Day 8: Happy Memorial Day!

Carousel at the Asian Market, originally uploaded by edmarchedrick.

Went shopping again. I needed to get some essentials for my work wardrobe: brown shoes, a blue button up, etc. It was a good day despite having missed out on a Memorial Day barbecue. Perhaps another time.

On the way home, this old Asian man stops me from getting on the bus and asks me...

"Are you under 17?"
No.
"Are you under 18?"
No.
"Give me money."
What?
"Give me money!"
NO.

I mean, at least in Austin, people ask for money. They don't demand it.

Tomorrow is day one at Palm. I will go through a two hour orientation before I meet my boss. I'm both nervous and excited about it. Getting ready with my clothes now because tomorrow morning will come very early!

Day 7: Light Rail Derailed

Light Rail Accident, originally uploaded by edmarchedrick.

Went to Lake Cunningham in San Jose. I really wanted to go to the Mission for Carnaval, but aw well. Changed my plans at the last minute.

Had trouble getting there because A TRAIN HIT A CAR. It was so aggravating. It's like I rely on it so much and now it's failed me. I couldn't help but feel angry. Apparently, this doesn't happen often, which means it would happen when I needed to take it. My first time going towards Alum Rock and I can't even get to my stop by train. As for the car, it was MESSED UP. It really was.

BBQ, kickball, dodgeball, food, etc. Learned that some people call San Jose "Man Jose." No surprise there; Silicon Valley is full of engineers. Also, there are a lot of Asians here. Definitely much more than in Texas. Met a couple longhorns. It was nice. Definitely asked about breakfast tacos in the area - none. It was upsetting.

I'm so tired now. The sun sapped all of my energy. It's like 10:30 and I'm incredibly tired.

The lake was pretty though.

And I could actually see those mountains I talked about on Day 1. Turns out they are hills and not mountains. Taxi driver was right. I was wrong. But man, those hills. I cannot get over those hills.

Day 6: Um... como?

Sunnyvale Apt - Living Room, originally uploaded by edmarchedrick.

Started walking to the station today so that I could get to the city for Carnaval festivities, but then I realized I forgot my iPod. So I told myself I'd just stay in for the day again -- relax, exercise, la-di-da. I'm not sure that I could've sat around for a 2+ hr commute without that music player of mine. I think that's why people go crazy on those trains and buses. Have you seen those videos on YouTube?? I don't want to be that.

Watched a lot of Hell's Kitchen on Hulu. Starved half to death because I don't have anything in my fridge. Ate at a taqueria nearby and was forced for the very first time in my life to speak Spanish. Ya, never had to do that in Texas. Made me so nervous, but I got those simple phrases DOWN PAT. I just don't comprehend that well.

On one of the Hell's Kitchen episodes, the challenge winners went into San Francisco. It was kind of cool to be able to recognize some of the landmarks. Planning of going in tomorrow; hope I'm motivated when I wake up.

______________________________

This is the last part of my first day trip into San Francisco last Wednesday.

8: Union Square

A materialist's paradise. Bought some flip flops here just in case my blistered feet couldn't make it. This city is so advanced. They've got this little computer at check out that tells you what register has just opened up. "Register 4 is open" it tells me. The sales clerk thought I was a school kid. It was so cute. I had my earbuds in my ear (not listening to anything though - this was just a tactic to avoid those pesky Greenpeace canvassers) and she saw my messenger bag, so she asked if I was walking home from school. Way cute.

Went into Westfield Centre. But then I felt like I had succumbed to excess, so I left and started questing back to the Caltrain.

On my way though, I saw Jollibee, a Filipino fast food chain and one of my fondest memories growing up as a child. I ordered the spaghetti (an old favorite) and lumpia. It managed to be both disgusting and comforting at the same time. Jollibee only exists in three states and I stumbled upon one of the locations randomly. It's crazy. I would never have thought to actively search for one.

Also saw my first seedy porn theater, which I could not stop gawking at. And finally, I saw a Whole Foods, which made me happy because, once again, it reminded me of Austin. Talked with a nice man named Kyle. I expressed to him my concern for the small size of the store compared to the one in Austin.

"How big do you want a grocery store to be? This is San Francisco -- this is prime real estate. It's pretty big for a grocery store."

He helped me pick out the best blueberries and strawberries. And when I asked for activity/event/trip tips, he gave me a vague answer: "Go do all the touristy things."

"Don't buy crack on the streets," he also warned.

Anyways, after this, I finally changed into those flip flops I had bought and happily walked to the station, where I boarded the Caltrain and headed back to Downtown Mountain View.

Day 5: South Bay Transportation

$1 Coins from the VTA, originally uploaded by edmarchedrick.

The VTA (Valley Transportation Authority) operates buses and a rail system. It goes as far west as Mountain View and as far east as Alum Rock. It's a pretty complex system they have.

