the second exciting installment of my epic North American trip
Hello. I am in Seattle. Before that I was in San Francisco, so here are the details of my adventures.
I ended up having to take the feared Greyhound bus up from Los Angeles and it was to take seven and a half hours on a hot day. Luckily it went better than expected, with sufficient legroom and plenty of air conditioning and a non-stinking, extra room taking up young woman sitting next to me. I listened to music, read and slept in the first half, with some view admiring of the mountains north of LA at first but then it became a tedious flat plain of endless farmland. After the break in the middle I got chatting to the girl next to me, a student heading back to Berkeley after summer holidays and she was interesting and pleasant, so the journey passed alright. Coming over the long Bay Bridge from Oakland was impressive, with the skyscrapers of downtown San Francisco emerging from the fog. The walk up to the hostel was striking, having chosen one in a bad part of town and finding Ellis Street to have the largest concentration of really insane looking homeless people I have ever seen.
Hostel was fine, funny to see how most guests hid inside after dark, and I was in a room of four with an en-suite bathroom, although facilities were quite basic other than that luxury. I took a quick pint in a pub called the Edinburgh Castle, which was more like a slightly dubious Glasgow dive, and there was no Scottish ale, but the local Anchor Steam was really tasty. Then I had pizza and bought off-licence ale and snuck it into the no booze hostel, where I enjoyed Arrogant Bastard (seemed appropriate) while chatting with room mates.
Monday I walked all over the place, which was much needed after spending half the time in Los Angeles sitting in a car. First I went to Union Square, which was just big shops, then had a look in the Old St Mary's Cathedral, which had some interesting photos of the 1906 earthquake and fire devastation. Then a wander through Chinatown, where I got some lunch, which was very good until I found a piece of chicken in my veg Kung Pao; but luckily complaining got me a free bottle of Tsing Tao, so I wasn't too cross. Then I walked around the old buildings of Jackson Square, up Telegraph Hill where I didn't go up Coit Tower but did admire some fine views around the bay. Down to Fisherman's Wharf and the bizarre spectacle of hundreds of sea lions lying on platforms by Pier 39; most sleeping, but some climbing over their neighbours and barking. They smelled really bad! Then I had a look in the famous City Lights book store and took a pint in next door Vesuvio, both venues where the Beats used to do exciting literary things in the Fifties and early Sixties. So generally I got a good impression of an interesting city with a lot of character, somewhere I'd quite like to live if I did have to move to North America, despite all the jakeys and the odd weather.
Then I set off to the Mission district to meet Johanna and Charlie for dinner, who Vlad had kindly put me in touch with. I thought it'd be a half an hour walk but it ended up being an hour after I got a bit lost. They were lovely and interesting, and at the Monk's Kettle we enjoyed interesting beer and large burgers. Then we taxied (my day of walking ruined!) to the DNA Lounge for the Death Guild night, where we also met Mark and Jennera (sic?) and Dave and Gill, the two men of which couples I know from Maschinenfest. There were two rooms and it was surprisingly busy for a Monday night; early on was some good old-school EBM and dark indie in the small room, but later it became the same mix of newer EBM and some goth in both rooms. San Francisco gothics don't dance as excessively as LA ones.
Tuesday I went one further than the walking all over thing and hired a bike. I set off for the Golden Gate park (not near the bridge), which involved a bastardly hard ride up Haight Street hill, at the top of which was the famous hippy area, and I glared at all the silly shops and stinking hippies as I rode past. The park was massive, and I stopped a couple of times; once to go up the odd shaped, angular tower of the de Young museum to admire more views, and then had a quick circuit round the squirrel infested botanical garden, where I mainly looked at plants from New Zealand (yes, I am constantly aware that this is a substitute trip) and Australia. Further down the park there was a random paddock with four or five bison hanging around in, and a Dutch windmill before I reached the sea at the western edge of the city. Then there was a hard uphill ride around the coastal road and up into Lincoln park, and I did have to get off and push at one point. Finally, after passing through a golf course and the Presidio park I was at the famous Golden Gate Bridge. The ride over was short but impressive, but difficult avoiding the pedestrians on the walkway for the first part. I had intended to turn straight back but I was hungry so I rode down to the small town of Sausalito, so far downhill I realised I would never make it back up. So I ate some disappointing Mexican food and was then lucky with the ferry times and sailed back across the bay, close by the famous Alcatraz, which seemed to permanently have a black cloud hanging over it. Ride back to the hire place was fine from there and I concluded it was a good day well spent.
