Cash Only

It's all about the greenbacks, what! Yeah, SF is kinda like that. For a "big city" SF doesn't take to kindly to the 21st Century's predilection for ubiquitous credit/debit card use. Most places in my new home are CASH ONLY. Yuck!

And if they do take a card it has to be a Visa or Mastercard (aren't they the same thing anyway?). My lonely Discover card which seemed like such a brilliant idea upon signing up for it (cash back, security, cool sleek black design) has been resigned to the bench or my bedside drawer. It only gets play on the Internet. Here in the tangible daily world it has about as much relevance as lambskin condoms, The Apprentice (no Donald, You're Fired!) or Carrot Top.

Some of my fave haunts like Cassanova in the Mission don't even have a modern cash register. The register at the Uptown on Capp St. looks like a prop from a Spaghetti Western. WTF? I guess you gotta be a cash carrying, pencil thin hipster in the Mission to drink in the Mission, no?

My disgust with money in my pocket is that it burns a hole in said pocket. If its in my pocket now, it won't be much longer. I loathe carrying cash. You can get stuck up and lose a bunch, you can overtip, you have to ask others for change, etc. I'm a card carrier through and through. Hell I'll pull out the debit card for a bar of candy at 7-11 with no shame whatsoever.

So while we're putting bar codes on buildings all over the city (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89271743), why don't we shell out a few more duckets to help us no cash-carrying peeps.

(This is the part of the conversation where you, the environmentally-over PC-San Franciscan says, "Jamaal, less cards means less receipts which means less paper which in turn takes care of OUR Earth. Huzzah!!!!!" I'm sorry but, fuck that.)