We the Young

For the 20something Crowd, San Francisco is Hedonism

Friday night, I ran up and down Valencia, putting my name in at half a dozen new restaurants, while two of my friends did the same. We were starving, hadn't been out on the Valenica Corridor since – God, since before the Founding of Rome, it seems – and we were ready to eat wherever we could get seated the fastest. At 9pm, the average wait was about 45 minutes.

After getting amused looks from Amber Dhara, Bar Tartine, Mosto, Farina Pizzeria and a few other trendy spots, we finally ended up at West of Pecos, where we stuffed ourselves on ribs, mac n' cheese, quacamole, enchiladas and prickly pear margaritas.

Saturday, we went to the Marina Green and snuck in beer to watch the Blue Angels, then to Final Final and Tipsy Pig for ...more beer.

Sunday my friends and I worried about where to have brunch, which stage to sit at for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and how to get tickets for the Giants playoff game.

That's how San Francisco gets you: you never stop and ask Is this all there is? because there's so much here.

Pretty much every weekend in San Francisco is plagued by those questions – where to get brunch, what's going on, when are we meeting in Dolores Park, who's bringing the beer? It's exquisite.

Does that mean we're all living the lives of our dreams? Are we doing it right? Have we – here at the Western end of America – discovered the secret to happiness? Blue sky, green grass, cold beer, warm brunch, fine wine?

Techies and hipsters, frolicking together in the meadow, sharing spirits, sharing skin, soaking up the sun on languid afternoon after languid afternoon. Every weekend.

Clearly, this is the good life, but what is it good for?

I'm not saying we should have fewer pleasures or work harder or give it all to charity. I'm just saying we've perfected pleasure, here in San Franciso, we've got it. What's next?

Photo credits: sfgate.com