be driven around and told the history of the city!  I would never do this in Manhattan--way too conspicuously uncool;  I'd rather bumble around by myself.  But in San Francisco, I'd have a free pass, cool-wise, because I'm a native.  As if anybody cares.

I came home and consulted the Gray Line website.  It's $47/adult for a 3-1/2 hour tour; $37 on weekdays.  They take you to Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Coit Tower, Nob Hill, Twin Peaks, Golden Gate Park, and more.   When it got down to the nitty gritty, my fantasy dissipated.  Think of the fog.  Think of the inane patter of the driver over the loudspeaker, the crappy shops and the crowds Fisherman's Wharf.   End of that idea.   Unless Pat gives me an especially good report next week.