Is it me...?

The Bay Area is virtually overflowing with street fairs and festivals. Seems like there's at least one -- if not more -- every weekend, especially in the spring and summer. And I've sampled most of the major ones. Seems like a fun way to spend an afternoon, right?

I hate them. Each and every one I've been to. I believe I'm lacking the street fair appreciation gene. Or am I just a Debbie Downer?

For one thing, they're too crowded. Once, after going to great lengths to get to one, the ex and I left after walking the length of it. It was so crowded, we had to walk (or really, shove our way through) single file. What's fun about that?

For years, after moving here, I was dying to go the Gilroy Garlic Festival. I'm a garlic freak, so it seemed like a perfect fit. The year I finally went, we took the train, because we didn't want to deal with traffic, and it seemed like a fun way to go.

Uh, no. We were so bored -- my mom, the ex and I -- that we wanted to bail after about two hours, but we were trapped. There would be no train home for a few more hours. We ended up in some local dive bar, killing time until we could escape.

They're also overpriced. The artwork and jewelry that's for sale is out of my price range. The food is not worth the price. And the drinks are outrageously expensive.

Then there are the porta potties. 'Nuff said.

Yesterday, I spent a few hours at one, working the booth set up by my new employer. They're one of the sponsors of this particular event, and I agreed to show my team spirit by spending some time there. And I figured that after my designated booth time, I'd take a stroll through the festival grounds. I would already be there, I'd have priority parking... so why not?

I bailed immediately after my time was through. My earlier trips through the crowd to get to the booth and to the porta potties was enough. And the priority parking lot was full, so I ended up parking farther away than I'd expected.

I just need to accept that I'm not the art festival/street fair type, no matter how hard I try.

Now, the Del Mar Fair? That's another story altogether...