Sausalito

Sunday, August 26, 2012
Sausalito, California, United States
after a 1 hour Amtrak delay, we are finally on our way to Yosemite for the day

I've had a (mostly) wonderful time over the last few days, and it feels like 2 weeks has passed since i last posted ..this post won't include any pictures because I'm on the train and on my phone, but I'll add some this evening

we went to a baseball game (Giants v Braves) in a beautiful stadium by the water...the baseball was amusing and we managed to figure out all the score boards...do girls play softball where you all are? we all played in school so once we figured out 'bottom of the third' we had it all down pat...unfortunately it was SO OMG COLD we couldn't stay very long, so we got our obligatory grotty stadium food and legged it (if garlic fries ever sound like a good idea to you, you'd be wrong)

the highlight for me so far has definitely been a trip to Muir Woods and Sausalito...the woods have 2000 year old redwood trees with fat trunks that soar straight into the sky, and they are stunning to look at...they grow in families (have you ever heard of such a thing?) so each family grows in a circle of trees that share the same root system ...it was pretty amazing to see

Sausalito was highly recommended to me by a crazy lady at work...i keep telling people she's not crazy but no one believes me! the town is on the other side of San Francisco Bay, just as you come off the Golden Gate Bridge, and has quite a breathtaking view of the city, as well as arty little shops and cafes and restaurants...i could have happily spent all day there eating the bag of cherries i bought from a mean man on the side of the road

unfortunately, what i did spend all day on was a torturous tour of Monterey, Carmel and the famed 17 Mile Drive...my gawd, it has been a long time since i have been so consistently bored for that many hours...for years I've heard that the coastlines on that stretch of the Pacific Ocean are unbelievable, but all i saw were little lol waves crashing against little lol rocks and 'cliff' faces...I'll just go ahead and put 'coastlines' on the list of things Aussies shouldn't think they'll be impressed by (the only other thing on that list is beaches)

i did see seals sunning themselves, and ate a great piece of olaliberry (sp?) pie but they were not worth the 12 endless hours

SF itself may very well be my favorite city ever, though I'm having difficulty articulating why...i love the feel of it and i love and hate the fact that it's freezing in the middle of summer...the constant fog is creepy but i love to watch it hang low over the city (and I'm secretly waiting for zombie monsters to come out of it)...the steep and unnecessarily long streets are ridiculous but i'm always stopping at corners and marveling at them

this city by the bay is only bested in its beauty by Sydney and I've never before even come close to making that direct comparison...i just love it here


RANDOMS
i got called a 'dumbass cracker' by a bum

ate a hotdog from a street vendor, like a good little tourist

got good and proper ripped off on a camera, like a good little tourist

waited for a trolley car while they weren't operational, like a good little tourist

had a problem with my credit card, like a good little tourist

Comments

kevin
2012-08-26

you're on the wrong coast to see waves crashing - visit florida today. :-p

shmyshmy
2012-08-26

lmao I'm pretty sure it's the Aussie in you, I'd be totally OoooOoo at the tiny waves~~ lol

such a good little tourist yum I want a hot dog now

Naomi
2012-08-26

The story of how the redwood trees have a family, is the best ever. I love that one. You couldn't have made it up if you tried!
My PC is bust, and when I get it back I'll write more.
Stay well, and keep on enjoying yourself.
Much love, and hugs.

nicky7a
2012-08-27

florida is SO on the list...i need to go there to get on those cheap caribbean cruises!

nicky7a
2012-08-27

the waves! we stopped at a little beach which was nicknamed Restless Beach and everyone was oooing and aaaing over how scary it all was...Vivien and I were looking at each other strangely because that's the normal kind of beach we swim at.we told the driver and he pretty much thought we were lying

nicky7a
2012-08-27

the grow in FAMILIES naomi...i was so blown away by that...i will post pics later today, i hope you can make out the family circles, it was amazing

Naomi
2012-08-27

I have never heard of this. I'm amazed.
I'll write more when I get my own PC back. The "Alan likes this" is me, on his computer.
I want a "Naomi is stunned" box. I find it incredible. David Attenborough has a lot to answer for, not telling me.
I think it's a thrilling story. All I knew is that they're enormously huge..
[Had to giggle about the beach.]

Elke
2012-08-28

I don't know why I love SF either, I can't exactly name it. I think it's a combination of the people being so laid back, not typical American like I had expected. It also felt like traveling back in time, I had a hippie-feeling in the city and the city didn't feel like a city - although it was so big imo. People are more relaxed, I loved the housing, the cable trains, the gay community,... Have you seen the movie 'Milk'? because that movie resembles the SF I have in mind right now...

2025-02-15

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