Random

This week has somehow been both harried and lazy. After spending almost two days working on estate stuff, stopping by the only Wachovia in San Francisco multiple times, and utilizing the FedEx/Kinkos computers, faxes, and copiers ad nauseum I was free to get back into the spirit of relaxing and getting to know SF.

After trying out a few cafes, I think I have settled on one that I like the most. It’s a good 10 minutes from my house, but it’s never overfull, it has free wireless, and it has really great iced tea options. I also saw Superbad and learned that some parts of SF are definitely scary after dark.

Wednesday I did some sightseeing, trekking up into the Telegraph Hill neighborhood to visit Coit Tower. The hills that lead up into this neighborhood are serious – I was huffing and puffing only a short way into the ascent. The payoff was worth it, as Coit Tower provides some great views of the city. What it does not present great views of are pushy tourists. There are way too many of them, and some do not realize that personal space should not be invaded unless it’s absolutely necessary. I got some nice pics of the city, and the walk down was definitely more pleasant than going up (though no less precarious). I stopped by the lovely Cafe Prague for a Pilsner Urquell and some goulash.

Today I slept in and then spent my entire afternoon reading, people-watching, and talking on my cell in Dolores Park. It’s fun to see the different ways in which people take advantage of this nice respite in the middle of the city. Some were reading, like me, while others were playing bocci, croquet, tossing a football or frisbee, napping, drinking, walking the dog, or juggling. It’s gotten warmer here the past few days, and people were definitely out in force enjoying the weather. I just may have to go back tomorrow…

Museum-ing

Saturday I took advantage of the lovely weather and decided to spend my afternoon in a museum. First, I stopped by Mr. Pickle, a sandwich place that is right around the corner from my house. The dutch crunch roll was excellent (as was the pastrami, bacon, and swiss!).

After taking the BART train downtown, I headed over to the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), which is right by my new place of employment – I remembered passing by it on the way to my job interview. Also, I had written an entry about the MoAD for the Stone Center Library’s Guide to the Web and was interested in checking out the collections.

As its web site says “Africa is the birthplace of humankind, MoAD seeks to transform the way we perceive each other and ourselves. MoAD celebrates how we all, as one world, have changed and influenced the history and cultures of the African Diaspora.” The museum does this quite well. There were several exhibits worth mentioning – a room of reflection dealing with slavery (all forms, not just Transatlantic slavery) where slave narratives are read (without video) by the likes of Maya Angelou and Loretta Devine. I also watched two short films in the adjacent theatre, one about the impact of Nelson Mandela on African politics, and the other on Dr. Howard Thurman, a civil rights activist whose tenets were later followed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The third floor of the museum is dedicated to traveling exhibits, but to be honest by the time I got up there, I was pretty tired (there are all sorts of interactive features to go through on your way up). Some of the photos were very evocative, but many were not. On the whole, I’d have to say going to the museum was a nice way to spend an afternoon – it felt good to refresh a lot of my knowledge from working at the SCL.

After, I saw The Nanny Diaries. Still not sure why, although I do love Laura Linney in just about anything she does.

Into the Mission

After 2 days of relaxing in the Russian River Valley, pampering ourselves with wine and massages, it was back to the real world and onto the big city. After a brief stop in Mill Valley to kill some time and check the interwebs, it was over the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco, my new hometown. We found my new place easy enough, although it took some time to drive through a good chunk of the city down to the Mission District. Once we arrived, one of my roommates was home to let me in, give me my 4 keys, and welcome me to my digs. Bill & I moved my things in (really not much stuff, as I got rid of practically everything except clothes, books, and few other essentials), assessed my room (it is small, about 10×12, with one window and a HUGE closet), and then set out to find the Container Store. Later, we met up with Cat, Bill’s friend from his TFA days in PHX, with whom he would stay for the next few days in SF. After a good dinner and some drinks, Bill and I headed our separate ways for the first time in about 11 days.

The next two days would largely be consumed with unpacking and trying to find some furniture to put in my room. Bill and I devised a design plan, and set out to find the appropriate pieces to fit into said plan. After trips to Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, West Elm, and a few local shops, I had most of what I needed/wanted. I rented a large van to pick up my purchases, and then it was time to put them together; once again, it became unavoidably evident that I cannot for the life of me follow those types of instructions (luckily, Bill can). It took me several minutes to realize that the complex diagram of my new table from PB was in French, and all I needed to do was flip the page over. After a few hours of work, the furniture was together and in place (thanks Bill!).

