Thursday, January 29, 2009

It's a blimp!

It's hard to miss the 246 foot off-white ship in the sky and even harder to ignore the phone numbers printed in bold black letters. After calling the number, I learned that the company, Airship Ventures, operates under visual flight regulations. Departing out of Oakland and Mountview, twelve people fit on the aircraft and tours run for one hour.
What does it cost to fly in the blimp?
60 minutes in the air
Monday - Thursday = $430
Friday - Sunday = $535
I would never pay this much to fly in a balloon. Perhaps if I was an international tourist, with foreign currency, I would take a tour at $9 a minute. Still, I'm a sucker for hopeless romanticism and the romantic spin you can put on this balloon ride is almost magical. I can see it now: arriving in a private jet, taking a balloon ride of the city, getting dropped-off in Napa, dinner at French Laundry...wait, weren't we talking about a blimp? Oh yea, it's overpriced and should be shot out of the sky. Where are my Texas friends when you need them.

Weekend weather in San Francisco

Greetings to all of you in the East Coast ice storm!
Today
Hi: 62°
Lo: 47°
Sunny

Friday
Hi: 65°
Lo: 46°
Sunny

Saturday: An adventure...
Hi: 64°
Lo: 46°
Mostly Sunny

Sunday: Dolores Park?
Hi: 64°
Lo: 47°
Mostly Sunny

Monday
Hi: 67°
Lo: 47°
Mostly Sunny
Tuesday
Hi: 63°
Lo: 46°
Mostly Sunny
Wednesday
Hi: 62°
Partly Cloudy

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Bart Station Advertisements

Creative advertising is plastered all over San Francisco's Bart Station walls.
Montgomery Street Bart Station:


Emirates (above) transformed the pillars at the Montgomery Bart station into palm trees. People who work in the Financial District get off at the Montgomery station so it makes sense that international travel is being advertised.


Pepsi Company (above & below) has littered the walls and pillars of the Powell Street Bart Station. While I wonder how much this advertising space costs, I'm more interested in how a soda pop company has mimicked the savvy media plan used by our new Commander and Chief, President Obama, during his campaign. The world is falling apart, nobody has any money and if are going to buy something, make it a Pepsi! Why? Because we use bright colors....


16th & Mission Bart Station:


I apologize that this photo is so dark, but it was 6AM and I was half asleep on my way to the gym. Nevertheless, the ambiguity surrounding this advertisement remains strong. What is being advertised? Who is paying for this ad? What are we suppose to think?

Whenever something like this appears randomly, I often think it's the work of a secret cult -- aka the environmental movement. I'm sort of joking, but at the same time, the green movement works in mysterious ways.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Music Video To Cure Homosexuality

Ever wonder how to be cured of homosexuality? Donnie Davies, from "God hates fags! Love Gods Way!" sings for you his hit single 'Take My Hands.' The self-proclaimed "safest band for your family," Donnie Davies is self-serving and clearly still very gay. Don't miss the pictures of famous homosexual celebrities on Donnie's piano -- like Anderson Cooper!


Click below to watch:
Additional information available at: http://www.lovegodsway.org/

The Overweight Fag Hag

Click on the image to make it bigger...

Source: http://toptobottom.org/

Monday, January 26, 2009

Top or bottom?

I struggle with how gay culture uses sexual positions to define gender roles between men in a gay relationship. Sure, facets of promiscuous gay culture -- aka one night hook-ups and casual sex -- use sexual positions to distinguish the gay couple. And yet, whether someone chooses to be on "top" (penetrating) or "bottom" (receiving), nether one of these can earnestly define the personality type of a gay male -- aside from what will get them to climax in bed on that particular day.

It's as if sex, rather than the relationship, is the single most defining role. It's hard enough finding an attractive, single and intelligent gay male. Having to further subdivide the gay dating pool based on preference of sexual position, are we really going there?

Considering my age and where I come from, I'm relatively inexperienced to what it means to be in a homosexual relationship. However, I do represent the voice of gay men my age -- regardless of sexual experience within the demographic -- that share in the confusion brought on by living in San Francisco void of guidelines for gay dating. As I attempt to explore the meager options available in the Bay Area (there's a lot of gays in SF, this doesn't mean they're all up to par) I'm forced to adhere to some ridiculous rubric for defining gay couples set forth by whom?

