AIA around the Bay

What follows is an early morning rhapsodic rambling of a man that could really use sleep. Please read with caution...

There are certain cities that have such a richly woven texture that they become famous. In their continuum of being built, redefined, built and rebuilt some more, they almost automatically rise to the top of the "must see" list. San Francisco is one such city.

Forget all the jokes that may or may not fly in this current world of diversity, this town is worth seeing and every time I come back to San Francisco I count myself as one of the lucky ones that are able to travel throughout this country and see places such as this.

Most of this trip was working the floor at the convention. Meals and conversations with people I enjoy, respect and work with was the norm, and yet, of course, the person sitting at the table or standing at the booth was not really me at all but rather a facsimile of myself. A social representation -not always good -of who I am. The smile was real at times. The interest was feigned only partly, but the individual standing in my shoes and saying things I would never say, was not me. The real me was thinking of a current design project. The real me was wondering about loved ones both old, new, present and departed.

As I walked the floor of the convention on breaks, I found moments where my real personality came out. Suddenly I was seven years old again and I wanted to (needed to) know how something worked, how it was made or just awed by the look and/or feel of a product. In the AIA bookstore in the West Hall of the Moscone Center, I found a steep discount on the 2007 version of Ramsey and Sleeper's Architectural Graphic Standards. Impulse shopping kicked into overdrive. On a walk to the convention yesterday -Saturday -I detoured with a coworker and looked at Daniel Liebeskind's Jewish Museum. This building is a force to behold. And, shortly thereafter, we stopped in a pocket park above the Moscone to catch a snapshot or two of the park waterfall and Botta's Museum of Modern Art in the background. Say what you want about Mario; the man can play -hard!

Phone calls may have gone unanswered at times, emails piled up and any thoughts of racing all over this city to, oh I don't know, say, visit the De Young again, or check out Renzo's new contribution were held in check. However, this is a good thing. Gifts should sometimes -not always -be opened slowly. At the end of it all, the fake me now hidden in the recesses and lurking around dark corners in case I meet someone I know or someone who knows me, I reiterate: "I count myself one of the lucky ones... (to) see places such as this."

This is one city that lives up to the hype and is highly recommended, race fans.

-G