california: san diego

I flew from chicago to san diego via pheonix. Easy flights.
I met Stephanie when both of us worked at a resort on the Pacific island of Saipan. We've kept in touch ever since, she is now married with two kids. Hard to believe it, but our time in Saipan was a long time ago. 2005! Ten years ago! Stephanie picked me up at the airport, we went straight to lunch.
Lunch was at a place called Lucha Libra, a gourmet taco place. Steph told me it was a local place, and is now a busy place because it was featured on a cooking show, or best of list. Now everyone wants to eat there. I don't know how I feel about the "best of" lists, because hidden places become overrun.
It was good food, and the line moved really quickly. They have their own salsa bar, how awesome is that?
Then we went to Steph's house, where I met one of her children, and the nanny. The baby was 8 months old, and seemed happy when I held her. Awesome! Steph collected some of the stuff she had for newborns, and we took it to one of her friends who had just had a baby. (4 days ago.) Awesome. Instead of buying all new stuff, people who are having children should be able to reach out to friends who have already had children and use a few things. Newborns are tiny tiny humans, but they need so much stuff!

After baby time Steph took me to a place called Blush Desserts. YUM. They make macaroon ice cream sandwiches to order, yahoo! You get to choose what flavor of macaroons you want, as well as what flavor of ice cream you want. I got a bit greedy, and ordered a red velvet cupcake too, more yum. Clearly, Steph knows me too well :)
Then we picked up Steph's other kid, a 3 year old. He talks, a lot. Steph told me when he started preschool a year ago, he cried for 3 months straight. I wouldn't have known it from the child I met. He is a happy kid, he wanted to tell me everything he knows about everything.

We went back to Steph's house to hang out for a while. I really enjoyed the view, which looks out over Qualcomm stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers. While we were there I met her husband, a nice guy.
Then Steph took me over to her sister's house, where I fell asleep at 8pm! To be fair, 8pm San Diego time is 10pm Chicago time, which is 11pm Bloomington time, and I'd had another early flight after sleeping in the Chicago airport again. I deserved to fall asleep early :) Oddly enough, the people who lived in the house weren't yet home when I fell asleep!

The next morning Steph picked me up and we went to breakfast at a place called Bear Buns Bakery. Steph had a meeting, so I sat in another area, writing a letter. I loved my chai latte and red velvet cookie. Yum.
After breakfast, Steph dropped me off at the trolley stop at Qualcomm Stadium. There isn't a lot of public transport, but this was perfectly convenient for me. I rode the trolley into the city center, getting off at the stop for Old Town. It's a historical park/district, mostly for tourists. Too many kitchy shops for my taste, but great for people watching. There were a few good (and small,) museums too. I really liked the old schoolhouse. It reminded me a lot of the one room schoolhouse in Bloomington, Indiana. 

Nearby was an old synagogue, no longer used.
Eventually I hopped back on the trolley, transferred to a different line, then caught a bus. All of these took me to Balboa Gardens. A huge, beautiful area in the city. It took me a while to find the central area of the parks. The pin shown on tripadvisor and google maps is not where you find the majority of people.
It was hot and sunny, but I still loved walking everywhere. My first find was the cactus garden. Despite my attempts to be nice, the cacti did not return my love. (I was still digging prickles out of my fingers a couple weeks later! Tiny little prickles you can't quite see, but you can feel.)

I loved seeing some of the cactus flowers, you don't get to see those very often. Beautiful.
By the time I found the central area of the gardens, I was really dehydrated. I got really lucky when I saw a server coming into his shift at one of the restaurant cafes. I asked him where I could find a drinking fountain, he brought me a big cup of ice water, then brought me a to go cup with more ice water. Random acts of kindness are amazing.
Sadly, the Japanese garden was closed for a private event. Argh.
After the garden, I walked to a bus stop for a bus that would take me to a trolley stop. The trolley took me back to Qualcomm stadium. As the trolley got closer and closer, I saw more people with football jerseys boarding the train. I figured out there was a game that night, between the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers.

Getting out of the trolley station and stadium area was quite different than when I'd been there in the morning. Near game time, traffice patterns for both people and cars are different. For security reasons, people getting off the train have to walk a specific way (that takes you through turnstiles to make sure you have a ticket!) and I was worried about how to get out of the crowd; I wasn't going to the game. It took me a bit, but eventually I was able to go where I wanted.
Traffic was already pretty heavy at that point, but Steph and I were able to figure out where she would pick me up through texting. Thank goodness!

I ate dinner in the house that night with Steph and her family.
The next morning Steph dropped me off at a street corner across the street from the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego. A few minutes later, one of my cousins picked me up.
My cousin is a chaplain in the Navy, currently stationed at MCRD. This was a Friday, and he'd arranged tickets for us to see the graduation ceremony for the recruits who had finished basic training. Our seats were in the VIP pavillion, under cover. Thank goodness, as I was sunburnt, and it was again (as is normal,) sunny and hot.

