An annual street party consisting of roving, drunken Santas of both sexes began in San Francisco in the early 1990s, and of course the event has spread around the world (click here for their local website).
At 9th and Market Streets, there was a contingent of Santas waiting for a Muni bus...
...while a couple of blocks away, thousands of Mexican Catholics were marching up Van Ness in an annual procession commemorating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (click here).
The juxtaposition of devoted followers of Our Lady, Santa-clad revelers, and upscale families on their way to a San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker matinee was more than a little surreal.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI love your little slices of SF life on this blog. Now that I no longer live inthe City they become even more important to me. Thanks for being our legs and eyes.
Dear Ron: Thanks so much for the kind words. If you're the Ron I think you are, I really am trying to reinvent photojournalism, your old world, casually. Glad you're enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteThat is more than surreal. I also witnessed the drunken Santas and trashy Elves as I sat in Cafe Zitouna on Polk Street, enjoying Moroccan mint tea and couscous and baklava. All of the men in the restaurant had just come from the mosque a few doors down.
ReplyDeleteIt was beyond silly.