SF Roared Back To Life This Weekend, And It Was Glorious

This past weekend was San Francisco’s most vibrant and active weekend since the pandemic started. A convergence of our new ‘Yellow tier’ status, fabulous weather, and about 10,000 San Franciscans joining the Fully Vaccinated Club every single day changed our city for the better overnight. Or rather, over the course of a weekend.

PAPI BOYZ & BARTENDER OSCAR @clubpapievents #Castro🌈 Drag Brunch in SF @beauxincastro 🔴🔵🟢🟡🟣https://t.co/mi5LBNkEQR 🏳️‍🌈#dragbrunch #thecastro #latinos #pride #fiesta #party #sabadoenfuego #papi #gay #clubpapi #papiboyz #brunch #latinosinthecastro #gaysf #comida #musica pic.twitter.com/TCDbUvIRJx

— ClubPapi (@ClubPapi) May 8, 2021

We’re still far from normal. This weekend’s boomingest-crowds-in-14-months were pretty much limited to iconic retail corridors like the Castro, Mission Street, SoMa, Valencia Street… the big neighborhoods, or certain uniquely beloved establishments. This correspondent partied at the Pilsner Inn on Friday where it was as busy as current restrictions legally allow, yet the bar’s surrounding thoroughfare on Church Street still felt like a ghost town.

A double backflip in thigh-high heels and a full face shield down the center of 18th Street while lip-synching renders anti-mask arguments invalid forever, it's the law now pic.twitter.com/SSiAlmd5hf

— Violet Blue® (@violetblue) May 8, 2021

But it has to start somewhere. And this weekend, it really started. This was not Covidiots being  hooligans, this was a city that is now 55% fully vaccinated, with 75% of us having received the first dose, and enjoying the beginning of our hard-earned return to normalcy. 

Musician Marc Capelli of the Red Room Orchestra and Marc and the Casuals had just finished an outdoor set to a large indoor/outdoor crowd at Curio. “The vibe on Valencia and in the Mission today was of openness and happiness,” he told us. “I’m seeing people come out who I haven’t seen, that I used to see on a quotidian basis every day as part of the neighborhood and town and culture here.”

Advocates for those with disabilities are concerned that Shared Spaces legislation does not go far enough in protecting the ability of the blind or those in wheelchairs to navigate city streets. https://t.co/K6oHN7ZdXW

— SF Examiner (@sfexaminer) May 3, 2021

The SF parklet program, technically part of a larger idea called “Shared Spaces,” probably cannot continue permanently as currently constructed. There are heartbreaking accessibility issues on these suddenly smaller sidewalks, and their fast-tracked permitting seems to have ignored the Americans With Disabilities Act that law as provided a conscience and guidelines on accessibility issues for the last 30 years.

Let there be LIGHT! Honored to bless the Valencia Street Lights with the @SFSisters and @welcometomannys. San Francisco is back and glowing! pic.twitter.com/QWiFmNsfzI

— Sister Roma (@SisterRoma) May 8, 2021

But the parklets have gotten San Francisco to where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.