California is truly a beautiful place. Most people, from my experience, draws their perception about California from southern California most notably L.A. The different regions of California are diverse in culture. L.A. has the strong influence of Hollywood and the energy that involves that lifestyle. The unique concept of California is for the most part nobody really cares what other people might think of you.
California ranges from Hollywood of L.A, to the pot smoking ultra mellow people of Humboldt county up north to the non-judgmental atmosphere of San Francisco to the right wing culture of the central valley which I find worse than the Midwest.
One rare cultural aspect of California is the earthy side. There are many people that are very earthy. They are very honest, down to earth, spiritual, healthy people. The earthy side of California is the side that I blend well with. Its the side that a person is OK soaking in a hot springs nude and not have a hang up about it. It is the side that is just down to earth and their energy expresses such a lifestyle of non-judgment.
San Francisco is a wonderful city with lots to offer. It is one city that is truly open minded without any judgment. You can express yourself in anyway you like and nobody is going to care. When people hear of San Francisco they automatically think the whole city is gay meaning homosexual.
Visiting in 1992, 1995 and living in Santa Cruz since 1999, I have enjoyed visiting San Francisco many times. I never understood what people were talking about because I never noticed or should I say I never knew where the “gay” neighborhoods were located. I always hung out in the North Beach, China Town, The Mission, The Marina, and the Wharf.
When I drove airport sedans and limos, I drove a customer to the city and they were visiting a friend in the Castro district. I drove down this hill and all of a sudden the energy changed. What a major difference from one neighborhood to the next. The energy was so strong I knew right away that we were driving through the gay district.
It is sad that the city is so strongly stereotyped. The city has this very relaxed comfortable feeling to it because nobody judges one another. The gay area is only a couple of neighborhoods within the huge cultural diverse city that it is.
The culture of California can be challenging. It took me a three years until I fully understood it and adapted to it. Since then I wouldn’t live anywhere away from the west coast. The universe is all about expression. I found that California is a place where a person can freely express oneself without the judgment of others, compared to most of the states in America.