Forty and Fabulous

The Gang turns 40 this year
Mr. C, JR, Uncle Vito, The Producer, & Anchorman

This past weekend we ventured back to our old hometown of San Francisco for the first of many 40th birthday celebrations this year. It is no secret that The City by the Bay holds a very large piece of my heart- it is where I met and fell in love with Mr. C, got my first "real" job and my first apartment. I lived on Union Street in Russian Hill and woke each morning to foghorns, cable cars, and the most contagious energy any mid western girl could hope for by moving to the west coast. San Francisco was like a bright, shiny penny bringing me luck and love at every turn and I loved her for it. She could do no wrong and even with the thousands of dollars in parking tickets I racked up over the years, this was my city, and to a certain extent, it still is.

But in time, we all age. I have some lines under my eyes and I certainly don't look 24 any longer. San Francisco, she's got the same thing goin' on. She is no longer shaking her booty with IPO's and massive expense accounts. She isn't showboating her million dollar lofts and $700 downtown parking spaces any longer. She has a few vacancies and continues to struggle with managing her horrendous traffic and homeless population, but does that mean she's not beautiful? No way. She is more gorgeous then ever, especially on a 75 degree day in February.
But does my old girl SF need a little Botox? A little chin lift? Perhaps.

She could use a little nip and tuck here and there, but she's still hot.
Her restaurants are packed, neighborhoods are still vibrant and young people still transplant themselves here from all over the country in hopes of finding what I did nearly 17 years ago. She has survived this recession and her real estate bubble burst with a pop that nearly started an earthquake.
But she endured.

And like us, with this year of 40th birthday celebrations, we hope to do the same.
But I'm crossing my fingers on the Botox...