Holidays in the Bay Area

Since we come from a socialist country where celebrating religious holidays was discouraged, we always appreciate the holidays in America. This year our grandparents are visiting from Bosnia and we get to spend the holidays with them for the first time in years. Even though they celebrate Eastern Orthodox Christmas on January 7, we also threw a celebration for this Christmas. We ate a lot, and watched Christmas movies. Grandma nodded and laughed at appropriate intervals during the movies, even though she does not understand English. Our little Lolita also embraced the festive spirit, wearing her beautiful Santa outfit that perfectly matched her black and white hair.

San Francisco - the city we call home (for now)

The twins have long been back from their travels and are now settled into their respective SF neighborhoods. The trendy and sometimes questionable Hayes Valley for Kristina, and the preppy, conformist, exercise-obsessed Marina for Jozefina. They had so much fun writing their blog that they just had to continue with some updates about life in San Francisco.

Even coffee in SF has to be politically correct

Both Kristina and Jozefina consider any morning that does not include a continuous supply of coffee as not worth getting up for. It is therefore fortunate that San Francisco has many many coffee shops. But a mere run to Starbucks is condemned as a grave ethical failing by some inhabitants of this city. San Francisco's many neighborhoods are filled with niche cafes that boast sophisticated organic, shade-grown, micro-roast single brews. Some places even refuse to provide fake sugars such as Equal and Splenda, offering instead only brown sugar. Ever averse to any extra calories that could instead be alloted to nice chocolates, we have resorted to bringing our own Splenda when we visit such places!

Parking in SF is harder than scoring a straight man in the Castro

Parking in SF is a skill you will never perfect. In your career as a vehicle owner (that you'll come to regret) , you'll often forget to turn your wheels the proper way, park too close to the garage exit, or commit another one of the many possible offenses, all eventually contributing to your extensive collection of parking tickets.

Dogs of San Francisco

Photo of Gus, courtesy of Joan and Colin.

Dogs of San Francisco have a lot to be grateful for. They are doted upon by their (often childless) owners and get to frolick on the dog-friendly beaches on weekends. Free treats often await them at neighborhood stores and coffee shops, and they joyfully pull on their leashes towards these goodies. Water bowls are also common, as SF dog needs to replenish their thirst after a walk to the park. Our very own Lolita was recently invited by a grandma with heart-shaped glasses and an unruly King Charles Cavalier to an exciting monthly get-together of King Charlses at a park. We will make sure to be there!

Men of San Francisco - First Impressions

Faced with a dearth of females, men of San Francisco can be overly eager and desperate. However, their behavior varies by neighborhood. In the Marina, they hold on to the glories of days past, bragging about the private colleges they attended, their investment banking jobs (likely to be lost soon), and beer pong. In the Castro, few men are interested in women. Since their jobs are often in the tech industry, men of San Francisco encounter few (attractive) women in their daily lives. As a result, their behavior, once they do find themseves face-to-face with a reasonably good looking female, mirrors that of starving dogs.