Before I get into yesterday's post, I'm going to include the pictures that I didn't before from the Mission District.
This was the coolest laundromat I have ever seen. The inside had chandeliers and cool black and white art all over the walls. Plus, everything was trimmed with teal, my favorite color! Found this on my late-night walk on Dolores Street.
The first rain barrels I had seen in the Mission District.
More succulents!
This image reminds me of a movie my sister and I used to watch all the time as kids, The Cobbler and the Thief.
Oldest building on UC Berkeley's campus.
This is one of the tallest clock towers in the world. The third tallest, I believe.
Giant library with most of its area actually underground! I wanted to come back to this after the group tour, but my hunger distracted me from accomplishing that.
Central area on the campus. Newly renovated. All the buildings surrounding this courtyard were at some level of LEED certification.
Lunch! From Thai Kitchen II (because the first one burnt down). The chicken in this curry was so tender that I could cut it with a spoon.
After walking around a bit, I found this lovely neighborhood with lots of character. This picture doesn't do the moment justice. The air was all wet from rain, the wood on the houses all dark and brown because of it, and I could really get a sense of the community vibe.
Cottage library. Fireplace included. :)
After my meeting with Leslie, I walked around Broadway street to find a place to settle for a bit. I think I ended up at Starbucks after that.
My first churro of the trip! And only, I'm afraid it will be. The group I went out with for drinks took me to a Mexican joint called Pancho Villa, which was really busy even at 11:30 at night. The salsa bar was the big draw. Once I saw it, I could understand why.
Carnitas taco with refried beans, tomato, and a mild salsa.
I discovered this building on my way to pick up the rental car yesterday. There's so much of San Francisco to see!
This just made me happy. I went to lunch at a place called the Paris Bakery (most affordable meal that I've purchased so far on this trip) and this was on their counter.
So now, for the full story of yesterday...
The world is so much bigger than I give it credit for. I sort of assumed that having a destination of Monterey would be like having a destination of Kansas City, driving from Lawrence. There's not much along the way except for some hills, some trees, and some gas stations. I'm so happy to have been thrown off course and forced to take a bunch of back highways to get to Monterey.
I will admit that I should have followed the advice of one of my housemates back at the hostel. Nevel, I think his name was. From Canada. He recommended that I get the GPS with my rental because the service is spotty in the mountains, and that I bring water with me because it's either scarce or expensive down here. So whatdya know...my phone stopped giving me directions as soon as I entered this eerie fog-ridden area of the mountains, and I decided to take the next exit so that I could ask someone for directions. Except that my next exit kept taking me down and down along curvy roads into the mountains, with only residential areas in sight. I felt that as I went further and further, I was only farther and farther away from my true destination. And I kept telling myself that I should be enjoying the journey of the adventure, not focusing so much on the destination, but it just didn't work.
My exit was Redwood City, the most beautiful mountain town I have ever seen. Better than Colorado, if you can imagine that. I passed a couple of houses with fruit trees out front, displaying ripe oranges and pears the size of softballs. I stopped in front of someone's house, pulled out my phone, and wrote down all the directions it gave me to get to Monterey. I laughed when I saw how far from San Francisco I was, and that my GPS estimated it would take me another hour and forty-seven minutes to get to Monterey. Wow. This really is an adventure, Emily.
My written directions helped me, and surprisingly my phone never cut out on the route that I took. I ended up on three different California highways, and mildly freaked out when I passed a sign saying "Leaving Freeway". I had no cash on me and immediately thought I would be that girl stopped at the toll booth. The out-of-towner who didn't know that there were tolls to pay and didn't have any money on her to pay it with.
Luckily, that didn't happen. Instead, I had my first mountain-driving experience. It was absolutely fantastic. 100% downhill, too. I didn't take any wrong turns from then on, but I did go off route when I saw a sign for a state beach. :)
Before that point, I was pretty much in awe at the scenery. The mountains I had just come from were luscious, topped with fog like a big dollop of whipped cream, and in front of me lay gorgeous agricultural fields. The sun warmed my face through the windshield, and once I stepped out of the car, it felt very much like Colorado. Cool air, warm sun, enough to get a sunburn from.
At my first stop I noticed the spongy vegetation. Like a cactus almost, but not really. Unlike anything I'd seen before, and in such large quantities!
I hopped back in the car and kept driving, getting quite distracted by my surroundings. Once I saw my first peek of the ocean, though, I just couldn't take it. I found the nearest exit and cruised around Moss Landing until I saw another sign for a state beach. This is what I found!
This was the coolest laundromat I have ever seen. The inside had chandeliers and cool black and white art all over the walls. Plus, everything was trimmed with teal, my favorite color! Found this on my late-night walk on Dolores Street.
The first rain barrels I had seen in the Mission District.
More succulents!
This image reminds me of a movie my sister and I used to watch all the time as kids, The Cobbler and the Thief.
Oldest building on UC Berkeley's campus.
This is one of the tallest clock towers in the world. The third tallest, I believe.
Giant library with most of its area actually underground! I wanted to come back to this after the group tour, but my hunger distracted me from accomplishing that.
Central area on the campus. Newly renovated. All the buildings surrounding this courtyard were at some level of LEED certification.
Lunch! From Thai Kitchen II (because the first one burnt down). The chicken in this curry was so tender that I could cut it with a spoon.
After walking around a bit, I found this lovely neighborhood with lots of character. This picture doesn't do the moment justice. The air was all wet from rain, the wood on the houses all dark and brown because of it, and I could really get a sense of the community vibe.
Cottage library. Fireplace included. :)
After my meeting with Leslie, I walked around Broadway street to find a place to settle for a bit. I think I ended up at Starbucks after that.