Finally understood today that buying a day pass for the light rail also gives me access to the buses. Could've saved a lot of money. HA! I've learned now thanks the nice bus driver on the 60 (Santa Clara Caltrain). Also learned that when you get change from the Light Rail tellers, you get $1 coins. And the buses accept them. Ka-ching!

I went to Santa Clara/San Jose to visit some shops. There's this place in San Jose called Santana Row - lots of high end stores. Gucci, Burberry, BCBG. Made me nervous just being there. So I went across the street into Santa Clara to the Westfield Valley Fair shopping center (still kind of upscale, but the middle-aged women in nasty sweats made me feel better about myself).

Met this nice UCSD marketing grad at William Rast (Justin Timberlake's fashion line).

While I was perusing she says, "I like your shoes." I was the only person in the shop so I knew she was talking to me. Also, this is a common compliment. My recs are quite popular with the ladies. I just can't tell them about the blisters they give me. ACK.

Translation: "Go out on a date with me." I sidestepped the whole matter by discussing with her instead the huge differences between the Bay Area and Austin. That will be a blog topic one day, I'm sure.

It shouldn't have taken me 3 hrs to get home today, but it did. But now that I'm a public transit pro, it won't happen again.

Just learned that Valley Fair is situated in both Santa Clara and San Jose and brings revenue into both cities. Neat.

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Continuation from yesterday:

6: Golden Gate Park

Twice in five minutes was I offered some bud. I had to decline politely. I saw a kids soccer team practicing on the fields. They were all speaking French. It's such a huge park! I wanted to get to the Pacific Ocean but I didn't because I was too tired and my feet were hurting like hell. So I got out of the park and took the infamous Muni towards the direction of the Caltrain station.

7: Civic Center

I got off at 9th & Market because I saw seagulls. I found myself at the UN Plaza where there was a fountain and all these seabirds just cawing. It was so, so cold and so, so smelly, but I was fascinated because these birds are here in the middle of the city instead of flying over the bay or something. Took photos of an interesting statue in front of city hall. Felt like a tourist. Saw a lot of Greenpeace canvassers. It was both nice and aggravating at the same time. Nice because it reminded me of Austin. Aggravating because it's Greenpeace.

Day 4: Rest and Relaxation

Mission Dolores Park, originally uploaded by edmarchedrick.

I did a lot of nothing today mostly because I didn't want to put shoes on. The blisters... ya, they're gross. I almost rode into the freeway on my bicycle. The ramp specifically forbade cyclists not to go onto the freeway. I was scared as hell. It was one of those rock and a hard place situations: either go onto the freeway and exit asap, or go up the ramp against the flow of traffic. I decided to backtrack, naturally.

Anyways, I mapped my first adventure into San Francisco. I went just to get an overview of the city and not necessarily to do anything in particular (except to visit one shop). By the end, I wanted to acquaint myself with some of the different neighborhoods. I feel that I definitely accomplished my objective though I know there is so much more to the city that I probably won't get to see while I'm here. On my next trip, I'll do a little less general perusing. Hopefully, I'll actually have specific activities planned out. Anyways, here's the map. Click it to make it bigger!

1: MISSION BAY

I think, technically, the San Francisco Caltrain Station is part of the Mission Bay neighborhood. I didn't really do much. Just got off the Caltrain and walked across the street to Safeway, the first real grocery store I've been to since arriving in the Bay Area. They have security guards. It was so strange. I wanted to walk to Valencia straight away so I started my trek. It was about two miles and I had to go through the Design District to get there. Lots of interesting architecture, but not the image of San Francisco that I had in my head. You know, not the stuff they show on television/film.

2: The Mission

I wanted to go to Valencia to visit a shop called Self Edge, which sells high-end denim jeans for $200+. My brother bought a pair and I wanted to check out the store. I'm not really knowledgeable about denim jean culture so I was kind of lost in the store despite it being so small. The guy there was neither friendly nor helpful.

After, I headed west hoping that I'd hit the Castro, but first, I found myself in the Mission Dolores Park, which I loved. It overlooks downtown (yesterday's photo) and is warmer than other parts of the city that I visited. Microclimates. They're crazy. I lazed around for maybe 45 minutes and thought, "This is why Californians are so happy." The park was populated with people lying around tanning, reading, etc. Children playing in the playground, dogs catching Frisbees and pooping on the grass, lesbian couples making out. It was awesome. I wish I could go there every day. Unfortunately, there were a lot of high school kids disrupting my peaceful moment, but it's expected seeing as how there's a high school (above photo) right across the street.

There are also lots of really great murals to look at in this neighborhood.

3: The Castro

So colorful! I didn't see any butt plug stores though. Lots of very swole men. Lots of people at the Gold's Gym. Lots of people in general.

This old woman tripped and fell on the sidewalk. And two men helped her up to her feet. It was so nice. It felt very Queer as Folk. Like this is a community in which people care about each other? Maybe I'm just idealizing? If I am, I blame Gus Van Sant.

