THE ROOT 9: 32.3

This week’s focus on Fleet Week in the "Fun" section inspired this thought for me. I’ve known it was a big thing in San Francisco for years, and for me, that typically meant friends organizing viewing parties by the Marina Green or Fort Mason.

It made me realize how easily we participate in or are surrounded by traditions (local, cultural, or even familial) without pausing to explore the why behind them. We take the event at face value, organize the party, and enjoy the show.

Ironically enough, my digging wasn't inspired by Dylan’s love for planes (though I'm sure if I told him I was writing about this, he would have loved geeking out and giving me even more interesting rabbit holes to dive into. Oh well, there's always next year…). It was a simple curiosity that led to a bit more of an informed understanding of something I had passively experienced.

I think there's a certain reward in pausing your consumption of an event to actually understand its foundation. The added context can deepen your appreciation, or maybe even encourage you to see it through a different lens.

SF's Tradition Takes Flight

I'd be doing a disservice to my SF readers if I didn't acknowledge the giant elephant - or rather, the F/A-18 Super Hornet you’ll hear interrupting your WFH calls today - in the room: Fleet Week. To my readers outside the Bay, I apologize for geographical specificality this week, but let’s use this as a chance to briefly walk through some facts on this spectacle basically a key part of SF’s DNA.

In SF, Fleet Week colors almost every weekend plan and conversation you might have leading up to it. But it isn't just a San Francisco thing. In SF, it began in 1981, established by Mayor Feinstein as a formal structure for the existing custom of Navy ship parades and, most prominently, the air show put on by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

Since then, the purpose has expanded. In 2009, the SF Fleet Week Center for Humanitarian Assistance was developed to train and educate national and international crisis response teams.

The Blue Angels, a U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, perform about 70 air shows from March to November each year. They are known for flying with extreme precision, with jets only 18 inches apart at times. The team of 130 active duty Navy and Marine Corps members spends about 300 days a year traveling for performances. Get out there and watch, with friends or as a break during your day from your roof 🙂

Kitten Heels at Kickoff

Didn’t think I’d writing about NFL gear in this section…but Dylan’s excitement about the recent reopening of SF's iconic Final Final Bar and football games playing in our apartment on a Sunday naturally got me thinking about what I would wear if we went to a game (lol). Aaand I realized my 49ers gear is quite nonexistent.

When it comes to team spirit, I typically love to lean into vintage online finds or thrifting for an oversized jacket that feels unique and still has spirit.

But, my online browsing for "vintage 49ers" came with ads from Abercrombie & Fitch.

A&F is now the "Official Partner of the NFL". I have to give them credit, it’s an interesting and innovative way to expand their brand appeal to a broader generation the men’s market. And I have to admit, some of their stuff is incredibly cute.

The new gear isn't just oversized sweatshirts; I saw a cozy, cropped sweater paired with a cute capri and a kitten heel. Is there a world where I'm the one in the household advocating to go to the sports bar just so I can put on a cute outfit? I know, I'm just as shocked that I wrote that as you might be reading it. Fashion is constantly evolving and integrating into culture.