Be sure to wear a flower in your hair ...
Life is good. However, I have had to make a conscious effort to not plan any trips this weekend (it's my first at home in about 5 weeks). Adventures will most certainly need to be planned for next weekend.
Last weekend it was San Francisco, Alcatraz, the Museum of Modern Art, the Farmer's Markets, divey pubs, the Ferry Building, Speakeasy bars, and train adventures. Helen, Brian, Rachel and I headed to San Francisco early on Saturday morning for a taste of 'the City' over the Labor Day long weekend. We all experienced a bit of a shock upon emerging from the underground into raw and brazen San Francisco - there were beggars and homeless people and pimps galore (or so it seemed in comparison to our beloved Davis). Apparently there is a huge homelessness problem in the City, resulting from many factors include poor mental health policy and the housing loan crisis. Of course, it's the non-white poorer subsection of society that has been (and will continue to be) the most impacted, particularly by the housing crisis. Increased homelessness and racial tension is a certainty.
http://www.sfchroniclemarketplace.com/homeless/
Aside from the initial shock, we all really enjoyed San Francisco. We certainly picked a good weekend to get out of the central valley to the coast, as apparently the temperature in Davis was up to 40C (or 100F) over the duration. Alcatraz was really interesting, though the 'Prisoner Profile swap cards' on sale at the gift shop were in damn poor taste, I thought. On Saturday night we went to the coolest Speakeasy bar - it was in a really sleazy part of town (i.e., men smoking crack outside), was completely unmarked, and required us to buzz and provide a password for entry. It was a bit more plush than one would have expected during Prohibition, but the atmosphere was great and there was a hidden library accessible through a bookcase. We spent a lot of time relaxing and chatting over fine Californian red (which I have developed quite a penchant for), and tasting the delicious food for which the City is so well known.
On the return leg, I managed to splay a whole box of feminine hygiene products (yes, the round roley ones) across the train when my bag broke as I descended the stairs to disembark. There was something rather amusing about three complete strangers (the train conductor included) scrambling around on their hands and knees trying to retrieve my tampons.
Last weekend it was San Francisco, Alcatraz, the Museum of Modern Art, the Farmer's Markets, divey pubs, the Ferry Building, Speakeasy bars, and train adventures. Helen, Brian, Rachel and I headed to San Francisco early on Saturday morning for a taste of 'the City' over the Labor Day long weekend. We all experienced a bit of a shock upon emerging from the underground into raw and brazen San Francisco - there were beggars and homeless people and pimps galore (or so it seemed in comparison to our beloved Davis). Apparently there is a huge homelessness problem in the City, resulting from many factors include poor mental health policy and the housing loan crisis. Of course, it's the non-white poorer subsection of society that has been (and will continue to be) the most impacted, particularly by the housing crisis. Increased homelessness and racial tension is a certainty.
http://www.sfchroniclemarketplace.com/homeless/
Aside from the initial shock, we all really enjoyed San Francisco. We certainly picked a good weekend to get out of the central valley to the coast, as apparently the temperature in Davis was up to 40C (or 100F) over the duration. Alcatraz was really interesting, though the 'Prisoner Profile swap cards' on sale at the gift shop were in damn poor taste, I thought. On Saturday night we went to the coolest Speakeasy bar - it was in a really sleazy part of town (i.e., men smoking crack outside), was completely unmarked, and required us to buzz and provide a password for entry. It was a bit more plush than one would have expected during Prohibition, but the atmosphere was great and there was a hidden library accessible through a bookcase. We spent a lot of time relaxing and chatting over fine Californian red (which I have developed quite a penchant for), and tasting the delicious food for which the City is so well known.
On the return leg, I managed to splay a whole box of feminine hygiene products (yes, the round roley ones) across the train when my bag broke as I descended the stairs to disembark. There was something rather amusing about three complete strangers (the train conductor included) scrambling around on their hands and knees trying to retrieve my tampons.