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It was a gorgeous Saturday this past weekend in SF, which didn’t feel natural at all for the approaching summer, but we’ll take it. Hunky Beau and I hopped down to the bustling Taiwanese American Cultural Festival in Union Square for some traditional music, T-pop newbies, and incredible Dragon Boat dumplings, cold sesame noodles, and mee sua (never mind the pig intestine, it was delicious) for a little late brunch.
After waiting in food lines for an inordinate amount of time, that storied SF tradition, and slurping down our prizes, we headed to the official opening day of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, which was in full swing—er, salsa—as New Jersey “salsa dura” maestro Hermán Olivera y Orquesta Taíno took over the stage with a huge and joyful ensemble. Dancers filled the park with smooth moves and terrific vibes, exactly where you wanted to be on a perfect afternoon. The Festival has a powerhouse line-up this year—Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Circus Bella, Destiny Muhammad Trio, etc—that extends throughout the summer’s weekends. This year is dedicated to the memory of festival booker and great guy Marcelo Avilés, who passed away suddenly earlier this year. It’s great to see his spirit uplifted.
Then it was time to hop a bus to catch the tail end of the OM Records 30th anniversary party in Embarcadero Plaza. Classic DJ Mark Farina brought the roiling, happy-faced crowd funky, jazzy house classics—including one sampling late Digital Underground legend Shock G.—bringing true Bay Area bona fides to bear in the golden slant of late afternoon sun.
Dancing with thousands downtown on the Bay was a true joy, but I must say it was a surreal experience moving beneath the charred remains of the brilliant Vaillancourt Fountain and squashing up against the glass cubes of the new pickleball courts (full of normies playing on unphased). I’m also antennas-up about Another Planet putting on more and more of these events in Parks and Rec spaces, but at least they are free. For now.
In any case: Noodles, salsa, ravers. The whole thing was rounded off with a Manhattan and an adorable pupper at the Lookout in the Castro. Quintessential pre-summer SF day.