Today's generation of gay culture is not like the one that came before us. We're living in an age where the concept of marriage, previously exclusively reserved for heterosexual culture, is now an idea that at the very least is being entertained by society at large. The promiscuous gay culture conditioned by the generation before us was plagued by the AIDS epidemic. Now, in 2009, even though humans can live with AIDS, the gay culture created by the generation before us is hardly one worth continuing. To start with, let's take ourselves seriously and abstain from identifying our gender roles on the basis of where we stick our penis.

Conservatory of Flowers

Yesterday I toured the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. Five dollars gets you in and consists of five flower habitats: Aquatic Plants, Highland Tropics, Lowland Tropics, Potted Plants, and Special Exhibits. The Special Exhibits room was the most fun and included a train set assembled around plants.

Getting to what's important, is this a good place for a first date? Well, if you're a lesbian, I do recommend the Potted Plant room. I'm convinced that this quiet sanctuary is a cruising room for single lesbian females. Aside from that room, gay or straight, the building itself is small and not conducive to first date conversation. After all, you're already nervous and paranoid on a first date, you don't need a small and quiet plant sanctuary -- where everyone can hear your conversation -- contributing to your anxiety. If you're already in love and have a lot of money, renting out the building for a wedding is available and a magical way to spend an evening.

All-in-all, the Conservatory of Flowers is a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Hours of operation:
Tuesday - Sunday, 9:00AM - 5:00PM

This is a clip of the train tracks in the Special Exhibits room:

Peanut Butter and Toast

Ingredients for my new favorite breakfast:
  • Whole wheat toast

  • Crunchy peanut butter* -- preferably salmonella free

  • Banana slices

  • Cinnamon

PS: Even though peanut butter is a "good" fat, it still looks like "bad" fat under human skin....

Friday, January 23, 2009

Hipsters are killing my gaydar

I have the worlds worst gaydar. It's a struggle to determine whether or not an average male prefers to sleep with men. To make matters worse, since San Francisco is saturated with so many gay bars, now the straight people are confusing the gender demographic at an otherwise exclusive gay bar! In a perfect world I'd have X-ray vision that helped me identify who is gay in this wild world.

Here in the Bay Area, the factors that would otherwise be helpful in determining someones sexuality are not applicable. For example, a shiny black suit, anywhere else in the world, is a good indicator that the person is gay. Tight jeans, matching shoes, stylish hair -- none of these are prerequisites for a gay male anymore. As a result, my gaydar is worthless to a Dolores Park hipster.

Sure, flamboyant men are easily identifiable. They flap their wrist, blow kisses across a room and use phrases like "girrrrl." Women love shopping with this particular breed of gay and there is zero doubt in anyone's mind that yes, that's a gay male who is clearly out of the closet. I, on the other hand, am not attracted to a flaming queen because if I wanted to date women, I would -- and it would be a hell of a lot easier!

The more closeted, less in-your-face homosexuals, those are the ones I like. The only problem is that finding these men requires I dodge the inevitable bullet produced when a gay male hits on a straight man.

In short, I'm attracted to straight acting gay men. Finding this type of homosexual is not easy -- especially under the age of 30. Often times, when I do find someone I'd be interested in dating, I get cold feet at the last minute for fear that they are straight. (This recently happened with my yoga instructor...)

My gaydar, since moving to San Francisco, should be getting better. And yet, since I'm so accustomed to assuming that everyone is gay, my previously conditioned gender defining mechanism has lost its insight. Of course, why does gaydar need to be utilized at a gay bar, anyway? That's right, I live in San Francisco.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

What does it mean to be bisexual?

What does it mean to be bisexual? I can only speak for myself, so please, do not get offended by what I'm about to say -- especially if you are a bisexual. And yet, how else are we suppose to get over our differences when nobody is willing to express their opinion? That's right, join me as I attempt to unite humanity!

Bisexuals are intimate with both women and men. In layman's terms: they swing both to the left and the right. In an effort to be as specific as possible -- while offending the least amount of people -- I'm going to narrow my scope to bisexual men.

A number of gay men, before coming out of the closet, define themselves as bisexuals before taking the leap of faith into full-blown homosexuality. Before I "officially" came-out of the closet, I can recall being faced with this conundrum of a situation --whether to identify as a bisexual or be true to myself and dive head first into the fabulous world of homosexuality.

Personally, I think bisexuals are selfish people who want to have sex with as many people as possible -- regardless of the person's sexual orientation. Sexually selfish people exist everywhere, among all races, genders and sexual orientations. However, bisexual men are gay men who just want it all -- women included.

