After my usual Sunday morning tennis (from 9:00 to 10:30 at Almaden Valley Athletic Club, we decided to drive to San Francisco and explore the city. Inna also purchased tickets to the "Dear San Francisco" show at Club Fugazi at 18:00.
When we arrived in San Francisco at 13:00, we parked at Crissy Field (where I usually wing foil and windsurf). We talked to Chestnut Street, stopping by the Palace of Fine Arts to look for egrets, herons, and other local birds. Inna spotted a few green herons.
We walked toward my favorite Cracked & Battered eatery on Chestnut Street. While we walked on Chestnut Street, we noticed how hectic it was. Most restaurants and coffee shops were full of people, and there were long lines everywhere.
We signed in at Cracked & Battered, but the waiting list was unusually long (over 30 minutes). When we go to Cracked & Battered, I usually like to order Fried Chicken and Waffles.
We decided to walk around and explore other eateries. We decided to stop by and try Bluestone Lane (an Australian eatery). We ordered the following items:
- Inna: Latte, Prosciutto & Burrata Sandwich
- Boris: Mocha, Aji Verde Pulled Chicken Sandwich with a side salad
The online ordering worked well, and we received our sandwiches quickly. My Aji Verde Pulled Chicken Sandwich was good, though I still prefer Cracked & Battered Fried Chicken & Waffles.
After lunch, we walked to Lyon Street Steps, toward B. Patisserie.
It was a long uphill climb, and we burned off a few calories.
At B. Patisserie, we ordered a few parties and coffee. We enjoyed our time there (and we got there before the large crowd showed up). To burn off a few more calories, we decided to walk to the Georgian Cheese Boat Restaurant on Grant Street (about 1 hour). The walk was very nice, and we stopped by Starbucks on the way there.
Before going to the show at Club Fugazi, we decided to eat an early dinner at the Georgian Cheese Boat restaurant. One hour would be sufficient for dinner. It turned out to be a close call.
After sitting down at the Georgian Cheese Boat and looking at the menu, we ordered the following dinner items:
- Acharuli Classic Kachapuri
- Georgian Salad
- Eggplant Rolls
- Lamb Khinkali
- Nabeglavi
The dinner was excellent, and the freshly made Acharuli Kachapuri was especially delicious. The Lamb Khinkali dumplings were fantastic (and newly made from scratch). The Georgian Salad was prepared too late, so we ended up getting it to go (and eating later at home). Overall, we really liked the Georgian Cheese Boat and plan to come again.
After we finished dinner, we rushed to Club Fugazi, arriving a bit late (but in time to see the show).
"Dear San Francisco" started a bit after 18:10, and we ordered some Earl Grey tea and Tiramisu while watching the various stunts. The Tiramisu was not bad at all.
During the show, we saw multiple acrobats perform a variety of stunts. Some of the stunts were quite amazing, and others not so much.
Here is a good summary from ChatGPT:
Dear San Francisco is an immersive contemporary circus performance presented at Club Fugazi in San Francisco’s North Beach. Created by The 7 Fingers (a company of circus artists founded by Bay Area natives), the show is essentially a love letter to the city — blending acrobatics, storytelling, live music, spoken word, projections, and physical theatre to celebrate San Francisco’s history, culture, and spirit. dearsf.clubfugazisf.com+1
📖 Concept & Theme
The production doesn’t follow a traditional linear plot but instead takes audiences on a theatrical “joy ride” through San Francisco’s iconic moments, myths, and character — from the Gold Rush and the 1906 earthquake to Beat poetry, fog, and modern urban life. Club Fugazi
It’s described by reviewers as both a love letter to the city and to the human body — with performers using movement, poetry, and acrobatic skill to evoke emotional and historical resonance. San Francisco Chronicle
Audience participation and personal connections to the city are often part of the experience — for example, show elements can include love letters to San Francisco written by attendees and shared during the performance. KALW
🎪 What Happens on Stage
The show features world-class circus disciplines, including hoop diving, Chinese pole, Korean plank, hand-balancing, juggling, hand-to-trap trapeze, and more — all performed by an international cast of acrobats. Club Fugazi
Creative staging includes shadow play, projections of historical footage, live original music, spoken word, and visual art — blending together for a truly multi-sensory experience. dearsf.clubfugazisf.com
The venue’s intimate setting lets performers interact closely with the audience, sometimes moving through or around them. KALW
🎶 Style & Atmosphere
The tone mixes awe-inspiring physicality with heartfelt storytelling — funny, touching, surprising and emotionally resonant all at once. San Francisco Chronicle
Music (both live and original) and shadow imagery help evoke different eras and moods of San Francisco’s past and present. dearsf.clubfugazisf.com
It’s more theatrical and narrative-driven than traditional circus and far more intimate than large arena shows like Cirque du Soleil. KALW
⏱️ Practical Details
Length: About 90 minutes with no intermission. Club Fugazi
Audience: Recommended for ages 5 and up — though it’s not a children’s show in the traditional sense; it’s meant for general audiences who can appreciate its blend of art, history, and performance. dearsf.clubfugazisf.com
Venue: Club Fugazi is a storied theatre that’s historically significant in SF culture (longtime home of Beach Blanket Babylon) and now hosts this contemporary spectacle in a close-up, dinner-and-show style environment. Wikipedia
🧠Overall Experience
Dear San Francisco is a heartfelt, acrobatic tribute to the city’s resilience, diversity, and mythic identity. It feels intimate rather than spectacle-driven, combining circus artistry with storytelling, music, and spoken word to create more than a performance — a shared emotional celebration of San Francisco’s past and present.
Here is a sample YouTube video from the show:
While it's not on par with Cirque du Soleil, it was still a decent show and kept us entertained.
Dear San Francisco Review
Highlights
- The acrobats (from Cirque du Soleil) are talented and perform some exciting stunts.
Lowlights
- The show lacked a coherent story
- The guitar/banjo playing was amateurish (one player played just one guitar string).
- There was no comedy (missing a clown)
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