Moving Feast

On the trip out here to San Francisco I finished A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemmingway.  I was very touched when my daughter loaned me her copy of the book that she purchased in Paris at Shakespeare and Company, the bookstore famously patronized by Hemmingway during his Paris years. The cover features a picture of Hemmingway standing outside the bookstore where she bought it.

I loved the book.  Hemmingway wrote this to chronicle his formative years as a writer during the roaring twenties in Paris.  So many iconic personalities wander through his life during this period.  The most riveting sections dealt with his relationship with F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Ms. Zelda does not come off very well.  I’m completely fascinated with Hemmingway again, what an immense personality.

This trip out here may have been premature.  They are scheduled a couple months out when the bus factory predicts a bus to be ready for inspection.  I showed up at the factory this morning and our first bus, which was supposed to be rolling off the line was at the very beginning, just a box of metal.  It will turn out to be a valuable experience for the mechanic who accompanied me because he’ll see the bus put together step by step while we’re here but I’m going to be bored s…less.   

The First Bus

We took the afternoon to explore San Francisco since we had no work to do.  I realized a long held dream to finally stop at the location I’ve seen a several movies but never seen in person – Alamo Square.  There are a couple great scenes in the movie Bicentennial Man that caught my eye and I’ve felt a real need to go there.  There’s also a row of houses that were in some TV series my kids watched when they were young. 

I'm Finally Standing in Alamo Square

I really felt a sense of accomplishment when I finally pulled up to the scene.  The place was mobbed with tourists but it was incredibly special for me and I cannot explain why.  I’m weird.  I wandered around the park a little bit and the non-scenic side was mobbed with do  It’s a dog park for the neighborhood – what’s not to like.

The View

The young mechanic accompanying me wanted to see the crookedest street in the world.  We had a lot of fun navigating through the massive hills of the city.  There were a couple times I literally could not see what was ahead because of the slope.  I didn’t hit anybody, I hope.

The Crookedest Street

He also wanted to patronize Ghirardelli Square to score some chocolate for his wife.  We wandered through the Fisherman’s Wharf area on our way.  My plan was to hit the Irish Pub near Ghirardelli Square that my wife and I loved so much last year.  I was devastated to find that it had closed.  There was a very talented saxophone player holding forth while I waited outside the fountain in Ghirardelli Square.  We ended up at a burger place on Pier 39 surrounded by New Zealand fans there to see the America’s Cup races.  I know my brother in law is devastated he can’t be out here to cover one of his absolutely favorite “sporting” events (tongue firmly planted in my cheek). 

The Sax Player

We decided to head back to our hotel through the teeth of the rush hour, not a smart move.  We were trapped on the Embarcadero when we realized the Giants had a home game and the stadium was at the other end of the street we were on.  This called for some broken field running so the mechanic manned his I-phone and we made our way through an amazing series of back streets and eventually broke free.  They recently opened a brand new Bay Bridge over to Oakland.  It has turned into a traffic disaster because traffic seems to be at a standstill throughout the day going over it. 

Obligatory Alcatraz Shot

And the Sea Lions

And the Street Cars

We reached the hotel in time to learn the USA won its world cup game and the Red Sox won a pivotal game against the Rays. So cool to learn all this before 8 o’clock local time.  After our traffic woes we were forced to calm our nerves in the absolutely outstanding hotel sports bar. 

The Sports Bar

My daughter passed on an update from Panama received form her mother.  My father in law got through his colonoscopy and the results were better than they hoped, completely clear.  The test left him very frail and weak so they pushed back his surgery until Thursday.  Please keep sending prayers down south.