I (didn't) leave my heart in ...
The gorgeous Pomgirl's post about her trip to San Francisco got me all nostalgic the other day... and one of her comments was particularly meaningful. She said
I had the exact same experience while in San Fran... was so expecting to adore every second of my visit there, yet leaving kinda disappointed. It wasn't that it wasn't fabulous, just that it wasn't quite fabulous enough... a bit anti-climactic unfortunately.
There are probably good reasons for this: San Fran (and Northern California) was our last stop on our way home from 4 years of living in the UK. We'd spent 6 months on the road in a campervan, traveling around Europe. We'd then hopped on a plane, stopped in New York, then again in San Fran. And I think we were just tired and wanted to get home. We had 10 days in California, driving around - visited Yosemite, and the Napa Valley, and all way cool stuff, but I think I was hoping to be wowwed and I just... wasn't.
We actually met up with PossumBoy who was enroute to doing a spot of snow-board-instructing in Colorado, and that was fun! He and I left MrB and the girls in a motel room down at Fisherman's Wharf, and spent a day exploring by ourselves. I felt much safer with my big butch soldier brother than I would have with my (although still big and butch) husband and young family. Because there is so much on the streets of San Francisco to freak out a delicate suburban flower such as myself... PossumBoy laughed at me trying to discreetly hide in his shadow as we were harassed by pan handlers and assorted wierdos!
But my alltime favourite and surreal SF moment came as we were enjoying the typical touristy tram ride. PossumBoy was out riding on the running board, because he's big and tough and wanted the wind in his face etc... I'm a scaredy cat so was sitting inside, having a chat with an Australian family - middle-aged parents, late teens kids (with their bf & gf). I can't remember why they started chatting to me, but they did - nattering about how they were on their way home to Sydney, after spending some quality time ski-ing in Colorado. I did our whole 'on the way home too, just been campervanning around Europe etc etc' talk. Then it started to dawn on me that this couple looked really familiar. Just as I'd worked out who it was, PossumBoy knocked on the window to tell me we were coming up to our stop. So, just before I got off I shyly asked "um, you wouldn't happen to be Gai Waterhouse would you?" to which she replied "Yesss!!!!!!!" with a Massive beaming grin. "Oh, um, pleased to meet you" I answer... "Oh, the pleasure's all ours" says Robbie...
So I hop off the tram, and hiss to PossumBoy, "quick, turn around, the Waterhouses are on the tram", so we turn around to see Gai still grinning and waving madly at us from the tram as it tootled up another San Fran hill...
Weird.
But kinda sweet.
And yet, I still didn't love it as much a I had wanted to...
Ah well, next time Gadget, next time......
"I was a little surprised that my trip to San Francisco did not involve me
falling in love with the place, I had expected to love it and want to move
there."
I had the exact same experience while in San Fran... was so expecting to adore every second of my visit there, yet leaving kinda disappointed. It wasn't that it wasn't fabulous, just that it wasn't quite fabulous enough... a bit anti-climactic unfortunately.
There are probably good reasons for this: San Fran (and Northern California) was our last stop on our way home from 4 years of living in the UK. We'd spent 6 months on the road in a campervan, traveling around Europe. We'd then hopped on a plane, stopped in New York, then again in San Fran. And I think we were just tired and wanted to get home. We had 10 days in California, driving around - visited Yosemite, and the Napa Valley, and all way cool stuff, but I think I was hoping to be wowwed and I just... wasn't.
We actually met up with PossumBoy who was enroute to doing a spot of snow-board-instructing in Colorado, and that was fun! He and I left MrB and the girls in a motel room down at Fisherman's Wharf, and spent a day exploring by ourselves. I felt much safer with my big butch soldier brother than I would have with my (although still big and butch) husband and young family. Because there is so much on the streets of San Francisco to freak out a delicate suburban flower such as myself... PossumBoy laughed at me trying to discreetly hide in his shadow as we were harassed by pan handlers and assorted wierdos!
But my alltime favourite and surreal SF moment came as we were enjoying the typical touristy tram ride. PossumBoy was out riding on the running board, because he's big and tough and wanted the wind in his face etc... I'm a scaredy cat so was sitting inside, having a chat with an Australian family - middle-aged parents, late teens kids (with their bf & gf). I can't remember why they started chatting to me, but they did - nattering about how they were on their way home to Sydney, after spending some quality time ski-ing in Colorado. I did our whole 'on the way home too, just been campervanning around Europe etc etc' talk. Then it started to dawn on me that this couple looked really familiar. Just as I'd worked out who it was, PossumBoy knocked on the window to tell me we were coming up to our stop. So, just before I got off I shyly asked "um, you wouldn't happen to be Gai Waterhouse would you?" to which she replied "Yesss!!!!!!!" with a Massive beaming grin. "Oh, um, pleased to meet you" I answer... "Oh, the pleasure's all ours" says Robbie...
So I hop off the tram, and hiss to PossumBoy, "quick, turn around, the Waterhouses are on the tram", so we turn around to see Gai still grinning and waving madly at us from the tram as it tootled up another San Fran hill...
Weird.
But kinda sweet.
And yet, I still didn't love it as much a I had wanted to...
Ah well, next time Gadget, next time......
Labels: here there and everywhere
posted by actonb at 10:29 am
6 Comments:
Gai and her family sound quite nice. For some reason San Fran has never appealed to me - New York is a different. Did you go there? What did you think of New York?
KR - They were really lovely, well Gai and Robbie - the kids were snobby. We went to New York before SF, and loved it! Even though it was so horrendously expensive. We were only there for 3 days, but I would so love to spend more time there. Preferably not just before Christmas with 2 small children though...
I agree. I've been to SanFran a few times. No where near as good as LA, NY, most of Colorado, Dallas, and you can count most of Europe as being better too. Not in a hurry to go back.
But if you ever get the chance, the drive from SanFran to LA is awesome!
Too bad you didn't get any tips off Gai.
i felt like that about london. but new york! omigod.
i (heart) NY!
surfer - we went from SF to Yosemite, then down to Santa Barbara, then back up the coast. We did Sacramento and smalltown California for a week or so too. We'd love to do a driving holiday across the States, but that's low on our list of priorities at the moment.
mex - London is a Great Big Rip Off! But with nice museums. NY however, rocked!!! Definitely 'move there tomorrow' material!
Sorry it has taken me ages to comment on this but I'm still thinking about why I didn't love the place. And I suspect what I wrote may have offended my friend because I haven't heard from her since! Or I may be overly paranoid...
But I found it really hard to deal with that kind of street culture, yet I think of myself as a right bad ass. When people walked up to us and hassled us for money or did card tricks and told us jokes (for money) I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.
Not such a bad ass afterall.
*sigh*
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