What a fun day I had today! Its now Tuesday night. I had my appointment for my exit interview at 9am this morning. Then after that was all done Walter came and picked me up. He kept talking about taking me to this Mystery Spot and I thought he was being clever and keeping some destination a surprise but then it turned out we drive to Santa Cruz and then into the woods and there is the Mystery Spot. A place with a little shop, surrounded by gardens and in a forest full of huge ancient trees. The Mystery Spot, you have to see to believe! The coolest thing I've ever seen by far, isn't science fascinating! Something on that hillside is a hugely powerful magnetic force or something, its really strange but what a tour we had. I paid attention to the tour guide. He was funny. After that we headed into Santa Cruz and had a nice walk along the beach and then along the boardwalk. It was nice but a little chilly. We had an icecream though...of course. You can't go to a boardwalk and not have an icecream right??
I slept the whole way back to San Francisco and then we drove up to Twin Peaks to have a look at the sun going down on the city. It was glowing pink tonight. I got some great shots of the sun out on the horizon. About to drop into the ocean. Pretty cool, its been a while since I've been on the West Coast for that!
Walter just dropped me off a bit ago and I'm all settled into an empty dorm for now. I don't mind it. I'm going to bed early tonight.
I think most classmates are home now, I can't wait to get home. I'm tired and tired of this city.
I have been blogging on paper and its been an eventful couple of days so I'll fill you in now...
Today, Saturday we had out critique of Colorado. It was pretty interesting and now we kind of know how to do the trip if we were asked. I came home to do laundry and get packed. Wow. Laundry at a hostel. I've never done that (except in a sink of course). Sunday morning I got up and stored my bag in the lockers at the downtown hostel in preparation for making the switch that afternoon to the other hostel called City Center. Stupid rule...just when you get comfortable and used to a routine. Funny I say that when I'll be traveling from place to place every night on tours. Makes you think.
So class went long on Sunday. We did mock interviews and housekeeping stuff and then had an hour to clean up/change and come back for our reception here.
I decided I'd move my bag from the lockers to Karen's hotel room just in case we went late and my stuff got locked up all night (locker room closed at 10) So I changed and we all headed to our graduation. We had a nice little ceremony and then a reception with hors de oeuvres (wow, how do you spell that?) and a wine tasting. Lots of good wines again.
After all was said and done there...we all decided to go to Foley's for a few drinks and hang out. It was great fun. Busy place and it kept getting busier. There was a big table full of us by then and it was hard to hear everyone but it was okay. Evan and I shared some eats and then we all went our seperate ways.
I had to still move to my hostel so Karen and Casey and I went and got my bags out of the room and thank goodness for Casey, he played the roll of knight in shining armor and walked me and my stuff to my new home. Yikes! My new hostel is in a scary place. Rough part of town. Its a weird division too because you'll see where they literally just stop cleaning the sidewalks and there is every kind of thing on the street including lots of different people. I didn't know that I was walking into that kind of place or I would have found something else to do.
My room had a really heavy musty moldy smell too, lots of mold growing in the bathroom. I opened the windows and laid down, it was quite late by this time, and my roommate came in and went on and on about the windows and how she'd had them opened from 1pm to 10pm and that she thought she was getting a chest cold and if I didn't mind could she close them because she was really cold the night before oh! and then all in the same breath it seemed she gave me her play by play of washing the cup that had the tea in it and she'd need to get ready for bed and I'm just thinking "I'm so tired, I really don't care what you do lady, just zip it!"
My walk to the office today (Monday) was almost as scary in the daylight as in the dark, not much improvement. I am dreading going back there again tonight. Yuck. Its amazing to think how foreign travelers feel. Imagine that? Getting here and wandering up to a hostel and walking through a visibly disheveled neighborhood. It would be their first impression of the city. I'm surprised they bother to stay. The only really redeeming thing about it is that inside (besides the mold smell) is really nice, its decorated and comfortable and lots of seating and couches ane a cute lobby and dining room. So there is an upside I guess :)
(now Tuesday morning~I'm writing about the rest of Monday as I wait for my appointment)
What a day Monday was! After my walk home to HELLis Street Hostel I thought surely the daylight would improve it (as I said above) but alas it did not. I walked to the office on Market St to meet Chris and we headed towards a lunch place that Evan had recommended. We decided to take the cable car up the hill which was great because I hadn't done that yet. We headed up Powell to California and then caught the California line to Hyde Street (which is ironic because my hostel is on HELLis and Hyde.) Funny what a few streets can change.
We spotted the destination right away as it had a line of people out the door and down the sidewalk. Swans Oyster Depot, that was its name. Go there, eat one of everything I'm not joking.
