San Francisco's social calendar keeps humming along with its usual mix of high culture, old-school political charm, and — because this is San Francisco — at least one polycule trying to recruit you.

The De Young Museum played host to yet another glittering party, because apparently the best way to appreciate art is with a drink in hand and a dress code that costs more than most people's rent. Meanwhile, former Mayor Willie Brown continues his legendary Saturday lunch tradition, holding court like a man who has never once worried about a restaurant bill. What does Da Mayor drink at these affairs? We'll leave that mystery for the gossip columns, but we'd bet good money it isn't a $9 oat milk latte.

The real story here isn't the events themselves — it's that San Francisco's social DNA remains remarkably intact despite everything the city has weathered. The faces rotate, the venues change, the tech cohort cycles through new obsessions. As one local put it perfectly: "AI bros replaced the crypto bros, but pretty much everything else is the same."

And that's kind of the point. For all the doom-and-gloom narratives about San Francisco's decline, the city's social infrastructure — the parties, the power lunches, the aggressively open-minded dating scene — keeps chugging along. The vibe persists.

But let's not pretend everything is sunshine and sourdough. Another Bay Area resident offered a more grounded take: "How you're doing here really depends on your income." That's the quiet truth underneath all the champagne flutes at the De Young. San Francisco has always been a tale of two cities — the one where you're invited to the party, and the one where you're delivering the catering.

Willie Brown can afford his Saturday lunches. The De Young crowd can afford their tickets. The question San Francisco keeps dodging is whether the city's social vitality actually means anything if participation requires a six-figure entry fee. A vibrant social scene is great. A vibrant social scene accessible only to the top tax brackets is just expensive theater.

Still, we'll take expensive theater over no theater at all. Keep partying, SF. Just maybe leave the door open for the rest of us.