Pacific Coast

I just got back to San Francisco after a two-day journey down the Pacific coast with mom and Mike. We started yesterday in San Mateo, and traveled south along highway 1, which hugs the coast. Our first stop was Pigeon Point, which has a lighthouse and some grass.

The coast is covered in grasses and flowers, and there are almost no trees.

A couple miles further south, we came across a beach where several dozen people were kite surfing. It was a very windy day, and some of the kite surfers were getting big air.

Then I had some fresh cherries for lunch.

Most of the coast that we saw was rocky cliffs and hills covered in short grasses and bushes.

We arrived in Carmel, California after an afternoon of driving. We had dinner at a restaurant owned by Clint Eastwood. Some old guy was trying to pick up my mom. The old guy was not Clint Eastwood, so he did not succeed.

Windows XP Hill

Here's a picture that I took from the car in the Napa Valley. Look familiar?

I took the picture because I thought it looked just like the hill from the default wallpaper in Windows XP.

I did a bit more research about the default wallpaper from Windows XP. The image is called Bliss and it turns out that it was also taken in the Napa valley! In fact, Bliss was shot only six miles from the very spot where I took my photo. What a coincidence!

Napa Valley (Wine Country)

Today we took a drive through the Napa Valley, in the heart of wine country. This is the region that is responsible for the California wines that are enjoyed around the world. Here's some pics from the winery.

After wandering around the winery a little bit, mom and I snuck out into the vineyard itself to get a closer look at the grapes.

These are wee grapes. They're not fully grown yet.

Here is a yummy cake from the deli at the winery. I must have this cake.

China Town and Pier 39

Yesterday we headed back to the city of San Francisco itself to do some exploring. The main two objectives were to meet the girl whose apartment I will be subletting, and to explore Chinatown.

I met the girl that I will be subletting from, and also had a chance to have my first look at the apartment. It's a studio apartment with a separate kitchen and dining area. There is a big bay window facing south, which lets in a lot of sunlight. The bed is a queen size bed, and there's a ton of closet space. The apartment is at the back of the building, which means that it's quiet and private. However, there is not much of a view. All we can see out the window is the walls of other buildings.

I'll move in to the apartment on Friday, May 8th. Kate will arrive in San Francisco on May 11th, and will live with me there. It's going to be a blast! I will put up some pictures of the place once I get moved in.

The next stop was Pier 39. Pier 39 is a tourist trap on the waterfront, facing Alcatraz island. There were a whole bunch of sea lions camped out on the docks.

We had lunch at a kickass sandwich shop. I forgot to take a picture of my club sandwich on foccacia bread before eating it. However, I give you my assurances that it was quite yummy. Here is the plate that it came on.

I took a picture of Alcatraz from Pier 39. I will post some more pictures of Alcatraz after I go to Alcatraz and take the famous tour.

We then circled around to Chinatown. Here's me at the famous gate to Chinatown. If you look closely, you can see a real live Asian person standing behind me. Neat, huh? :-)

Here is another street in Chinatown.

Last but not least, here is a funny sign. It says "Use Door to the Left" and has an arrow pointing right.

Even the Mallards are Gay

Here is a picture that I took of two mallards that landed in the swimming pool outside my aunt Sharon's apartment a few minutes ago. Pairs of mallards are a common sight here, just like they are back home in Canada. This pair is slightly unusual, however: they're both male. I guess even the ducks are gay in San Francisco! :-)

Visiting Google

Today I trekked out to Mountain View with mom and Mike to check out the Google campus. I will be starting work there in just over a week. Here I am, leaning on the sign in front of the "Googleplex".

We got a glimpse of the famous Google bikes. Google has hundreds of pale blue womens' bikes (with baskets and all) that any employee can take with them when they need. The bikes are free, and can be used for getting to and from work, getting around the Google campus, or going out to get pizza. There is a story that some people use the bikes to get around inside Google's huge server farms. Here is a trio of Googlers using the bikes on Amphitheatre Parkway, in front of the Google campus.

It's not uncommon for tech companies to have nice landscaping on their grounds. The gardens on Google's campus take it to a whole new level, though. Here is a shot that I took of an orchard in full bloom on the Google campus.

There is a very big hill right next to Google which provides a nice view of the Google campus on one side, and the south end of San Francisco Bay on the other. Here I am standing on top of the hill. If you look closely, you can see the Diablo mountains in the distance on the other side of San Francisco Bay.

First Day Exploring the City

I just got back from my first day exploring the city.

The morning was spent having breakfast with mom, Mike, and Sharon.  Then I went hunting for some sort of cell phone.  I didn't buy one yet, but I think I have a pretty good idea which one I want.

There are a couple other chores I have to take care of in the coming days, including getting a Social Security Number, opening a bank account, and a few other things.  I'm going to begin tackling these things tomorrow morning.

The most exciting part of the day was driving to the city of San Francisco itself.  I'll be living there starting on May 8.  The first thing we did was to check out the place that I'll be living.  We couldn't go inside, but we wanted to have a look at the neighborhood.  Here's a picture of me standing outside of the place.

I will be subletting the place from someone for the summer.  I'll meet her on Saturday, and also check the place out.  I will post some pictures of the inside of the place then.  It's right close to City Hall.  Here is a picture that I took from right outside the front door.

They say that San Francisco is where old Volkswagen Beetles go to die.  Here's a car that was parked on the street in front of my future dwelling.

Since April 23 is Craig's birthday, and Craig liked eating Lasagna a lot, we like to commemorate his birthday by going out for Lasagna.  After seeing the apartment building where I'll be living, we headed over to Little Italy to find a nice place to have some Lasagna.  We passed by a couple really stuffy-looking fancy Italian places before coming across Pellegrini, which turned out to be perfect.

The food couldn't have been better.  I had the best Caesar Salad ever and the best Lasagna I have ever had.  The service was incredible and everyone was really nice.  Mom was impressed by the fact that most of the patrons seemed to be people who were actually Italian, rather than a bunch of tourists.  Here I am outside the restaurant with mom and Sharon.

Outline

Yesterday I flew from Ottawa to San Francisco, arriving late at night.  I settled in at my Aunt Sharon's place in San Mateo.  I will be staying here for a while before moving in to my own place in downtown San Francisco.

Here is a rough outline of my plan for the next couple months: 

• April 22 - arrive in San Francisco, stay at Sharon's place


• May 4 - First day of work


• May 8 - Move in to studio apartment in downtown San Francisco


• May 11 - Kate arrives in San Francisco


• Sept 5 - I fly back home to Canada