San Francisco night moods
I often find myself driving through the streets of San Francisco after dark, long after the sun has gone down. I choose routes that take me up the steep, narrow streets; following the cable car tracks, the old bay-window buildings crowding the sidewalks. Neon lights and signs in languages from distant lands.
As I work the clutch and shift gears up and down the hills, through intersections, I like to feed the noir vibe with what I call Crime Jazz - heavy on the sax, moody and urban. I put the windows down and open the moon roof, letting the cool foggy air off the Bay drift through my car. The air breathes with voices from the past, and the footsteps of those long gone.
It's easy to project myself back into a '49 Mercury, wearing a brim hat and overcoat, shifting my way through The City toward some unknown destination, the chrome AM radio lit with the same moody tunes.
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You ever drive out Lake Avenue to the Foreign Legion? Then take Lincoln Blvd back through the Presidio ... Maybe pop down to Baker or China Beach on the way?
Such a great drive ...
One o' my favorite nighttime SF driving discs is Dummy by Portishead ... it's ... sorta jazz 
