While in Chicago last weekend with my boyfriend, I was reminded yet again how much difficulty San Franciscans seem to have saying hello to each other in the streets. In Chicago, more strangers said hello to or smiled at me in a 3-day weekend than in the last six months here at home.
What’s worse than San Franciscans’ inability to say hello in the street is their apparent disdain for smiling at or making eye contact with strangers. I’d like to say this is another of my sweeping generalizations (for which the Clog is famous), but let’s face it — people don’t greet each other in the streets. Not in elevators. Not in corner stores. Zip. And I’m fucking tired of it.
I am going to change the face of San Francisco streets — gently at first, I don’t want to appear daffy — by smiling widely and brightly at at least two strangers every day. Smiling is easier for me than busting out with a “Hello,” but I’m adding to my commitment one hello per day until I feel comfortable enough to up the count.
I tried it today. I smiled at a cute guy (ok, that wasn’t much work, but I’ve got to start somewhere, eh?), who immediately smiled back. One down, one to go. I then smiled at a lovely school teacher marching her urchins up the street. She seemed bedraggled by her responsibility, but melted into a gorgeous smile upon seeing mine. That made me feel great.
I encourage you to try it, if you aren’t already actively smiling and hello-ing strangers on the street. It really makes San Francisco feel far friendlier than it really is.