First the city, then the song

San Francisco meant very little to me until around a decade ago. It was just another city in California until I actually visited it, and later developed a friendship with many of the musicians living there. It was only due to my son deciding that at the ripe old age of eight he was too old to go to Disneyland that we actually went there at all. We were in the early stages of making plans for an extensive overseas vacation, when my son suddenly declared that he no longer wished to bother with Disneyland. As I had no personal interest, I asked where he would prefer to visit. He declared that San Francisco was his new preference. Therefore, San Francisco became the first foreign city that he set foot in.

At the time of our trip, my partner lived in San Diego. I was far more interested in the southern cities of California, having also had two previous partners from the Los Angeles areas. It was not until after visiting San Francisco that I developed a closer tie to the city as well as its musical population. After our trip, I developed an intense interest. Being musically minded, I searched for songs relating to the city in the second hand record store. The first one I found was Judy Garland's San Francisco. To increase my relation to the town, I played the newly discovered old hit constantly for some time. I had this habit of repeating music until I learned the lyrics. These days, I am more likely to play music by the bands currently performing in the actual city than the city-titled song, but at the time my fascination was growing this song ruled the stereo.

Much time has since passed, and my ties only grow; my partner of four years lives there along with a former best friend and many of the people I talk with on a regular basis. Although I do not still play this song, it always brings a smile to my face, reminding me of those early days when I was just beginning to enjoy the town.