Discussing gender is complicated and never ends with a mutual agreement. Coming from someone who is actively dating and meeting new people, it doesn't help my odds when someone identifies as bisexual. And yet, who am I to limit who another male sleeps with? I'm nobody, but all I ask is that you're not that somebody I'm hoping to court.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Online Dating

The illusion of finding true love, through half-hearted email exchanges, is reachable via online dating. At least that's what hopeless romantics like myself want to believe.

Adam-4-Adam is the most popular and legitimate gay online dating service. Free to enroll and easy to navigate, this online dating site is at the very least an eventful way to spend an evening.

I should warm you, not everyone on Adam-4-Adam is looking to walk down the aisle or a dinner party with your parents over the holidays. That's right, consistent with the accurate generalization that the homosexual community is sexually promiscuous, Adam-4-Adam makes hooking-up with a random person seamlessly easy. In short, if you're looking for casual sex, without looking hard at all, this is also the site for you. Dodging sexual advances -- like a 50 year-old man asking you for sexual favors via a message on Adam-4-Adam -- is an interesting game. And yet, for those of us who frequent San Francisco's gay bar district, this is hardly something new.

Nevertheless, in an effort to continue exploring the options of dating in my twenties, I will continue searching for that special someone worth calling my boyfriend.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Gorrilla and George W. Bush

Let's hear it for Inauguration Day 2009! I couldn't help but capture this video of a gorilla celebrating in Fisherman's Wharf!

The Bar on Church


The infamous Bar on Castro (BOC), beginning tomorrow, is opening its doors on Church street and subsequently changing its name to the Bar on Church (BOC).

The new BOC is opening on the corner of 14th Street & Church. Previously, this corner was home to The Transfer -- aka a "grey" bar because it caters to gay and straight crowds.

On Saturday I looked inside the new location, while it was under construction, and literally kicked out by one of the construction workers. I told him I was taking photos for a blog (this one...) and he gave me VIP passes that get me in for free until April! What a deal!

My prediction for the BOC: The new location is more isolated than the BOC's gay night life competition, Badlands, and therefore the bar circuit will change. The new location is a stones-throw from the 22 bus line and closer to the 16th and Mission Bart station. The new design of the bar -- with a large dance floor and more open space to meet people --is different from the BOC's previous location and therefore better. (I loved the Bar on Castro, but it was a horrible place to meet people -- unless you were in the smoking room.) Located down the street from Amber and Safeway across the street, something tells me that both the New BOC and the Church street bars close by are going to be bumpin' in 2009!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Out The Door -- Ferry Building

A lunch date is one of the amazing times where in-and-out never felt so good. Within one hour, you can meet someone, have a quick bite and end the visit with an honest "I need to get back to work" and away you go.

The Ferry Building Marketplace, with breathtaking views of the Bay Bridge and an exciting location on the Embarcadero, is a great place to have lunch. Working right smack in the middle of San Francisco's shopping/tourist district (Union Square), I forget how amazing other parts of the city are. In an effort to spread my wings and meet as many new people as possible, I always ask amazing personalities -- like my coworker Laura -- for introductions to different gay people in the city. We decided on a Friday lunch at the Ferry Building, and the two guys -- whom I will not mention by name in this blog...yet -- are wonderful and I hope to stay in touch with them.

The Ferry Building Marketplace is nationally famous for the Farmer's Market that takes place on Saturdays. However, during this Friday lunch break, we ate lunch at Out The Door, a Vietnamese fast-food restaurant that was both delicious and moderately priced. I ordered the spring rolls and the chicken bun. The chicken bun tasted like a warm pot pie tucked inside a delicious Vietnamese inspired pouch. The spring rolls, paired with a delicious peanut butter sauce, was enough to fill me up by itself. Even then, they were delicious.

If you're looking for a relaxing break from the concrete jungle, grab yourself a seat overlooking the Bay and enjoy the delectable treats that the Ferry Building Marketplace has to offer.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Amber


"This would make a great gay bar" I tell my friend Travis, as we lounge on the over-stuffed couches. "Look around...this is a gay bar!" he shouts back at me. "Mixed" bars with gay and lesbian couples can make trying to determine the sexual orientation of a San Francisco bar challenging.

Located on 14th street, between Belcher St. & Church, Amber is a retro bar with a 70's feel. A vintage sign holder, lit up by Joe Camel himself, lights-up the evenings drink specials. Scattered around the room are ashtrays filled with cigarettes because Amber bar, unlike any other bar in San Francisco, permits smoking indoors.

