What Happened at the Hayes Valley Meow Party?

The first party in San Francisco was a block from the Commons in Hayes Valley, and the room was a cat party. Guests wore cat ears, meowed at each other, clawed at a shoulder, and howled on the dance floor. No words were spoken. The only way of joining in was putting on the cat ears that had been handed over. The neighbors were great. The party was the culture shock.

San Francisco was supposed to be one month of contract work, and the month had already been a bad fit. Almost everyone from MIT had already moved to New York, so the howling made the move feel even stranger.