After a few more dinners with Cat and some other friends, and some more room organization, it was time for Bill to go back to NJ. I had gotten so used to having him around again, that I kind of thought he’d just stay here in SF and discovering this new city would be our adventure, like the roadtrip; alas, that’s not the case. I took Bill to the airport early Friday morning, and have sorely missed him since – my gratitute for his companionship on the drive and his help in getting me settled in my new home cannot be expressed.

Anyway, I’ve decided to keep this blog up for at least the next few months, as I get used to life in the Bay Area. Hopefully, it will be an efficient and informative way to keep everyone back East updated with what’s going on out here. Also, keep checking the flickr page, as I will add photos as I take them here in the city during my exploratory jaunts.

Vino.

After a nice, restful sleep, we headed out for some breakfast, and then it was on for some wine tasting. To my knowledge, neither Bill nor I have been wine tasting before, so we were both exctied and a bit nervous – it seems that wine snobs are a particularly rough bunch. The concierge at our inn gave us a map and some advice on which wineries to hit up, so we were on our way.

Stop one was at Korbel where we sampled some of California’s finest sparkling wine (apparently, the term Champagne is reserved for the sparkling wine that originates from that region in France). Next, we were off to Belvedere, where we ran into a large group who were on a Hummer limo tour of wineries, and a much less obnoxious trio of ladies, one of whom was in town (SF) for an American Psychological Association conference. We sampled and Bill bought some chardonnay – we also pretended to be a group with the nice ladies so we could all get a 15% discount. Our next stop was at Porter Creek, where our options were limited to red wine only. Not only were the wines great, but the rustic shack in which the tasting room was found was the least ostentatious place of the day. While the wine was on the pricier side, it was too good to pass up.

Hop Kiln was the next stop, on recommendation from the guy at Porter Creek. He said “tasty gourmet mustards” and Bill and I were there like moths to a flame. After sampling some nice wine and even better mustard (curry, raspberry jalapeno) we were off to Moshin, where we ran into the three nice ladies again. Moshin is known for their pinot noirs, and it did not disappoint. While the psych professor (from Rutgers, no less!) ordered by the case, I was more conservative and got one bottle. We said our goodbyes and went on up the big hill to Gary Farrell, which we had been warned was a bit snobby. It was, but since Bill and I had been actually drinking, and not really “tasting” all of our samples, we didn’t mind. They had crackers and some grapes to sample, as well as some nice wine and a gorgeous view of the Russion River Valley. This was our last wine stop, as Bill and I had appointments for some well-earned massages back at our inn.

Later that night, a little more limber than before, we went out for dinner and then into the hopping town of Guerneville for a few drinks. It’s a really nice town – definitely the more down-to-earth part of wine country. After another restful night of sleep, it was off to San Francisco, to get me moved into my new place. It was really hard to realize that our roadtrip adventure was over, and that now the next chapter of my life was to begin, in San Francisco.

Nev(erending)ada

When we decided to drive straight through to California, Bill and I knew we had a long drive ahead of us. Google Maps estimated the drive from Salt Lake City to Guerneville, California to be about 11.5 hours, and it took every bit of it even with the time change from MST to PST.

Nevada is really big, and is beautiful for stretches, but mainly it’s just really big. Not much else to say. We stopped in Reno for dinner at the Pneumatic Cafe, and then pressed on into California, marvelling once again at the gorgeous mountain scenery. Since we were both really tired, we drove on until we got into Sonoma County, and after some very curvy roads, we got to our destination, the West Sonoma Inn. Bleary-eyed and exhausted, we settled in for the night excited by the thoughts of the next day, when we could really relax and embrace being on vacation.

Hot Springs*

Waking up from a restful sleep, for once, Bill and I ate breakfast at the campground’s restaurant – Dutchie’s – and were treated to both a great meal (with free pancakes), and the nicest cook/waiter ever. After driving through winding mountain roads, the big pay-off came into view – the east entrance of Yellowstone. There had been some question as to whether this entrance would be open, and we would see why just after entering the park. Wildfires had been burning for days, and we saw huge plumes of smoke from deep within the mountain valleys. Luckily, right after we entered it started to downpour, so maybe the fire volunteers were aided by mother nature for once.

As we drove (40+ miles) into the park to get to Old Faithful and the geyser field, Bill had me come to a few abrupt stops to get some pictures of wildlife (bison, coyote, mule deer, moose). It’s funny how the dozens of cars come to screeching halts, passengers hop out of the car and maintain their respectful distance while snapping away with the camera. Bill got pretty good at jumping out with his camera into the rain.

Eventually we made it on to Old Faithful, and we had about 45 minutes to kill until the next eruption. We walked around to some of the other hot springs and geysers, dodging tourists left and right. We stationed ourselves at the best photo spot, fought through the pungent sulphur steam from some of the hot pools, and snapped our share of cheesy photos. Check out the flickr page to see them. Soon, it was back into the car, and on our way to Utah.