Whether or not you're into a smokey bar, Amber is super laid back and fun. This is the perfect bar to begin a bar crawl before heading to the Castro.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Good Vibrations

Good Vibrations, located at Valencia and 23rd Street, is an adult toy store that does just what the sign says: produces good vibrations. I live only a few blocks from this store and I couldn't resist uploading the photo. To California, peace, love and sex!

GLBTQQI -- Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer, In-Between -- is Real

People outside of San Francisco (or an equivalent urban setting) underestimate what it means to be on the fence regarding gender. For example, check-out this picture I captured while touring the gay bar circuit this past weekend in the Castro. Absolutely fascinating.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI)

This is my friend Joe's second time in the Castro, and already, he has a wonderful photo with one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI). This is not Halloween in the Castro; the SPI are radical activists for the GLBTQ community. With more than $1,000,000 raised and distributed to worthwhile causes, these nuns -- regardless if they are allowed in a Catholic church -- deserve your respect! What's not to love in San Francisco?

Gay Dating Has A Learning Curve

Dating someone on the weekends is different than seeing someone during the week. Weekend dating -- aka honeymoon dating -- consists of lazy Saturday and Sunday mornings, delicious brunches, afternoon hikes and daytime bar hopping. Just when you start getting sick of each other, you can find refuge back at your own apartment.

Dating during the week is a little more complicated. Because I'm not swimming in extra cash, eating out is limited to weekends and special occasions. Sure, I could date someone who'd pay for all my meals, thereby allowing me to spend more time with them during my regular meal time. Even then, it's a slippery slope when an intimate partner starts buying you things -- even if it's just dinner during the week.

A sleepover during the week is a healthy way to nurture a budding relationship -- especially if something beyond weekend honeymoon dating is desired. Of course, sleeping over outside of your apartment is a production that requires planning for successful execution. The following are a list of weekday sleepover issues:

1) Clothing: If I wear an outfit to work during the day, I cannot spend the night somewhere else wearing the same outfit. Therefore, upon arriving home from work, the first thing I do is determine what I'll wear the next day. That way, if I decide to spend the night somewhere, I can at least guarantee that I will have a change of clothes in between two work days.

2) Toiletries: Gay men love grooming products. I go to the gym in the morning before work, so if I have a sleepover, I make sure to bring my toiletry bag. Shaving cream, razors, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc. are all crucial to my daily grooming routine -- and together they weigh a lot! Unfortunately, my "murse" -- aka Male Purse/messenger bag -- does not easily fit all these products. Sooner than later I will discover how to get ready in a gym locker room without my usual products. The learning curve for my new urban nomadic lifestyle might take a few more months to perfect.

3) Pets: As a young gay male, I don't require the emotional stability a pet provides in a relationship. I don't have a pet, and I don't want a pet anytime soon. However, if I'm sleeping somewhere that has a puppy -- that's used to getting all the owner's attention -- it's you versus the puppy. As it turns out, the puppy normally wins.

4) Bathroom: Everyone does their own thing in their own bathroom. When you sleep somewhere else, the process of using the bathroom changes. This is a hurdle easily overcome for some people. For others, however, this can make or break a relationship.

5) Food: I'm one of those people who have to eat a minimum of three meals a day. When I'm home, I make sure that I buy enough food to fuel my metabolism -- sometimes more than enough. When you're dating someone, spending time at their place, you're not eating your own food and forced to eat what they eat. Over the weekend I had enough with the "Let's just wait for lunch" line, so I walked myself over to the local Safeway to buy myself the breakfast essentials. Of course now I eat breakfast at work. You see, there is a learning curve to dating!

In the end, I'm young and having fun as I make sense of San Francisco's exciting gay dating scene. Now, the question of when to end a weekday sleepover regimen, that's something I've yet to discover but will probably experience in the near future. Dating is unpredictable, and while I'd like to pretend I know what I'm talking about, I can only comment on past events. We'll see what happens as I look forward, into the future, and to that which is unknown.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Dolores Park




Dolores Park is the epicenter for San Francisco’s Mission inspired urban hipster. On a sunny weekend, blankets are spread across the green hills as small groups of friends – in tight black jeans and oversized Ray Ban sunglasses -- take in the sun’s warm rays. The smell of marijuana, bottles of red wine and cheap Mexican beer is a norm. If you’re lucky, a man selling marijuana-fused chocolates might stop by offering you a snack. What’s more, if and when you do get hungry, Bi-Rite Creamery is right around the corner. This is what I call a glorious day in San Francisco.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Fort Funston is why I want to be a dog

Yesterday I went to a dog park next to the ocean. Fort Funston, located two miles/10 minute drive from the Mission District, is a stretch of beach right on the Pacific Ocean and not far from downtown San Francisco. It was 80 degrees outside and an amazing way to spend the afternoon.

