#85: california dreamin'
An ode to the Governator (aka Golden) State is what this is, after my recent trip there. I was visiting the Bay Area, to be more precise. SF was where I had begun my first trip to US, exactly 25 years ago. I had been to SF once thereafter, some 11 years ago. So this trip was a mixed bag of reliving some vague nostalgia, and making some new memories.
Some things (thankfully) have not changed. The TransAmerica Building still dominates the skyline, the bridges (BB and GG) remain just as imposing – playing hide-and-seek with the rolling mist and fog all day long. The 13 hills of SF are all there, and so is the cityscape that blends into their hilly slopes. Lombard Street is as crooked as ever; Chinatown remains just as distinct in character. It is a truly global city, and a very tolerant one at that. It is perhaps a bit touristy (I joined their ranks), but I am so used to DC with its summer-hoards of camcorders and cameras.
And what can I say of the weather. Flying out from 95 degrees in the east coast to at most 65 degrees in midday sun, with a gentle breeze blowing all day long .... I see why Californians, and all my friends from SF, loathe to live anywhere else. I think I saw more Mazda Miatas in 3 days of walking around than I had seen in 10 years in MD/DC. And why not! With days like those all year round, it would be a criminal waste not to indulge.
Some things have changed though. I went to Sausalito .... chasing the memory of my first hot-dog ever, at the water-front from a small store that had a crooked street inside. But now the whole town is a boutique mall – with private yacht clubs and exclusive shopping pavilions for those with high-heels and deep-pockets. No street-side vendors there; Dot.com billionaires are here to stay.
SF still heads my list of three favourite US cities. I'd love to live there someday .... and go running along Crissy Field, watch the 49ers and the Giants play (maybe), and watch the sun set over the Pacific from the Muir Woods (definitely). Maybe some day.
PS: I can now tick these off my "to-do in SF" list ....
Some things (thankfully) have not changed. The TransAmerica Building still dominates the skyline, the bridges (BB and GG) remain just as imposing – playing hide-and-seek with the rolling mist and fog all day long. The 13 hills of SF are all there, and so is the cityscape that blends into their hilly slopes. Lombard Street is as crooked as ever; Chinatown remains just as distinct in character. It is a truly global city, and a very tolerant one at that. It is perhaps a bit touristy (I joined their ranks), but I am so used to DC with its summer-hoards of camcorders and cameras.
And what can I say of the weather. Flying out from 95 degrees in the east coast to at most 65 degrees in midday sun, with a gentle breeze blowing all day long .... I see why Californians, and all my friends from SF, loathe to live anywhere else. I think I saw more Mazda Miatas in 3 days of walking around than I had seen in 10 years in MD/DC. And why not! With days like those all year round, it would be a criminal waste not to indulge.
Some things have changed though. I went to Sausalito .... chasing the memory of my first hot-dog ever, at the water-front from a small store that had a crooked street inside. But now the whole town is a boutique mall – with private yacht clubs and exclusive shopping pavilions for those with high-heels and deep-pockets. No street-side vendors there; Dot.com billionaires are here to stay.
SF still heads my list of three favourite US cities. I'd love to live there someday .... and go running along Crissy Field, watch the 49ers and the Giants play (maybe), and watch the sun set over the Pacific from the Muir Woods (definitely). Maybe some day.
PS: I can now tick these off my "to-do in SF" list ....
- Climbing atop Coit Tower
- Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on foot
- Eating dim-sums in Chinatown
- Feasting on an In-N-Out Burger
- Browsing at Ghirardelli and Levi's stores
Labels: travel
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