I visited San Francisco only for a day in 1980,
but I was still surprised to find fewer eccentrics
and offbeat characters than I had
supposed would live there post 1967.

NYC, which I only visited once, had its share.
Though I didn't see any naked man singing opera
strolling through poison ivy infested backlots
or greenbelt parklands.

There's lots of poison ivy around here,
and plenty of odd & offbeat characters, bot no one
singing naked in the woods that I know of.

Back in Philadelphia, away from the crumbling paved backlots,
basketball courts and potholed backstreets
there are green space parklands
and poison ivy infested areas, especially by the
Delaware; but I recall seeing no crazies in those places
30-40 years ago, probably cuz the drugs of choice back then
were Smack and Mary Jane, not Crack or Meth; though I did
know some characters who were on the colorful if
not eccentric side.