We waited 45 minutes and it was worth every minute of it! We walked up to a little window full of fish and inside this place its just a long strip. One long counter and a row of stools along the one side of it. Everyone waits outside until a stool or two open up and then you sit down right away and begin the feasting. The guys working there stay busy the entire time. I cannot believe the amount of fish they go through! Oysters, Clams, Mussels, Crab meat, Prawns, clam chowder and all sorts of smoked fish too. The seafood cocktail is just a big cup of fish with dipping sauce and the salads are a handful of lettuce on a plate (placed on that plate with serious gusto!) and then fish, fish and fish. And a dressing on the side. Yummy!
Chris ordered us some oysters on the half shell and we had the scallops sashimi that Evan had tried. Its raw scallops sliced thin with olive oil and red onions and capers. Really really good, different texture but yummy. Chris and I each had a big combo salad too, oof!
We waddled back up to the cable car and headed to Fishermans Wharf so Chris could shop for his baby girl and we were to meet some other classmates there. We rounded up Evan and Rachel and Sandy for a brief catch up and then Chris, Evan and I were off to find some place Evan had tried ( I don't know how he did it but he found some really great places in the city, must follow him around more next time!) We wandered into a new neighborhood for me. Really quiet and clean and lined with great shops and lots of little cafes and it was really a nice stroll. When Evan found the place we ended up walking in on a Tequila tasting with the owners of the Tequila and the bar staff. They invited us in anyways and we got a little education. Well, I did, apparently Evan knew all of that already~smarty pants. It was good tequila though. Good salsa too.
I ordered a drink called "Pasion" and Evan had something called "if only Honey drank" or something like that? Both were really really good. Mine was made with Habanero and passion fruit and lime and I can't remember what the liquor was?? But either way it was spicy and definetly full of "passion" the name of the place was Tacolicious. Not really that creative but what a cool place, reminded me of PorQueNo in Portland. A more posh version of it.
At that point we were to meet the others again in Japantown and find sushi to eat. I ate my way across the city can you tell? Everything but Gelato :)
Most of the group was pretty tired so we ate quietly and then parted ways. It was the last time I'd see Chris so we had a hug and I cried a tiny bit. It was sadder than I thought. Same with Evan today. I was really sad this morning, after I hugged him I was glad I walked away. Those guys both took good care of me and I enjoyed their company immensly.
After Japantown we went back into Union Square area and then seperated again.
My goodness did I write alot here or what?! Too much catching up. I have to remember not to do that!
This evening Walter and I stopped at an In N Out burger. we don't have those in Idaho. What a cool place. They have potatoes peeled and standing by and then a guy cuts them and then the other guy fries them and the sell so many of them that none of them sit around. They are literally fresh!
Oh man, my Englishman just walked down the hall of my hostel. The one from the other hostel. He's everywhere. We had a great chat and walked to a local pub nearby called Edinburgh Castle and sat and talked. He wasn't buying. Imagine that. What a smooth talker he is... I just sent him on his way and hid in my room. He is from Shetfield England (does that ring a bell to anyone?) I'm going to look it up. But tonight I saw my first pimp, like with the hat and everything. Wow! This neighborhood is really so different at night. Not an improvement, but walking with someone who isn't afraid of it is a totally different experience. Jason (Nigel) Brown. He looks like a Nigel I'm not sure why he doesn't use it. Anyways, funny coincidence. I'm not sure he's for real, he's here on a work visa and stays in hostels around the US. Interesting. And to answer the question all the men in my class were asking. He doesn't work for any one band but many...lots of tall tales.Here is the best one. He once went camping in the desert (after I mentioned I like to camp) and he was biten by a rattle snake and while hopping to a house nearby he stepped on cactus and a scorpion of all things and when the owner of the house came out with a shotgun pointed at him he passed out, only to be woken up by (wait for it) an Indian Shaman. And he was waving some healing herbs over him. Fish story I say.
But back to my real darling genuine Englishman, I just heard from Tony. Sailing from Southern to Northern Greece on the tall ship. Gosh, aren't updates like that great and bittersweet at the same time. I hope to cross paths with him again some day. Who knows when that would be. I heard from Greg again too. He is still sailing around the Caribbean. Wow. I surely missed out on that gig. I could have possibly found work there on the other boats...sailing even! Though I wouldn't have gotten to live in Portland and then come to class in San Francisco and take a class to help me get that job sailing in the Caribbean. I'd have missed meeting Evan and Chris and Sara and Rachel and Sandy and the whole bunch! Everything happens for a reason. And with that... My early night has turned into 12:45 am on Wednesday the fifth of May.
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