Roads Less Traveled

I am in San Francisco right now and I’m happy to say that it’s still a great place to visit and one of my favorite cities on the planet.  I was concerned because of reports I’d read about trash piles in the streets and bums crapping on the sidewalks, but what I found was that was mostly confined to the Tenderloin district.  Other than that, SF is basically like any other big city-a bit rough around the edges from a cleanliness standpoint, but it’s still safe to visit and enjoyable for the average tourist.  

When I was younger and dumber, I used to read High Times and agitate for the legalization of marijuana.  Now that the day has come, I realize just how bad an idea that was and is.

The Cuba of my imagination-of a moonlit stage with sultry beauties swaying to sizzling salsa-of art deco hotels, royal palms, and pastel American cars-of Al Capone, Bugsy Seigel, Hemingway, and Sinatra-is long gone, obliterated by the last vestiges of that great scourge of the 20th century known as Communism.