Impressive. I love the mix of tradition and youth. Since my cousin is an officer, and most of the folks on this base are younger and enlisted, he was saluted approximately every two feet. I got to see his office, learn how the recruits are organized, and watch the ceremony. Awesome.
After the ceremony he took me to the gift shop on base, where I got to buy postcards and a mug for his unit.
Then we drove to his house. San Diego traffic is nuts. Not very well organized, full of freeways, too many cars and people. Just as we got to his house, his wife was leaving to take one of the kids to the doctor.

This was only the second time I've met these kids, they didn't remember the last time three years ago. This visit was awesome, as they were old enough to have real conversations, and understand how we are related.
The original plan was to have a picnic dinner with Grandma later that afternoon/evening, but plans changed when my cousin got a call from work. He had to go back to help with what they call an AmCross situation. This is by far the worst part of his job, when he has to help deliver a message to one of the recruits. The message is always a bad one, about the death of a loved one.

When recruits are going through basic training, they don't have access to email, and other electronic communication, so these AmCross messages are delivered by the folks in charge.
We had dinner after my cousin came home again, after going for a short walk to a neighborhood playground. My cousin and his wife said this was a great neighborhood in which to live. Their kids can walk down the street without worry. They know other kids in the neighborhood, and other families. Most excellent.
The next morning breakfast was my choice of cereal. Definitely a Johnson tradition, one that I love.

During the morning, my cousin's wife went to an education fair/school registration. The family had just moved from Colorado, so they still needed to figure out where the kids would attend school in a couple weeks. From what they'd already learned and heard from others, the system in California is rather broken, and definitely not as fantastic as what they'd had in Colorado.
At some point, I hopped in the truck with my cousin and the kids. We stopped at In n Out Burger, my first visit to that chain. I think it's a California/west coast thing? Grandma likes it. The menu is small, and simple.

We brought the food to Grandma, and my cousin's wife joined us when she was done with the school stuff. It was really nice to spend some time with Grandma. She is my Grandma, but is great grandma to my cousin's kids. Awesome.
After a while, I had to go back to the airport. Everyone trooped downstairs, and we asked someone to take a family photo. Very very cool. I wish family photos were taken more often. By everyone. Being able to look at these photos years later is a fun thing to do.
Then my cousin took me back to the airport, and I flew back to Chicago.
This is when I should mention the EXCELLENT people who worked one station of TSA. While I was going through security, a small bag in which I keep foreign currency and various cards fell out of my bag. I didn't notice it, and made my way into a nearby store selling books and newspapers. A few minutes later, I heard someone saying my name, I perked up.

He asked me if I was planning to buy anything, and I said no. At this point I was scared, thinking he was asking me if I was stealing. I wasn't, of course. He kept asking questions, and I could tell he was looking for a specific answer, but it took me a while to figure it out. Eventually, I did. I'm sooooooooo grateful for his effort in finding me. I was able to say what my bag looked like, as well as name a few items in the bag, including currencies. THANK YOU SAN DIEGO TSA.
My flight landed in Chicago at 0100, not a great time. Another night of sleeping in the airport. Thank goodness, I'm good at this.

road trip: the PCH

most of the time i was in the states this summer i was visiting people, and seeing a new place only when it worked out...after scott and clair's wedding i opted to do one of the only real road trips i've ever done in the states...(in my life, for that matter)...i drove up the west coast from occidental, CA to astoria, OR, then over to a friend's house a bit inland...it was a gorgeous drive, and not at all boring...
i had no map, and no set itinerary...i only knew the date i wanted to arrive at maria's house, the rest of the days were totally open...

i'd heard over the years that there is beautiful scenery along the west coast, i decided i wanted to see what i could...so i drove...
i followed the highway along the coast as much as i could, only going away from the water when it was absolutely necessary (ie, the road didnt give me a way to stay close to the water)...i pulled off the road to take beautiful photos or sit on a beach or hike a little every time i felt like doing so...this usually meant i stopped a lot earlier in the day, then drove for longer periods of time in the afternoons...

