The Fillmore vs. Pacific Heights

Riding up the 22 bus as I past the Fillmore into Pacific Heights, the transition was staggering. At first you see a neighborhood that reminds me of what the Harlem would’ve looked like. It was a little more grungy with an air of neglect. I did notice some jazz spots which provided the neighborhood with some character and history but all in all, it didn’t necessarily provided a welcoming atmosphere.

And then you past the Fillmore into Pacific Heights and for some reason it seems literally sunnier in this neighborhood. There are more people out, more shops to glance at, as well as restaurants and cafes. The people that are out are well dressed with their coffees and designer shopping bags with their perfectly-behaved dogs. One could say that the people here are comfortably happy. Everyone is smiling or having what I could see as a pleasant conversation either on their cell phones or with a friend.

The bizarre thing was that you’d think that because everyone seems so happy that they’d be inclined to talk to a college student trying to write a story for class. That was not the case. The people who I approached were so warm and amiable until I said that I had a few questions I would like to ask them. And then all of a sudden an instinct to back away from me instilled skepticism in their faces.

What I think this was all about was that they may have felt that their comfortable happiness was in jeopardy. They didn’t really want to answer my questions because they knew that they had something to lose, which was their lifestyle. Maybe they didn’t want anyone writing about their enclave because it was so important to them. I get that. But I’m a college student who was just trying to understand something I wasn’t familiar with. There was nothing that I could’ve done to change their lives, at least not yet.

Perhaps next time I’ll venture out in the Fillmore because although the neighborhood didn’t look as welcoming, I’m sure the people had something to say about it. Not to assume that the people in the Fillmore had nothing to lose by talking to me, but I’m sure they know there could be a lot to gain by aiding someone who doesn’t understand something. And by helping me comprehend what their neighborhood was about, I could tell someone else who might know someone else who might be able to give them a hand or two.

I’ll keep you guys updated. As of yet though, I do know that the Fillmore and Pacific Heights seem like completely different realms socially as well as economically