Lunch Break: The Musical

The links in this post may be affiliate links.  That means that if you click them and make a purchase, this site makes a commission.  It will have no impact on the price you pay or the experience of your purchase.

I've been at my job for almost a year now, so I've been commuting into San Francisco 3 days a week for that long. It's something I've never done as a working professional. I commuted in for college, but my jobs have all been in the East Bay, so I've always driven to work, instead of taking transit.
There's something magical about working in Downtown San Francisco, about being a part of the mass that gets on the train, gets off, slogs up the stairs and elevators. I feel like a part of a much larger thing, the economy, really, and it's a feeling I've never had before.

I have a mad crush on San Francisco, and I've mentioned it before. I love walking down Market Street, amidst the buildings and the people and the sounds… it's inspiring to me in a way nothing else can be. We had a gorgeous day the other day, and “Good Morning, Baltimore” from Hairspray came on in my headphones as I walked to the Ferry Building at lunch. (That's a link to YouTube. Please go listen to that before proceeding, if you don't already know of the song! Thanks! ;))

Because truly, I can't be the only person who creates Broadway musicals in her head on the regular, can I?

Backstory: Young girl who just got her first “real job” in the “big city,” has just moved to SF from Podunkville, spends lunch breaks from her (PR? Admin? Startup?) job exploring the City. You with me?

Music (instrumental) shows our protagonist walking (strutting?) happily down Market, towards the Ferry Building. She passes this bench/plaza and starts to sing. Nothing too big yet, she sings of her love of this new city and adventure. It involves stepping up onto that bench to emphasize a point. The sleeping man in the suit wakes up and, smiling at her infectious adorableness, comes over to join her in a little dance break before helping her down off the bench and on her way.

The song swells as she arrives at the plaza on the Embarcadero.
The street musicians magically know the tune, and take over the music and she sings her big belty solo, which involves spinning slowly with her arms outstretched while singing more about this amazing adventurous path her life has taken.

Going into the Ferry Building, she encounters the most amazing display of food and goods she's ever seen. The sellers joyously showcase their wares to her as she passes by, ignoring all of the other patrons in the area.

Seeing a fruit seller juggling apples, she perfectly intercepts one and takes a bite, smiling at the seller, and he doesn't even care that she just stole an apple.

After she takes 2 bites of the apple and tosses it over her shoulder (where it's artfully caught and disposed of by a…. mime? gluten-free donut seller? CSA sign-up person?) She sings about the mushroom store. Because there's a MUSHROOM STORE.

Her last stop inside the Ferry Building is at Prather Ranch Meats, where their t-shirt slogan of “Praise the Lard” causes a robe-clad gospel choir to join her in a rousing spiritual about bacon.

Exiting the Ferry Building and walking back down Market, she photobombs the tourists waiting for the cable car, and once again, none of them seem bothered and not only do they assume it's part of the “San Francisco charm,” but some of them break into perfectly choreographed moves as well.

Passing one of the many street vendors selling their handcrafted-or-made-in-China goods, she tries on a variety of plush animal hats, and not only does the vendor NOT curse and shake a fist at her, she (the vendor) snaps photos of our girl modeling the headwear.

And finally, the big finish. Overwhelmed with happiness and excitement, she starts to run. As she hits the final line of the song (I'm on my way? Look out world, here I come? This is my kind of city, my kind of life? I'm open to suggestions on this one) she runs throuigh the pigeons on the sidewalk, who artfully dodge out of her way, and not a single one craps on her head.

The end!

If your life was a Broadway musical, what would it be?