Interview: Willie Mays and Me

Name:
Rita Hao

Age and Occupation:
31, lawyer

Hometown:
I grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee (home of the 1982 World's Fair). Haven't been back in like 10 years (my parents moved, but not until after I was
forced to go to high school there).

How long have you lived in the Bay Area?
I moved out here in 1997, after finishing law school in New York, so I guess it's been about 7 years now? I've been in a variety of apartments, all between the 16th and 24th Street BART stations, ever since.

Favorite website:
SFist and the whole Gothamist family, of course! Well, and I've developed a sick obsession with the San Francisco real estate listings (www.sfarmls.com). Like I'm going to spend $1.2 million on a two bedroom one bath condo in Cow Hollow? Funny just to think about!

Favorite local business:
Wow, let's see. Amoeba and Clean Well-Lighted spring to mind. The Makeout Room and the other bars in the 22nd Street vicinity? Oh, and the Indian ice cream place on 17th. That place rules.

What You're currently Reading:
Hm, let's see. I just finished Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett, and Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. This book group I'm in is reading Getting Mother's Body by Suzan-Lori Parks. I'm also reading the latest issue of Bitch Magazine, and the latest issue of US Weekly. I really want to read the new Nicholson Baker book Checkpoint next, even though it's getting horrible reviews.

SF has the BEST:
Weather reports. I am so into the Chron weather listings. It's like, the weather is either a picture of a sun with a cloud over it (72 degrees), or the Golden Gate Bridge (68 degrees). And they have so many ways to say "Foggy in the morning, sunny in the afternoon." Like, "sunny after morning fog," "Patchy fog, clearing in the pm," "Clouds, then sun." "Clear skies after morning mist," "Partly cloudy, then partly sunny," etc. That's a great job. I think they may no longer be continuing this charade of coverage after the Chron fired their weather person for plagiarism (I believe she was busted for copying something with more content and not the fog/sun thing) but the logos are still awesome.

You've never lived in SF until:
you've been leered at by Willie Brown.

Favorite Bay area politician of past or present:
Who was that dude that got busted being reamed with a whiskey bottle by a prostitute? Him.

Best solicitation from a pan handler:
I like the guy who plays songs about Jesus on his Casiotone in the Civic Center BART stop. He's pretty good.

You can tell someone is local here IF:
all their friends are moving back to New York.

SF would be soooo much better if only:
we had a lurid tabloid paper! (Headless body in topless bar! Awright!) Also, it'd be nice if Rice to Riches opened a branch out here. I love rice pudding.

Best Burrito in the City:
I'm partial to the fish burrito at Papalote myself.

Best movie/tv scene filmed in or about SF:
Gotta go with Vertigo, because that dude was really driving through San Francisco. None of that weird TV San Francisco geography like in Charmed or Monk. I also liked Live Nude Girls Unite!, about the Lusty Lady unionizing, that I just caught on the Sundance Channel. That's exactly what it's like north of Market.

I want all the SFists out there to know:
Willie Mays and I have the same birthday. Say hey!