My first churro of the trip! And only, I'm afraid it will be. The group I went out with for drinks took me to a Mexican joint called Pancho Villa, which was really busy even at 11:30 at night. The salsa bar was the big draw. Once I saw it, I could understand why.
Carnitas taco with refried beans, tomato, and a mild salsa.
I discovered this building on my way to pick up the rental car yesterday. There's so much of San Francisco to see!
This just made me happy. I went to lunch at a place called the Paris Bakery (most affordable meal that I've purchased so far on this trip) and this was on their counter.
So now, for the full story of yesterday...
The world is so much bigger than I give it credit for. I sort of assumed that having a destination of Monterey would be like having a destination of Kansas City, driving from Lawrence. There's not much along the way except for some hills, some trees, and some gas stations. I'm so happy to have been thrown off course and forced to take a bunch of back highways to get to Monterey.
I will admit that I should have followed the advice of one of my housemates back at the hostel. Nevel, I think his name was. From Canada. He recommended that I get the GPS with my rental because the service is spotty in the mountains, and that I bring water with me because it's either scarce or expensive down here. So whatdya know...my phone stopped giving me directions as soon as I entered this eerie fog-ridden area of the mountains, and I decided to take the next exit so that I could ask someone for directions. Except that my next exit kept taking me down and down along curvy roads into the mountains, with only residential areas in sight. I felt that as I went further and further, I was only farther and farther away from my true destination. And I kept telling myself that I should be enjoying the journey of the adventure, not focusing so much on the destination, but it just didn't work.
My exit was Redwood City, the most beautiful mountain town I have ever seen. Better than Colorado, if you can imagine that. I passed a couple of houses with fruit trees out front, displaying ripe oranges and pears the size of softballs. I stopped in front of someone's house, pulled out my phone, and wrote down all the directions it gave me to get to Monterey. I laughed when I saw how far from San Francisco I was, and that my GPS estimated it would take me another hour and forty-seven minutes to get to Monterey. Wow. This really is an adventure, Emily.
My written directions helped me, and surprisingly my phone never cut out on the route that I took. I ended up on three different California highways, and mildly freaked out when I passed a sign saying "Leaving Freeway". I had no cash on me and immediately thought I would be that girl stopped at the toll booth. The out-of-towner who didn't know that there were tolls to pay and didn't have any money on her to pay it with.
Luckily, that didn't happen. Instead, I had my first mountain-driving experience. It was absolutely fantastic. 100% downhill, too. I didn't take any wrong turns from then on, but I did go off route when I saw a sign for a state beach. :)
Before that point, I was pretty much in awe at the scenery. The mountains I had just come from were luscious, topped with fog like a big dollop of whipped cream, and in front of me lay gorgeous agricultural fields. The sun warmed my face through the windshield, and once I stepped out of the car, it felt very much like Colorado. Cool air, warm sun, enough to get a sunburn from.
At my first stop I noticed the spongy vegetation. Like a cactus almost, but not really. Unlike anything I'd seen before, and in such large quantities!
I hopped back in the car and kept driving, getting quite distracted by my surroundings. Once I saw my first peek of the ocean, though, I just couldn't take it. I found the nearest exit and cruised around Moss Landing until I saw another sign for a state beach. This is what I found!
This was the second beach that I came to at the Fisherman’s
Wharf, actually in Monterey. I
immediately felt like I was in a more touristy area and didn’t much appreciate
the vibe. So I took some photos, looked
up a cheap place to eat (I was trying to stick to a $15 food budget for the
day) and made my way to the Paris Bakery and Café. That was probably the best moment of my day. I walked in and smelled sugar. The lunch special was a mini sandwich and a
cup of soup for $6.50! So I ordered a
ham and swiss sandwich with hard-boiled egg on it, clam chowder, and a pecan
bar. The pecan bar was totally
unnecessary. I would have done just fine
without it.
After that, I wandered some more and came across a cool Buddha
shop and bought a gift. Asked the owner
where good local places were to go, and he said I was only a couple blocks away
from historic downtown Monterey. It felt
much like Lawrence and I enjoyed escaping the tourist destinations. I didn’t feel like going to Cannery Row at
this point because I knew it would be much of the same stuff I’d already
seen. I was looking for something
different. So I told myself I would find
a beach and read.
Well. I found a
beach. Marina Beach. And I read.
But having to wear gloves and wrap your face in a scarf just to do so
felt too uncomfortable. I needed warmth.
I walked a little ways down the beach and back, and once I got to the car, I could feel the same exhaustion from previous days. Nap time!
Checked into my hotel around 4 and planned to take an hour nap, then go out for dinner. Then I ended up sleeping for three hours, felt feverish when I woke up, and decided that going out again would not be in my best interest. Took a Tylenol, had a nice conversation on the phone, and then hit the sack again around 9:30. Sometimes I feel so boring.
It was necessary, though, and this morning I feel refreshed. The hotel I got through hotwire is a steal. My room had a walk-in shower, and the continental breakfast is one of the best I've ever experienced. Whoever said Chobani could be served at a hotel was a genius. It was just plain yogurt, so I added a couple packets of honey and found myself in heaven.
The plan for this morning was do go on a hike/walk for an hour or two, then head back to the airport, but it's already 9:22 and I told myself I would have to leave by 9:45 to get there on time, fill gas, etc. I'm taking a different route back, and I hope it will be as visually pleasing.
There will be more writing later today, I am sure. I still never fully talked about teaching even though it was the title of one of my earlier posts. We'll get there! For all of you in cold climates right now, bundle up out there.
Comments
Post a Comment