Bay Area Out of Order
END OF THE WORLD
Barbara and I just returned from a spectacular late afternoon walk along the trail to Land’s End, far southwest point of San Francisco Bay. After a morning of fog and gloom in our Outer Richmond house-sitting neighborhood, clouds cleared and a steady breeze gained momentum. We knew much of Land’s End pathway would contain sheltered wildflower groves between windswept vistas of Golden Gate Bridge and its environs.
No, I didn’t bring my camera. It’s a 35mm Olympus point and shoot which works great, but takes too long to finish a roll of photos to illustrate my narrative. More on this topic in a subsequent Nemo Memo.
For a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in mid-July, the popular Land’s End trail had surprisingly little foot and bicycle traffic. We had been energized with a late lunch on Clement Street followed by teensy dessert at home with minute chunks of Callebaut bittersweet chocolate and freshly-dried California pluots (a small summer tree fruit, cross between plum and apricot).
Historic ruins of Sutro Baths provide dramatic views at the trail’s terminus above Ocean Beach on San Francisco’s Pacific waterfront. The visitor center was closing at 5:00, so we vowed to return earlier in the day next time.
Why don’t we hike the four-mile round trip trail on a daily basis? On cold, foggy days there is no incentive, and on clear days there are always other S. F. spots to explore. But this wild path in a civilized city will carry many more of our footsteps in the future than it has in the past.
Earlier in the week we braved whipping wind and slamming surf during our first exploration of Chrissy Field, a brand new national park. Ambitious restoration is underway at this former military airfield to recreate seabird and wildflower habitats destroyed during the last century of Army occupation. Wind surfers step into the icy bay and scoot across the whitecaps, keeping clear of massive container ships and tankers plodding in both directions.
FOOD – FAMILY – FRIENDS
Rewinding two weeks, our first Sunday in the San Francisco area began with an exciting hour at the farmer’s market in San Rafael, over the Golden Gate bridge in nearby Marin County. Aisles of freshly-harvested organic produce made me nearly berserk with gastronomic gusto.
Barbara and I then spent the afternoon and evening with family and friends in woodsy Novato: splashing in a swimming pool, helping my young second cousin learn to ride a two-wheeler, catching up on conversations, and dining like royalty.
My uncle showed us his excellent HP inkjet prints of travel photos taken with a Canon digital camera. He loaned me the camera for a few days so I could help him learn more about its features and operation.
ESCAPE TO ALCATRAZ
Monday mid-day we picked up Boston friends Martha and David in downtown San Francisco, then we four walked around touristy Fisherman’s Wharf area. We boarded the 2:45 boat for a brief, scenic cruise to the bay’s most infamous island.
Have you been to Alcatraz? It is the most creepy and intriguing national park I have ever experienced. The place is memorable, to say the least, and you can learn a lot in advance from its official web site.
For me two highlights were:
AWAY FROM THE GRIND
Barbara and Martha began Tuesday with strong “depth charge” coffee at nearby Royal Grind on Clement Street. Chez Panisse Restaurant had short-notice space upstairs at the Chez Cafe for late lunch in the cozy tree house, so we headed over the Bay Bridge to Berkeley.
Not one of us was hungry for dinner upon arrival back in the city, but we stopped at European Foods, also on Clement Street. David purchased a trio of bizarre savory authentic Russian baked goods, which we managed to consume along with more fresh salad. I had wild dreams that night!
David, Martha, and Barbara made baby gift cards in preparation for tomorrow, while I caught up on long-lost email from the entire previous week. A huge load of spam accompanied my actual personal and MyMac.com email. How are you dealing with the ongoing deluge from YourEnemiesInTheLandOfSpam.com?
APPLES AND BURRITOS
We four spent Wednesday visiting with more old friends plus their children and grandchildren in the Mountain View – Palo Alto area south of the San Francisco. Barbara and I had an hour to kill, so we strolled through upscale Palo Alto’s University Avenue shopping district, featuring (trumpets!) an Apple Store.
This was my first hands-on experience with eMac, Apple’s latest gigantic new Cinema Display, and a bunch of other enticing hardware. If you have not yet spent an hour or more at an Apple store, I urge you to make it a destination as soon as you can.
I was disappointed with new iMac and eMac speed loading Photoshop 7 in OS X. Why is X still so darn slow (or is it Adobe’s fault)?
Back in Mountain View, we passed up many appealing ethnic Asian restaurants to eat a mediocre meal at a burrito joint. Don’t make the same mistake next time you’re in that flourishing food town. Dessert was delicious, though, at Gelato Classico.
ROCKETS RED REFLECTION
Thursday was July 4th, meaning free parking everywhere in San Fran. First stop was bottom of Filbert Steps, a flowery residential walkway from sea level to panoramic view, which receives my highest recommendation for what to do on a clear day.
Coit Tower sits above the steps on famous Telegraph Hill. Check out this URL for photos of the tower and the steps. I return to Coit Tower every summer to study its famous murals, which deserve an entire Nemo Memo all by themselves.
We were bathed in rare warm S. F. sunshine all Independence Day. After dinner we had a unique, distant view from the Presidio of both simultaneous Marina and Embarcadero fireworks displays, with explosive reflections in the bay, plus booms delayed by two seconds and several miles.
Footnote: an intelligent, dynamic young couple joined us for dinner on July 4. They met one another courtesy of Match.com. We four other middle-agers recalled the birth of computer dating, which certainly has come a long way since the mid-1960s. What was the name of that original fill-in-the-blanks service? I’m too old to remember.
And now, completely out of chronological order, are a bunch of other highlights of the weeks since my original 2002 California report was published:
Thanks for coming along for the journey so far. Check back for more reports in a week or two.
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