hasf 2010

HASF: Haight-Ashbury Street Fair 2010.

I'd have put this up yesterday, but silly old me was too exhausted from the day's shenanigans to sit up and start drafting, so I had to procrastinate to today. I shall make this short and simple; the fair was a load of fun and it was very warm as far as San Francisco weather goes. Considering those two factors, the place is swarming of people. I must say, the crowd itself was more amazing than the fair, then again, that's what makes the fair what it is. There were loads of things to buy, ranging from clothing to accessories to food to gifts. And let me just say, there were loads of free food going round the place. In total, I received 3 drinks and 5 or so snacks. As my dear friend used to say: 'Hey, if it's free, it's for me!" I couldn't agree more on that account. Here's a few photos to get the gist of my day.

It's 11:30am, fair barely started, yet it's packed!

My buddy Carlos in line for a free drink.

Our FREE drink! *laughs*

I'd be surprised, but then again, we're in Haight.

Ganja cookies! Though brownies are better.

Hmm...

More FREE food! Pita chips and hummus.

Good music.

I cannot even tell you how disappointed my friends are I didn't buy it.

Holla!

They are amazing. Nothing further.

I was flashed too many times in under half an hour.
This man is nothing short of amazing.
Carlos bought a new hat!

Well folks, that's a summary of my day. to end it on an interesting note, on the way home, we saw a man in his sixties walking around Market in Castro, starkers. Wow. And I got my first ever sunburn on my left shoulder! I know, not to be excited bout, but it didn't even hurt a bit. Whew.

oh vanity, how i've not missed you!

My friend LT and I decided to have a walkabout the city for the day, we had nothing better to do around town. It was a fun day of shopping and exploring parts of Chinatown I haven't been to before (and of course my usual hangouts at Canton & the Bakery). There was this quaint little shop just past St. Mary's, towards the right, it's really peaceful and there's so much little trinkets to browse. From figurines, to charms, to jewelry, there's just a load for you to ponder over spending on. I don't recall the name of the shop, but when I'm at the city again next week, I'll make sure to find out. First stop of the mini-trip is to the Bakery. It's always jam-packed with people, the place itself isn't big to say the least, but the line is mad. There's usually bout 15 people in line, when it's slow, and pushing 30 when it's busy. Like I said, jam-packed. They have the best dan ta's in the city, shoot, within a 25 mile radius! Impressive moon cakes and pastries, too. But it's always the dan ta's that make a load of people come back to this joint. By the bye, dan ta's are egg tarts. If you've never tried these little gems, I suggest you find a good place to buy some. Or if you're in the San Francisco area, head on over to Chinatown. It's a 10-15 minute walk from the main entrance. It's well worth the hike for them! As for the other places we explored, not much going on, a load of tourists though. I only bought a flashlight/lighter from the Canton Bazaar.

So after a total of 2 hours, we left Chinatown and headed for Castro for lunch. We were rushing so we can make it before 2pm to Mission and the row of thrift stores, a pre-summer retail therapy for us; refer to previous post. I picked lunch, and chose my favorite sandwich place: Ike's! Their subs are seriously out of this world. I'm not even exaggerating here. They are delicious and I savor every bite. The best part is, they have a menu that works for everyone; carnivores, vegetarians, pescatarians (me!), and vegans. Also, their dirty sauce, which is not dirty contrary to the name, is just plain good. They also have a location in Redwood Shores, so if you're around, drop in! If in the city, it doesn't matter if you're in North Beach, Visitacion, Richmond, Sunset, etc. You must go. You don't know what you're missing, and that's a shame.

On to the thrifting! We spend bout 5 hours total thrifting, half in the Mission and Castro, the other in Haight. We are thankful to announce that we only spent half of out budget for the day. Which is around $75 each, including food. We both got a pair of shoes each, some shirts, leggings, skirts, pants. There's nothing else to say, other than we're very happy with the day's success. We were home by 9pm and now we're having our mystery marathon for the rest of the night, well into the early hours of the morning. Great day! Repeats of it in the summer. Only instead of mostly thrifting, we're hitting up the beach and not going home. Beach bums, take 2.