San Francisco Neighborhood Known as “Frat Mason”

RogerSterlingJr12 years ago

Photo via Michael Short/San Francisco Chornicle

Graduating college can be pretty damn depressing. Instead of moving back home with your parents or moving in with an odd assortment of randoms downtown, wouldn’t it be nicer if you could just move from one fraternity row to another and continue living the dream?

Fort Mason, a 237-year-old military post turned national park, has some of the city’s most beautiful coastal views, conference venues, a high-end restaurant and, recently, luxury apartments. But, despite the efforts of Park Service members, the place has been getting quite the reputation. And a new nickname: Frat Mason.

Fuck. Yes.

What could be better than an entire postgrad neighborhood dedicated to the fraternity lifestyle? Could Fort Mason, an up and coming area of San Francisco, California, really capture the Greek Life experience and offer it up to postgrads longing for less sober times? The opportunities are endless, but it almost sounds too good to be true.

“It’s where you find the all the frat stars, especially on a Fraturday,” said 24-year-old Armando Anido Jr.

Oh no…

Entrepreneur Darren Steiler and his roommates created a holiday called Cinco de Derby, which combines Cinco de Mayo and Kentucky Derby Day. “So we’ll wear seersuckers and sombreros.”

…well that doesn’t really make…

“Fort Mason is a Bud Light Lime kind of spot.”

…no…

“So we all eat lunch at the hostel”

…NO…

“…vegetarian…”

…NO!

“It’s 70 percent men,” said Catherine Robles, the park’s realty specialist.

You have to be kidding me.

California, just because people are sitting around in pastel shorts and button downs drinking beer, it does not mean they are “frat.” In fact, Bud Light Lime, vegetarian restaurant hotspots, sausage-fest parties, and anyone that says “Fraturday” are as far from either the fraternal ideal or the frat stereotype as possible. There is no “waiting list” for fraternities, top tier or otherwise. Different houses don’t borrow sugar from each other or share margaritas or party with the police. If real fraternities, instead of California tech entrepreneurs, threw a “Cinco de Derby” party, they’d be called racist.

The concept of a fraternity-like neighborhood for postgrads is enticing and the possibilities are endless. “Frat Mason” comes so close, and personally I respect their excessive drinking as well as the fact that they do it outdoors for everyone to see, yet like a freshman who just barely gets blackballed, it is still so far.

[via SFGate.com]