Bay to Breakers: Dress Up Day for the Haves
San Francisco just seems to get more and more expensive. More and more long time residents are getting displaced - the Mission is almost entirely gentrified by techies who bus down valley or who walk/jog to nearby SoMa - and the streets are overflowing with homeless people strewn about the sidewalks almost casually, like broken dolls. But once a year the "haves" get to play dress up in a celebration of the weird - while confused street denizens push grocery carts by in bemusement and beratement. It's called Bay to Breakers, a 12k run from - yes, you guessed it - the San Francisco bay across town to the breakers of the Pacific Ocean.
I am a runner. I like fun. I like celebration. I like community. I definitely like weird. I love the feeling of running herd with 40,000 other like-minded people because it makes me feel part of something that is bigger than me. But as I sauntered down from my room high up at the Hilton Union Square, expensive camera in tow, somehow I felt just bit guilty. Perhaps we all could be doing something a bit better with our well-earned money (and time) than playing dress up, with everything else that is going on all around us.
But then I took a look at the Bay to Breakers website and here is what was posted on the landing page:
Bay to Breakers is proud to partner with four incredible organizations that will benefit from the 2017 race as official Community partners: Rise Together, Mo’ MAGIC, The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the National Kidney Foundation. Each organization aligns with the race’s vision to have a positive impact within the community, in the classroom and with people’s health that reaches beyond San Francisco.
Ok. I feel better. Let's get weird.
But...
...let's not forget some of these people...
