Quirky San Francisco II - People
 

There is an interesting man who sits in front of the Ghirardelli building (side facing the ocean, street level). He wears a bush or cowboy type hat, sits on a folding chair, and plays his guitar. The song I hear most often is Mary Ann. I always stop to visit with him and have never got a straight answer from him as to who he is or what his occupation was. He has a fascinating board filled with pictures of places he has been and important people he has seen. He says he speaks several languages and I have heard him speak with foreign tourists in their language. Whether he can say more than How do you do, How is the weather, I don't know. He has a wonderful laugh and he is there everytime I have been in that area over that past several years.

So, Fodorites, if you visit SF, stop and see him and see what story he tells you. Then be sure to come back here and post and clue us in. Tell him Ronda from Fodors sent you/told you about him. he he He won't know who that is but when I stop and see him next time, it will ring a bell.

Then, of course, there is the bush man who hides behind a bush and jumps out at people. Scares them "silly". My son almost decked him when the bushman surprised him.

Oh, I know him. He asks where you're from, and says something in that language. I think he knows only few phrases, at least I caught him in a lie about Russian.

I live in San Francisco for 16 years. Some weirdos are too familiar :)

The Bushman has his own website.

There is a man who walks around downtown/financial area with a sign "impose Clinton by the order of the Galaxies" - now it's not Clinton, and not the president.

There is a man in a wheelchair on Powell, he doesn't speak, his sign on one side says "hello", on another "smile".

Then there is a man in the Union Square who sings something like "when you smile, the whole world smiles with you". He wears a suit and a hat.

There is also a man who walks around Market street and asks everybody "do you have a dollar for a bus?" - the tourists are afraid of him :)

>>There is an interesting man who sits in front of the Ghirardelli building<<

He has been there at least 30 years.

Stu Dudley

Ok, Stu, so have you ever talked to him? I think he has on the same outfit everytime I see him.

Occasionally there is a couple that sings opera on Maiden Lane (opposite of the Union Square side).

>>Ok, Stu, so have you ever talked to him? I think he has on the same outfit everytime I see him.<<

You're right - it's the same outfit. He doesn't seem to age either. His standard song 30 years ago was "Jerimiah was a bull frog". He only strums the first few chords of a song, followed by a comment (usually in verse) about a passer-by. I even saw him on a "Streets of San Francisco" episode many-many years ago.

I have not talked to him. Now days, we're usually just driving by the Wharf area on the way to someplace else.

Stu Dudley

PS - did he ever sing "Help Me Ronda" to you ???

Stu Dudley

Very good Stu! I don't think so but my cute little mother just loves him because he sings Mary Ann to her which is her name (all day all night mary ann, down by the seashore sifting sand). She loves people and thus gets a lot of enjoyment listening to him.

He has told me he was a merchant marine, an opera singer????? I'll have to quiz him again next time. Maybe put something in his guitar case ;).

More quirky people -

Love those bell ringing trolley car drivers! Last week I saw a first - a trolley car driver with a turbin! I'm sure he was trained and is competent but just caught me by surprise.