I started at Sutter's Fort, built by Swiss immigrant John Sutter to house early settlers of Mexican California. It was a very interesting place, but few photos were worth it (especially since the current fort is a reconstruction).
Afterwards, I stopped at Old Sacramento, where I saw this horse-pulled carriage.
A popular item in Old Sacramento - the Governator T-shirt.
This very photogenic dog wishes a Merry Christmas.
Instead of returning to my hotel, I headed for San Francisco's Castro gay district, to buy a ticket for tonight's Gay Men's Chorus concert, featuring various holiday music from many religious traditions. Honestly, I was a bit apprehensive about bringing my BMW to Castro, due to BMW's anti-gay and anti-San Francisco track record, but fortunately, I was far from alone in driving a BMW there.For the concert itself, which took place at 5PM (there also were 7PM and 9PM shows), I took BART and Muni. It was quite a spectacle for my ears - lots of familiar Christmas carols (including one from Russian Orthodox Church to remember the rampant homophobia in Russia), a few Chanukah numbers, a few Native American solstice songs, and some sing-alongs. It was a short concert, but definitely worth the $22 ticket price, and definitely worth coming up to San Francisco for. And a nice crowd too - both the choir and the audience were well-mixed (and the audience had plenty of straights, women, and suburbanites).
I also stopped by at A Different Light bookstore near the theater, to buy a Helen Boyd book.
As I started my trip back to my hotel, I saw this series of gay men's dating service posters, at Castro's subway station. I don't think I could see something similar back home - even in West Hollywood. Gotta love San Francisco!I only wish I could stay a few days more, to get more into the Bay Area groove. Now, I'm enjoying the Bay Area much better than I ever did as a resident several years ago. But tomorrow, I must drive back south...
