Thursday, March 6, I felt like getting away but was still not so much into walking around. So what's the perfect place to go? The track, of course!
No, not that track, although I did enjoy watching these people who appeared to have purchased their kids in 4-packs. I was just here awaiting my chariot.
Where was I going? No, not to get pizza, nor pipes, nor anything along those lines.
I was going to Bay Meadows, one of the Bay area's premier thoroughbred racing establishments!
Quite a classy establishment I must say. They are even considerate enough of the distaff to include a "Ladies Lounge".
Some kind of crowd there on a Thursday afternoon.
And it's one of the few tracks I know of that has its paddock in the comfort of the indoors. Right next to the hot dog stand, actually.
The day's program included 8 conditional claiming races; I was there for 7. Most of them had overwhelming favorites, and most of the overwhelming favorites won.
DRF cost me $4.50, but didn't make me any money, though I hit a couple exactas.
After getting back it was a feast of crab burgers, and then the usual movies and video games. So much for that day.
Friday, March 7, started at the crack of noon with a visit to Stanford's main campus and the Memorial Chapel.
We were there because we heard something about a labyrinth being set up in the chapel every Friday. We thought it sounded like fun. In actuality it was more a type of spiritual labyrinth than a classically "fun" labyrinth. That is to say, it was a labyrinth with one"true path" and no wrong turns. It was also just illustrated on a rug on the floor instead of with actual walls. I'm not sure exactly what we were expecting. One thing we were not expecting to see was a man in monk's robes sitting in a pew working on a PDA.
So much for that. Let's go to Wahoo's Fish Tacos for lunch!
I didn't have any plans for the afternoon, so I thought I'd once again check out some free Division I sports. This time it was women's tennis, which I believe at the time of this game was ranked 6th nationally. The server here, whose name is Nguyen, is apparently ranked 12th individually. She won her singles match 6-0 6-0.
That evening it was back on the road to San Francisco, under the watchful eye of the pointing monk.
On our way in we did a little cruising through the Castro.
We stopped in for some dinnerish eats at a place called Eiji, a very Japanese place with very Japanese staff who instructed us in strained English how to eat the things that we had no idea how to eat. These things included two different kinds of fresh tofu, and raw tuna with "mountain potato" and a tiny raw egg. We were not warned of the dangers of eating raw fish and eggs. It was great.
But then we had to leave.
We went to see an improv murder mystery, which was quite skillfully done. Not to distract the performers, I just got a photo of the empty stage, which as far as I can tell was not improvised.
The show took place in an old fort on a pier. Not the kind of place you'd expect to see theater on a Friday night. More the kind of place you'd expect to see a mob hit.
Walking the waterfront afterwards, we found it wasn't too late to fill up on free chocolate samples.
And paying a visit to some friends of my associates, we got to see what a real waterfront view looks like.
Back to Palo Alto and the next day, Saturday, we were back on the road north. This time we made a stop at Fry's Electronics, not just a store but an "experience". Lots of cheap stuff, and a western theme to boot.
They sure did have it all, and priced fairly.
Then back on the road, to our destination for the day of Berkeley, CA. We got in around lunchtime, which allowed us to stop at the Cheese Board, a pizza joint serving one type of pizza that changes day-by-day.
It was delicious, and so popular that we had to eat it in the middle of Shattuck Avenue.
Nor were we the only ones.
They even answer the agonizing question of what to do with the pizza box when finished.
Continuing down the street we went by Cafe Gratitude, another local landmark known for forcing customers to make self-affirming remarks while ordering.
A few coffee shops later and we hit another notable restaurant. Certainly they deliver what they promise.
And further on, a cafe that is really no more than a wall and some chairs in the middle of a parking lot. I was liking this town a lot.
Then we were on the campus of the University of California, and transported into a very different landscape.
One of the campus landmarks is the Free Speech Cafe, where we caught up on all the important news of the world.
And while the speech is free, there are some issues.
Who knows what's happening here, but it looked interesting.
We approached Sather Tower, more commonly known as the Campanile, the tallest structure in town and the second campus tower I would visit on my tour.
It's a very nice place, but you have to be careful where you step.
As one would expect of a 307-foot tower, it offers some nice views. The Memorial Glade on campus:
The Cal stadium.
Oakland.
The Golden Gate.
San Francisco.
And some idiots, who were quite startled to learn while up there that the bells do in fact ring on the hour.
Here's one of the things that reminded us that Berkeley is, in fact, a football campus.
But a great center for the arts, as well.
Leaving the campus momentarily, we wandered through the Telegraph Street area.
And the People's Park.
We stopped in to visit another associate who lives in town. He wasn't there, but we got a tour of his place, including the requisite hallway stove.
And meticulously detailed foosball table.
And the Danger Stairs.
We zipped back onto campus to find him, passing an early science building on campus. This one has a sign noting its dedication to metallurgy and mining.
Later we got a look at an electrical engineering lab and I was impressed by its extensive safety equipment, including an emergency cot stored in the ceiling.
Later that evening, we stopped at the "Purple Place" for some tasty Thai food. If you want to know why it's the "purple place" then ... well, just go there, you'll get it.
Dinner finished up around 8, and I had to catch a flight out at 9:25. Hm ... doesn't seem like it leaves a lot of time, does it? You'd be right about that, but thanks to some crafty driving and a bit of line-bypassing, I managed to get myself seated on the plane before it left the ground. I was happy that I got to maximize my time enjoying California. No time for pictures though.
Several hours later, it was Sunday morning and I was back on the Silver Line, making that familiar journey that would lead me to home, awaiting errands, and eventually, work.
Boston never looked so nice. It also never felt so cold.
And that was that. Thanks go out to V. and D. and all their roommates for the hospitality, T. for the motivation, everyone else I saw for the good times, and everyone who read this and ensured that it was not a completely pointless exercise. Join me for my next trip, won't you?
