You and I, the last refugees

Oh, The Golden State Beckons

California, the Golden State, the 7th largest economy in the world, home to fields, mountains, cliffs, and the beckoning Pacific Ocean is home. You realize that certain brands, certain stores bring familiarity and comfort -- seeing Crystal Geyser and Arrowhead Water on the stores of California do just that. Glimpses of the Pacific Ocean (from this side) bring comfort as the rolling waves and crashing waves remind me that for the first 21 years of my life that was where I grew up.

Following graduation, the final partings, the final good byes in New York and DC I flew to San Francisco on a short trip before heading down to SoCal. As a child my family would visit Northern California, Stockton and San Francisco fairly regularly to visit family. In particular, visits always included a stroll through Chinatown as our parents shopped for salty sweet snacks and groceries while the children ran around. My brother, my cousin, and I would wander the streets, buying the stress balls you twirl in your hands or just looking into shops. Upon looking back, I realized I had not been to San Francisco for probably 10 years. This trip back evoked both memories and created new ones. I never recalled walking around Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, or the Golden Gate Park. The view of the city around Golden Gate Park is flat - which you can see from the tower of the De Young Museum. It is sort of strange as most of the rest of San Francisco is relatively hilly. The San Francisco trip was very lucky as SF tends to be very foggy during the summer time with the mist off the bay rolling in. However, my days there were sun filled and warm, a nice way to re enter the Golden State. SF is one of the few places in California I could return to and live (if a job ever arose) not because I dislike California, on the contrary I think it's a beautiful state and it is as I said home, rather I enjoy true cities not suburbs or sprawls. Los Angeles, in contrast to SF, is a large sprawl, neighborhoods people see on TV can only be reached by car and really are in various cities in LA county. With it brings a detachment. It's less true in SF, where we were quite amazed that while strolling through Golden Gate Park people would stop in their jogs to ask if we needed directions --- that you don't get in NYC or even the possibility in LA on the freeways.

As side trips, we also headed up to Napa as well as Mt. Lassen Volcanic Park for outings that included a little wine tasting as well as shorts hikes around the park. I always find it refreshing to leave cities for some fresh air, open skies, and trees. The lines of vineyards usually brings a smile to my face as do towering trees and mountains. Friends from other countries often marvel at the size of America and growing up here sometimes you take it for granted that such a diverse landscape (physical) exists in the country, with various temperatures, rock formations, forests, mountains that spand thousands of miles. The smaller town life seems more simple. In Chester, CA, people leave their doors unlocked, they'll heat you up some dinner even though they closed an hour before, and chat for hours as if there isn't a worry in the world. I marvel at that even as I fear that so much isolation brings a contentment and detachment. Not to say that one can't be content with life, but maybe it is just me that feels you should be driven towards something more. In any case, the Volcanic Park was beautiful even with its egg reeking sulfur fumes.

All in all a pleasant trip in between the end of school and the beginning of the "real world."

posted by Mai-Lan @ 13:24