everything i'd ever heard about this drive/road told me it is gorgeous...quite right...
some of the towns in which i stopped were small, and quite picturesque, some were not much more than a petrol station...
if i ever get time to do something like this again, i want to drive south from san francisco, and go as far as i can that way...it must be easier to pull off the road to take photos when driving south...
unfortunately, petrol is quite expensive in california...the price dropped almost drastically as soon as i crossed the border into oregon...since i don't normally have a car, i never remember to put petrol in my budget....ooops

i could write the names of the towns where i stayed, but that isn't the point of this post...i just want to show the pretty photos:)

junior gets married

as i mentioned in the previous post, the biggest reason to come to the san francisco area was for the wedding of a friend from garmisch...junior has had adventures in relationships, so i was thrilled to see him so happy...
to get to the wedding, i hired a car, and drove north (over that famous red bridge:) into wine country...the wedding took place on the land belonging to the grandparents (i think? or maybe a close family friend?) of the bride...its gorgeous...in occidental, a small town, in sonoma county, i think...
to get to the wedding, i looked up directions, checked a map, etc...somehow, i missed one of those directions, and drove too far...luckily, the last town i'd driven through (when i knew i was still going the right way) had an information office...(hint to travelers, it's always a good idea to pay attention to signs with that lower case cursive letter i)...when i walked in and told them i was lost, and where i wanted to go, the lady pulled out a map and showed me where to go...woo hoo...
15 minutes later, i pulled up to the house...i could see 2 people sitting on a porch, and no one else...neither one of those people was the groom, and the groom was the only person i knew would be at the wedding...hmmm...fortunately, after i got out of the car and was walking, i heard a voice behind me: "is that eva johnson?"....eeeeeeeeeeee, it was junior!!!!!! scotty is like the brother i never had, and we hadn't seen each other in years...a huge hug for both of us, and he introduced me to the people on the porch...more people came out, more introductions followed...it was nice to meet the bride to be, and to re-meet members of junior's family...i'd completely forgotten, but i met his sister and brother and mom a few years ago in my hometown...
(side note, junior is not his real name, he is not a real junior...that is, his name is not the same as his dad...it's a nickname from garmisch)
after putting my bag in my room, (it's an awesome house) i sat around on the front porch for a while, chatting with the others sitting out in the sun, getting to know them...after not too long, everyone in the wedding party walked off for the rehearsal, i continued chatting...
soon enough, more and more people started to arrive...junior and clair had invited everyone to the rehearsal dinner...in true san francisco style, they hired a taco truck to cater the meal...organic, really really tasty tacos, rice, beans, etc from the truck...everyone loved it...a tent had been set up over all the tables, which turned out to be a great thing, as the weather got really chilly after the sun went down...

i slept like a rock...there is something to be said for total darkness, and total quiet...
the next morning i woke up and went downstairs to find people making breakfast for whoeva cared to eat it, and others figuring out what still needed to be done before the ceremony...i went with junior's step dad to pick up the flowers, ice, and one other thing i've forgotten...occidental itself is a town, but is very small...so are all the other towns around that area...people live in various places, but you don't really feel like you are in a city at any point...we drove all over, or at least it felt like all over to get the flowers and ice...we also stopped at a small bakery that made organic scones...i'm a sucker for scones...YUM...
not long after dennis and i returned to the farmhouse (they call it the farmhouse, but i don't know if there is actually a farm there) cold cuts were put out in the kitchen for everyone to eat something before the ceremony...everyone started getting ready for the ceremony (we had to figure out who would need a longer shower, etc)...i got a quick peek of the bride before she walked down the aisle, GORGEOUS...it was fun to be around everyone who was involved in the ceremony...
i took the altar flowers down to the ceremony location, then stayed down there, others gradually showed up...i had been told ahead of time that there would be one ukrainian chick at the ceremony, though i'd forgotten completely...then, when i saw her, i remembered being told, and recognized her as ukrainian immediately...it was what she was wearing more than anything else...

clair was driven down to the ceremony in a convertible car...since she didn't want to wrinkle her dress, she was standing up...awesome...the ceremony was short and sweet, and joined two awesome people...
everyone walked back up the hill to the farmhouse and tent area, some people bringing chairs from the ceremony, since they were needed for the reception...seating was assigned, i ended up at a table with a lot of single people, which didn't much surprise me...some of the others had known the couple from when they lived in reno, i was the only attendee who knew scott from garmisch...
probably the best wedding cake i've ever had...soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good...i ate more than one piece that night, and had more of it for breakfast the next morning...if i could've figure out how to take some with me, i would've done so...ridiculously good...chatting with people, telling life stories, exchanging adventures...a great wedding...
another night of sleeping like a rock...i was a little sad to wake up the next morning, as that meant i was leaving...after another lovely breakfast, and helping clean up, i hopped in the car and started my road trip up the pacific coast highway...
a fantastic wedding, and i hope i see scott and clair sooner than the four years that had gone by since the last visit...

san francisco

from chicago, i flew to san francisco...previous to this visit, i'd never been anywhere in california other than san diego (and it's surrounding metro area)...not only do a bunch of garmischers live in san francisco (and the surrounding metro area,) one of them was getting married just north of the city...i took advantage of being able to stay in the states an extra month, and go to this wedding...before the wedding i got to spend three full days in the city, which was fantastic...
i know i've mentioned it plenty of times previously, but i'll say it again...i love public transport...

i was able to take public transport from the airport, all the way to a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station really close to the apartment of a friend of mine...i took a taxi the rest of the way, just so i knew i'd get to the right place...after that, i always walked...anywho, the taxi dropped me off, and alexis' flattie let me in...alexis was in class, she still has a year or two of university classes...
i rested for a bit, then went back into the city center...it was easy to get back on the metro, and easy to figure out where i wanted to go...before arriving in the city, i'd found out that there are coffee bean locations in san francisco...

