Finding America

Day 40

It was both sad and exciting to be leaving Pebble Beach. We couldn’t have asked for better hosts than the Butts and leaving their Pacific oasis was harder than we expected. Just the prospect of having to fall asleep at night without the sound of the surf to lull us was daunting enough. Yet the allure of the open road won out against our homebody tendencies.

We had a driveway goodbye and then we were off to hook up Kodi and get on the way. A few short miles up the coast we came to Monterey Bay and took a short detour to the Fisherman’s Warf and through the Cannery Row.

Back on the road we wound our way through the hillsides and forest south of San Francisco Bay until we started seeing the freeway widen and the development increase. Before we knew it we were at Candlestick Point and to our RV park in the shadows of the San Fran 49ers stadium. We parked Kodi and then drove into the city to see Susanne.

The drive was actually only about 6 miles and Susanne came down from her office in the CBD to give us the keys to boyfriend’s apartment. They had graciously offered to loan us the apartment for the week so that we could stay closer to the city.

We drove to the apartment, unloaded our stuff and then raced back to the RV park to park the Fox and catch a cheap shuttle ride offered by the park back in to the city. With no time to spare we hopped aboard and were downtown bound.

They let us off near Chinatown and we took them up on their suggestion of an eatery nearby. We had a small snack to tide us over until dinner at Susanne’s. There was a small park near the restaurant full of Chinese American’s playing cards and just enjoying the day. The public restrooms there were designed with a pagoda style roof and the whole block had the feel of a foreign country.

A few blocks from China town we picked up a bus headed to the Marina district of town and back to Mikie’s apartment. With an hour to spare I got on a video conference with some other video bloggers and was able to ask some important questions as well as share our project and get some advice.

Before we knew it Susanne was out from work and calling us from the street. So we came down stairs and walked with her to her apartment. It was pretty close, maybe only 4 blocks and in a really cute neighborhood. The whole area is pretty flat unlike other parts of the city. It was a place for construction debris and other fill materials for years before it was ever developed. This coagulation of mismatched materials doesn’t make the best foundation for building in an earthquake zone and the whole district is prone to major damage during earthquakes. We just pray we get out of California before the big one hits.

Susanne’s apartment was adorable and she certainly takes after her mother in the décor department. The menagerie of thrift store bargains next to antique heirlooms makes for a unique and appealing setting. We caught up for about an hour and then we all did our part to see dinner prepared. Susanne prepared her signature Penne Ala Vodka, while Kam and I worked on the salad and the bread.

Mikie arrived after work and we all chatted in the kitchen while the pasta cooked. It was fun getting to meet Mikie and he and Susanne helped us write our San Francisco itinerary for tomorrow. They had also recently been to Sonoma and Napa Valley, the wine country north of SF, and they were able to give us their hit list.

Dinner was delicious and we talked long into the evening well after the last morsel was devoured. It was great hearing about life on the west coast and sharing what has happing on our side of the country.