There was a farmer's market going on. They hold one on Market & Noe every Wednesday in the summer. It reminded me of the Austin farmer markets. I didn't spend too much time here because I knew that Golden Gate Park was nearby and I wanted to walk there. And also because I assumed that I would be able to check the area out again when Cary comes to visit his cousin.

4: Duboce Triangle

It's mostly residential so I didn't really stop except to look out east. I could very clearly see the bay. It was awesome. I had one of those moments of awe. You know what I'm talking about.

5: Haight-Ashbury

Lots of shops here. Visited a few including a shoe store, a record store, and a coffee shop, where I had awesome apple cider. Coffee to the People was the name. My barista was nice. We made small talk about the Philippines and Saipan and Guam. The place had a very social atmosphere. Lots of the same people probably frequent the place. I came initially looking for outlets because I needed to charge my dying phone before I continued exploring this unknown city. Fortunately, there was an abundance. So I sat, charged, and sipped on my apple cider for an hour before I headed to Golden Gate Park.

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I'll post the rest later!

Day 3: View of Downtown from Mission District

View of Downtown from Mission District, originally uploaded by edmarchedrick.

Went to San Francisco today. Spent a lot of time there. Too tired to blog. Too much walking. Too much exploration. Too much misadventure at the end.

Blisters on my feet. The dimensions of the largest one (on the right little toe) is probably 10x5x3 mm. It's disgusting.

Anyways, I'll blog in greater detail tomorrow since I'll pretty much be lazing around all day relaxing and recovering. And I will map out my trip through the city as well. Until then! Good night!

Day 2: Cycling on a Rainy Day

My bicycle, originally uploaded by edmarchedrick.

This is my bicycle, which as I mentioned previously, is a little too big for me. I can reach the ground with my tiptoes, but that's it. They don't have any shorter ones, unfortunately. Hopefully I don't hurt myself! Crossing my fingers. I decided to ride it around to see if I could manage. I mean, I did, though I made it a point to stay on roads that have bike lanes.

Also made it a point to meet my neighbors. I've heard them stepping in/out of their apartment, so I went over and asked for a screwdriver (to lower the seat on my bike). The guy's name is John. They appear to be a family of three. I was hoping it was another intern or something, but alas. I can't always get what I want. I know someone one floor down is doing corporate housing as well. I just don't remember which one it was. Otherwise, I'd go and ring their doorbell.

Here is where I biked. The lightning bolt is the little deli where I had lunch. The heart is my apartment complex. In total, it was about 7.5 miles. I was hoping see some South Bay, but I couldn't figure out where I needed to go to do that. Maybe next time.

Still don't know where the nearest grocery store is (where I can walk/bike safely). For now, I'm frequenting convenience stores. I want to go into the city tomorrow or the day after. Let's see if I can muster up the motivation.

Day 1: View from the Balcony

Sunnyvale - View from Balcony, originally uploaded by edmarchedrick.

Checked in at DFW airport at around 10:45 a.m. and waited at Terminal C26 for my 12:15 p.m. flight to SJC. Plane delay, switched to terminal C29 with a departure time of 12:50. During my flight, I sat in seat 25A (window seat) next to a man named Kelvin from Arkansas. He is visiting San Jose for a conference before he goes on to travel through most of Asia looking for new electronic suppliers for his company.

Arrived in San Jose, CA at about 3:15 p.m. PDT, took a $45 taxi ride to my apartment in Sunnyvale and found an awesome view from my balcony (photo above). I call these raised bits of earth 'mountains.' My taxi driver called them 'hills.'

"Go further east and you'll find the mountains," he tells me.

"We don't have mountains in Dallas," I explain. "These look like mountains to me."

The temperature was about 64 degrees all day. Definitely not used to this nice, cool climate. My A/C isn't even running right now and it is awesome. I wore a sweater... in May; everyone was wearing sweaters or jackets... in May. Even the joggers.

There are also a lot of pine trees here. Or whatever they are. And with the clouds and the mountains, I kind of feel like I'm in a David Lynch TV series. But this moderately creepy feeling is negligible.

I also walked into my apartment and found an awesome bicycle (photo to come later perhaps). Unfortunately, the bike is too big for me. Story of my life. I appreciate that they assumed that I was a man of average height. I really do. Not sure if I will ask them for a shorter bike or if I should just try this on for size (no pun intended).

Because I could not bicycle, I walked to grab some noms. I found a taqueria (a piece of home!), where I found myself being laughed at by all of the workers. Then I went to a nearby market. Boxes of cereal that I could buy in Texas for ~$3 are ~$5 here. Completely absurd! I left the store with 5 bananas and a half-gallon wax-carton of mango juice. I wonder -- will I starve?

Regarding the photos: I'm shooting some stuff with my DSLR , but I can't/won't upload those because it takes far too long, which means you all will only get to see those taken on my BlackBerry.

To view a couple snapshots of my apartment (and I literally mean a couple), go visit my flickr. Less text in future posts perhaps. Just depends on the amount of free time I have.

Tchau amigos,

Dave