Mike and his sisters went back to San Diego on Wednesday.

We did the tourist thing. Went to Fisherman's Wharf. Then on to North Beach and China Town. From North Beach we took a Cable Car ride back to downtown Union Square. It was only my second time riding on one. I normally don't do this kind of thing. $5 for a cable car fare? wow. But I had fun.

Funny. I forgot how charming San Francisco can be. I've been so busy moping around and whining about how much its changed, but underneath the surface, SF is still a beautiful city. It still has a lot to offer, it has a vibrant art scene and the Indie music circuit still thrives.

The dot.com bust really kicked San Francisco in the ass, and when the industry imploded, the dot.com nazis began to flee the city. My friends had seen this coming, some have left the city to pursue new things in NYC, some went to Hawaii, others traveled to eastern Europe. Including me and my girlfriend at the time (To Hawaii). We had a hunch that SF was about to get hit, not just economically but culturally too, and it was time to get out of dodge, within a year -- it did, not because we had any solid facts to back it up, but it was more of a gut feeling, and sure enough we were right. Today the city is on a transition. It has survived the dot.com bust, although it may never recapture that same magical aura it once had--(as far as the" scene") like it did from 1998 to 2001, something new and different will come along, it always does.

Sometimes it takes a perspective of an outsider like my friend Mike to help me appreciate my city. He says the city seems to have a lot to offer, and I think he's right about that. It doesn't hurt to stoop to a tourist level to really see that. --Of course this does not mean I'll be making frequent visits to Fisherman's Wharf anytime. I fucking hate that place. I still plan to leave one day. But until then, this is home. It has been for most of my life. I've learned to appreciate this city once more--sans the cynicism.

Theres something very liberating about wanting and liking, and appreciating the things you have in the present moment. I think it's fine to think about the future, but as my old ex had taught me, finding happiness with what you have now is also important.