A friend of mine's dog goes to this dog park/beach vacation 5 days a week during her daily walk. How much does this service cost? Only $500+ a month...that's close to what I pay in rent!
I've said it before, I'll say it again: I want to die and come back to life as a dog in the United States.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

French food, great bars

Joe -- whom I've known since I was thirteen at Culver Summer Camps -- recently moved to the Bay Area. As a straight male from Indiana, I'm greatly enjoying his company and excited that as old friends, we are reuniting in such a serendipitous way. A mutual friend of ours from high school (Culver Academies) was in town and we decided to explore the city!

We began the night with a dinner at Cafe Calude -- located a 7 Claude Lane. I had the Ahi Tuna, and while it was slightly overpriced, eating dinner while listening to a beautiful female singer is an experience worth the extra cash. There's something about a hot girl singing at a romantic French restaurant that is extremely sexy. This is an excellent bar for a romantic date.

After dinner we went to the Otis Lounge at 25 Maiden Lane. If you're looking for a great bar close to Union Square -- and not gay -- it's ideal. Upon entering the dark bar, tucked away on a small street amidst an otherwise crowded environment, a small bar area with comfortable chairs are in a corner. If you go to the second floor, tables with candles are available for extended conversation. Otis a is a great bar -- especially for people like me that get rosy cheeks!

The final visit on the tour of San Francisco was The Castro. The first bar we went to was The Bar on Castro (BOC). There's so much that can be said about the photo I have posted here. First, look at the buff old guy. Gross. The little twink on the ground is just having fun. The guy behind them, sneering, is the best example of disapproving body language.

The BOC is one of the most popular bars in the Castro, but Badlands is the largest. Mirrors drape the walls in this gay night club with a Los Angeles feel.

An excellent French dinner, a quaint bar in Union Square, and a late evening with gay bars. Just another night in San Francisco.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Dog Parks

The party I attended for New Years was reminiscent of a dog park. Before the clock struck midnight, I watched as half a dozen 19 year-old gay boys from San Jose humped each other to rap music.

Dog parks (and pubescent gay boys grinding to rap music) are something new to me. Growing-up in the Chicago suburbs, when my dogs had to take a leak, I opened the door. Spoiled by the Invisible Fence system, upon moving to San Francisco, I quickly discovered a new social venue: the dog park.

Not every apartment comes with a yard so parks are where dogs go to poop and pee. Brilliant. Duboce Park is one of several dog parks I have visited in San Francisco. And what am I doing aside from watching dogs run around? Looking at the people of course.

People go to dog parks to meet new people. Progressive, I know. And yet, I find it difficult to converse with people when dogs are licking each other's back ends. What's worse is when the dogs start eating each other's fecal matter. I don't quite get how later, when the dogs are alone with their owners, the dogs freely lick their face.
So how are 19 year-old gay boys and dog parks similar? Well, once gay men go through their sexual exploration -- humping everything -- they get lonely and want kids. Established and with time on their hands, gay men buy a dog and confuse the barn animal for a child. This is the cycle of how dogs, in the United States, live better than most of the world's population.

Gay Sex Is Sin -- Repent!

“Christ saves from lust and demonic bondage.” This is the fine print under the bold letters stating that “Gay Sex Is Sin” and “Repent.” I saw this sign as I was walking through Union Square in downtown San Francisco. Whoever this guy is – from Cincinnati according to his sweatshirt — he chose quite the city to be advertising his views on morally appropriate sex.

Whether or not gay sex is a sin, I know that Jesus Christ would not approve of this public display of social intolerance. It’s religious fanatics like this man that unfortunately make the line between the Christian right and the liberal left more pronounced.

Seeing as I’m always trying to find the flip side to everything, I have another theory. Perhaps this guy who thinks “Gay Sex Is Sin” is really a closeted homosexual that can only get aroused through gay intercourse. His coping mechanism, holding up a sign that condemns homosexuality, is his last chance at proving to God that he is not gay – even if he swings by the gay bath houses from time-to-time when he’s drunk. As a society we are quick to judge people without knowing where they are coming from.
I wonder how many homosexuals, probably thousands, walked by this sign with negative thoughts brewing about this bigot in a green sweatshirt. Throwing a bucket of paint at the guy was the first thing that came to my mind. And yet, as a gay community, if we looked at the situation for the perspective of a potentially troubled and sexually frustrated soul, it’s surprising how quickly our anger turns to sympathy.