Thursday, September 21

The (Belated) Weekend Catch-Up: Summer Weather Is Coming to SF

It was a gay ol’ time in San Francisco this past weekend… but the weather, say, wasn’t friendly to the scantly dressed among us.

SF Pride weekend is finally behind us. Though Saturday proved to be an ostensibly gorgeous day, albeit with unusually chilly weather for the summer, Sunday was largely defined by Karl The Fog’s omnipresence across San Francisco — inundating daytime Pride parties with a frigid cool and gloomy overcast.

Nevertheless, the queerdos persisted and filled the city with a familiar frivolity around inclusion and acceptance. 

(The 2023 SF Pride parade saw a line of political notables, like Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and California State Representative Matt Haney, descend on the annual march through Market Street, danced with gaggles of queer-themed regalia along downtown — a nice pop of both color and vitality to an otherwise struggling sector of the city. According to The Frisc, San Francisco’s popularity “swelled by half” during the City’s 53rd annual Pride March.

Denizen of the nightlife and serial philanthropist Juanita MORE! hosted her annual Pride party at 620 Jones which she attended right after co-leading the People’s March; the aforenoted walk has continued to grow in popularity since debuting in 2021, attracting flocks of queer folk and allies alike as they marched down the original path of SF’s Pride March that combed down Polk Gulch — the neighborhood what many consider the city’s first gayborhood.

The Trans March was filled with levity and calls to protect and advocate for community safety; the Dyke March was a leather-soaked celebration, punctuated by motorcycle roars; chromatic parties like Electorluxx housed sweat-soaked bodies that were undulated to electronic-dance music. This weekend proved that San Francisco isn’t dying. If anything, it’s on the dawn of a renaissance that harkens back to the city’s bygone era founded on creativity and artistic expression.)

Though this weekend proved gloomy — this week has, thus far, echoed Sad Girl Summer vibes as cold temperature and dense cloud coverage nip at the heels of our seasonal depression — a heatwave is in our forecast. 

“Heat Advisory in effect from Friday to Sunday for the inland portions of the Bay Area and Central Coast,” reads a tweet from the SF Bay Area chapter of the National Weather Service published Tuesday, June 17. Nods to the looming heat wave were first predicted over the weekend, but the ensuing days have given some clarity to the temperature event. “Hot temperatures in the 90s and low 100s could cause impacts to life and health. Stay hydrated, limit outdoor activities, and never leave children and pets in vehicles!”

Suffice it to say that Dolores Park is going to be popping off *again* this weekend as the temperature climbs like a Sean Paul song circa 2005.

What else transpired over the weekend? Here’s a brief recap.

  • A $1.50 toll hike might be coming to Bay Area bridges. At least seven over-water roadways in the region, which includes the Bay Bridge, could see a $1.50 toll hike amid California’s crisis in public transit funds; if signed into law, the bill — called SB 532 — would see the hike in effect for five years. More info. 
  • Google was pretty mid during SF’s Pride this year. SF-based drag queen and theater organizer Peaches Christ told the San Francisco Chronicle that the same event in 2022 she hosted at Beaux “was a (Google) sanctioned event” — but the same event this year proved lackluster. And the Google employees who attended it found themselves feeling “disappointed and embarrassed,” per the beloved entertainer. More info.
  • The Mission gets a new, fruit-forward coffee shop. Outset Coffee features Asian-inspired creative coffee drinks at its freshly opened shop at 790 Valencia Street, taking over the spot formerly occupied by Earthbar; expect us to take an IRL visit there soon and report back. More info.

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