In the evening Mark and Jennera, who live two blocks from the hostel, met me and we enjoyed curry at one of the surprisingly abundant cheap restaurants in the area. Then we went back to their flat for a bit, where I didn't enjoy the evil Satan's Semen drink (liquorice in vodka) but was impressed with Mark's generosity with the free CD's of his bands Conure and Fifteen Degrees Below Zero. Then we went up the road to the Hemlock bar, a cool indie/alternative bar with good beer, and at the back a noise gig was on. But first was a black metal band whose name I forgot; very noisy and with no bassist, the singer had a white face and a silly velvet cloak and they were quite good and funny. Then there was Pharmakon, a small blonde girl from New York doing some decent power electronics, beginning quite ambient, before R Jenck did noise with a lot of shouting and groaning through a loop pedal, before bringing the harsh electronics in and having a big paddy. After that it was hometime and I drank ale in the lounge of the hostel, which was pretty brazen, but I got away with it.
This is getting too long, but I will continue. Just San Francisco for now, even though I have had two nights in Seattle already.
Wednesday was lazier, slow start, repacking things. I met Mark and Jennera for a burger lunch, then rode a famous cable car up California street, which was insanely steep (this city makes Edinburgh look flat!), at the top of which was the imposing Grace Cathedral. I then walked down to Market Street and waited ages for one of the historic trams to come by, which took me to Castro to check out some gay things. I looked at the nearby Mission Dolores, set up by original Spanish settlers in the 1700's, before wandering about Castro taking in the gay atmosphere. I did want to get a drink in a gay bar, but I mostly saw shops and cafes and was running out of time. I got back to downtown, south of Market Street actually, and met Johanna (Charlie was at the evening dentist) at City Beer, which is a specialist beer shop with a bar. We had a couple of drinks, I got her on the Grimbergen, and then ate curry at a nearby restaurant (there weren't many on that street). Then I went back to the hostel area and met Mark for a quick pint at the Edinburgh Castle, which was playing loud soul music so we couldn't talk very well. Early night.
more later!
I ended up having to take the feared Greyhound bus up from Los Angeles and it was to take seven and a half hours on a hot day. Luckily it went better than expected, with sufficient legroom and plenty of air conditioning and a non-stinking, extra room taking up young woman sitting next to me. I listened to music, read and slept in the first half, with some view admiring of the mountains north of LA at first but then it became a tedious flat plain of endless farmland. After the break in the middle I got chatting to the girl next to me, a student heading back to Berkeley after summer holidays and she was interesting and pleasant, so the journey passed alright. Coming over the long Bay Bridge from Oakland was impressive, with the skyscrapers of downtown San Francisco emerging from the fog. The walk up to the hostel was striking, having chosen one in a bad part of town and finding Ellis Street to have the largest concentration of really insane looking homeless people I have ever seen.
Hostel was fine, funny to see how most guests hid inside after dark, and I was in a room of four with an en-suite bathroom, although facilities were quite basic other than that luxury. I took a quick pint in a pub called the Edinburgh Castle, which was more like a slightly dubious Glasgow dive, and there was no Scottish ale, but the local Anchor Steam was really tasty. Then I had pizza and bought off-licence ale and snuck it into the no booze hostel, where I enjoyed Arrogant Bastard (seemed appropriate) while chatting with room mates.
Monday I walked all over the place, which was much needed after spending half the time in Los Angeles sitting in a car. First I went to Union Square, which was just big shops, then had a look in the Old St Mary's Cathedral, which had some interesting photos of the 1906 earthquake and fire devastation. Then a wander through Chinatown, where I got some lunch, which was very good until I found a piece of chicken in my veg Kung Pao; but luckily complaining got me a free bottle of Tsing Tao, so I wasn't too cross. Then I walked around the old buildings of Jackson Square, up Telegraph Hill where I didn't go up Coit Tower but did admire some fine views around the bay. Down to Fisherman's Wharf and the bizarre spectacle of hundreds of sea lions lying on platforms by Pier 39; most sleeping, but some climbing over their neighbours and barking. They smelled really bad! Then I had a look in the famous City Lights book store and took a pint in next door Vesuvio, both venues where the Beats used to do exciting literary things in the Fifties and early Sixties. So generally I got a good impression of an interesting city with a lot of character, somewhere I'd quite like to live if I did have to move to North America, despite all the jakeys and the odd weather.
