Cash Register Broker

Every time I come home from a trip, I always feel enlightened in some new way. San Francisco was no different. I learned a little about myself, learned some new things from new people and discovered that sometimes, you just have to let the universe work her magic.

We went into this trip with no real plans. We had a general idea of some things we wanted to see, which I later compiled into a list in my beloved moleskine journal, as well as some people we wanted to see, but no actual concrete plans.

Both Marissa and I believe in having no expectations. That way, we have an amazing time no matter what we do or where we end up. The best stories always come from nights that are completely unplanned and spontaneous. Our first night out in SF, we wandered into the Gold Dust Lounge, which had a small band and felt like a saloon right out of the old west. The cutest old couple walked into the bar a few minutes after we did, and Marissa and I were immediately enthralled! We probably grabbed each other out of sheer excitement at how cute this couple was. Being the avid people watchers that we are, we seriously could not take our eyes off of them. The man was completely suited up and the woman looked like she had just walked off the screen of a silent movie from the 20s. They had to have been in their 70s or 80s. We watched as they danced around the bar together to the music of the live band, and as the woman watched herself in the mirror as she floated gracefully through the crowd of onlookers. We walked further into the bar to get a closer look and before I knew it, the woman, whose name I later learned was Gail, had grabbed my hand and was twirling me around the bar. We spent the rest of the night dancing and chatting them up as if we were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. We learned that they were merely friends and dance partners, and not married as I had assumed. They often go out at night to find a bar with good music to dance. The man, Bernie, told me about the time he spent in Los Angeles, and claimed to have had relationships with both Liz Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. I wish I could remember more but it was definitely one of my favorite nights in 2012.

We took a few pictures with them and Bernie gave me his card and asked me to email him the photos. I looked at the card after we left the bar and smiled when I read "Cash Register Broker."