I suddenly understand why so many of my friends want to live here!
I flew into San Francisco yesterday afternoon and found my way to Camp Parks on the east bay side and have been exploring ever since. I reported for my Army Basic Instructor Course (a requirement for my OCS Instructor slot I currently occupy for the National Guard), was given billeting and told to report back at 0800 on Monday morning. Apparently the course is made up primarily of locals so the course manager decided to give everyone Mothers’ Day off.
The MWR program at Camp Parks is actually not bad; they had Giants tickets so I decided to head back to San Francisco and check out a game. The seats were great and San Francisco won. I sat next to a great baseball fan that labeled himself a conservative who tends to vote Republican; great guy! He was telling me everything about the team and San Francisco politics. Nancy Pelosi was at the game, and when they announced her presence she was booed. Had I not been sitting next to this guy I would have never understood…he said it is the left that hates her, not the right. They think she is a Bush sellout because we are still in Iraq.
The freeway here is crazy! I have always heard about motorcyclists creating their own lane and passing between cars, but I had never actually witnessed this act first hand…until yesterday. Apparently every cyclist over here does this; it is completely normal…so normal I am yet to see a motorcycle that didn’t do this. Another scary thing; I was driving with the flow of traffic heading down a hill into Dublin when I looked at my odometer to see 100 mph. I wasn’t passing anyone or being passed and there was considerable traffic. I hope the tracking device on my rental car doesn’t give me a ticket!
Here are some of the photos I have snapped so far…I hope to have more time as the course goes on to get to some other great places in the bay area!
This one is on the Bay Bridge heading into San Francisco; you can just barely see the Golden Gate if you look close (on the right).
At the ball park.
Still at the ballpark…behind center field.
The Willie McCovey statue overlooking McCovey Cove.
One of many pieces of anti-war propaganda painted around town; the only one where traffic had me stopped so I could snap a photo.
WHO would want to live here? :0) It’s so expensive! Traffic is awful! Homes are outragous! Very hard to live a Dave centered life and get a mortgage for 15 years or less when a 1 bedroom, 600 sq ft shack goes for 300k :0)
Ugh .. I can’t wait to move back to where the normal people are from (and that’s saying something considering I was 9 when I moved here and have lived here almost 20 years - one would think I would have transitioned).
Comment by Tara — May 12, 2008 @ 9:33 pm
Very true, but it is quite beautiful and all the people I have met so far have been quite nice; no rude east coast stares out here
I think the liberal politics might get to me after awhile; after all I was extremely careful to sterilize everything so I have no Army paraphernalia on anything I am carrying!
Comment by Joel — May 12, 2008 @ 10:42 pm
First you are very lucky to see the Golden Gate bridge. I’ve been close enough to see it over thirty times, but have only seen it four.The fog in the bay erea is no myth; it is very true as you will see.
As for the motorcyclists; they are required to drive between traffic in heavy traffic to help the trafic a little. This info is according to a CHiPs officer while he was giving me a DOT inspection.
Comment by David Glynn — May 12, 2008 @ 11:00 pm
“Dave centered life” um… yikes.
Comment by Amy — May 12, 2008 @ 11:11 pm
Get over it Amy; that is how us TMMO folk talk. It really isn’t idolotry; just an appropriate adjective that all of us drinking the koolaid know
Comment by Joel — May 12, 2008 @ 11:28 pm
Gracious. Getting a little defensive of your cult, aren’t you?
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
[P.S. Gentle Readers, don’t worry we’re happily married… see you can tell by the little smiley faces at the end of each comment.]
Comment by Amy — May 13, 2008 @ 7:05 am