Then I set off to the Mission district to meet Johanna and Charlie for dinner, who Vlad had kindly put me in touch with. I thought it'd be a half an hour walk but it ended up being an hour after I got a bit lost. They were lovely and interesting, and at the Monk's Kettle we enjoyed interesting beer and large burgers. Then we taxied (my day of walking ruined!) to the DNA Lounge for the Death Guild night, where we also met Mark and Jennera (sic?) and Dave and Gill, the two men of which couples I know from Maschinenfest. There were two rooms and it was surprisingly busy for a Monday night; early on was some good old-school EBM and dark indie in the small room, but later it became the same mix of newer EBM and some goth in both rooms. San Francisco gothics don't dance as excessively as LA ones.
Tuesday I went one further than the walking all over thing and hired a bike. I set off for the Golden Gate park (not near the bridge), which involved a bastardly hard ride up Haight Street hill, at the top of which was the famous hippy area, and I glared at all the silly shops and stinking hippies as I rode past. The park was massive, and I stopped a couple of times; once to go up the odd shaped, angular tower of the de Young museum to admire more views, and then had a quick circuit round the squirrel infested botanical garden, where I mainly looked at plants from New Zealand (yes, I am constantly aware that this is a substitute trip) and Australia. Further down the park there was a random paddock with four or five bison hanging around in, and a Dutch windmill before I reached the sea at the western edge of the city. Then there was a hard uphill ride around the coastal road and up into Lincoln park, and I did have to get off and push at one point. Finally, after passing through a golf course and the Presidio park I was at the famous Golden Gate Bridge. The ride over was short but impressive, but difficult avoiding the pedestrians on the walkway for the first part. I had intended to turn straight back but I was hungry so I rode down to the small town of Sausalito, so far downhill I realised I would never make it back up. So I ate some disappointing Mexican food and was then lucky with the ferry times and sailed back across the bay, close by the famous Alcatraz, which seemed to permanently have a black cloud hanging over it. Ride back to the hire place was fine from there and I concluded it was a good day well spent.
In the evening Mark and Jennera, who live two blocks from the hostel, met me and we enjoyed curry at one of the surprisingly abundant cheap restaurants in the area. Then we went back to their flat for a bit, where I didn't enjoy the evil Satan's Semen drink (liquorice in vodka) but was impressed with Mark's generosity with the free CD's of his bands Conure and Fifteen Degrees Below Zero. Then we went up the road to the Hemlock bar, a cool indie/alternative bar with good beer, and at the back a noise gig was on. But first was a black metal band whose name I forgot; very noisy and with no bassist, the singer had a white face and a silly velvet cloak and they were quite good and funny. Then there was Pharmakon, a small blonde girl from New York doing some decent power electronics, beginning quite ambient, before R Jenck did noise with a lot of shouting and groaning through a loop pedal, before bringing the harsh electronics in and having a big paddy. After that it was hometime and I drank ale in the lounge of the hostel, which was pretty brazen, but I got away with it.
This is getting too long, but I will continue. Just San Francisco for now, even though I have had two nights in Seattle already.
Wednesday was lazier, slow start, repacking things. I met Mark and Jennera for a burger lunch, then rode a famous cable car up California street, which was insanely steep (this city makes Edinburgh look flat!), at the top of which was the imposing Grace Cathedral. I then walked down to Market Street and waited ages for one of the historic trams to come by, which took me to Castro to check out some gay things. I looked at the nearby Mission Dolores, set up by original Spanish settlers in the 1700's, before wandering about Castro taking in the gay atmosphere. I did want to get a drink in a gay bar, but I mostly saw shops and cafes and was running out of time. I got back to downtown, south of Market Street actually, and met Johanna (Charlie was at the evening dentist) at City Beer, which is a specialist beer shop with a bar. We had a couple of drinks, I got her on the Grimbergen, and then ate curry at a nearby restaurant (there weren't many on that street). Then I went back to the hostel area and met Mark for a quick pint at the Edinburgh Castle, which was playing loud soul music so we couldn't talk very well. Early night.
more later!