The Outer Sunset

How beautiful is that?

I grew up in Hawaii and San Diego so I grew up around this happy-go-lucky, tropical, party beach culture and was kind turned-off and a little frightened by Ocean Beach when I first moved here. Most of the time it’s really foggy and overcast. Like if London and Russia combined forces to bioengineer the most depressing beach possible. Anyone touching the water had bodysuits, homeless people constantly swimming MUNI upstream to die alone, and Elliot Smith haunted that walkway.

Guys walking by themselves.
Wearing sunglasses and staring at the ground.
Thinking about all the mistakes in their life.
As they walked past tagged-up dead beached whales.
Before being jacked-up from behind.

It was kind of a downer beach.

But I discovered quickly that even on foggy summer days the beach was beautiful at night. I could open any window of my house and hear it all night. I could hear any car that drove by me from at least a few blocks away, but I could hear the ocean all night.

And on sunny weekdays this place is a beautifully eerie and deserted rust bucket. I love it.

This is The Great Highway.

I was here when the Burning Man People had a free art opening for the first of their new bonfire pits last year.

It was WINDY AS FUCK. I remember almost Burning Man dust storm conditions with this Crazy Turrets Homeless Dude drawn to the fire that would not shut up. Unsuspecting couples would be walking up to the fires from out of the dust storms and thinking that Crazy Turrets Homeless Dude was part of the local Burning Man charm without realizing that local rangers had told Crazy Turrets Homeless Dude to shut up while other people were giving speeches at least 3 times now and it wasn’t working. There was instant blind cooperation among strangers and the local Sunset beach cops busting DPW guys for drinking on the beach. Proof that The Universe really does have a sense of humor. I thought it was a nice effort on the Burning Man People’s part, but honestly I wondered how long the fire pits would survive before being tagged-up or destroyed. But check it out now that it’s completed in 2009 –

Nowhere near the level of trash that used to collect around the old city bonfire pits and no tagging! That’s amazing.

I like this partially bloomed flower / acorn design the best.

That 45-degree angle is a great design and is a hell of a lot more practical in blocking the wind, which is essential to starting and maintaining your fire under windy as fuck conditions. I was cruising by at 4:20 and there was already a fire going in the acorn fire pit with girls playing music and dancing nearby.

Good times.

Also, by Burning Man People I mean a combination of The Black Rock Arts Foundation and Burners Without Borders. I just like referring to them as Burning Man People, which has a nice ring to it. Like Children of The Corn.