I was working up in Marin County yesterday (for a home-furnishings catalog that will remain nameless) and got a ride to San Francisco so I could catch BART to Berkeley. Walking to the Civic Center station, the new moon hung in the west; to the east, City Hall was lit red. My first thought, San Francisco being the self-consciously romantic place it is, was that the lights were set up for Valentine’s Day. But it’s more likely the special lighting is part of the Chinese New Year celebration (which began with that new moon). I’ve never seen City Hall lit like this before.
Evidently it’s a gesture of support for women with heart disease:
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/news.htm (scroll down)
I prefer the Chinese New Year explanation.