Miss me? Had a great time in CA; first time back on DU since

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I got back last Sunday.

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1. Guess no one missed me. Sniff! Sniff!

[I Have A Dream]

2. Good to see you back, SCRUBDASHRUB!

So much has been going on around here. It's been crazy! I think that I corresponded with you right before you left. If I remember correctly, you said that it was your first trip to California. Did you have a good trip? I'm envious! (Actually, my husband's there right now for 3 weeks at a spiritual retreat in the area around Mount Whitney.)

How'd you manage to stay away from DU for 5 days since coming back? You must be a person with a lot of will power! :)

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

3. Thanks for the welcome back. Yes, I do recall chatting w/ you

before we left. It was my first trip to CA (but not my husband's). We had a blast! Spent four days in San Francisco (I have to download the pictures; there's one I must post on DU. In Chinatown, there's a mural of an American flag, and someone spraypainted in black: "FUCK YOU, GEORGE BUSH!!" I told my husband, "Oh my G-d! I cannot wait to get back and post that on DU!"); three in Yosemite; and three in Monterey.

Highlights: Went to Muir Woods to see the redwood trees. Went to Golden Gate Park, Haight Ashbury, City Lights Bookstore, where the Beat poets hung out, drove near and then across the Golden Gate Bridge and took photos (people were actually surfing under the bridge!). We went on a whale watch in Monterey and saw about a dozen hump back whales (it was really cool). We hiked to the top of the sentinel dome in Yosemite, where the view was magnificent. We drove the 17 mile drive in Monterey and to Big Sur, which was gorgeous. If you get a chance to go, definitely do so. I can recommend a great hotel in SF called The Orchard (loved it!).

The only thing that sucked is I was dealing w/ bad allergies on the trip, and when I got back on Monday, I had to go back to the doctor (I actually went the day before we left) and found I was getting a sinus infection (thank goodness, I managed to avoid having pain on the flights), so I was given some anti-biotics. Also, my husband caught the flu, but that didn't happen until we got back.

Had a very busy week back at work; in fact, I was at the office until 1 AM Wed. night to meet a deadline on Thursday, so today's really the first day I've had a chance to log on. Missed y'all, though and was thinking about my "peeps" while away. On the 24th, I saw a banner on someone's house while we were driving thru Carmel that said something like "Out of Iraq Now!"


http://www.citylights.com/



Welcome to City Lights! Co-founded by poet/painter Lawrence Ferlinghetti, City Lights is a landmark independent bookstore and publisher that specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics.

[I Have A Dream]

4. Wow -- this brought back so many memories for me!

I took a California Parlor Car bus trip throughout much of California, so I've seen almost everything that you mentioned. Also, I went to San Francisco on my honeymoon where I went to City Lights and saw many of the things that you mentioned. As a vegetarian, I was able to find great food in San Francisco, which is always a treat since I usually have to settle for sides unless I get Italian food.

Muir Woods was amazing. There's such wonderful energy in those old, wise trees. I'm not usually able to feel things like that, but I really did feel something when I was there. (I sort of felt spaced out -- almost as though I had a few drinks.)

OK, now I'm really "craving" San Francisco! I'm going to have to get my photos out!

Glad that you're feeling better now!

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

5. Thanks, and I'm glad I was able to bring back some good memories.

Oh yeah, how could I forget riding the trolley car and seeing those adorable sea lions (arf! arf!)!

[I Have A Dream]

7. I've been to San Francisco 4 times. The first time...

that I went, I only had 1/2 a day because I was in San Jose on business. I took the train into the city, and took a tour. After the tour, I ended up at Pier 39. I really didn't know anything about San Francisco at that point, so I just fell upon the sea lions. It was such an amazing thing to just discover without expecting to see it. It was probably the thing that I most remember about my first visit there.

The third time that I went there, I also was there on business. My group had only one evening, and it was quite late. One of the last things that we did before returning to San Jose was to take a ride on the trolley. We rode to the end of the trolley line, and the conductor let me help to turn the trolley around in the other direction! (Did you know that they did this manually?) I also stood on the outside of the trolley, which was scarey but really fun!

It sounds as though you did so much. Did you go to Alcatraz? I never really wanted to go there because it seemed so touristy (which is funny, because I was doing everything else that was really touristy :)), but when I went with my mother, she wanted to go, so we went. I ended up really enjoying the tour.

Ah, man, now it's settled. I'm going back as soon as I can!

(I'm glad that you got to have a run-in with "the man". It seems very appropriate that you got to be part of the "counter culture" in San Francisco! ;))

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

8. Didn't do the Alcatraz tour. Wasn't really into it. There's so much

to see! Didn't know they did the trolleys manually until we rode one.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

6. Also took a short side trip to Berkeley where the "man" (OK,

so it was campus police) almost gave us a ticket for illegal parking. Rebel rouser!

[Arugula Latte]

9. Aw, you guys are making me nostalgic.

I grew up in the Bay Area, lived in Berkeley and S.F. What fantastic places to be young and footloose in!

BTW, not to be snarky, but call 'em "cable cars" rather than "trolley cars." ;)

Welcome back!