San Francisco Part II: SF vs. Curaçao

In my second day in San Francisco (after 10 years), I begin to draw parallels and comparisons between my home in the Caribbean and this wonderful, wonderful city. How dare I, right? :D

Why is SF better than Curaçao?

- Variety vs. scarcity
- Service-oriented vs. so-service-disoriented-they-can't-find-North-with-a-compass
- the food, dear Jesus--the FOOD!
- no mosquitoes
- this is the land of public transportation
- BUT you can walk everywhere, and it's fantastic to do so
- it's also possible to walk--you're not drenched in sweat after the first five steps
- nature and gardens: unbelievable blooms everywhere. Yesterday I saw crocuses--yes, CROCUSES--blooming on a sidewalk. Just--you know, happily blooming. As if it wasn't a miracle of life and beauty.
- cultural stuff: ballet, concerts, museums, art galleries... you know. In Curaçao there's ONE museum worth going to. ONE. "Ballet" is what people dance during Carnival (which is, by the way, this weekend. So glad I'm not there). Concerts? Oh, you mean when one of those salsa pseudo-kings that no one in the civilized world has heard of shows up and blasts song after song of sticky rhythms at the highest possible volume? Ah yes. Those we do have in Curaçao.

Why is Curaçao better than SF?

- beaches. Hands down, that's the most important thing.
- laid-back attitude--everything's easy, nothing's formal, just... Relax and enjoy.
- no one lifts an eyebrow if you drink and drive (which we ALL do)
- did I mention the beaches? Oh yeah. But there's a lot of them, so it deserves two mentions.
- the diving. Spectacular shore dive spots all over the island, incredible reefs, fantastic visibility.
- barefoot is an always acceptable dress code, no matter what the occasion.
- no one cares if you've had a manicure or not, if you haven't had your eyebrows waxed in three weeks (or months).
- the beaches. Oh--already said that, didn't I?

How are they comparable?

- cultural diversity