California - Day 1

So, after my first day of traveling I’m exhausted, but so many wonderful things have happened already that I really can’t put any sort of bad spin on the trip so far. I’m not a fan of flying, so for me, one of the biggest hurdles for this trip is the number of times I have to be airborne. All together, I will have gone through 4 take offs and 4 landings by the time I get back to Boston. But I think back to the narrator’s first encounter with Tyler Durden in Fight Club and I think “look at all the single-serving friends I’ll get to make.” My adopted philosophy was quickly affirmed when I boarded my first flight. I was seated next to a lovely Latina who was incidentally from the town right next to mine. At 65, she was a fiery, sweet woman. She told me about her children and grandchildren, how much she enjoys flying, her connecting flight to Hawaii and how her pace-maker once blew up (scar included). She put me at ease right away and kept me entertained the entire trip. By the end, I was sad to say goodbye, but so glad to have had the company. Interestingly, as we were gathering our things to exit the plane, I mentioned the name of a friend of mine who is very active politically in Lawrence, and of course she knows him very well. So it turned into a “Poppy moment” as my mother and her family would call it. My grandfather (who endearingly answered to Poppy in his later years), would always find a familiar face in strange places. And as I sat next to my friend in flight I thought of him and knew he had made that moment especially for me.

After taking a connecting flight up to San Jose, I met up with my cousin Charlene. We had some time to catch up as she drove me from the San Jose airport to San Francisco. I love how easily I fall into conversation with her. I’ve only seen her maybe a dozen times in my entire life, but we always manage to pick up where we left off, making her one of my favorite relatives. As we drove along the highway, we were witness to a wonderful bit of weather that seems to be fairly unique to this area of California. As you can see in the picture below, a fog bank was rolling in over the land to the west of where we were driving. This happens all along this section of California coast and makes for some spectacular views, especially in the city.


Once we got into San Francisco, we met up with Charlene’s son Andrew and his girlfriend Cassie. We drove down into The Mission, a Latin American district of the city. While we were there, we stopped by a wonderful coffee place, Phil’s. Inside, you order a cup of coffee and they brew it individually for you with whatever you would like. Their basic cup is a dark brew, with cream and a bit of mint. It was just what I needed at that point (since it was about 10pm east coast time and I still hadn’t had dinner). Check out the picture and video below for a peek into Phil’s.


The Bathroom in Phil's is not to be missed...

After Phil’s we went to a Thai restaurant and had the most delicious spring rolls I’ve ever tasted. They were fresh, so instead of the regular deep-fried style, they were steamed and filled with fresh veggies. Just perfect after all the traveling. After the Thai, we walked up to an ice cream place nearby that made the most incredibly decadent ice cream with farm fresh milk and fruit. I tried the coconut chocolate, which was made with coconut milk (incredible). Walking up to the top of a nearby park with our ice creams, we looked down over the darkened city and soaked in the moment. Soon after, I lost all of my steam and went back to Andrew’s apartment for some sleep. Here were my accommodations (I was so tired, this looked perfect):


So far so good! Hope you’re enjoying the reading just a fraction as much as I’m enjoying my trip! Be well.

(Andrew, Cassie and I at the top of a very large, very typical San Franciscan hill)