5 Reasons San Franciscans Tolerate Gloomy Weather

Yeah, we know, weather is always a topic in San Francisco. The bright, sunny days feel euphoric and the dreaded we-will-never-see-the-sun-again days seem to drag on and on and on. But if we are completely honest about it, the so-called “horrible weather” is actually a good thing—dare I say I even enjoy it sometimes? So, we tolerate the gloomy weather because there are actually some valid reasons to embrace non-sunny days.

1. Seeing over hills. It’s bad enough that you have to avoid a swerving MUNI and those tiny yellow cars that shout out directions to the directionally challenged tourist. Now you have to throttle your car up and over a hill all while blind from the glaring rays from a hot sun? No thanks. We welcome Karl the Fog.

2. Accidentally stepping in squishy piles. The glare of a bright, shining sun is the perfect way to accidentally step into a steaming pile of who knows what. And it’s even worse when you talked yourself into those cute open-toed sandals because being fashionable is way more important than being warm…and clean. 

3. Sunburns. We aren’t consistently tan. But we’ve accepted it. So when the sun does actually come out, we are so terrified of burning that we overuse the SPF 50 sunscreen made for babies. And the funny thing is we still burn. So…there’s that. 

4. Survival skills. Why do you think everyone in SF carries a backpack? It’s not just to transport a packed lunch and the latest David Sedaris book—it’s a survival kit. Everyone knows you never leave the house without a light jacket and a scarf. Throw in a beanie and an extra flannel for good measure. If there’s one thing we know, it’s layers, layers, layers. Oh, and don’t forget your water bottle and recyclable grocery bag. At all costs, you must avoid the scornful look from the checkout clerk when you meekly ask for a paper bag. Because we have to constantly be prepared for rapidly changing weather, we’d like to think our survival skills are on par. Zombie attack? Bring it on.

5. Productivity. If we had too many warm and sunny days, there is a high possibility that techy coders would forgo hackathons and 12-hour workdays for tall boys in the park and copious amounts of Bi-Rite ice cream. Then who would develop all the apps necessary for living a real, functioning life?