I have been going so non-stop since my Pisa-born, Paris-based friend Letizia arrived two weeks ago that I haven't had a chance to blog at all. Unfortunately, that means that my next few posts will likely reveal the slightest tone of an impending nostalgia over a visit that came and went far too quickly.
Letizia and I met two summers ago while I was interning in Siena, after just having arrived in Italy for my second stint. We shared not only a kitchen, a bathroom, and a soaring view of one of Siena's gorgeous valleys, but also the same taste in music and prime-time dramas. Thus, a friendship bloomed. Over the past two years, she has visited me at the villa, I've tracked her down in Siena, Pisa, and Paris, and now she made the long journey over the ocean to visit me in California. And what a trip we had planned.
Our first weekend together was dedicated to San Francisco, and we started in Berkeley so Letizia could give a setting to her wild (academic) dreams. Most of our time there we spent exploring the old women's locker room, which is slowly being renovated and even includes a roof-top pool. We particularly liked Berkeley because they didn't give us a well-deserved parking ticket. Great start!
That night we met up with Brittany and Gio to go to Straw, a gourmet carnival-fare restaurant. After getting drinks at the beer garden just down the street, we headed to Straw to tackle their menu of bacon cheeseburgers with doughnut buns, chicken and waffles, and the like. We even shared a drink out of a fishbowl that had blue gummy fish paddling around inside. If you ever feel the need to celebrate the fatty child (or carnie) in you, do yourself a favor and check this place out.
Our full days in SF were jam-packed (Brittany even had to draw out a numbered map to keep us at the right pace and place). We spent time strolling a few neighborhoods, including the Castro, Chinatown, and Little Italy, while also making sure to visit Coit Tower, Lombard Street, and the Golden Gate (although its existence that day was based purely on faith, as it was completely concealed by the fog).
In Little Italy, Letizia got to witness what life as an Italian-American consists of (apparently, singing kitschy but fun crossover music in a stylized yet atmospheric cafe in San Francisco). We also practiced our right to free speech by stopping into City Lights Bookstore and watched children chase pigeons in Washington Square.
That night we brought a picnic to Dolores Park to watch Sixteen Candles with our 2,000 closest friends. Letizia got to meet a couple of the other girls from Vacaville as we snacked on cheese and got back down to our '80s roots.
Sunday, we hit the MOMA, mostly to see the Cindy Sherman exhibit, in which Letizia was particularly interested. We also hung out in Yerba Buena Gardens, had lunch at the Ferry Building, and played nostalgic arcade games at the Musee Mecanique along the Embarcadero.
It took several unsuccessful tries and one uncontrollable, "What are you doing with your face?" outburst by me for Letzia to achieve this pose. What an American she's become in just two days.
Before heading home, we decided to stop in for a drink and some jazz in Fisherman's Wharf. The lead singer took quite a shine to us and kept up a constant blues serenade at our table while the rest of the room looked on, thankful they were being left in peace. But boy, just look at those shiny whites.
Letizia, ever the anthropologist and linguist that she is, always asks such great questions and makes the most interesting cultural observations. Still, there were times when she was just completely off the mark, much to our amusement. While we were waiting for the bus back to Brittany's, a couple of low-riders marked with the name "Padrinos" and filled with slick guys cuddling up to cute girls cruised by, blasting their jams and hollerin' at us if we wanted a ride. Letizia turned to Brittany and asked in all seriousness, "Is that a hip-hop car service?" After recovering from our well-natured laughter we realized that it's not such a bad idea. Not bad at all.
(Wide angle photos credit: Letizia Nardi)
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