Initially, our plans were to stay in Pocatello, Idaho, but we decided to push on to Salt Lake City, Utah and stay in a hotel instead of camping for the night. After choosing a random exit into the city, we came across the Hotel Monaco. One quick phone call later, we were checked in and ready to go out in a city again – the quiet of the plains and mountains were getting to us. Much to our surprise, Bill and I discovered that Salt Lake City is both gorgeous (surrounded by mountains and the Great Salt Lake) and fun. We saw not one pioneer-outfitted Mormon. It must also be noted that my obsession with Big Love is what prompted the stop in SLC. After a fun night, we slept in a bit and decided to push on all the way to California on Sunday, skipping over our planned stop in Reno/Lake Tahoe.

*and we don’t mean Gene. that’s a joke, folks. a pun, really.

South Dakota…er…Rocks!

After finally getting up early in the day (7:30am!), Bill and I headed out to the Badlands National Park, where we were highly impressed and awed by the moon-like rock formations. We hiked a bit, and even wandered off the trail to get some better angles on the magnificent scenery.

Later, it was on to Mt. Rushmore, where the throng of people, in addition to the high temperature, prompted us to hop out of the car, take some pictures, and then hop right back in. After a pleasant, winding drive through the mountains, we came to the Crazy Horse memorial, which is still under construction more than 50 years after it was started. Probably something having to do with it not being federally funded…

After our scenic forays, it was back into the car to drive as far as we could into Wyoming in order to visit Yellowstone tomorrow. As the elevation increased, we were treated to a beautiful sunset behind the burgeoning Big Horn mountains, and we finally arrived at our campsite tonight, tired but ready to reenergize for another long and exciting day tomorrow.

More photos have been posted over at

http://flickr.com/photos/gowestyoungman. Enjoy!

Photos!

Finally, photos can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gowestyoungman/

Roughing It

After leaving the gleaming, gotham city of Chicago (no, really, it is Gotham in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, filming as I write this in downtown Chicago) we drove through traffic (thanks O’Hare) and non-traffic to Rocester, MN, getting there just as night fell. Being new to the whole KOA experience, we got the tent set up as quickly as possible, before heading out in Rochester in search of food. We settled on Outback (see title of entry is roughing it…get it?), and were back at the campsite before 11pm, ready to sleep and rejuvenate after a late previous night in Chicago.

For those unfamiliar, both Bill and I snore. I don’t mean delicately, and I don’t mean every once in a while. We both snore, loudly, and with disturbing frequency. So, our first night of camping included a steamy tent (we had the rain tarp up just in case, and it stifled any air flow we might have enjoyed), two too-warm sleeping bags of the mummy variety, and an on/off chorus of snoring that was sure to wake even the heaviest of sleepers. Once again, instead of getting an early start to the day, additional sleep was needed, with Bill in the car and me in the tent; we left Rochester (after having some great smoothies at Inta Juice) by noon. Imbued by our impending visit to the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, and the Crazy Horse memorial, Bill and I drove along uninterrupted, at great speed (75mph speed limit in South Dakota) listening to David Sedaris’s Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day on audiobook.

South Dakota is a pretty, if slightly monotonous drive. We jumped at the chance to check out the Corn Palace, a building whose exterior is decorated entirely in corn cobs and husks. Also, there is a high frequency of roadside billboards that are, shall we say, pro-life in nature, extolling messages such as “Fetuses Feel Pain.” They break up the drive, at least. Our campsite tonight is definitely more rustic than the one in Rochester; our site is nestled among rolling hills and fields adorned with cattle, with a small, scenic lake nearby. The KOA store/restaurant is serving buffalo burgers, so an authentic Plains meal is to be had.

Since I am a total WordPress neophyte, and I haven’t (yet) had time to sit down and fiddle with things, I will be creating a flickr site where photos of the trip can be viewed as they are added. I’ll have that link in the next post.

Chicago, Finally.

We rolled into Chicago Tuesday afternoon, after spending the night in Toledo. Which was not memorable, in any way; Chicago was quite memorable. We stayed with a friend of Bill’s on the southside of Chicago, almost on the Indiana border. From there we did the oft-PBS-broadcasted architecure tour through the Chicago waterways, which was spectacular, if a bit hot. Hands down, Chicago has the most impressive buildings I have seen, at least in this country. After a brief respite which invovled naps and a Flavor of Love marathon, we headed out to experience some Chi-Town nightlife. It didn’t disappoint.

After a late night and getting an oil change, we were back on the road, straight through to Rochester, Minnesota, where we had our first camping experience. More on that later.