Bliss Near the Bay
We got to our hotel in Springfield, Oregon very late last night. We
were caught in a traffic jam near Olympia in Washington state
because of an accident on Highway 5. It took us almost six (6) hours
to cross the twenty miles traffic-choked highway.
Today, Bert drove 440 miles to Vallejo, California. It was a spur of the
moment visit to my cousin Theresa whom I have not seen in more than twenty five
years.
I was very excited to see her and wished that we could stay
longer. She took us to a sumptuous Thai restaurant near her house.
We chatted till the wee hours and tried to catch up on everything.
Morning was a physical drag but we have to forced ourselves knowing that we
need to be in SFO and return the car and then board our ship. We sat
down for breakfast with Tere and then hit the road again.
Driving on Highway 80 from Vallejo, minutes passed and soon we saw the Golden
Gate Bridge spread before us along the Golden Strait, the mile wide,
three mile long channel between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific
Ocean. It's hard to missed. The bridge is a two mile long suspension bridge colored a perfect red. Before the bridge was built, the only practical short route between San
Francisco and what is now Marin County was by boat across a section
of San Francisco Bay
. It's mysterious when covered with fog, beautiful when bathed in sunlight, and remains possibly one of the most photographed American landmark.
Today, it carries six lanes of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.
In search of the garage where we are going to turn in our rental car, we
headed to the traffic-choked Embarcadero center. I'd be happy
to explore the area later, but first we need to return the car.
After about twenty minutes of staking out different street
corners, we are triumphant and found our destination. From
my car window, photo ops are framed by Alcatraz, the terra cotta
roofs of the Presidio and the Trident and other bay-front
restaurants. Brand name waterfront behemoths rule the
hotel scene, along with sometimes cheaper boutique properties
. At Union Square, morning sunshine filters through trees. Google techs walks by, cafes, art
galleries, wine bars and shops spills over with energy. Women with
sunglasses and designer jeans compulsively checks their Iphones while
men fidget with their Blackberries and Ipads. These are the
City's bourgeois . There are also lots of transvestites and
tourist and panhandlers and cyclist and together they make this town
of inclines and constant chill more beguiling.
Inspired by this beautiful surrounding minus the spilling fog, I suggested we
walk at the Wharf. I would like to stroll the grounds,
and see the sea gulls and seals.
The sounds of horns interrupts me. It yanks me back to the reality
of being here, the art of living well exemplified by the flourishing
food scene
.
Something that people may not know is that San Francisco sometimes feel like an
overwhelming place, crowded with choices. It is a hyper -city of
food and cuisine and fast track ideas. Tony Bennet was right when he
wrote and sang the song"I Left My heart in San Francisco". Better get used to hearing it from me!
We got to our hotel in Springfield, Oregon very late last night. We
were caught in a traffic jam near Olympia in Washington state
because of an accident on Highway 5. It took us almost six (6) hours
to cross the twenty miles traffic-choked highway.
Today, Bert drove 440 miles to Vallejo, California. It was a spur of the
moment visit to my cousin Theresa whom I have not seen in more than twenty five
years.
I was very excited to see her and wished that we could stay
longer. She took us to a sumptuous Thai restaurant near her house.
We chatted till the wee hours and tried to catch up on everything.
Morning was a physical drag but we have to forced ourselves knowing that we
need to be in SFO and return the car and then board our ship. We sat
down for breakfast with Tere and then hit the road again.
Driving on Highway 80 from Vallejo, minutes passed and soon we saw the Golden
Gate Bridge spread before us along the Golden Strait, the mile wide,
three mile long channel between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific
Ocean. It's hard to missed. The bridge is a two mile long suspension bridge colored a perfect red. Before the bridge was built, the only practical short route between San
Francisco and what is now Marin County was by boat across a section
of San Francisco Bay
. It's mysterious when covered with fog, beautiful when bathed in sunlight, and remains possibly one of the most photographed American landmark.
Today, it carries six lanes of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.
In search of the garage where we are going to turn in our rental car, we
headed to the traffic-choked Embarcadero center. I'd be happy
to explore the area later, but first we need to return the car.
After about twenty minutes of staking out different street
corners, we are triumphant and found our destination. From
my car window, photo ops are framed by Alcatraz, the terra cotta
roofs of the Presidio and the Trident and other bay-front
restaurants. Brand name waterfront behemoths rule the
hotel scene, along with sometimes cheaper boutique properties
. At Union Square, morning sunshine filters through trees. Google techs walks by, cafes, art
galleries, wine bars and shops spills over with energy. Women with
sunglasses and designer jeans compulsively checks their Iphones while
men fidget with their Blackberries and Ipads. These are the
City's bourgeois . There are also lots of transvestites and
tourist and panhandlers and cyclist and together they make this town
of inclines and constant chill more beguiling.
Inspired by this beautiful surrounding minus the spilling fog, I suggested we
walk at the Wharf. I would like to stroll the grounds,
and see the sea gulls and seals.
The sounds of horns interrupts me. It yanks me back to the reality
of being here, the art of living well exemplified by the flourishing
food scene
.
Something that people may not know is that San Francisco sometimes feel like an
overwhelming place, crowded with choices. It is a hyper -city of
food and cuisine and fast track ideas. Tony Bennet was right when he
wrote and sang the song"I Left My heart in San Francisco". Better get used to hearing it from me!
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