they build such beautiful things in a city where so much can go wrong..

what do istanbul and san francisco have in common?

- dense population, high chance of major earthquakes, and my undue adoration.


walking around the latter, i have to smile and sigh at once. the people of this city have either that much trust in or that much lightness for life. each building has been made with care. each street has been made to make you love it. and each time i think that just one seismic shift can bring all this down, i love it even more. i wonder if san franciscans even think about the latent fragility of their city. i wonder if this lightness or trust (however you want to look at it) presents them with the undercurrent for a liberated life. because at the end of it, that's how san francisco speaks of itself - as the city by the sea, beautiful and free. it is almost melancholic. in istanbul, they would call it huzun.