YUM...so the first place i went was a coffee bean shop, so i could have a large chai latte...YUM...
from there, i walked to the waterfront, and walked along that for a while...i hadn't really looked up anything online, so i didn't really know what to look for, what to see in the city...the weather was good, which was not what i expected...san francisco is not known for beautiful skies...it was windy, but that was fine...i loved seeing all the boats and water...eventually i made my way back to alexis' flat, she had prepared dinner...she eats vegetarian food at home, almost always organic...

my first meal involving kale...YUM...alexis had to study (she is super smart, studying something in the sciences) so i relaxed and read, eventually going to sleep...
the next day i followed the same pattern...alexis had to go to class, i went back into the city...this time i had an idea of what i wanted to see...i started the day with another chai latte from coffee bean (i get them wheneva possible) and more walking along the waterfront...this time i got to pier 39, which is apparently quite a tourist location...heaps of little boutique shops, and souvenir kiosks..

i'm not sure that it's anything in particular that really represents san francisco the city, but there are a bunch of restaurants (lots of seafood, of course) as well as small shops...a great place to people watch...behind one of the restaurants is an area where seals hang out in the sun...they're ugly animals, but fascinating at the same time...i ate some sort of chowder for lunch...tasty, but probably overpriced...on the other hand, san francisco isn't the cheapest city...
i kept walking...and walking...stopping to take photos from time to time...walking...

i walked around the edge of the city, following major streets...eventually i got to a street that connected me with lombard street...the name itself probably doesn't ring a bell for most people, but i bet a lot of you have seen photos...it's the crookedest street in the world...it weaves back and forth a number of times in the space of one block...too bad the sun was in the wrong spot for me to get a good photo, but it was still fun to see...cars don't move quickly when they go down this street...all the walking tourists go down the steps on either side of the street...somehow i don't think sidewalks will every be put in:)

to get back to the subway station i wanted, i kept walking...surprise!!
as i thought about it afterward, the area i walked through didn't seem to be a very good neighborhood, but it was daytime, so i think i was okay...along the way a guy started walking with me and asked me out for coffee...does that happen regularly to other tourists?
a giant salad for dinner...i love places that have giant salad buffets where you pay by weight...i'm happy to jam as many vegetables as possible into one of those carryout containers...i don't usually add dressing, some people call me a rabbit for that..hee hee...heaven:)

My last day in the city I started with another chai latte from coffee bean, then started walking toward the famous bridge...
on the way, i stopped at grace cathedral, which was lovely...quiet, full of light and colour...i love any church that has stained glass, and this church had plenty...
from there, the street took me through chinatown...since i've traveled through parts of china, and have seen other chinese markets during my travels, this felt not quite right...i think i'm just a jaded traveler...

then i walked by the presidio...i think that's what it's called? quite pretty...
the Golden Gate Bridge...it's the famous red bridge in all the photos you see...I was thrilled that the weather was great, a sunny, blue sky, so nothing would be covered by clouds/fog...I didn't get to the viewpoint you usually see, I didn't have a car...it was a long walk to get to this beach area, I stopped for lunch (and dessert!!) along the way...dessert was apple pie from Mel's diner...yum...i love diners...love love love...after looking at that menu, i wish i'd eaten my entire lunch at the diner...

there weren't a whole lot of people at the beach, I don't know why...I walked into the water, sat and relaxed for a little while, took photos, etc...then I started walking again...I went up a lot of stairs, and finally got to one of the huge parks/gardens of San Francisco...I didn't have enough time to properly explore and wander around, but I did enjoy what I saw...on the way back I walked through haight ashbury, the area famous for the hippy movement of the 60s...it doesn't seem to be remarkable now...finally after another hour or two, I got back to Alexis's flat....
The next morning I left...It was a great visit with Alexis, and what i hope is my first visit to San Francisco...I hope I get to see the city again:)...there is plenty I didn't get to see, and there is a lot if yummy food...it's a foodie city:)...keep your fingers crossed i get good weather the next time i visit...perhaps i should also let other friends know i'm in town when i come back...(i got yelled at by several people who didn't know i was there at the time...ooops)